Could we be any more excited about Thanksgiving? Not only does the annual fall holiday give people a chance to spend time with loved ones, but it’s also the perfect excuse to watch some of the very best episodes of Friends.
Over the course of the beloved NBC sitcom’s 10-year run, there were a handful of Turkey Day-themed episodes that stood a cut above the rest, and many of them involved holiday food. In fact, Us Weekly is now sharing some recipes based on iconic Thanksgiving dishes from the show.
For example, in the perhaps the best known holiday installment — a.k.a. the Thanksgiving episode from season 6 — Monica Geller (played by Courteney Cox) makes good on a forgotten promise she made to pal Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) and reluctantly agrees to let her cooking-challenged roommate whip up a Thanksgiving dessert for the gang’s big holiday meal.
Rachel’s sweet treat, of course, was a traditional English trifle. However, since the pages in her cookbook had gotten stuck together, the fashion exec ended up making half an English trifle and half a shepherd’s pie, resulting in a confection that contained both layers of lady fingers, jam and whipped cream, as well as beef sautéed with peas and onions. The sweet and savory creation, which everyone ate in an effort to spare Rachel’s feelings, tasted “like feet,” according to Ross (David Schwimmer).
While Us’ trifle recipe is missing that meat and veggie layer (you can thank Us later), the dessert is otherwise very similar to the one Rachel attempted to cook.
In the Friends Thanksgiving episode from season 5, Ross goes berserk when he realizes a colleague at the museum mistakenly ate the “moist maker” sandwich Monica had prepared for him, using her delectable Turkey Day leftovers. Per Ross’ description, the loaded meal contained, among other ingredients, turkey and an extra slice of gravy-soaked bread, which is how the food earned its “moist maker” moniker.
Us’ version of the sandwich kicks the meal up a notch and is actually a turkey burger on a buttered brioche bun. Don’t worry though, this feast still has layers of cranberry apple chutney, cornbread stuffing and more.
Scroll down to see more recipes inspired by iconic dishes from Friends’ memorable Thanksgiving episodes!