4 Ways To Take Your Thanksgiving to Friendsgiving

We’re all familiar with Thanksgiving but have you heard of Friendsgiving? It’s a more casual take on Thanksgiving where you get together with friends and enjoy a fun evening with non-traditional activities and dishes (think potluck!) If you’re thinking of hosting a Friendsgiving, we want to help you make it as memorable as possible. Keep reading and hopefully the following suggestions will help you to create new traditions for this holiday.

1. Food Ideas

Friendsgiving means you can forgo the traditional food and opt for fun and unique meal choices. Why not have everyone bring a different kind of homemade pizza or a different appetizer? You can even do a fondue, with everyone bringing a different dippable ingredient! This fondue set here includes 4 dipping forks and 3 ceramic ramekins. If you still really enjoy traditional Thanksgiving food, here are a few classic options with a twist:

Hawaiian Sweet Roll Stuffing
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Sweet Potato Kale Pizza
Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding
Cranberry Turkey Paninis
Juicy Turkey Burgers

2. Kitchen Tools

Once you’ve decided what you want to make, It’s time to get out your kitchen gadgets. This Belgian Style Waffle Maker is an excellent choice for a fun meal idea, like pumpkin waffles. It’s compact, easy to clean and can make up to 4 waffles at once. There’s also the Chefman Panini Grill. It has a floating hinge to adjust to thicker sandwiches if you’re feeling extra hungry, and non-stick plates if you love your sandwiches with extra cheese (like these cranberry turkey paninis). It also opens flat for grilling burgers and steaks. The options are endless and delicious!

Preparing your Friendsgiving dish for a larger group of people can take up a good amount of your time. That’s where Crock-Pots come in. They are convenient multi-cookers that can make 5-star meals without you having to slave away in the kitchen. As well, using a Crock-Pot frees up your oven for cooking other dishes or desserts (Chocolate Pumpkin Piecaken, anyone?). The different sizes are great and allow you to prepare larger portions of food, especially during the holidays. Plus, as your meal cooks, you can go and mingle with your guests. If you want a chance to win one of these kitchen miracles, check out our Crock-Pot Crocktober contest here!

 

 

3. Going Green

A lot of guests over means a lot of plates, cups and cutlery being used – maybe more than you have in the kitchen! One option is to have each of your guests bring a plate and set of cutlery with them from home. Or for easy clean up you could use paper and plastic, but that’s not the best option for the environment. Why not use these awesome compostable cups, plates and cutlery? They are made from plant material and will biodegrade but are also heat resistant up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit!

Since Friendsgiving usually requires everyone to bring a different food dish, you will also end up with a ton of food. Make sure you have the right containers to store any leftover food in. Alternatively, you can purchase these reusable containers and pack the leftovers in them for guests to take home. Ask your friends to bring them to your next gathering so you can reuse them again for any leftovers. If there are scraps of food not worth saving, put them in a green bag or bin for composting. Taking all of these tips into consideration will help make your Friendsgiving a little more eco-friendly!

4. Entertainment

Play long into Friendsgiving night with some not-so-classic board games like Telestrations After Dark, Cards Against Humanity, Monopoly Cheaters Edition or Escape Room The Game. Not really a board games kind of crowd? If you have the game consoles, check out these multiplayer games like Super Mario Party and Super Smash Bros for Nintendo Switch or Little Big Planet 3 for PlayStation. If your gang is into music, why not grab a portable bluetooth speaker to play your favourite playlist? Finally, if your group of friends loves capturing the moment, you’ll really enjoy the Fujifilm Instax Mini for taking instant photos that can be given out like souvenirs. It even has a selfie mode and mirror. If you want to take large group photos, try using a selfie stick. This one fits to most Smartphones and expands up to 38.5“. Want to go old-school in a world of technology? Pick up some disposable cameras instead. Nothing beats that feeling of waiting to see how your photos will turn out after you’ve sent them to be developed at the Photolab!

Whether this is your first Friendsgiving or your fifth, we hope you’ve found these suggestions helpful. Whatever you choose to do, we wish you a Happy Friendsgiving!

 

 

Crocktober Contest

2019 Crocktober Giveaway

October; where the weather is crisper and the temperature is cooler. It’s a time of year to enjoy warm and hearty meals in the comfort of your own home. And what better way to cook your favourite Fall dishes by using a Crock-Pot Express 8-in-1 Crock Multicooker? Now’s your chance to WIN a 6QT Crock-Pot Express! How, may you ask? See our full giveaway terms and conditions below. Good luck!

 

 

Crocktober Giveaway #2– Official Rules

1) To enter on facebook and instagram:
-Follow @Londondrugs
-Comment below what holiday you’re most excited to use your Crockpot Express

[October 18 – 31, 2019 11:59pm PST]

2) No purchase necessary. Limit one (1) entry per social network per contest. Limit one (1) prize may be won per household. Entries must be received no later than 11:59 pm Pacific Time on [October 31, 2019 11:59pm PST]. London Drugs is not responsible for entries that become lost or misdirected.

3) Contest is open to all residents of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba who, as of the date the prize draw is made: (i) have not won a London Drugs contest since[October 31, 2018 11:59pm PST]; (ii) have reached the age of majority in the province in which they reside as at [October 18, 2019](iii) are not employees of London Drugs, their respective advertising and promotional agencies, the independent judging organization (if any), or any family member living with any such employee.

4) The winners will be randomly chosen on the day the contest ends (see dates below) in Vancouver, British Columbia, from all eligible entries received per contest. To win, selected entrants must have correctly answered the skill-testing mathematical question on the entry for on the online entry form and must sign London Drug’s declaration and release confirming compliance with the contest rules and acceptance of the prize(s) as awarded, releasing London Drugs from liability in association with the contest and prize and consenting to the use of their name, photograph, voice and statements for promotional and publicity purposes.

5) There will be 2 (two) prize(s) awarded to 2 (two) winners: each receiving a Crock-Pot Express 8-in-1 Crock Multicooker 6QT valued at [$99.99]. Prize(s) must be accepted as awarded, are non-transferable and no substitutions are permitted. London Drugs reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value should any prize become unavailable for any reason. Prize will be awarded at the closest London Drugs location to the winner.

Contests dates: October 18 – 31, 2019 11:59pm PST
Draw Date: 12:00 PM Pacific Time November 4, 2019

6) Selected entrants will be contacted by email, or social network they were drawn from. No correspondence will be entered into except with selected entrants. If the winner does not respond then she/he will be notified for the second time, 3 (three) days after the first notification. If the winner still does not respond within 3 days of the second notification, a new winner will be chosen in the same manner until a winner is successfully contacted.

7) The chances of winning a prize will depend on the number of eligible entries received. Decisions of the judges in respect of all aspects of this contest including, but not limited to, eligibility of entries and correctness of answers given to the skill-testing question, are final.

8) London Drugs, their respective advertising and promotional agencies, the independent judging organization, and their respective agents are not liable to an entrant in any manner relating to the contest or the awarding and use of the prize(s).

9) This contest is subject to all federal, provincial, and municipal laws and regulations. By entering the entrant consents to the collection of all personal information included on their entry and agrees to the use and disclosure of such information by and between London Drugs and their agents. The winner(s) also agrees to the collection, use and disclosure of their name, entry, photographs, voice and statements for London Drugs’ publicity purposes without further compensation. All personal information collected from entrants will be used only for the purposes of administering the contest and for marketing and promotional purposes as contemplated by these rules; under no circumstances will any personal information be sold or rented to third parties. All personal information collected by London Drugs will be kept in accordance with the privacy policy of London Drugs, which can be viewed at www.londondrugs.com, and in accordance with all applicable privacy laws.

10) The right is reserved by London Drugs to terminate this contest, in whole or in part, and/or modify, amend or suspend the contest, and/or these rules in any way, should any cause beyond the reasonable control of London Drugs or its agents affect the proper administration thereof.

STATEMENT OF DECLARATION AND RELEASE

All selected entrants will be required to sign the Statement of Declaration and Release attached before they can be declared a winner and receive a contest prize.

 

 

LD Picks: Fabulous Fall Recipes

When fall arrives, we can’t help but crave hearty, home-cooked meals. 

Roasted Beet Kale Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts

favourite fall recipes 2015

Kale, walnust, maple syrup, roasted beets, and Boursin cheese – basically, we’re talking the perfect fall salad. It’s healthy, hearty, delicious, and keeps for a few days in the fridge. What’s not to love? Just don’t forget to massage the kale to soften it up before mixing the salad.

[Recipe at The Endless Meal]

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