My First Friendsgiving

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I absolutely love the holiday season. From Thanksgiving all the way through to New Year’s Eve, I buy into all of it, from the cheesy music to the decorations and fancy parties.

This year I got an early start on the celebrating, thanks to two of my best party-throwing friends, Marley and Cheri. Sunday they hosted their first annual “Friendsgiving,” which started with an afternoon football game. Here’s my “player card” from the game (as you can tell it’s was a very serious affair).

After my team, the Red Rosses (so named for this episode of “Friends”) grabbed victory on the football field, we all headed inside to find the most beautiful Thanksgiving… er… Friendsgiving table ever.

We feasted on turkey, gravy, ham, cranberry sauce, five kinds of potatoes, two kinds of brussels sprouts, corn bread stuffing, spinach dip, green beans, rolls, veggie lasagna, pumpkin pie, cupcakes, bread pudding and bottle after bottle after bottle of wine. (And yes, I did work out extra hard with my trainer this week!)

The fantastic spread at Friendsgiving got me thinking about some of my favorite holiday treats. Here are some links to a few great recipes that are easy enough for everyday but yummy enough to deserve a spot on the Thanksgiving dinner table.

* Slow Cooker Squash Stew

* Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Almonds

* Beet, Goat Cheese & Avocado Salad

* Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Tonight I’ll head up to Wisconsin with my boyfriend for “real” Thanksgiving with his family, but it’ll be tough to beat the magic of Friendsgiving.