Simplify your Friendsgiving with a bottle of salad dressing
Have you ever heard the saying “friends are the family you choose for yourself?” I have. I’ve also found myself hundreds of miles away from my family during the holidays. It can be lonely, yes, but it can also be exciting. It leads to opportunities to try new things and create new memories and traditions, one of which is far from unique to me, but something I believe everyone should try nonetheless. Some people know it as “Friendsgiving,” but many didn’t even know it had a name.
The concept of “Friendsgiving” revolves around one simple idea, that your friendships should be celebrated just as much as your family relationships around the holidays. For me, this has become an annual tradition alongside Thanksgiving. My friends and I gather at someone’s house and all bring one aspect of Thanksgiving dinner. We enjoy our potluck and reminisce on the past year and all we have to be thankful for. I would consider myself a Friendsgiving pro at this point and have been in charge of every aspect of the meal one year or another. So I’m going to give you my top two tips to make your Friendsgiving a successful one.
My first piece of advice: don’t spend too much time on your dish. A potluck is so much simpler and less stressful than a full Thanksgiving so keep it that way.
Second: no one wants you to be spending a ton of money. These are your friends and they’re all at the same stage in their lives as you are. So don’t break the bank.
An easy way to do both of these things is to pick the right recipe. Below are some of my personal favorites that are simple and, believe it or not, use salad dressing to pump up the flavors with very little effort for you.
- Turkey and Stuffing Bake
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
- Tuscan Green Beans
- Roasted Mushroom and Fennel Soup with Ranch Cream
In fact, according to a survey by the Association for Dressings & Sauces and conducted by Turner Research Network, Americans use salad dressings in hot dips, as a baking ingredient, as a condiment on sandwiches, in cold salads like potato salad and more. Aside from using dressings on salad, the most frequently used way salad dressings are used are for chilled dips, like for vegetables.
What I love about using salad dressings as an ingredient to flavor my foods is that salad dressings serve a dual purpose, literally. All of the herbs and flavors are already measured out for your dish, but then you also have leftover dressing to bring for a side salad, without spending any extra money.
Check out some more easy recipes using salad dressings here and dress up your Friendsgiving meal this year.
