Food Life + Arts

Friendsgiving foods to make, celebrate the holidays with

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

As Thanksgiving is happening differently for every family this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, some students are celebrating in their own way with Friendsgiving and food they can make on their own.

If you can’t make it home for the holidays this year or are handling the family gatherings virtually in a dorm kitchen, here are some recipes to tide you over for turkey time:

Oven? No Need

Some of the traditional Thanksgiving foods that you may or may not see on your table during a normal year can be oven-free.

Cranberry sauce

No one is judging the use of some canned cranberry sauce, in fact, sometimes canned is better than fresh … but don’t tell my mom I said that. Another tip is to always open the cranberry sauce can from the bottom. Trust me on this one.

Any kind of salad

My family usually goes for a typical Caesar salad or something with cranberries in it, but pretty much any salad can be made for those in a dorm without access to an oven or a stove. There are even a few recipes out there for sweet potato salads for anyone into that.

No bake cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of the many desserts that could skip the oven if you have the right base. Sure, some families have pie, but you and your friends can celebrate over some frozen cheesecake whether it be in-person or over Zoom.

Finger Foods

Whether it be as an appetizer before the main course or just another part of the potluck, there is always a need for finger foods and Thanksgiving is no exception.

Mini quiches … or mini anything

A spinach and cheese quiche is a fan favorite at my house, but even more so when it is made into bite sized pieces. This can be said about any other appetizer I’m sure, but for those egg and cheese lovers, this is a perfect match.

Sausage balls

Maybe you’ll need a food pick for these bad boys, but the idea of the finger food is still there. Just a combination of sausage and cheese, what could go wrong?

JalapeƱo poppers

No, I don’t mean the cheddar cheese and deep fried version, although those taste great too, I mean the hollowed out jalapeno with cream cheese inside and bacon wrapped around it. When I think of finger foods, this is the first one to come to mind.

Desserts

When you already think you’re stuffed from the Thanksgiving meal, there’s almost always dessert to follow up after. This can be pie, cake, cookies or pretty much any kind of sweet substance, but here are some fan favorites.

Strawberry pretzel pecan salad

For a Friendsgiving dinner one year, I made a strawberry pretzel pecan salad, which is exactly what it sounds like. While salad might not be everyone’s first thought for dessert, the components of this salad is whipped cream, strawberries, pretzel sticks, honey and some oven roasted pecans covered in sugar.

Apple cobbler

While some families may go the apple pie route, the cobbler is a nice change up with the same ingredients pretty much. The best part about it is if you aren’t necessarily a fan of apple, it can be replaced by any kind of fruit like peaches or strawberries.

Lots of other recipes can be found online, even ones that are Friendsgiving specific. With the pandemic still ongoing, Thanksgiving may hold smaller groups and families might not all be connected face-to-face, but that should not stop celebrating with the same food, virtual or not.

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