Thanksgiving break is coming up and a lot of people are excited to head back home and see their families. However, for those that want to host a Friendsgiving, here are some tips.
Entertainment:
1). Board Games
Nothing brings friends together like board games (unless it’s Monopoly, play that at your own risk). Any board game will do, whether you want to relive your childhood memories with your friends, or just have fun.
2). Host a bakeoff
If your friends like to cook, then have some fun with it. Have a competition for whoever can make the best dessert. Friends will enjoy the competition and the winner can get bragging rights. Even if one loses, there will be plenty of desert to eat afterwards, so there’s something to look forward too.
3). Movie marathon
Each of your friends brings their favorite movie and you all enjoy a movie marathon for the entire day. It’s a good way to see what movies your friends like and allows for bonding.
Recipes:
Tortellini Carbonera
This dish is delicious and simple to make. It is for cheese and pasta lovers, who want to upgrade their entrees.
Ingredients:
8 strips of bacon, diced
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
2-3 tablespoons of dried parsley
½ cup of parmesan cheese
Directions:
- In a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Put bacon on a plate with a paper towel and drain the grease.
- Return the bacon to the saucepan and add cream, parsley, and cheese. Cook uncovered over medium heat until it’s heated through
- Meanwhile cook tortellini accordingly to the package’s directions and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle cheese sauce over tortellini and you are ready to serve.
Slow Cooker: Easy Baked Potato Soup
Craving soup to bring to Friendsgiving? Then this recipe is right up your alley. This recipe requires a slow cooker, and about seven hours. However, it’s worth the wait, so start prepping early.
Ingredients:
10 red potatoes, cut into cubes
2 teaspoons of dried parsley
3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of seasoned salt
¾ cup of real bacon bits
½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 small red onion, chopped
3 cups water
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup of half and half
2 tablespoons of chicken bouillon granules
½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon of ranch dressing mix
¼ cup of chopped green onion
Directions:
- First, put the potatoes in the bottom of your slow cooker crock, then scatter flour over the potatoes and toss the potatoes to coat them.
- Scatter the bacon bits, red onion, garlic, chicken bouillon, ranch dressing mix, parsley, seasoned salt and black pepper over the potatoes.
- Then pour the water into the slow cooker and cook on low for seven to nine hours. After that, pour the half and half into the soup and cook for another 15 minutes.
- Garnish the soup with cheddar cheese and green onions and you are ready to serve.
Asian Turkey Burgers
Do you want turkey but don’t want to go through the hassle of buying a full one, seasoning it and cooking it for hours?This dish can be finished in a short period of time and is delicious.
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of minced onion
½ cup of dry breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove or ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
¼ teaspoon of ginger
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
16 oz of ground turkey
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.
- Then crumble the turkey over the mixture and mix until combined.
- Then shape into four patties. Grill them in a pan or a grill at 350 degrees for about 6-8 minutes each side. There should be no pink in the middle.
- Finally, serve to your friends with or without a bun.
Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
This one has the potential to be vegan. I made this and was blown away about how much this tasted like meat based sloppy joes.
Ingredients:
2 pounds of beyond beef
1 can of tomato soup
½ cup of catsup (also known as ketchup)
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire
1 tablespoon of chili powder
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of minced onion
Directions:
- In a big skillet, combine the ingredients and brown the beyond beef, while mixing in all the ingredients.
- Once it’s all mixed and browned, it’s ready to be served.
- You may serve it on a hamburger bun if you desire.
Taco soup
Combine the two greatest foods and get an amazing result. With a slow cooker, impress friends and admire the deep flavors of this dish.
Ingredients:
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 pound of cooked hamburger
1 can of corn
Taco seasoning packet
1 can of black beans
1 4 oz can of green chilies
1 can of kidney beans
2 10 oz cans of Rotel tomatoes w/green chilies
1 can of tomato sauce (16 oz)
1 diced onion
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
Dash of salt and pepper
Directions:
- Combine the browned hamburger with taco seasoning and all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on low in a crock pot.
- After it is done cooking, you can add your choice of sour cream, olives, jalapenos or cheese
Ryan Hill can be reached at [email protected].