Thanksgiving celebrations come in all shapes and sizes. One increasingly common way to celebrate Thanksgiving is with Friendsgiving! I love Friendsgiving because it includes all the things I love about Thanksgiving but without the pressure. If you’re hosting your buddies this year, take a few low-key tips (and recipes) from me. We enjoyed our annual Friendsgiving celebration a couple of weekends ago. This is extra special to us. We’re California “transplants” and don’t have immediate family nearby. We always top off the festivities with a raucous White Elephant exchange. So fun!

This year we decided not to serve an entree. Instead, we made lots of nibbles to keep everyone satisfied. We don’t do much sitting with tons of toddlers running around. This worked out quite well!

Here are some Friendsgiving recipes from our menu. I hope you enjoy them!

Homemade Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Fingers

1. San Marzano tomatoes (two cans)
2. Parmesan on the rind (rind removed once the cheese melts away)
3. Salt & pepper to season
4. 1/2 cup of water
5. Basil

Let it rest on the stove until it all comes together. Blend to perfection. Don’t forget the crumbled bacon to top it off! Serve with grilled French bread with Fontina cheese.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts & Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

These two items are both self-explanatory. They’re delicious nonetheless! This makes being able to enjoy the festivities pretty awesome.  Just wrap your brown sugar coated bacon around water chestnuts in advance. Then blanket your asparagus in delicious prosciutto in advance. Pop in the oven for about 35 minutes at 375 for the win.

Baked Salami

(This was the hidden gem of the day – a family recipe from Dillon’s mom’s side!)

You’ll need an enormous soft salami. We purchased one from the local kosher market. This delicacy is baked in the over for 2.5 hours at 400 degrees. Sliced every 1/4 inch (but not all the way through). Cover in foil. Baste every 1/2 hour with the following mixture.

Mixture:

Heinz Chili Sauce bottle

1/2 jar of apricot jam

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 T Dijon mustard

2 T Worcestershire

For the last 1/2 hour, uncover the salami. Pour maple syrup over top. Serve with Dijon mustard for dipping.

Baked Brie (Two Ways)

We had two small Bries this year, each sliced in half through the middle.

Fill one Brie with brown sugar and walnuts. Wrap it in Phyllo dough (brush each layer lightly in egg wash).

Fill the second Brie with roasted garlic. Wrap it in Phyllo dough (brush each layer lightly in egg wash). This one is my personal favorite!

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees.

Charcuterie Board

1. Dubliner Irish Cheddar
2. Parmesan
3. Herbed goat cheese
4. Sopresatta
5. Prosciutto
6. Salami
7. Italian bread slices
8. Crackers

We also served Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets. (We said they were for the kids, but who are we kidding?!?) The kids also had veggie sticks.

Last, we had my mother-in-law’s famous chocolate chip cookies! That recipe is a secret!

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