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Whether you’re unable to go home for Thanksgiving with your family or you just want an excuse to eat Thanksgiving food twice in one year, hosting a Friendsgiving is never a bad idea. This is your chance to spend time with the friends you’re thankful to have in your life, show off your cooking skills, and organize an evening to remember. To make sure your Friendsgiving is successful, here are a few options to consider.

1. Have a Potluck

Preparing all the food yourself is a lot of pressure. Plus, it could be expensive if your guest list is quite long. With a potluck, your guests can each bring a dish they’re comfortable preparing, meaning you end up with a wide variety of food to suit all different tastes. Just make sure you do coordinate beforehand so you don’t end up with several of the same dish. In addition, you’ll also need to assign drinks to a couple people — perhaps those not known for their cooking prowess.

2. Opt for Chicken Instead of Turkey

If you’re in charge of the roast, it could be better to cook two chickens instead of a turkey. Chicken cooks faster and there’s less risk you’ll make a mistake. Plus, you can add herbs to give the meat extra flavour.

3. Don’t Forget Dessert

Make sure at least one person is bringing dessert. It doesn’t matter if you all eat a huge amount during the meal — everyone will still be expecting something sweet at the end. Cookies or pie are ideal, especially paired with hot apple cider or cocoa.

4. Experiment with Your Dish

To ensure your dish stands out, you may like to put a twist on a traditional recipe. For instance, you could mix bacon with your Brussels sprouts, add some butternut squash to your mac and cheese, or try a unique sweet potato recipe.

5. Make Sure You Have Enough Dishes and Utensils

You may only have enough silverware, dishes, and serving utensils for yourself, your roommates, and a couple guests (at the most). Ask one of the guests to bring extra to ensure you have enough to serve the food and eat.

6. Keep the Oven On

Guests who are bringing hot dishes will need to heat up their food before you can serve it. Avoid delays by making sure your oven is already hot when people start arriving.

7. Tell Everyone to Be Punctual

A Friendsgiving is no occasion to be fashionably late. If everyone is punctual, you’ll be able to sit down and eat together while the dishes are in optimal condition. Guests arriving late, on the other hand, could mean dishes overcook or go cold.

Of course, you’ll also need somewhere suitable to host your Friendsgiving — and, obviously, a dorm room won’t do. You can find rooms for rent in Barrie, Ontario, at Arcadian Students. Our spacious suites have fully-furnished kitchens with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Apply to lease an apartment now while there are still some units available.