Thanksgiving isn’t always about spending time with relatives.
It’s a short holiday, leaving little time in modern, spread-out America to make long drives or in-and-out flights.
And it’s a season packed with expectations and emotional landmines that may lay hidden in how the stuffing should be made. Given the limitations and risks, some choose instead a low-intensity, friendly Thanksgiving dinner with neighbors, college buddies, co-workers and friends.
Amy Hoover of Westside has traveled only twice to see her Ohio family over Thanksgiving in 17 years.
“This year I’ll be staying in town again, having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner but with a small group of friends,” she said. “The crowds, cost and general hassle of traveling on Thanksgiving make it an easy decision. With Christmas always on the near horizon, it just doesn’t make sense. The downside of course is that I miss my family. We actually get along and have a wonderful time when we’re all together. But, to me that’s what Christmas is for.”
On the bright side, “Friendsgiving” is always fun and festive, she said.
“With so many transplants in Atlanta, I’ve always known a lot of other people in my boat,” she said.” It’s not hard to find a nice group to celebrate with on Thanksgiving.”
Addie Broyles, a reporter in Austin, says Friendsgiving always seems to bring with it a distinct kind of holiday energy. Not one of too many obligations, or of making up for all the mistakes of years’ past, or of trying to make sure both the grandkids and the grandmas are comfortable.
You bring a side dish you’ve never cooked before. Or a dessert or boozy punch your family would never let you get away with bringing home, she said. No relish tray. No candles. No television. They were just a group of unrelated Austinites who spend more time together than with their own families, who are spread out from Chicago to Dallas and Washington state.
Boyles supplied the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. She asked everyone else to bring a favorite Thanksgiving dish, or at least the one they look forward to the most.
They came with a range of dishes that were outshone only by stories of the recipies: macaroni and cheese with bacon from a neighborhood dad who “has been making macaroni and cheese since I was 16 and never made it from a box.” Deviled eggs from backyard chicken eggs; Brussels sprouts roasted with garlic and Parmesan cheese that had been a perennial favorite at recent Friendsgivings in Portland, Ore. A hash brown casserole topped with cornflakes that might just become a favorite guilty pleasure around the holidays.
They set up a potluck table in the neighborhood common area, where the kids could run around, and participants brought lawn chairs to set up in a circle around the buffet. They started eating around 3 p.m. and didn’t clear off the last empty platters and servingware until about 9 p.m.
“Before we ate, I took a minute to thank everyone for taking the time to join us not out of obligation or tradition, but because it’s important to break bread with the people who make up your village,” she wrote of the experience.
Friendsgiving has become a growing celebration for Artagus Newell of Atlanta.
His 2012 Friendsgiving photo shows about 45 college friends who have been celebrating Friendsgiving the last three years, with plans well underway for a fourth.
“It’s a great way to stay in touch and keep our friendship strong,” he said.
Hash Brown Casserole
This is the favorite holiday potluck dish in the Morcher household in Austin. It’s a sinfully delicious cheesy potato casserole with a unique twist: cornflakes. The dish has more calories than you’d like to know, but you can trim back the amount of sour cream, shredded cheese or butter and still have a tasty dish. Makes 12 servings.
16 ounces cubed frozen hash brown potatoes
1 cup cream of chicken soup
16 ounces regular sour cream
1 (12-ounce) bag of shredded cheddar cheese
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 small cans of diced green chiles
2 cups cornflakes
1 stick butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in large bowl.
Transfer to a 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole dish and bake, uncovered, for one hour and 10 minutes.
Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle the cornflakes in a layer on top. Drizzle butter over cornflakes and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Makes 12 servings. Per serving: 337 calories (percent of calories from fat, 70), 10 grams protein, 16 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 26 grams fat (16 grams saturated), 69 milligrams cholesterol, 522 milligrams sodium.
Recipe from Leona Wilkins, adapted by Kat and Matt Morcher
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
If you’re making them ahead of time, add a little extra liquid like buttermilk to make the potatoes looser than desired consistency because they will dry out in the reheating process. Makes 8 serving
1 bulb of garlic, cloves broken apart, peeled and ends trimmed
3 tablespoon olive oil
3 pounds of russet potatoes, cut in half (and peeled, if desired)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup half and half
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small, oven-proof pan, toss garlic cloves in olive oil. Place in oven and roast for about 10 minutes, until very soft. Let cool.
Add potatoes to a stockpot of water with salt and bring to a boil. Boil potatoes until soft, and then drain.
Return cooked potatoes to the pot, add roasted garlic, butter and half and half. Mash to desired consistency, and add more half and half as necessary. Add lemon juice and Tabasco sauce and salt to taste. Mix well and serve.
From Bess Giannakakis of Gateway Guesthouse
Per serving: 261 calories (percent of calories from fat, 44), 5 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 13 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 23 milligrams cholesterol, 293 milligrams sodium.
Broccoli Rice Casserole
When Addie Broyles asked her neighbors to bring a favorite Thanksgiving dish, Mary Beth Simcik didn’t have to think very hard about what she’d contribute. This broccoli rice casserole makes an appearance on her Thanksgiving table just about every year. With canned cream soup, frozen broccoli and Cheez Whiz, it’s deliciously old school. You can substitute fresh broccoli for frozen and attempt to recreate the gooey cheesiness without processed ingredients, but best of luck to you. - Makes 8 servings
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 (8 ounce) jar Cheez Whiz
1 can cream of celery, mushroom or chicken soup
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 cups cooked rice (about 1 cup raw)
1 box frozen broccoli, prepared by package directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute the onion and celery until they start to soften, about five minutes.
In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a greased 8-inch-by-8-inch casserole dish. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8.
Mary Beth Simcik
Per serving: 270 calories (percent of calories from fat, 47), 13 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 15 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 47 milligrams cholesterol, 987 milligrams sodium.
Tequila-Spiked Caramel Corn with Almonds
Addie Broyles’ neighbor Jessica Uramkin hit a home run with this snacky dessert. This recipe, originally from Atlanta pastry chef Taria Camerino in Food & Wine, doesn’t taste as much like tequila as you’d think, and Uramkin made a smart move by swapping out the peanuts and replacing them with almonds and cashews. She skipped the agave nectar and corn syrup, but the brown sugar made the popcorn sweet enough. This popcorn keeps for a week. Makes about 16 servings
16 cups air-popped popcorn (from about 1/2 cup unpopped kernels)
1/2 cup salted roasted almonds (or cashews)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
3 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoon tequila
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Toss the popcorn with the roasted nuts in a large heatproof bowl.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar and butter, agave nectar, corn syrup and salt and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Continue boiling for 4 minutes and remove from heat. Using a long spoon, stir in the baking soda and tequila. (The syrup will foam.) Immediately pour the hot syrup over the popcorn and peanuts and, using two spoons, toss to coat thoroughly.
Spread the popcorn on two nonstick baking sheets and bake for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally and switching the sheets halfway through, until golden and nearly dry. Turn off the oven, open the oven door completely and let the popcorn cool completely before serving.
Adapted by Jessica Uramkin from a recipe by Taria Camerino in Food & Wine
Per serving: 158 calories (percent of calories from fat, 50), 2 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 9 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 16 milligrams cholesterol, 95 milligrams sodium.
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