friendsgiving!! oh yeah, and thanksgiving...
TIS THE SEASON? If you can call it that?
Long time no see!
Or I guess no reading.
I don’t know how to address that since like, it’s not an in-person, exchangeable transaction.
Thanksgiving season is here! I guess…
I don’t know about you, but there’s something in the air this year that made everyone and their mom go straight to the Christmas/December Holiday season, look at the last two weeks of November, and say, “Oh wait! There’s Thanksgiving! Silly me.”
And honestly? I’m not mad at it! I’m usually one to hone on people for starting Christmas too soon after Halloween. But this year, I was also joining in on Christmas and gave a half glance to Thanksgiving.
But! We always LOVE a good Friendsgiving.
Friendsgiving(s) were back to back last week for me and the only thing I’m complaining about was the amount of tummy issues I faced this week.
For the first Friendsgiving, I decided to make this brown butter pumpkin galette with caramelized onions, goat cheese, and rosemary, with Claire Saffitz’s Olive Oil Pastry Crust. It was delicious, to say the least.
I had never made a savory galette before and I will for sure be doing it again.
My roommate claimed it was “one of the best things she’s ever eaten”. Thank you Nicole Gaffney for blessing the internet with this recipe.
I also hosted a small Friendsgiving and invited some coworkers and old classmates who were in the area. It was small, but the initial menu was anything but.
**When I first began writing this, I was very ambitious. This is the original menu….
turkey orange cranberry sliders
roasted sweet potatoes
my Aunt Deb’s cranberry salsa
roasted brussel sprouts with maple bacon
veg and relish tray
charcuterie board
mashed potatoes
apple galette
What was actually served was about two-thirds of this list and several substitutions.
turkey orange cranberry
sliders(it was a cartoonishly big sandwich, think Scooby Doo)
roasted sweet potatoes
my Aunt Deb’s cranberry salsa
roasted brussel sprouts with maple baconveg and relish tray
charcuterie board
mashed potatoesapple galette(substituted with Molly Baz’s Pumpkin Bread and Red Velvet Cake balls)
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, this Pumpkin Bread recipe is top-notch and deserves to be made every year. Literally, that’s what I do. I’ve made it every year since the recipe has come out, and I will NOT STOP.
These chips are weird but in a fun way! They really do taste like Sweet Potato Casserole, marshmallows, and all!
Also, they’re regular potato chips…not sweet potato potato chips.
I don’t know HEB, y’all could’ve done something more fun here.
The spirit of Thanksgiving is a beautiful reminder about life, loved ones, friends, opportunities, little things we take for granted, how good God is, the list goes on.
The origins of the holiday still ruffle my feathers, but I’m trying to focus on the why, and why we celebrate.
There’s a lot of dark, heavy things happening in the world. It’s important to acknowledge, educate, and grieve when all feels hopeless. If we don’t, where’s our humanity?
And yet, I do believe there is hope.
I believe there’s power in joy, gratitude, and resilience. I also believe there’s power in trusting in a God, despite circumstances and in spite of hopelessness. There is more.
I know that’s a little vague and may sound empty/unhelpful, but I’m also trying to be honest and sincere!
I do believe there’s hope in God, there’s joy and peace that surpass understanding, and right now, that’s as comforting as it gets.
If you read this far, thanks! Here’s hoping and praying for a peaceful week filled with good food and good company!
With Love,
Cara