Friendsgiving what to bring?

[Anonymous]

Oh man, that is a fail on the hosts part last year. Kind of surprised they aren't doing it differently! I hear the comment about the spending $200 when other people bring nothing but I would also want my kids to eat so I would probably bring a kid entree, fruit, and wine.

[Anonymous]

How does this work? How do you keep all this food hot? Sounds like way too many people to pull it off successfully.

[Anonymous]

I am the designated person who always brings mashed potatoes for Friendsgiving. We generally have 16 adults, no kids in attendance. I buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes, peel them, boil them, mash them. Then I put in gobs of already melted butter (like 2 pounds) and stir in. Then add gobs of sour cream and stir in. Then salt and pepper and a bit of garlic powder. Then I put it all in my 7 quart crockpot, which just about fills it up. I finish it all up 2 -3 hours before we leave to go to the home of the hosts. I keep the crockpot on low for the two hours at our house before we leave. Stir and check occasionally. Bring it over there and plug it in until time to eat. I also bring 3 jars of chicken gravy.

10 pounds of potatoes is just about the right amount for 16 adults. For 40 people you would need to make mashed potatoes with 30 pounds of potatoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only things people have signed up for are desserts, asparagus, cranberries, and sweet potatoes. Hosts will cover Turkey. 40 people. What would you bring? Last year there was only enough food for adults. Probably 20 kids will be in attendance.

Make a list of what all is needed. Ask people to bring it.
My opinion of what else is needed:
Sodas
Iced tea
bottled waters
apple juice for the kids
other beverages if you are into that.
paper cups and plates and napkins
mashed potatoes
gravy
stuffing
mac and cheese
green bean casserole
some other vegetable -- corn?
rolls
butter for the rolls
many many many pigs in blankets for the kids . . . and adults.
tray of fresh veggies
You need two 15-20 pound turkeys and an 8 pound ham

more stuff.

[Anonymous]

Most people who gather for Thanksgiving are feeding a group of 10 -15 people. You are hosting 3-4 times that. So people need to bring enough food for 3-4 Thanksgiving gatherings.

Just make sure they all understand that this is for 40 people.

[Anonymous]

I think stuffing is an excellent idea.

If you are worried about not enough food, specifically kid food, I'd also bring dinner rolls and butter and a few packs of sliced cheese.

[Anonymous]

Everyone may not need to bring enough for 40 but at least enough for 20. Urge the host to do a sign-up genius, especially after last year.

A huge amount of mac and cheese will feed adults and kids
Large salad (I always wish for more healthy food and less starchy food at Thanksgiving)
Don't worry about baking from scratch, instead find a good bakery and buy two pies and a few dozen rolls. Maybe throw in some cookies that will please the kids who don't want pie.
Instead of Chik Fil A if that's too $$$, maybe buy a ton of grocery chicken nuggets, pre bake them and keep warm in a crockpot?
2 or 3 veggie and/or fruit trays

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How does this work? How do you keep all this food hot? Sounds like way too many people to pull it off successfully.

Curious too? Does the host rent out a banquet room? Does she have to rent tables and chairs? Don't the kids run amok after awhile so what do you do to keep 20 kids entertained, yet confined?


Wouldn't it be easier to just get it catered and every chips in in $XX/person to cover the cost. Seems like it would solve a lot of problems.

[Anonymous]

I hope they are making two large turkeys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the designated person who always brings mashed potatoes for Friendsgiving. We generally have 16 adults, no kids in attendance. I buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes, peel them, boil them, mash them. Then I put in gobs of already melted butter (like 2 pounds) and stir in. Then add gobs of sour cream and stir in. Then salt and pepper and a bit of garlic powder. Then I put it all in my 7 quart crockpot, which just about fills it up. I finish it all up 2 -3 hours before we leave to go to the home of the hosts. I keep the crockpot on low for the two hours at our house before we leave. Stir and check occasionally. Bring it over there and plug it in until time to eat. I also bring 3 jars of chicken gravy.

10 pounds of potatoes is just about the right amount for 16 adults. For 40 people you would need to make mashed potatoes with 30 pounds of potatoes.

Well first, kudos to you. That’s a lot of mashed spuds. And you must have some strong forearms. Is that really the normal butter to potato ratio? 1 part butter for 5 parts potato?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the designated person who always brings mashed potatoes for Friendsgiving. We generally have 16 adults, no kids in attendance. I buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes, peel them, boil them, mash them. Then I put in gobs of already melted butter (like 2 pounds) and stir in. Then add gobs of sour cream and stir in. Then salt and pepper and a bit of garlic powder. Then I put it all in my 7 quart crockpot, which just about fills it up. I finish it all up 2 -3 hours before we leave to go to the home of the hosts. I keep the crockpot on low for the two hours at our house before we leave. Stir and check occasionally. Bring it over there and plug it in until time to eat. I also bring 3 jars of chicken gravy.

10 pounds of potatoes is just about the right amount for 16 adults. For 40 people you would need to make mashed potatoes with 30 pounds of potatoes.

Well first, kudos to you. That’s a lot of mashed spuds. And you must have some strong forearms. Is that really the normal butter to potato ratio? 1 part butter for 5 parts potato?

Yes. I remember last year I melted one pound of butter, stirred it in, tasted, decided to add another half pound of butter, tasted, then added another 1/2 pound.
After I brought it over to the hosts house, the host said, "OMG your mashed potatoes are always so good!" I said that is because 2 pounds of butter, plus sour cream. She said that is why it is awesome. Plus, it is Thanksgiving -- the annual day of being gluttons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the designated person who always brings mashed potatoes for Friendsgiving. We generally have 16 adults, no kids in attendance. I buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes, peel them, boil them, mash them. Then I put in gobs of already melted butter (like 2 pounds) and stir in. Then add gobs of sour cream and stir in. Then salt and pepper and a bit of garlic powder. Then I put it all in my 7 quart crockpot, which just about fills it up. I finish it all up 2 -3 hours before we leave to go to the home of the hosts. I keep the crockpot on low for the two hours at our house before we leave. Stir and check occasionally. Bring it over there and plug it in until time to eat. I also bring 3 jars of chicken gravy.

10 pounds of potatoes is just about the right amount for 16 adults. For 40 people you would need to make mashed potatoes with 30 pounds of potatoes.

Well first, kudos to you. That’s a lot of mashed spuds. And you must have some strong forearms. Is that really the normal butter to potato ratio? 1 part butter for 5 parts potato?

Yes. I remember last year I melted one pound of butter, stirred it in, tasted, decided to add another half pound of butter, tasted, then added another 1/2 pound.
After I brought it over to the hosts house, the host said, "OMG your mashed potatoes are always so good!" I said that is because 2 pounds of butter, plus sour cream. She said that is why it is awesome. Plus, it is Thanksgiving -- the annual day of being gluttons.

Sour cream, that’s a clever addition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A couple large Chick-fil-A nugget trays.

Is it normal to bring something that costs $200 when others are bringing some simple homemade dish?

I read it thinking the opposite, it is normal to think to bring fast food hate chicken to a potluck celebrating home cooking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope they are making two large turkeys.

Right?
One 16 pound turkey is about the right amount for 12 people. More than half the weight of the turkey ends up being the skin, bones, juices, so you are left with about 7 pounds of meat to actually eat with a 16 pound turkey. So you would need three 16 pound turkeys to feed 36.

I am an experienced turkey cooker. The back story on that is that I used to have a really old cat who was losing weight. He loved turkey, so every few months I would cook an entire turkey just for him. I pureed the cooked meat in the food processor and then froze it in little plastic containers in my deep freezer. Pulled out containers of pureed turkey from the freezer for him as needed.
While doing all that over and over again, I realized how little of the weight of the turkey actually ended up being edible.

[Anonymous]

Pro tip from someone who has hosted lots of large Thanksgiving gatherings:
Cook the bigger turkey the day before. Cut it up, put the meat in a casserole dish, pour the juice 2/3 of the way over the turkey in the casserole dish. Put in fridge. Reheat the next day.
The turkey that is cooked the day of is kind of just for show.

That way you don't have to deal with as much mess the day of.