Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and you can probably guess why. It’s all about food, friends and family. I love Thanksgiving food, but this year we decided to host a little pre-Thanksgiving get together with a couple friends who also appreciate lamb, curry and all things that are non-traditional. And with that, “Lambsgiving” was born. The great thing about this little party is you can make the main course in advance, so you have little to do and can enjoy yourself the day of the party. Let me show you the menu for the Lambsgiving party.
Yes, that’s it! Two things to make and you can get the appetizers from the grocery store.
Things like…
- Dolmas (creamy rice filled grape leaves with mint, dill and lemon)
- Roasted red tomatoes with garlic and herbs
- Marinated feta & olive.
Ask your friend to bring a dessert. If you’re lucky like us, your friends will make homemade mango trifle with real whipped cream, fresh mangoes, pound cake with Madeira and cardamom. So fresh, so good and so perfect after we chowed down the spicy Lamb & Chickpea Curry.
Here’s the game plan!
I’m listing the following items for my grocery list. This is for 4-6 people, so if you have more guests, adjust it accordingly.
Grocery list (for 4-6 people):
- 2 lbs. boneless lamb shoulder
- 3 (15 oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) (lamb curry, hummus salad)
- 4 carrots (lamb curry)
- 2 celery stalks (lamb curry)
- ½ cup golden raisins (lamb curry)
- 1 small can (6 oz.) of tomato paste (lamb curry)
- 1 jar (6 oz.) of harissa
(lamb curry)
- fresh rosemary (lamb curry)
- fresh thyme (lamb curry)
- 1 yellow onion (lamb curry)
- 1 bulb of garlic (lamb curry, hummus salad)
- 1 box or can chicken stock (you need 2 cups or 16 oz.) (lamb curry)
- 1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk
(lamb curry)
- 1 bottle of good dry white wine (lamb curry)
- cilantro (optional)
- 1 small fresh ginger (lamb curry)
- 3 lemons (hummus salad)
- 1 small bottle of Sriracha sauce
- 2 pints of cherry tomatoes (hummus salad)
- 1 English (hothouse) cucumber (hummus salad)
- 1 small shallot (hummus salad)
- 1 red (yellow or orange) bell pepper (hummus salad) (optional)
- 1 bag of pita chips (humus salad)
- 1 small bag (32 oz.) of Jasmin rice
- flowers
- some appetizers from the deli like dolmas, roasted red tomatoes with herbs, and marinated feta & olive
- some wine that’s good with spicy food like Beaujolais or Pinot Noir
Stuff you may already have in your pantry (hopefully…if not, add them to your shopping list):
If your grocery store only sells spices in large amounts, get them in a bottle. You’ll just need to make these recipes more often. 🙂
- curry powder (lamb curry)
- paprika (lamb curry)
- cumin (lamb curry, hummus)
- salt (lamb curry, hummus)
- pepper (lamb curry, hummus)
- ground fennel seeds (lamb curry)
- cayenne pepper (lamb curry) (optional)
- dark brown sugar (lamb curry)
- pure maple syrup (lamb curry)
- vegetable oil (lamb curry)
- extra virgin olive oil (hummus salad)
Stuff you would want to ask guests to bring:
- dessert
2 days before the party:
- Print out all the recipes. Looking on-line is great, but it’s so much easier to have the paper version in front of you when you are making multiple things. You can also make notes if you decide to change things up a little. FYI: go to recipe section on my blog, you can print it out from there.
- Grocery shopping and wash/store your veggies and herbs in the fridge.
- Arrange flowers in a vase(s).
1 day before the party:
- Make the lamb curry.
- Run the dishwasher.
- Set the dining table.
Tips
- I like setting the dining table the day before. This way, I know that I have enough clean plates, utensils, glasses, etc.
- The lamb curry tastes even better the next day so it is perfect to make it ahead. Make sure you under cook the veggies a little bit so when you reheat it the day of the party, they won’t be too mushy. I haven’t met anyone who likes mushy carrots and celery.
- I have a dutch oven and highly recommend it. I love Le Creuset
1 hour before the party:
- Cook the rice according to the package.
- Make hummus vegetable salad, but don’t put the salad on top yet, set it aside.
- Chop cilantro and put it in a small bowl. Set it on the dining table.
- Put the appetizers in small bowls or appetizer platter.
- Put pita chips in a small bowl and set it next to the appetizers.
Tips
- I hope you have a rice cooker
- I like to serve hummus vegetable salad on a large serving plate and everyone can help themselves. You can spread the hummus on the serving plate but wait to put salad on it later when your guests arrive.
- Some people don’t like cilantro, so putting it in a small bowl will give them a chance to put more or less, as they like.
0.5 hour before the party:
- Heat up the lamb curry on low heat, partially covered.
Party time! 
- Put the dessert that your friend brought in the fridge, if it needs to be refrigerated.
- Arrange the vegetable salad around the hummus on the large platter.
- While waiting for the lamb curry that’s being heat up on the stove, have your guest enjoy the appetizers and of course some wine.
- Serve the lamb curry with rice family style. Oh, and don’t forget the cilantro and of course it’s totally optional for those who do not like it.
- Enjoy good friends and good food!
That’s it. I hope this gives you some good tips and tricks that will help you host a fun and stress-free Lambsgiving party. Don’t forget to let me know how things go for you and what things you may have done differently. I love hearing from you. XO
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