I work on Thanksgiving, and my friends are all busy. But never ones to give up a good gorging of ourselves, we decided to do a Friendsgiving this Friday.
The original idea was to keep it low key with some cold cuts and cranberry sauce so we could make “leftovers” turkey sandwiches.
Alas, my Thanksgiving Day (and frugal) spirit went into overdrive when turkey breast went on sale for 99 cents a pound. Then when I got to the store, I found out that whole turkeys were just 69 cents a pound. I think you see where this is going.
The smallest bird I could find was 13.1 lbs, so I’ve been politely and as demurely as possible haranguing our whole group into coming.
I’m doing as much as I can to make it easy on myself.
I’ve outsourced the cranberry sauce, pre-bird snacks and even the stuffing. Someone offered to try crockpot stuffing, which means she could use veggie broth, which means that the vegan could eat it. So it seemed prudent to let that happen. Alas, I couldn’t outsource the potatoes since pretty much everyone is coming directly from work.
As for the turkey itself, I have some brown-in bags which should make it relatively foolproof. And fast-cooking. Both of which are appealing to me.
And on Thursday I’m going to make some pumpkin pie. I’m making it the night before because a) less stress and b) if I foul it up, it gives me time to ask someone to get one from the store.
As you can tell, I have a lot of faith in my own cooking. Though to be fair the last (and only) time I cooked Thanksgiving dinner was 17 years ago. That turned out well, but I’m also prone to flightiness; so it’s easy for me to miss a step when cooking or, say, baking a pie.
The gravy is coming from a jar (I’ve been told Heinz makes a good facsimile of the real thing), and I’m probably going to get some mashed potato packets since some of them turn out quite well. And if not, well… I’m sure some people are used to the taste of instant mashed potatoes.
So far, we only have seven people (myself included) to tackle the bird, so I foresee a lot of leftovers. I can always offer to let people take some meat home, or I’ll just have a ton of future meals, which is hardly the worst fate in the world.
I’m keeping things pretty affordable, since the turkey itself was only $9.04. The gravy was $1.50 a bottle (two bottles, and I can always return one). The evaporated milk and pumpkin were another $4, plus another $2 for the (store brand) pie crust. I still have to buy eggs for the pie and the mashed potatoes, but both are extremely affordable ($0.99 for the eggs and about $4 for enough mashed potatoes to serve eight). In other words, I’m getting this meal for about $30, which should amortize nicely over the time I spend eating leftovers.
Besides actual eating, it’s really going to be a glorified game night with drinking and, obviously, games. So a good time should be had by all — even if I do mess up my contributions.
Do you do any Friendsgivings? What’s the dish that you’re always the most paranoid about messing up?
Cakester says
The only time I did a friendsgiving was in college, before I went home for thanksgiving. I didn’t actually make anything, though I did help a bit. My roommate, and others, did butternut squash mac’n’cheese and turkey. Someone made a sweet potato pie. It was a nice night and even with like 8 college students there were still leftovers.
Abigail says
There must have been a lot of turkey! It sounds like a nice Friendsgiving. I’ve never heard of butternut squash mac ‘n cheese but it sounds pretty good (and I’m not even that big a squash fan). I’m happy to report that the pumpkin pies turned out well, if a little singed on the pie crust in one or two small spots (can’t have everything!), so now it’s just a matter of not screwing up the turkey. And going to get some more instant mashed potatoes that I taste-tested last night and was pleasantly surprised by how non-instant they tasted.
teinegurl says
what games do you guys play? My friend Scottie introduced to this board game called Sequence and its super fun. Also since I got back from my trip to Vegas I got bit so im learning tons of cards games like blackjack and poker but open to suggestions and even kid friendly options. Hope you have good time and don’t stress to much over cooking. I myself am in charge of green bean casserole , mashed potatoes and I ordered pies from a bakery so if everything else fails we will still have dessert! you also have tim and in laws to help eat some and Pandora if you give her table foods.
Abigail says
Historically speaking, I’m the one who eats the majority of the leftovers when all is said and done; but again, it’s hardly the worst fate in the world. Last time we got together, we played the card version of Oregon Trail (yep, it’s a thing), Cards Against Humanity (definitely NOT kid-friendly), and What Do You Meme? (which is kind of like C.A.H. but you’re basing your answers off of various memes). We’ve also played Scattegories and even one game that a friend’s relative made up that’s pretty cool.
catseye says
I hosted friendsgiving last year and had a great time. I’m hosting again this year where I provide the turkey (work freebie), iced tea, and wine glasses. Friends are bringing the rest. *sigh* Guess I’ll need to clean this place up before next Thursday. ;o)
Abigail says
It’s awesome that you got a free turkey if that’s most of what you need to bring. If you don’t already use them, I love love love oven bags (aka brown-in bags). They’re going to make my turkey cook in 2 hours instead of 5-6. It’s a beautiful thing!
catseye says
I work in a bbq place, so they smoke the turkeys. Girl, I’d be afraid to eat a turkey I had prepared! Thanks for the tip anyway. ;oD
Kat says
I’ve never called it Friendsgiving but there are friends who join our table over the years because they know that we have plenty of room and are always glad for the company. Historical inaccuracy aside, that’s sort of the point of Thanksgiving in a way, isn’t it? Share in the good things, so you can give thanks for them?
We’ve got four “family by choice” guests coming this year and the table will be better for it. Besides, the cats love guests; people who don’t see them daily are more likely to fall for the “I’m starving! Turkey helps…” routine.
Abigail says
Haha, you’ve got some savvy cats! I think Friendsgivings are when it’s made up entirely of people unrelated to each other by blood/marriage, but honestly I’m a little hazy on the distinction overall. The point, like you said, is to share in good things. And in our case, to get quite drunk and play games.
Jenny says
I am with you on the turkey bags. I tried it a long time ago and never went back to regular turkey roasting. I am also a big fan of Costco pumpkin pies. They feed an army, they are cheap and you can always find someone to pick one up. Sounds like you’re headed for a fun night!
Abigail says
I don’t think any of my friends have Costco cards, but the good news is that the pies turned out okay other than one of them having a slightly burned crust in one spot.
Lisa O says
Turkey in a bag is the best way to go! I do a 2x potatoes and you make them the day prior and then bake at 350 for 45 minutes prior to dinner. They are the bomb and are the easiest to make. Enjoy your holiday…..
Abigail says
I’ll keep that in mind for the future!
Donna Freedman says
So….How about a brief post on how Friendsgiving turned out?
Donna Freedman recently posted…Giveaway: “Sudsy Slim Rides Again.”