Friendsgiving

The clocks have gone back and the countdown to Christmas has begun. But first, let’s remember to slow down and gather with friends to break bread. Find time to honor family traditions, but also find time to start new ones. This past weekend our son invited his friends to our farm for a Friendsgiving. They sat, relaxed, ate, talked, and laughed. What better way to celebrate the holiday season than sharing a meal with friends?

Woodland animals table decor including “Thanksgiving Friends” placemats from Chalet.

The homemade feast kicked off with a cheers (sparkling cider!), followed by the first course, Koginut Squash Soup. The soup was made that day with squash harvested by our friends at The Organic Gardener, and served in individual pumpkin bowls from Martha Stewart’s Harvest Collection. The Robin’s Koginut Squash was grown on their farm with seeds from Row 7 Seeds, a collaborative effort of Chef Dan Barber and select chefs, farmers, and gardeners.

Developed by Michael Mazourek , it’s a cross between two squash varieties prized by cooks, and is in a word… delicious! Even more so when topped with creme fraiche and toasted pumpkin seeds, accompanied by Jim’s just out of the oven sourdough bread!

In lieu of a whole turkey, roasted turkey breast sliders were served on buttery pull-apart rolls, baked fresh that morning in the Challenger Bread Pan. The tender and tasty breasts were cooked sous-vide style for 24 hours and seasoned with thyme, rosemary, and (secret ingredient) duck fat!

And who doesn’t love stuffing? Our family’s favorite is a classic, made with Jim’s sourdough bread and freshly seasoned sausage. While it’s cooking in the oven, the whole house smells like Thanksgiving!

The kids especially loved the yummy Challenger Cornbread, baked in the Challenger Bread Pan, by our friend and test baker, Josephine. Roasted Brussels sprouts are an easy crowd pleaser, and are even better with the addition of bacon!

In between the courses served family style, the kids kept busy creating a bang by pulling Thanksgiving Pilgrim Crackers (not just for Christmas anymore!) and playing The Thanksgiving Game. Answering questions like “If you had $100 to spend to help people, how would you spend the money?”

Tradition and history tells us that when two people pull apart a wishbone, the person left with bigger piece gets a wish granted. Everyone at our Friendsgiving was granted a wish as there were plenty of wishbones to go around!

The tradition of wearing festive hats is believed to date back to ancient Roman times.

The Thanksgiving Crackers not only included jokes and crowns, but also these adorable woodland animal key chains! From Paper Source.

Following the Friendsgiving meal, the kids were treated to Bottomless Apple Pie, baked in the Challenger Bread Pan by our friend Sarah. Sweet, savory, and a bit of crunch- not a crumb was left! #imsomartha

Did you know that the popularity of Friendsgiving originated on an episode from the first season of the TV show Friends?! After dessert, all the teens were gifted custom printed Friendsgiving t-shirts before heading out to the barn for some hot chocolate and to visit our horses.