HUNT VALLEY, Md. – What’s better than one Thanksgiving? Two Thanksgivings. With Friendsgiving now strongly asserting itself as the second holiday in November, McCormick® has partnered with Google to figure out when Americans are celebrating this epic potluck and, more interestingly, what they’re serving across the country.

One thing is clear, Friendsgiving is growing in popularity. Friendsgiving searches continue to grow every year, and they peak one week before Thanksgiving searches do. In fact, classic Thanksgiving recipes like ‘Turkey Recipe’ and ‘Stuffing Recipe’ were relatively stable the week of Thanksgiving, but increased more than 300 percent year-over-year the week before.

“Instead of focusing on stuffing and green beans – our test kitchens picked the most interesting recipes rising Friendsgiving week, like a pressure-cooked turkey breast, cheesy potatoes and chocolate gravy,” said Chef Kevan Vetter of the McCormick Kitchens. “There’s a lot more license to be creative with Friendsgiving dishes, but the recipes are still comforting and reflective of where we’re from.”

Below are key findings McCormick discovered about how friends celebrate in New England, out west, below the Mason Dixon and just about everywhere in-between:

The main dish: There is more than one way to cook a turkey. Searches for multi-cooker, fried turkeys and smoked turkeys have skyrocketed over the past few years the week before Thanksgiving, with ‘smoked turkey’ searches rising more than 1,100 percent nationwide.

Regional favorites

The sweet south: People in the south searched for the highest variety of unique recipes, with a big focus on desserts — from chess pie to bourbon balls and chocolate gravy.

New England and Mid-Atlantic comfort foods: Home to many Polish and Italian communities, cooks in New England and the Mid-Atlantic searched for comforting crowd-pleasing recipes loosely tied to their heritage. Searches for American Chop Suey – a cheesy pasta bake – have grown by more than 1,200 percent in the northeast alone.

Heading west: Out west, casserole is king. The Midwest and western states keep it cozy with casseroles, hot dishes and corn puddings. In the southwest – Bizchochitos – a traditional New Mexican butter cookie, are a popular search term.

National appeal

Pumpkin pie and deviled eggs: The more things change, the more they stay the same! Both pumpkin pie and deviled egg-inspired recipes are popular searches for the entire country.

Thanksgiving cocktails: The term ‘Thanksgiving Cocktail’ is a popular search the week before Thanksgiving. Drinks that can be made ‘by the batch’ are always a better choice for group settings – especially those that incorporate classic fall flavors like apple or hot chocolate.

For more information including recipes, visit www.McCormick.com/Friendsgiving.