Friendly feast prior to big day is big fun

We’re just about a week away from one of my favorite holidays.

Not Thanksgiving — that’s about two weeks away.

I’m talking about Friendsgiving!

Both are celebrations of gratitude. But unlike Thanksgiving, when you eat a time-honored menu with your family, Friendsgiving is when you eat — and drink! — whatever you want with whomever you want.

It’s also whenever you want. My Friendsgiving started back in 2015 before I ever heard the term. I had just moved into my new home a few weeks before, and though it wasn’t totally finished and perfectly decorated, I was eager to host friends and begin making memories in it. I’m glad I did. Because — guess what — three years later, my house still isn’t totally finished and perfectly decorated, and probably will never be! Friendsgiving friends don’t care.

My Friendsgiving usually falls on the Thursday before Thanksgiving. With the holiday a week away, my girlfriends and I aren’t stressed yet, we don’t hate cooking yet, the refrigerator isn’t stuffed yet and neither are we. But you can celebrate it anytime — after, before or, heck, instead of Thanksgiving.

Just celebrate it. Start this year. Invite some friends over. Do it. Even if you have a messy house and no idea what to make — I’m right there with you! A friend already asked if she should bring white or red wine, and I told her I’d let her know … by next Thursday evening when she’s on her way over.

That’s the beauty of Friendsgiving. It’s fluid. Cook everything yourself, or make it a potluck. Use your grandmother’s china (it’s the annual excuse I need to bring out Kit’s Franciscan Apple dishes) or your finest Chinet.

Because other holiday menus tend to be traditional, Friendsgiving is a fun time to experiment. It’s the perfect opportunity to test out a new or exotic recipe that might not fly with your loved ones or little ones. Also look for things that can be made ahead, so all you have to do is heat them while enjoying your company.

I’d share what I’m making this year if I knew what that was. Instead I’ll share the main dish I made for my very first Friendsgiving.

This Butternut Squash & Sausage Stuffed Shells recipe comes from the Rachel Schultz on Homemaking blog at rachelschultz. com (direct link: tinyurl.com/ squashshells). The pretty, colorful pasta dish I found via Pinterest sounded delicious and autumnal and, best of all, like nothing we’d eat on Thanksgiving.

Whether you make it or something else, happy Friendsgiving!

Butternut Squash & Sausage Stuffed Shells

1 onion, sliced

1 butternut squash, peeled

and cubed

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste 1 pound jumbo pasta shells 1 pound sausage

2 cups fresh spinach 3 cloves garlic

¾ cup milk

¾ cup vegetable or chicken

broth

15 ounces ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded parmesan,

divided use

1 egg

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange onion and butternut squash in an even layer on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta shells to al dente. Also cook sausage over medium heat. When sausage is mostly browned, add spinach and garlic. Cook until spinach is wilted and remove from heat.

Carefully place roasted butternut squash and onion in

a food processor. Pulse until a smooth puree forms and allow to cool slightly. Stir in milk and broth. Pour butternut squash sauce into bottom of a 9-by-13 baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together ricotta, ½ cup parmesan and egg. Add sausage and spinach into ricotta and stir until evenly distributed.

Fill cooked pasta shells with 3 to 4 tablespoons of filling. Arrange shells on top of butternut squash sauce in baking dish.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, followed by 15 minutes uncovered. Top with remaining parmesan.

Jennifer’s notes: The recipe didn’t specify how many servings, but it made way more than enough for four.

For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth, leave out sausage and consider adding mushrooms.

And — because what are friends for! — never, ever, ever attempt to cut a butternut squash yourself when there is perfectly fine pre-cut bagged squash (use 2 pounds for this recipe) available at the store.

What’s in a Dame is a weekly report from the woman ’hood.