The Breakfast Classic You Can Swap In For Pie On Friendsgiving Dinner
As the holiday season approaches, many people both crave and dread gathering around the table. Some traditional Thanksgiving dishes may not be a favorite, not to mention that cooking some of those food items can be tricky. Instead of stressing over your pumpkin pie's soggy bottom, then, why not bring those traditional flavors to the table in a new way this Friendsgiving?
Although The Atlantic asserts that the exact origins of the Friendsgiving dinner are a little muddy, the concept of gathering friends around the table a few days before Thanksgiving has become a popular tradition in recent years. And just as Friendsgiving attendees get to choose the friends they celebrate with, they also get more freedom to veer away from tradition and customize the menu as they please. Incorporating various flavors, cultures, and ingredients, the table can be full of both the classic and the innovative.
Need ideas for a unique Friendsgiving dinner? While wearing an actual turkey like Monica of "Friends" may get a chuckle, it might be better to keep your creativity on the plate. From swapping the turkey for fried chicken to making your Friendsgiving dinner a potluck, there are many options to switch up the gathering. One suggestion even turns a classic Thanksgiving dessert into a breakfast favorite that could have everyone asking for seconds.
Ready to flip for this Friendsgiving dinner pie swap?
For most people, Friendsgiving is a time to indulge in flavorful food with a festive vibe — and that doesn't always mean the classic Thanksgiving menu. Plus, the pre-holiday is ideally less labor intensive than the main event, which means not everyone wants to roll out the dough for homemade pie and stare at it through the oven door. EatingWell suggests a food swap that brings those classic pie flavors to the table in a more convenient way. Specifically, it recommends some whole-grain pumpkin pancakes with roasted pecans in place of the typical pecan or pumpkin pie.
This pancake idea can be either a holiday dessert or breakfast for dinner concept. Allowing guests to complete their own pancake stacks with candied pecans, cream cheese frosting, and other toppings can take the pressure off the home cook. Plus, the dish also pairs well with other breakfast-friendly holiday favorites, like sausage stuffing, cranberry sauce, or even some potatoes turned into a hash.
Better yet, easy pumpkin pancakes come together with store-bought pumpkin puree in half an hour, far less time than pumpkin pie requires. While this dish might not be traditional, the flavors are classic and comforting. Just like Friendsgiving started new holiday traditions, pumpkin-pecan pancakes instead of pie could be the recipe innovation that becomes a favorite on the table year after year.