Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving Menu Planning

Y'all, my favorite holiday is next week. I can't believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

Thanksgiving is my favorite because it signals the start of the holiday season and serves as a dry run for the main event that is Christmas. Not to mention that Thanksgiving turkey tastes so much better than Christmas ham. (Note to my future, change from Christmas ham when I host Christmas.)

This year, I will be spending Thanksgiving in Michigan for the last time as my dad is finally relocating to Dallas. So thankful that it's the last winter in Michigan. My dad is part of the duo that taught me how to cook. (The other being my 91 year-old Grandma). So since he's got Thanksgiving cooking on lock, I'll be the sous chef that preps meals, but in no way will be accountable for how anything works out. Which is fine with me.

To sate my need to cook, I'm bringing the Colorado tradition of Friendsgiving to DC. Friendsgiving is the potluck version of Thanksgiving the Saturday before Thanksgiving that you celebrate with your, you guessed it, friends. At this point in our lives where my friends and I are getting used to cooking all the time outside of Mac & Cheese and Ramen, we can recipe swap and learn tips and tricks for different dishes. One of the dishes that I tried at last year's Friendsgiving has replaced Green Bean Casserole in my menu.

You may remember Friendsgiving 2010 from my previous post. (Also, go there for my Legendary Candied Sweet Potatoes recipe.)

I thought that I would share my favorite my Tator Tot Green Bean Casserole recipe.

Tator Tot Green Bean Casserole
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion (white, medium)
1 can green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg. tator tots, divided

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease your casserole dish and lid.
2. Brown ground beef and onion in skillet.
3. Combine cooked ground beef and onions with green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and 1/2 of the tator tots.
4. Pour mixture into casserole dish.
5. Top with remaining tator tots.
6. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Remove lid (love that it comes off clean when you grease it) and let tator tots get crispy (about 10-15 minutes)
8. Serve and enjoy!

This recipe is great since I can make it GF with GF cream of mushroom soup. Granted, that can of soup pushes $3/can rather than Campbell's or the generic gluten-filled version, but whatever, I want to eat and not die.

What are some of your favorite dishes for Thanksgiving? Do you host or attend something similar to Friendsgiving?

Let the holiday season begin!