Golden’s Friendsgiving Recipe Ideas

Graphic by Emily Ulfig

Thanksgiving is one of the times when you can get together with all of your loved ones and catch up; while the whole holiday centers on family, Thanksgiving dinner is a crucial yet very stressful part of the holiday.

Yet, as much as I love my family, I also love my friends and want to spend time with them, hence the term "Friendsgiving."

Since I have never loved traditional Thanksgiving meals, Friendsgiving allows me to try other recipes and get creative. Having each friend bring an individual dish or appetizer adds a personal touch and takes away from the undeniable stress of having one person cook most of the meal.

Even with only having to bring one dish, I still find myself stressed out with the lack of ideas of what to bring, questioning if anyone will like my food. Every year, at the last minute, I scramble scrolling through Pinterest to scrounge up anything I can think of.

If you find yourself at a loss with ideas here are some dishes that I have brought or have been brought to previous Friendsgivings that I have been to and have been a hit:

 Whipped Feta Dip: 

• Feta Cheese - 8 oz 

• Greek yogurt - 5 oz

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

• Herbs and spices to finish (optional) - to personal taste

• Nuts (optional) - to personal taste

In a food processor or blender, combine feta, greek yogurt, and lemon zest. While running the food processor drizzle olive oil until the feta mixture is smooth. Once blended, transfer feta into a bowl of your choice and top with nuts and olive oil. 

*One thing that I find delicious to dip into whipped feta is Naan bread.*

Butternut Squash Soup:

• Butternut squash - 3 pounds of squash 

• Yellow onion and garlic - 1 yellow onion and 3 chopped garlic cloves

• Fresh sage and rosemary - ½ tablespoon

• Ginger - 1 teaspoon

• Extra-virgin olive oil - 2 tablespoons

• Vegetable broth - 3 to 4 cups

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper - ½ tablespoon 

Chop the veggies and saute the onion. Once translucent, add in squash until it becomes soft. Then, stir in herbs, garlic, and ginger. Pour in the veggie broth and simmer until the squash becomes tender (about 20 minutes). 

Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until you see a vibrant orange color. Then, transfer to bowls and garnish with parsley.

Honey Butter Dinner Rolls:

• Self-rising flour - 1 ¾ cup (This is a mixture of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt which allows these dinner rolls to rise without using any yeast. If you don’t have any self-rising flour, you can easily make your own using regular all-purpose flour and adding 2 teaspoons of baking powder.) 

• Greek yogurt- 1 ½ cup

• Honey- 1 tablespoon

• Butter – 1 tablespoon.

• Fresh herbs- ½ teaspoon

• Salt

Honey Butter topping:

• 1 tablespoon of melted butter

• 1 ½ teaspoon honey

• ½ teaspoon fresh herbs

In a large mixing bowl, mix the self-rising flour, Greek yogurt, honey, fresh herbs, and salt until all combined and a dough forms. If your dough is too sticky, feel free to add in a little extra flour until the dough is easy to work with. 

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, and get a little flour on your hands so that the dough doesn’t stick. Knead the dough a few times until you have a nice smooth ball of dough. Then, cut into 12 even sections. 

Roll each section of dough into balls and arrange them in a prepared 11×7 small baking dish, making sure they are just touching to get pull-apart-style rolls. Place the rolls in the oven and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Whisk together some melted butter, honey, and fresh herbs and brush over the tops of the rolls.