An Exceptional, Explorational Friendsgiving
Friends are the family you choose, right? So Friendsgiving is the time to make the holiday your own, without holding onto those tired recipes of the past. Sure, the traditional Thanksgiving spread is awesome. But there’s no law that says you have to make the same exact recipes year after year. Why not infuse a little inspiration into the holiday menu, and throw a Friendsgiving potluck? Encourage each guest to get adventurous and bring their favorite revamped classic Thanksgiving food for everyone to try. It’s the perfect way to bring some inspiring new flavors to the table.
Adventurous Thanksgiving Recipe Inspo
Fall-ify your mac & cheese by adding pumpkin—the result is a rich, creamy and cheesy staple with a crispy breadcrumb topping.
Apricot Glazed Cornish Game Hens
Roasted with a glaze made from apricot preserves, orange juice and soy sauce, these individually-portioned birds make any holiday meal an unforgettable occasion.
Kaddo Bourani is a classic Afghan dish involving baked sweet squash topped with creamy yogurt that makes a great addition to the Thanksgiving spread. Serve warm as a side, or as a cold appetizer with pita bread.
Sweetness, heat, and smoke are perfectly balanced in this simple-yet-surprising autumnal side dish. The squash is roasted at high heat to achieve beautiful caramelization that provides even more depth of flavor.
Whether you call it stuffing (cooked stuffed in your turkey) or dressing (cooked separately), this cornbread-centric side is pretty much universally loved. Make it classic or give it a twist with any of our suggested tweaks. Cranberry Ginger Fizz Punch
Bring the magic and the spice (and a little booze) to any celebration. It’s a showstopper served in a large punch bowl, but it can also be made in a pitcher or individual glasses.
Holiday Cheeseboard
Now that charcuterie has taken the internet by storm, crafting a beautiful cheeseboard presentation is basically guaranteed to bring you new friends and admirers (or loads of compliments from your existing ones.) We’ve done the hard part for you, creating this adventurous, perfectly balanced and slightly whimsical spread for you to style.
Cheeses:
Harbison Mini from Jasper Hill Farm—a spreadable, woodsy and sweet soft-ripened cheese with a rustic, bloomy rind. And what a presentation! It’s wrapped in spruce bark, so it’s got that rustic-but-elegant holiday flair.
Whatcom Blue from Twin Sisters Creamery—an aged, full-bodied and creamy raw milk blue with a rich, savory flavor profile.
Firefly Mountain Top — a delicate, creamy little pyramid made with goats milk and a hint of blue in the rind that lets you know the cheese is ripening well.
Meats:
Smoking Goose Dodge City Salame—a slow cured pork salame with fennel pollen and pink peppercorns that brings new thinking to a charcuterie board staple.
Extras:
Divina Caramelized Onion Jam—a deeply savory and somehow also delightfully sweet partner for all the above.
Our Own Blood Orange Cranberry Sauce—a topping so good, it seems unfair to limit it to turkey.
Equal Exchange Organic Roasted Hazelnuts—these hearty little flavor bombs bring crunch and earthy complexity to your perfectly curated cheeseboard.
An Xuyen Garlic Crostini—this authentic artisan Pan Asian bakery makes the best garlic crostini! Not your traditional pre-feast snack, but that’s kind of the point here, isn’t it?