Are your friends hosting a Friendsgiving and you’re unsure of what to bring? Here are four simple seasonal recipes in my current meal rotation that will excite your guests.
Twice Baked Potatoes
Twice Baked Potatoes allow guests to enjoy the delicious flavors of baked potatoes and mashed potatoes all in one dish. Your friends will love Allrecipes’ modern take on a Thanksgiving staple.
- Cut your Russet potato in half and bake at 350 degrees F on a sheet pan for 40 minutes.
- Once the potatoes are baked, pull the pan out of the oven and scoop the insides out of the baked potatoes. The pan will have hollow potato skins while the insides of the potatoes should be in a large bowl.
- Mix a cup of sour cream, half a cup of milk, half a cup of cheddar cheese and 4 tablespoons of butter into the bowl of mashed potatoes. After the mixture is stirred, scoop a half a cup of mashed potatoes back into each potato skin. Top each potato with a handful of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
Elevate your classic chocolate chip cookie by adding a secret element to the middle. For Jenny Flake’s recipe, you will be following a classic recipe with an extra step of adding a full Oreo into the middle of each cookie.
- In a bowl, mix 2 sticks of softened butter alongside a cup of granulated sugar and 1 and 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar. After the mixture is consistent, combine 2 eggs and a tablespoon of vanilla extract into the bowl.
- Pour 3 1/2 cups of flour, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of baking soda into a new bowl. Once the dry ingredients are mixed, add the wet ingredients into the second bowl.
- Once the batter is evenly stirred, fold 3 cups of chocolate chips in the cookie dough.
- The Oreo cookie will be the middle of the chocolate chip cookie. Take two scoops of cookie dough and place it on top of and below the Oreo. With your hands, spread the cookie dough around the Oreo until you can no longer see the Oreo.
- Allow the cookies to bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Italian Pasta Salad
Italian pasta salad is a tasty side dish that will make a great addition to a Thanksgiving spread. Love and Lemon's recipe is easy to follow and compatible for people with little cooking experience.
- Once a large pot of salted water is boiling, cook your pasta for 10 minutes. After straining your pasta, pour a tablespoon of olive oil onto the pasta to prevent it from sticking to itself.
- Dice up 1 red pepper, one half of a cucumber and 1/2 cup of red onion. Pour your chopped veggies, cooled pasta and 8 ounces of mozzarella into a large bowl.
- Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of storebought Italian dressing onto your pasta salad.
- Finally, season your pasta with a teaspoon of salt and pepper and thoroughly mix the salad.
Shirley Temples
If you don’t have time to prepare a dish, I suggest bringing a fun drink to the dinner. Shirley Temples are easy to make and will be a delightful mocktail for the guests. For Meggan Hill’s recipe you will need grenadine, Sprite and Maraschino cherries.
- For every 8 ounces of Sprite, you will need 2 tablespoons of grenadine. If you are preparing a large batch of Shirley temples, you can pour 1 liter of sprite into a jug and add 8 tablespoons of grenadine.
- Guest can top their drinks off with the provided Maraschino cherries.
The holiday season can be stressful, but the cooking doesn’t have to be! Choose one of these recipes that are easy to follow and perfect for the fall season.
