Brian and I had a few of our friends over for a turkey dinner this past weekend for (Canadian) Thanksgiving. I have had an incredibly hectic week with three assignments due, a midterm, plus work and an overdue blog. I was really looking forward to have some turkey and relaxing. It turned out to be a great success and we couldn’t have done it without everyone chipping in.
We used to throw big dinners where we would do all the cooking ourselves. That was satisfying in the sense that it was an accomplishment, but it usually just resulted in more stress for us. When would you make the pies? What about the veggies? Well the veggies should be done at the end, but oh shit, the gravy is on the stove. And who forgot to make the mash?! (This has happened more than once….)
The past few times, we’ve done a more pot-luck style dinner. We usually make a few of the staples and people bring other assorted items. We also usually provide (at least some) beer and wine. This past weekend’s dinner was no different and it worked out really well.
Friends 1 and 2 – turkey, bread and dessert
Friends 3 and 4 – soup and casserole
Friend 5 – salad, crackers and cheese
Brian and CF – stuffing, roast veggies, asparagus, homemade pies and mash
All in all, a HUGE dinner. But individually, it cost everyone a much smaller amount and we got to try different foods from different people. And it was also far less work and coordination. 🙂
