Our First Friendsgiving

It was the morning of Sunday, November 15, 2015. Victor, Max, and I were eating breakfast and browsing through the ads in the Sunday paper when Victor randomly stated, "We should have a Friendsgiving next weekend." After a quick consultation with our calendar, we settled on Sunday, November 22. Texts were sent, attendees were confirmed, and a menu was created. I honestly can't believe how quickly it all came together!

Over the course of the following week, I was doing my research on common Thanksgiving fare and searching for fun recipes. Our get-together turned itself into a potluck of sorts, as our guests immediately offered to bring certain dishes to share. Since we were hosting, I offered to make the turkey and gravy, as well as the Crockpot mac 'n cheese I had made for a football party months earlier that got rave reviews. 

While I didn't hesitate to volunteer to make the turkey, I was still super nervous because I'd never cooked such a large bird before. I attempted to do a whole roasted chicken years ago and it turned out terribly, so I've been a little gun-shy with anything in the realm since. But gosh darn it, I'm almost 31 years old, a soon-to-be mother of two, and I like to consider myself a little Suzy Homemaker--it's about time I learned to roast a turkey!

Armed with some advice from my mom, a recipe I happened upon in my November issue of All Recipes magazine, and a 19 lb. Butterball turkey from Target (they had the best deal at 99 cents a pound!), I was ready to tempt fate.

Long story short, the turkey turned out beautifully and deliciously. Everyone else's dishes were equally scrumptious. We had turkey, gravy, mac 'n cheese, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce, and a ham. There were plenty of leftovers, and I thought ahead and used some coupons to buy some Ziploc brand food storage containers so people could easily take some home. For dessert, we noshed on pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll, and apple pie. We had a gaggle of toddlers and babies running/crawling around our basement, and Max cried every time one of his friends left. We all had a great time and we're looking forward to making this a yearly tradition!

Here are some photos from our gathering. The lighting isn't the best in our basement, and these are all iPhone photos, so please forgive the quality!

I only take credit for the turkey, gravy, mac 'n cheese (not pictured) and salad (also not pictured).

My pride and joy! According to my MIL, this is how Martha Stewart carves her turkeys!

They wouldn't stop hugging each other! 

...or high-fiving!

Plenty to play with!

Have you celebrated "Friendsgiving" with your "framily?" We've been rolling with this crew for about 8 years now, and we've celebrated each couple's wedding and the birth(s) of each family's child(ren). It's amazing how much can change in just a few short years!

I'll be taking a break from blogging for the rest of the week so I can focus on enjoying the holiday with my family in Ohio! Have a joyful Thanksgiving with those you love most, and we'll see you next week!

Don't forget to comment on this giveaway post to be entered to win a copy of A December to Remember by Dave Barnes!