5 Activities to Enjoy on Black Friday That Aren't Shopping
Plus a pile of tasty ideas for all those leftovers
I’m not suggesting we never buy anything ever again but would it be so bad to take one day off of shopping, avoid the crowds, stay home and eat leftovers? Sounds like my dream day! And besides, the supposed deals aren’t usually worth waiting in line for.
But while Black Friday may be known for offering the lowest prices of the year, in reality, it's one of the worst times to shop […] The goal of a typical Black Friday retailer is to attract customers by offering a few key products at a so-called discount. Then, once those ‘deals’ run out, the retailers have still got you in their hooks because you're already in their stores or on their sites, at which point you're more likely to buy something else—even if it's not on sale.
— The Motley Fool
Adbusters popularized an alternative to Black Friday in the early 1990s—Buy Nothing Day—to protest the consumer madness that kicks off in the U.S. (and now, sadly, all over) the day after we give thanks for all we have.
If we don’t shop on Black Friday, what else can we possibly do instead?
1. Make something
Are you crafty? My friends and I sew reusable cloth produce and bulk bags to give to shoppers at the farmers’ market to both cut down on plastic and spark conversations on plastic waste. We need to sew a bunch before our next giveaway on December 10th so I’ll spend some time doing that. If you sew, check out this list of seven gifts to make for your favorite low waster.
2. Mend something
While I have my sewing supplies out, I could also do some mending. Warm, yet holey, winter socks are a good contender. In the Instagram post below, artist–quilter Heidi Parkes demonstrates how to use a small embroidery hoop to mend holes in a sweater, using the same method used for a darning hole in a sock (click on the image to view the video). For more details on sock darning, check out this tutorial from The Spruce.
3. If you have a to-be-read pile, pick a book and read
This activity goes very well with leftover pie, as do all the activities on this list. You could also make a list of the books you’d like to read next.
4. Compose a thneed-free gift list
In Dr. Suess’ book The Lorax, the Onceler destroys the entire truffula forest—and its ecosystem—to manufacture and sell useless thneeds and thus make his fortune. In the passage below, he has chopped down the first tree.
Look, Lorax, calm down. There’s no cause for alarm. I chopped just one tree, I’m doing no harm. This thing is most useful! This thing is a ‘thneed.’ A thneed, a fine something-that-all-people-need! It’s a shirt. It’s a sock. It’s a glove! It’s a hat! But it has other uses, yes, far beyond that. You can use it for carpets, for pillows, for sheets, for curtains! Or covers for bicycle seats!
You have many thneed-free, gift-giving options:
Experiences. Studies show that experiences bring more happiness than stuff. You could buy tickets to the symphony, ballet or opera or a yearly pass for a museum or other local attraction. Go here for a longer list of experiences as gifts.
Something homemade. Maybe you can start making it on Buy Nothing Day.
Secondhand whatever. While some recipients will be horrified by a secondhand gift, others will be delighted. Use your judgement. Check out your local Buy Nothing group for wonderful free stuff (or post your free stuff for someone else!).
Food. You can’t go wrong with food, whether you buy it or make it. If you’d like to make something, this homemade limoncello requires very little hands-on work but will earn you high grades.
5. Eat and get creative with leftovers
Many leftovers are actually prepped ingredients, ready for their next life. Here are some ideas for getting the most out of them.
Turkey
I think even most vegans would agree that when people eat turkey at Thanksgiving, none of it should go to waste. Here are just some ideas to eat every bite.
Turkey pot pie. This recipe from Bon Appétit looks really good. It calls for leftover vegetables, turkey and gravy. But you could also top it with leftover mashed potatoes or leftover stuffing.
Turkey soup. Here is my adaptable, clear-out-the-fridge soup recipe.
Turkey Tetrazzini. My daughter MK has made the T.T. recipe from The Joy of Cooking many times. I found it online here at Sunset Magazine.
Turkey a la king. Serve this creamed turkey over leftover split biscuits, toast or rice. Here is a recipe from NYT Cooking. (Speaking of which, a subscription to NYT Cooking makes a good gift for the foodie in your life.)
Turkey shepherd’s pie. Sauté an onion and sliced mushrooms. Stir in chopped turkey and gravy. Spread this mixture in the bottom of a glass dish (the size depends on the amount of your leftovers). Add a layer of leftover green beans, carrots or brussels sprouts. Top with leftover mashed potatoes. Cook until the mashed potatoes are golden.
Turkey sandwiches. Add some cranberry sauce and layers of mashed potatoes, stuffing and green beans. Or fill a homemade pita.
Turkey bones
After you’ve removed every last morsel of turkey from the carcass, make turkey stock with it. The bones will become very soft after several hours of simmering, at which point you could make this doggy treat with them.
Stuffing
This turkey soup recipe calls for stuffing dumplings. For the dumplings, you need only stuffing, flour, eggs and baking powder. What a brilliant idea! I am trying these on Friday if we have any stuffing left!
Leftover rolls
If they’ve dried out, they’re perfect for making bread pudding, either sweet or savory. Or make breadcrumbs by running very dry bread through a food processor or grating with a cheese grater. Breadcrumbs keep for a long time. Add them to veggie burgers or sprinkle them on macaroni and cheese before baking.
Vegetables
In addition to some of the previous ideas, soup made with leftover cooked vegetables and leftover broth comes together quickly. Make it in about five minutes, freeze some if you like and extend the shelf-life of your leftovers for a few months!
Pumpkin purée
I cook sugar pie pumpkins in my oven or pressure cooker (in 8 minutes!) for homemade purée. The flavor is worth the extra effort. Since I already have my equipment out, I like to cook a couple of pumpkins so I’ll have extra purée not only to bake future pumpkin pies, but also pumpkin soup and pumpkin dal and pumpkin pasta.
Mashed potatoes
Aside from simply reheating them along with other leftovers, my hands-down favorite way to repurpose mashed potatoes is to bake them into potato bread. Potatoes and bread, all in one bite! With the potatoes already cooked and mashed, some of the prep is done. Here is my recipe for sourdough potato focaccia. And these Amish rolls from King Arthur flour look fabulous. (You’ll want to reduce the salt a bit in the recipes.)
Cranberry sauce
Put a couple of spoonfuls of leftover cranberry sauce in a small glass jar and top it with yogurt for fruit-bottom yogurt. So yummy! Or use leftover cranberry sauce to fill jam thumbprint cookies. A spoonful on the side of dal adds a hint of sweetness.
Wine
People often don’t believe me but wine can to waste! You may open a bottle that doesn’t taste great, for example. The good news is even mediocre wine can become fantastic wine vinegar.
If you have a mother of vinegar, you probably already know how to make this. If you don’t have a mother of vinegar, in a wide-mouth jar, combine three tablespoons of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of wine. (You must use vinegar with the live mother.) Cover the jar securely with a cloth to keep out nasties. Wait. It’s ready when it tastes like vinegar, usually around the 1-month point (depending on your kitchen’s temperature).
If you see a blob forming on the vinegar that resembles a jellyfish, congratulations. That is a mother. Think of a name. To make more vinegar, use this solid mother instead of the Bragg’s. Go here for instructions on making wine vinegar.
I am so hungry after writing this! If you celebrate Thanksgiving, I wish you and yours a happy one.
Pay-What-You-Feel Pastry for Pakistan Workshop Fundraiser
Thursday, December 8th, 4pm to 5:45 pm PT
Months after torrential monsoon rains in Pakistan killed more than 1,700, destroyed over two million homes and left a third of the country under water, millions remain homeless. Schools, roads, hospitals—and lives—will need to be rebuilt.
This all happened despite our very low carbon footprint. Loss and damage needs to be part of the core agenda of COP27.
Because the holidays are here and many people find pastry intimidating, I thought it would make a good topic for another Cook for a Cause fundraiser. In this Zoom workshop, side-by-side, we’ll make simple pastry and that we’ll fill with apples for a simple galette.
To join, donate directly to an organization listed here, send me proof of your donation (e.g., a screenshot with personal info blacked out) and you’ll receive the top-secret Zoom link for the class. Go here for more details, a list of materials and registration.
I’m totally going to darn some of my kids’ socks this year!!
You’re awesome! Happy Thanksgiving.