When the leaves are painted orange and yellow, Starbucks releases their holiday cups, the smell of pumpkin spice and the brisk November air linger, it can only mean one thing: Thanksgiving break is right around the corner.
As exciting as coming home to see your friends and family is, leaving your new friends can seem daunting. What better way to spend your final days together than by celebrating a friendsgiving? If you’re anything like me, you’re about to skip to the next article because you have burned microwave mac and cheese before, and the idea of making a Thanksgiving meal is as likely as turning down dessert is. But hear me out.
I called my grandmother and my mom to learn all of their Thanksgiving secrets and combined them with my catastrophic cooking skills to bring to you the guide for how to have a successful friendsgiving: college edition.
**Gobble til we wobble: Turkey and noodles**
What is Thanksgiving without a turkey? Unless you’re cooking for your entire floor, a turkey breast will be plenty. Allow the turkey to thaw by placing it in a fridge two days early. Once the turkey has thawed, get a roasting pan from the front desk and fill it with two inches of water. Rub the outside of the turkey with butter, put the turkey in the pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cook the turkey for an hour, or as directed on the package.
Buy a package of frozen noodles for the second part of this dish. After the turkey is done cooking, pour the water-turned-broth from the pan into a pot, and add water until the pot is half full. Turn the burner on high, and once the broth begins to boil, add the noodles. Stir until it is back at a boil, and then, turn the temperature down to medium. This will take approximately 20 minutes to cook. Remember to stir often!
**Turkey sidekicks: mashed potatoes, rolls and green beans**
The sides are simple; just be sure to follow the instructions on the packaging carefully.
The easiest way to make mashed potatoes is to buy instant mashed potatoes from the store. The secret is using milk instead of water — no one will be able to tell the difference!
Spice up crescent rolls by cutting mozzarella cheese sticks into bite-sized pieces and wrapping the rolls around them. Of course, cover with melted butter after cooking.
Buy a bag of steamable green beans from the freezer section; they look fancy and are simple to make. Place the bag in the microwave for the time on the instructions, and you have five-star green beans.
**Pumpkin pie, do or die**
Pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving staple. My grandma assures me pumpkin pie is simple to make; just buy a premade crust and a jar of pumpkin pie mix. I won’t tell if you just buy a pumpkin pie from the store though!
_Edited by Katherine White | kwhite@themaneater.com_
