It's no secret Thanksgiving is one of the most glorious days of the year.
I mean, seriously: How could you not love a day that's entirely dedicated to stuffing your face with any delicious home-cooked treats your heart desires?
If you're planning on embracing adulthood by skipping out on grandma's house in order to host your own festive feast, you're in luck.
Last week, we showed you how to host the ultimate Friendsgiving dinner party on Elite Daily's Facebook Live.
If you weren't able to tune in for our Friendsgiving dinner demo, let me fill you in on all the delicious deets.
New York's very own Riviera Caterers stopped by the Elite Daily office and showed us how to put a modern spin on some of our favorite Thanksgiving dishes.
From finger-friendly apps that are perfect for entertaining to pint-sized sweets, Riviera Caterers gave us all sorts of mouthwatering menu ideas that are guaranteed to make your dinner party simply unforgettable.
Check out below to see some next level Friendsgiving recipes.
1. Cornbread
Ingredients:
1 cup bread flour 1 cup pastry flour 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup cornmeal 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp salt 2 eggs 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp oil 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk 3 tbsp honey butter
Directions:
1. Whisk eggs, sugar, milk and oil together in a medium bowl. 2. In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients together. 3. Add dry ingredient to wet ingredients and mix until evenly combined. 4. Pour batter into cast iron skillet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, until cornbread is golden brown. 5. Remove from oven and immediately top with honey butter.
2. Roasted Carrots And Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:
1 lb carrots 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tbsp salt 1 tsp pepper 6 sprigs thyme 1/2 tbsp Shabazi spice 4 cups Brussels sprouts, leaves separated 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
Directions:
1. Toss carrots with oil, Shabazi spice, salt, pepper and thyme. 2. Cook carrots in cast iron pan until medium golden brown on the outside. 3. Transfer carrots to roasting rack on a sheet tray. 4. Bake carrots in the oven at 425 degrees until tender. Remove from oven and set aside. 5. Toast hazelnuts in the oven at 325 degrees until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside. 6. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet. Add Brussels sprout leaves and cook for one minute. 7. To plate, place carrots on platter. Then, top with Brussels sprouts leaves and garnish with toasted hazelnuts.
3. Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients:
4 lbs fresh pumpkin 500 g butter 6 onions, diced 800 g milk 4 sprigs rosemary 1200 ml vegetable stock cayenne pepper 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 cup breadcrumbs 2 tbsp brown butter emptied egg shells or shot glasses pumpkin seeds roasted red pepper, diced pumpkinseed oil
Directions:
1. Thinly slice 2 lbs of pumpkin. Cut remaining 2 lbs into cubes. 2. Toss pumpkin in extra virgin olive oil and roast for 45 minutes. 3. Melt most of the butter. Then, sweat the onions and pumpkin slices for 10 minutes. 4. In a second pan, heat milk until almost simmering. Add in rosemary. 5. Steep mixture for 20 minutes. Strain and discard rosemary. 6. In a large pot, combine milk mixture with onions, cold vegetable stock and roasted pumpkin. 7. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. 8. Remove from the heat. Liquidize and strain. 9. Season soup with the cayenne, sesame oil, balsamic vinegar and salt. 10. To serve, brush the inside of the eggshell cups with brown butter and coat with breadcrumbs. 11. Place 3 pieces of diced red pepper at the bottom of the cup. 12. Add in 3 drops of pumpkinseed oil and 3 pumpkin seeds to the cup. 13. Fill the rest of the cup with the pumpkin soup and serve.
4. Turkey Stuffing Skewers
Ingredients:
1 lb turkey, cubed 1 lb stuffing 3 cups gravy pipets cranberry sauce for garnish
Directions:
1. Fill pipets with gravy. 2. Cut turkey into 1-inch cubes and skewer onto pipet. 3. Next, add 1 cube of stuffing onto pipet skewer. 4. Garnish with cranberry sauce.
5. Mac And Cheese
Ingredients:
4 1/2 tbsp butter 6 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour 2 cups milk 2 cups grated Gruyère cheese 2 cups grated Comté cheese 1 tbsp cornstarch 2 sprigs rosemary 1 cup breadcrumbs 2 1/2 lbs shell pasta
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Then, add in the shell pasta. 2. While the pasta is cooking, combine grated cheese and cornstarch in a bowl. Set aside. 3. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, but do not let it brown. 4. Add flour and quickly stir into the butter. 5. Continuously stir the flour-butter mixture over medium heat for about 5 to 8 minutes until the mixture is golden in color. Do not let it brown or darken. 6. Add in a few tablespoons of hot milk. Stir thoroughly to loosen thick flour mixture. 7. Gradually add the rest of the milk, using a whisk to vigorously combine mixture. 8. Once mixture is creamy, gradually add grated cheese mixture, salt and pepper. 9. Once shell pasta is tender, drain water from pasta. 10. While pasta is still hot, combine with cheese sauce. 11. Add 1 cup of water to the mixture, followed by additional grated cheese. 12. Transfer into casserole dish. Top with breadcrumbs and rosemary. 13. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
6. Pumpkin Pie Tarts
Pumpkin Pie Filling Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups pumpkin puree 2 tsp salt 3/4 cup condensed milk 1/3 cup cream 1 tbsp cornstarch 1 tbsp maple syrup 2 tsp pumpkin spice 2 eggs 4 tbsp maple sugar
Pumpkin Pie Filling Directions:
1. Whip together condensed milk, maple syrup, maple sugar and eggs. 2. Mix in cornstarch, spices and salt, followed by cream. 3. Add the pumpkin puree and mix until everything is combined. 4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge.
Tart Dough Ingredients:
3 cups + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp salt 1 1/2 cups butter 7 tbsp cold water
Tart Dough Directions:
1. In a food processor, add all dry ingredients and mix. 2. Add in cold butter and pulse until pea-size. 3. Add in cold water and pulse until dough comes together. 4. Turn out onto parchment and knead dough slightly to combine. 5. Chill overnight. The next day, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. 6. Use a small round cutter to cut circles out of the dough. 7. Press dough circles into greased mini muffin pan. 8. Baked in oven at 350 degrees until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. 9. Once tarts are cool, fill them with pumpkin pie filling and serve.
7. Festive Friendsgiving Cocktails
Apple Mezcal Cocktail Ingredients:
2 oz mezcal 1 oz lime juice 1.5 oz apple juice
Directions:
1. Combine ingredients and shake with ice. 2. Pour into glass and top off with sparkling apple cider. 3. Add a dash of nutmeg and serve.
Bourbon Eggnog Ingredients:
1 oz bourbon 3 oz eggnog
Directions: 1. Pour bourbon out of mini bourbon bottles and set aside. 2. Fill bottles with 3 oz eggnog. You can use fresh or store-bought. 3. Fill pipets with bourbon and place on top of mini bottles. Squeeze bourbon into eggnog and serve.
