Friends are the family you choose, which is why one of our personal favorite traditions is FRIENDSGIVING!
Holiday entertaining can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s why we’re breaking it down and providing simple steps for ensuring that you can stress less and celebrate more with a fun Friendsgiving! If you’ve never participated, or haven’t had the motivation to host one yourself, we hope this inspires you!
How To Have a Stress-Free, Fun-Filled Friendsgiving
1. Share the love AND the workload!
Forget the headache of cooking 12 dishes yourself. Delegate one dish to each person so all your bases are covered! If you have more friends than dishes, they can help with décor, clean up or bring the beverages!
2. Organization is key!
When planning a Friendsgiving, or even traditional Thanksgiving, the key to keeping it running smoothly is staying organized (especially when there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen). An easy way to organize preparing, cooking and serving a big meal is by using a meal planner. That way everything—from the menu to the grocery list, recipes and meal prep plan—is laid out so that everyone who is contributing is on the same page.
3. Contribute a delicious Friendsgiving dish!
There’s something universally joyful about preparing a wonderful meal and sharing it with friends. Here’s a sumptuous recipe for Butternut Squash Soup that Erin loves!
What you’ll need:
- 1 large pot
- 1 blender
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed
- 32 ounces of chicken stock
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, chopped
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- Freshly ground pepper & salt (to taste)
How to cook it:
Using a large pot, melt the butter, add all the veggies and cook until lightly browned. Add chicken stock until the veggies are covered, then bring it to a boil. Reduce to low heat, cover & simmer until all the veggies are tender (approximately 40 minutes).
Blend soup in a blender until it’s smooth, then pour it back into the pot. Add the rest of the chicken stock for preferred consistency. Season with pepper & salt and enjoy! Serves approximately four.
4. Incorporate an easy Friendsgiving bonding tradition.
A great way to bond with all your Friendsgiving guests and start your own tradition is by providing a blank slip of paper for each guest so they can take a moment to jot down something they’re thankful for! Collect the slips and save them to revisit at the next Friendsgiving!
5. Set the table with simple-but-stylish seasonal pieces.
Table settings with a few decorative pumpkins, baskets and pine cones are always fun, festive and affordable. Don’t want a huge table mess after your Friendsgiving? A surefire way to plan for a mess-free table is to accessorize with paper placemat pads.
6. Make it your own.
Make Friendsgiving uniquely enjoyable for you and your group of friends. Whether that means all-day turkey trivia, watching the game or a holiday karaoke contest, make it a celebration of what bonds you all together as friends.
Enjoy and have a happy Friendsgiving!
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