very year in the United States the month of November is completely consumed by the celebration of Thanksgiving. Even though Americans are the only ones to celebrate this holiday, people all over the world are aware of its existence and they know how important it is within the United States. Therefore, while Americans are eating delicious foods, gathering with their family members, and enjoying typical traditions, people everywhere else in the world are going about with their normal lives. However, so far, this year has been filled with several unexpected events as well as uncertainty for what awaits us in the future.
Due to the Coronavirus, the holiday season this year might be very different from past years as the topics of lockdown, quarantine, and travel ban have been a constant reality to many people. Consequently, families might not be able to gather together, typical traditions may not be possible to take place, and dinner might be a completely different experience without your family members getting together to prepare an authentic Thanksgiving meal. So, you might be worried this might be the year when you will have to spend the American holiday season like most people around the world.
However, there are many ways with which you still can celebrate Thanksgiving: with your immediate family, your roommates, or your closest friends. The holiday season can be tough on several people who may have family issues or not a place to go during the season and this year is the perfect opportunity to turn Thanksgiving into something completely new and even more exciting! Don’t be afraid to take the matters into your own hands and to give yourself and the people who you decide to celebrate with the best Thanksgiving ever!
Therefore, the best way of doing so is hosting a Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving party yourself and here we have compiled a list of typical and delicious food recipes that you can cook by yourself or with the help of others if you would like. With the right preparation and recipes, you don’t need to be a chef to prepare a delicious meal and give everyone a Thanksgiving that they will always remember!
Here we have compiled the best tips for cooking the best Thanksgiving dinner!
Do Not Wait Until the Last Minute!
When it comes to hosting any dinner parties preparation is the key. If you have hosted or helped someone host a Friendsgiving or even a Thanksgiving dinner before, you might know the importance of keeping things according to plan. You never know if something might go wrong and you want to make sure that you have already thought about everything in advance and that you have a backup plan, just in case. This isn’t meant to scare you, but rather to make sure that you will be able to host the party without any serious issues and that you actually can make sure to keep things running smoothly.
Therefore, you should start by making a list of people who are attending the party just so you can have an idea of how much food you will need and perhaps even count on the help of others when preparing the dinner. It is important to make sure that you are aware if anyone has a dietary restriction because you want to make sure to include everyone at dinner from vegans to those with allergies. Everyone must feel welcome! Don’t be afraid to ask questions and find out about people’s preferences, but don’t give them too much space to get comfortable; otherwise, you will end up with two different types of mashed potatoes, three different types of macaroni and cheese, and so on. Be inclusive, but stay within your limits.
Once you have gathered all the information that you need, you should be good to not only invite your guests, but also to prepare your menu. Of course, at a Thanksgiving dinner there are certain expectations: turkey, gravy, candied yams, and mashed potatoes for instance. You might choose to diversify your menu and that’s okay! What matters is that you define ahead what you are going to cook ahead of time so that you can come with the best recipes and, therefore, a list of ingredients. There is nothing worse than being halfway through cooking something only to find out that you are missing an ingredient! Even though sometimes it is possible to improvise, there are certain dishes which require special ingredients and you don’t want to take any risks.
You have decided to host a Thanksgiving party, so you should be ready to take the responsibility to make everything perfect. Even though the dinner only lasts a few hours, the preparations take time and if you think that you can get everything done in a day or at the last minute, you won’t.
How to Prepare the Perfect Friendsgiving Dinner
The Turkey
Thanksgiving without a turkey isn’t the same thing and unless you are a vegan, a vegetarian, or Chandler Bing, you have no excuses for hosting a Thanksgiving dinner without a turkey. Although it can be intimidating to cook a turkey when you have never done it before or when you are not very familiar with cooking in general, with the right recipe and instructions you will be able to do it like a pro!
The first thing you should know about cooking a turkey is that there are several types of turkey and you must find out which kind is the best one for you. There are a lot of things which must be taken into consideration: the guests, the type of oven that you have, and how much you are willing to pay for a turkey for instance. You should not be afraid to determine what will work and what will not work for you. It is better to be extra cautious than to have to deal with any problems later! There are several turkey recipes out there and it might feel a little overwhelming to pick the right one for you, but all that you need is to learn the basics and make sure that you follow each and every single one of the steps, the best part about cooking is that you can allow yourself to experiment with it. The truth is that you are the only one who can tell how comfortable you are with experimenting and with sticking to the recipe.
The Sides
There are no doubts that there are endless possibilities of sides for a Thanksgiving dinner. However, here we have compiled some of the best and easiest dishes that will make any Thanksgiving dinner feel authentic and the smell alone will make everyone’s mouth water instantly!
Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potatoes and yams are important features of thanksgiving. If you wish to explore a little in the kitchen and come up with a new rendition of a well known dish, the sweet potato casserole is the perfect dish for you! There are multiple recipes online, but you can check out Love and Lemons recipe for an easy and delicious dish.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts is the kind of food that doesn't matter whether people love it or not, it will probably find it at Thanksgiving. However, this is your chance to make a dish which is simple and will please those who might not be able to eat other types of Thanksgiving foods. Even though there are many ways to cook brussels sprouts, you can never go wrong with a good roast.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Who doesn’t love potatoes? It is almost impossible to prepare a dish with potatoes, either regular or sweet, and find a person who is not going to appreciate them. There are so many ways with which you can prepare potatoes and the number of variations of mashed potatoes can actually surprise you. Nevertheless, garlic mashed potatoes is one of the best Thanksgiving foods as not only it is extremely popular but also easy to prepare.
The Desserts
For a Thanksgiving dinner to be complete, you need a dessert. Although you might choose to buy a dessert rather than prepare one, either way you will need something to offer your guests after dinner. Here is a different rendition of a Thanksgiving classic which you can prepare and that will most likely be a success!
Pumpkin Cheesecake
A Thanksgiving dinner needs at least one thing pumpkin flavored and, by then, most people will probably be done with regular pumpkin flavored foods so you should not be afraid to experiment! Everyone loves cheesecake and who knows, maybe most of them or all of them have never tried a pumpkin cheesecake before. This is a delicious dessert that might take some time to be prepared, but is totally worth it!
You will probably feel overwhelmed at some point while cooking dinner, but that is okay! Everyone does, even the best. But you should remember that you should not put a lot of pressure on yourself and that you can always ask your friends and family for help. The most important thing is that you are creating a new tradition and you should have fun with it!
