Friendsgiving is a relatively new calendar highlight. It’s a mashup of the words “friends” and “Thanksgiving” and has become a refreshing part of the holiday season for many … so much so that there is even a pop culture movie. 

Because many people return to their hometown for the holiday, the ideal days for Friendsgiving are typically the Wednesday before or the Friday after “official” Thanksgiving. It’s a lot like Christmas Eve—it’s more on the casual side and a perfect time to be with your larger circle of friends. Sometimes it’s a hosted meal, but more often, Friendsgiving dinner is served as a potluck. 

This year, Victoria and her friends brought over their favorite family items so they could come together and create the perfect inaugural Friendsgiving dinner. While they had a blast gathering together, Victoria also found that it was the perfect training ground to learn how to cook a turkey with less pressure than actual Thanksgiving. She could even fold in some local favorites, like Mexican food from Ian’s family recipe book! Amidst all the stories shared around the table, Victoria discovered through her circle of friends that Spendlove’s parents are KYD Insiders and know all about her crazy road trip life. 🙂

Friendsgiving Menu

Victoria’s Turkey with Lemon Herb Butter

Mashed Potatoes with Skins (Schoepe Family)

Gravy

Stuffing (Spendlove Family)

Green Enchiladas (Garcia Family)

Deviled Eggs

Roasted Corn (Victoria Original)

Dessert:

Pumpkin pie (because how else do you say it’s Thanksgiving)

Cracked sugar cookies with frosting from the store (Victoria’s favorite)

Ian Garcia’s Family Enchiladas 

Salsa:

1 red onion – finely chopped

2 heads cilantro – chopped

3 limes – juiced

pinch of salt

Sauce:

1 lg can green enchilada sauce

Knorr chicken bouillon (1 tablespoon or more to taste)

Tortillas:

Approximately ½ cup of vegetable oil

20 – 25 corn tortillas

Filling:

1 pkg Ranchero cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Colorful Salsa: Finely chop the onion and cilantro and combine in a bowl. Then add two squeezed limes and a pinch of salt. Stir it all together and set it aside.

Cheese Filling: In another bowl, combine shredded cheddar and crumbled Ranchero cheese. Lightly toss together and set aside.

Preparing tortillas:

On medium heat, prepare a large frying pan.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to lightly fry tortillas on each side. In a large frying pan you will usually be able to add three tortillas at a time. Once they reach a light brown color, set aside and repeat the process until all tortillas have been lightly fried.

In another pan, add enchilada sauce and 1 tablespoon of Knorr. Heat on low until combined and warm. Then use tongs to place each tortilla into the pan of sauce, letting each side sit in the sauce for a few seconds. Set aside. 

In a large baking pan with walls, assemble the enchiladas by adding the cheese mixture and salsa into each tortilla, then roll and place folded side down. TIP: Don’t add too much filling, as you won’t be able to roll the enchilada up. Repeat until each is complete. You may have to squeeze them in to fit. Stack them side by side and row by row until the dish is full. 

Once this is done you can add the remaining sauce from the pan to the top of the casserole, along with leftover cheese and salsa. 

You can serve them immediately or you can put them in the oven for about 10 – 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling.

Serve with your favorite salsa or sour cream to enjoy!

Schoepe Family Mashed Potatoes with Skins

You will need:

5 lbs russet potatoes 

2 cups whole milk

2 cups salted butter – room temperature (Irish butter is best)

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Wash and cube potatoes (1-2 inch cubes)

*do not peel potatoes 

Boil potatoes for 20-25 minutes or until soft 

Drain potatoes and transfer to large bowl

Add 1 stick of butter – cut into pieces

Add 1 cup of whole milk

Use a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed to mash until potatoes become smooth*

Add remaining milk and butter to desired consistency and taste

Add salt and pepper to taste

*potatoes should be smooth but retain some chunks and skins should be visible

First Gen Corn from Your Favorite Daughter

By Victoria Leach

4 cans of corn, drained

1 ¼  sticks of butter – cubed

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Spread the corn on a baking sheet 

Roast on 400 for about 10 minutes

Cube one stick of butter and add to the roasting pan with the corn as soon as it comes out of the oven, letting the butter melt on the hot pan. Use a spatula to mix in the butter. 

Place back in the oven for another 5 minutes to brown.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Savannah and Ethan Spendlove Family Stuffing

2 loaves of white bread, toasted and cubed

1 lb pork breakfast sausage, sautéed and drained

1 bunch of celery – cubed

2 large onions – chopped

2 eggs

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

giblet broth (made with 4C water) or chicken/turkey broth (instructions below)

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

For broth:

Put giblets in a medium pot and fill with 4 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer for about 20 min. Reserve the broth for the stuffing, or take a shortcut and use 1 ½ cups of store-bought chicken broth.

For bread cubes:

Cube bread and toast in the oven at 400 for about 5-8 minutes. Keep an eye on the bread so it doesn’t burn—you’re just looking for light brown.

Place the toasted bread cubes in a large bowl.

Stuffing add-ins:

Saute breakfast sausage. Scoop out of pan and add to bread, leaving fat in the pan to saute upcoming celery and onion.

Saute chopped celery and onion in pan with sausage drippings until onion is translucent, about 8-10 minutes on medium heat. Turn off heat and incorporate poultry seasoning.

Add cooked onion and celery to bread cubes. 

Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and fold into bread cubes, celery, and onions.

Sprinkle in small amounts of broth until you see the stuffing just start to clump. Season with salt and pepper.

Stuff the turkey! Or, place in a greased baking dish, lay a couple of strips of bacon on top, cover, and bake at 350 for half an hour.