Friendsgiving 2013- Recap, Recipes and Infusions

Friendsgiving 2013 was a a complete success and better than EVER! I wanted to share with you a few pictures, a couple of my recipes and the recipes of the amazing bloggers and chefs that inspire me. They may inspire you as well!

Excuse the less than stellar photos, I had hungry people waiting for me to snap a pic.

Replace Black Friday with Friendsgiving!

Every year the holiday season starts sooner and sooner! Is it because Americans love to do good will toward men? Nope- tis the season that makes corporations some serious cash. A few years ago a woman was trampled to death in Wal*Mart on Black Friday. Seriously. To me it was a complete visual metaphor for what this greed had made the holiday season into. Greed on the part of corporations and American shoppers. I am not here to stand on my soapbox and look down on those that shop on black Friday, but I do want to be here as a agent of change. To be the change and offer a substitute.

About a year ago I posted about the holiday I created Friendsgiving (seems I am not the only one that celebrates it). It all started when I was broke and unemployed, this darkest of times made me realize that money and career are a distant second to friends and family. Since Thanksgiving is typically a family holiday, I wanted to create my own holiday the day after to celebrate those I do not share DNA with, but share everything else. It is the perfect day for a celebration: it's a Friday, you still have leftovers and food to share and you didn't get to celebrate the day before with your friends! 

So would you rather freeze your butt off for a cheaper laptop or stay toasty and cozy with your friends and some awesome food at home?  Come on...

Friendsgiving is celebrated with a Turkey dinner and all the trimmings, NY Foodgasm style of course. There is always a twist and I always lower the fat. I send out the word to my very closest friends, the ones that mean the most. I ask everyone bring a dish or a drink to contribute and the dining table turns into a buffet of amazing food! Great food, amazing company and I always like to give a little speech.

This is a time to show how much you really love all of your friends. To show gratitude and to be really serious for a minute and really tell people from the heart how you feel and what they do for you. Many days we are light hearted and rarely REALLY say how we feel and let people know how they affect us and make our lives better. This is the time. The time to make it all real.

My friends actually have come to look forward to this tradition. They expect it and enjoy it more than Thanksgiving itself. No drama, no repressed anger that is sometimes present with family. You can just sit back and enjoy.

This year I have chosen to give thanks to all my fellow chefs and foodbloggers I am most inspired by. Here is the menu.

Beer Brined Turkey- The Beeroness. She beerifes everything, she is cool and she knows her craft beer YAY!)
Thanksgiving Nachos- Inspired by Half Baked Harvest. I have tried at least 5 recipes by her and they ALL rock!
Italian Stuffing- my man Fabio Viviani, He's the BEST! He's seXXXy, he was on Top Chef, he makes me smile and I love his fresh food with an Italian spin!
Maple Pumpkin Brulle cheesecake- Baker's Royale. Her photos have made me swoon since I started blogging, they are gorgeous!

Stay tuned for more details!

Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving

Autumn is here, we're already mid-October and thanksgiving is around the corner. Usually during the holiday we 're so consumed with the preparations and the food that we can forget the very words that make the days Thanks and Giving. The very essence of this holiday is about Giving Thanks. Giving thanks for what we have: the roof over our heads, the food we eat, the clothes on our back and the wonderful people we have in our lives. I was asked to be a part of Cooking Planits "Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving" giveaway and I immediately accepted. This contest celebrates the biggest giver you know. Write a story about them and both the nominee and you can win prizes! This is a beautiful way to give back to these people!  I think it is really important to remember not only what we are thankful for, but who we are thankful for!

Before I tell you about the giveaway- I want to tell you about my own special story of giving thanks!

In 2007 I was unemployed and very, very depressed. I felt like I had nothing and I would never find a job. It felt hopeless. In a capitalistic society, like ours, if you don't have money you cannot exist and you feel insignificant. I gained MORE weight, I cried most days and I couldn't afford to do anything except pay bills. But I realized that my wealth was with my friends. The lives that I can touch, the people that will remember me. The people that listened to my problems and held me when I cried. That year, with what little money I had, I started a tradition called Friendsgiving. I invited those friends you can count on one hand: the ones you rely on and the you're not scared to cry in front of. I invited them over for dinner the Friday after Thanksgiving to celebrate them, to show just how much I appreciate them! That was my way of giving back in the best way I knew how. (More about Friendsgiving here.)

How to Enter

This contest is very simple. All you have to do is go to Cooking Planit's Blog or Facebook Page to nominate someone that you are thankful for. Someone that always puts others needs before their own. This is your way to give back to them, to let them feel appreciated like I did for my friends! Both the hero and the writer win a prize!! So what do you have to lose?! Nominate and win.

Guidelines for submissions

When writing your story, consider the following guidelines:

• •In 300 words or less, recognize an individual who is making the difference in the lives of others in your community; whether it be by donating their time, energy or love with a focus on helping others without necessarily thinking of themselves.
• •Provide details on how/what they are doing to improve or impact the lives of others.

We reserve the right not to post your story if it contains any of the following types of content:

• Obscenities, discriminatory language, or other language not suitable for a public forum
• Advertisements, “spam” content, or references to other products, offers, or websites
• Email addresses, URLs, phone numbers, physical addresses, or other forms of contact information
• Critical or spiteful comments on other stories posted on the page or their authors

In addition, if you wish to share feedback with us about Cooking Planit or other customer service issues, do not submit this feedback through the Cooking Planit Stories platform. Instead, contact us directly.

Enjoy writing your story!

Prizes

5 runners up receive a $100 Visa Gift card for the story author & $250 to their Hidden Hero (story subject)

The 1st place winner will also get the opportunity to select a local charity to which Cooking Planit will donate $1000.

I hope you all take part and nominate someone you really believe deserves this. People that give are often overlooked and this is a lovely way to make them know just how very special they are. Enjoy!

Friendsgiving 2012

The legend of Friendsgiving

It began back in 2008: I was unemployed and I realized with no money and no career, what really matters most is my relationships with friends. By no means am I dismissing the importance of family, but family is obligated to be there for you, friends are special because you actually get to choose your friends. The bond can be just as strong as family, yet on all holidays it is usually strictly family. I created this holiday to give back to my friends and to show my appreciation to have them in my life: what better way than by sharing a Foodgasm??!

Food is at the center of Friendsgiving. I usually make the turkey, one side and a dessert and every friend contributes either a covered dish, dessert or alcohol. It is one of my most treasured holidays and every year our friends look forward to it! Friendsgiving is always the Friday after Thanksgiving.