It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without being surrounded by those you love — especially your friends. Friendsgiving is one of the things that we look forward to once the leaves turn red, gathering all your friends together with homemade buffets laid out in front of you. But if you aren’t heading home for the holidays, how can your Friendsgiving be as festive as any other Thanksgiving?
Dorm life can be somewhat limited without an oven, a stove or a place to eat aside from your bed, but there are still ways to give thanks for your friends in the small space of a dorm room.
Dorm-made Recipes
Even without your usual kitchen appliances, the dorm doesn’t stop you from becoming a chef. Students commonly have microwaves and mini fridges, but they can also have rice cookers, noodle pots and steamers. With these, you can create easy ten-minute meals that are still delicious, all within the confines of your bedroom.
Set aside the piles of textbooks and homework on your desk and replace them with cooking supplies and cutting boards. There’s an endless list of easy meals to be made, but here are some simple recipes to give you a taste of home.
- Crockpot Parmesan Garlic Chicken Pasta
This recipe might take a while, but what better time to make it than during Friendsgiving? What you’ll need is parmesan garlic sauce (handmade or store-bought), chicken breasts, cream cheese, grated parmesan and any pasta that you’d like.
Simply toss chicken breasts into the crockpot and drown it in parmesan garlic sauce, dump some cream cheese and grated parmesan and cover with the lid to slow cook. In three to six hours it will be ready, depending on how low or high you cook it. Once it’s cooked, shred the chicken with utensils and stir it into the sauce.
Pasta can be easily made in an Instant Pot. Once you toss it in the Crockpot, you have a flavorful delight.
The links to the full recipes are listed below
Crockpot Parmesan Garlic Chicken Pasta | The Recipe Critic
Perfect Pasta in the Instant Pot – Busy Cooks
- Steamer Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Thyme
If you’re not looking to wait hours for a meal, here’s a recipe that will only take a few minutes using a small steamer. You’ll need chicken breasts, minced garlic, lemon, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and red chili flakes.
While you wait for the steamer to heat up, season the chicken with salt and pepper and sprinkle the garlic and chili flakes, using lemon zest and thyme for a hit of flavor. After about five to 10 minutes, the mouthwatering chicken will be cooked through, ready to be topped off with extra-virgin olive oil.
The full recipe is linked below.
Recipes > Steamed Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Thyme – Rouxbe
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Nothing sends you back to the warmth of home like warm macaroni and cheese. You’ll need macaroni pasta, bouillon, cream, mustard, hot sauce and salt. Toss in an Instant Pot and stir until fully mixed. Cook on high pressure for about four minutes then add shredded cheese. Mix continuously and add more cheese if you’d like or a bit of milk or cream. Once finished, you’ll have a satisfying cheesy meal for your loved ones.
The full recipe is linked below.
Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese – 1/2 lb Recipe- Perfect Portions for 4
- Steamer Garlic Herb Butter Potatoes
For a savory side, grab baby or chopped potatoes, butter, parsley, minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, a lemon and salt and pepper. Set the potatoes over a steamer and wait until fork-tender. While waiting, chop up the herbs and zest the lemon. Melt the butter using a microwave, add in your herbs, zest, and seasoning and stir. Once the potatoes are ready, place them into a bowl and coat in the garlic butter. Set it next to your main meal as a healthy side dish.
The full recipe is linked below.
Steamed Potatoes with Garlic Herb Butter – A Spicy Perspective
- Microwave Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake
There’s a ton of mug cake recipes — chocolate, vanilla, birthday cake, cookies and cream — but this simple cinnamon roll recipe only uses six or seven ingredients and is a perfect fit for autumn.
Prep the mug with cooking spray, butter or oil then combine flour (or pancake mix), baking power, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract and oil or butter. In a separate small bowl, whisk brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter. The tip of a knife can be used to create a cinnamon-swirl on the top of the batter. The cinnamon roll mug cake will be made in as little as one minute and 25 seconds, ready for you and your friends to indulge in.
The full recipe is linked below.
Cinnamon Roll Microwave Mug Cake Recipe – Kim’s Cravings
With the right tools, you can prepare any of your favorite meals. Invite your friends over to your dorm, move some desks together, cover the tables with a nice tablecloth and set out a whole buffet for Friendsgiving. If this is too much work for you, you can always just DoorDash. If anything, send your friend with unlimited Meal Swipes to go back and forth from the dining hall (jokes).
Remember: just because you’re in a dorm, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be surrounded by your favorite festive treats for the holidays.
