CT folks…anything better than Lyman Orchards apple pie? I don’t think so!
Trader Joe’s Corn pudding and Cauliflower Gratin are so great. I bought them for Thanksgiving but I already made and ate them. That leaves the mashed sweet potatoes with pecans. I can’t wait to try it.
Haha @thumper1 . Our financial advisor gave out free pies from Lyman orchard. H couldn’t wait, it’s in the oven right now with 20 minutes to go…
We’ve never had one but it smells divine!
I don’t make my own pie crust anymore but I do make the rest from scratch. Everyone prefers to eat the filing and leaves most of the crust anyway—wanting to save calories for other things!
Pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce are so incredibly easy to make that I have always made my own…until this year. I’m opening a can of cran and got a pie at Costco.
Our Costco had a 2 jar pack of pumpkin pie in a jar marked down to .97 for two jars this week! I didn’t get it but I have to admit wondering how it would taste. Apparently just pour into a crust and bake.
I am making from scratch mashed potatoes but last year I took Costco’s and doctored them up. I forgot and now I am stuck with the mess. If anyone is looking for the best cheat of all–take frozen dream whip and just as it is nearly thawed add a cheap raspberry yogurt. Dip fruit in it and keep your mouth tightly shut. Tell them it is a CC forum member’s family secret. Kids adore this!
Last week H brought home 4 of those huge Costco pies–3 pumpkin, 1 apple-- that were left over from an event at his office. I really liked the apple, but the pumpkin ones were too smooth/custardy and bland for me. (We ate one, my kids took the other two to school events.) I like mine “meatier” with more pumpkin, more spices, less milk. So I am still making my own pies. I have hosted Thanksgiving for 26 years straight with anywhere from 6 to 20 people. I do all the cooking and keep it simple. I’m all for doing everything the easy way. (Honestly, my dream is to go out for Thanksgiving dinner or just skip the whole thing and pick up burgers or pizza.) I always use canned cranberry sauce. My sweet potatoes are simply sliced and microwaved. I use stovetop stuffing with celery and onions added. Canned green beans with bacon. onions and butter.
Ok, I remembered a second cheater item - gravy. Since hardly anyone in the family touches it, I “cheat” here. 
The turkey is done on the grill and comes out moist… no garvy needed. Otherwise, I make my cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, fruit pies, etc. from scratch. I do make stovetop stuffing using purchased bread cubes because no one likes the actual stuffed stuff that came from inside a turkey.
lol @BunsenBurner this family is gravy-mad. The only thing they ever complain about is if the gravy runs out. We do the turkey from One Bite Won’t Kill You, and the butter-molasses* basting solution increases the volume of dripping, and makes a gorgeous gravy.
*recipe says corn syrup but I use molasses b/c it’s already in the house for the molasses crinkles!
Wow, molasses basting.
Speaking of stuffing and secrets, I love typical semi mushy stuffing, where the onions and celery add a crisp touch. My girls would only eat Stove Top, for years. Last year, I made my own, but put an empty box of ST on the counter. They were none the wiser.
(I had a nearly empty box of ST from another time when they didn’t use the whole contents.)
I don’t use flour in gravy. Just drippings and a little milk or cream.
Is it “cheating” if the item has been on the menu forever (most of adulthood)? I actively like StoveTop stuffing. Have been told homemade pie crust is better than storebought (NEVER with lard for either- that’s gross).
My hack this year is that I’m using drippings from a Sam’s Club rotisserie chicken to make my gravy ahead of time. We are smoking the turkey outside so there won’t be any drippings. I usually buy turkey parts like drumsticks, roast them, and use the drippings from that. However, while using the rotisserie chicken the other night to make a tortilla soup, I realized I could probably use the drippings from that to make gravy. We will see how it turns out.
The only thing that is a true “cheat” item on our table is the canned cranberry sauce. I don’t like it at all and one year went to the trouble of making homemade cranberry sauce. Picky kids decided they much preferred the smooth jelly like slices to my homemade stuff so have never bothered again (I would do homemade if having company but typically it’s just my parents and sometimes one of my siblings’ families, none of whom care).
I agree! I love the stuffing that comes out of the turkey. One year I put some chopped green apple in it, in addition to onions and celery, and everyone loved it. The crunch is such a nice foil to the soft moist stuffing.
Ok, that is hilarious! And clever of you. 
first time in 30 years that my bro and his wife are hosting a holiday! all I am doing is bringing rolls!!! yay! will pop into Costco and try those in the first post.
Like many others, my biggest cheat is mixing store bought gravy with drippings at home. Happy Thanksgiving, all!
I have never thought of the gravy cheat with a jar of store bought mixed with drippins. Noted.
Learned this afternoon that we’re having…ham.
Guess it’s D1’s go-to. (Her fiance makes mazing skillet roasted chicken, but this is simpler.) And ST. For me, a salt lover, ST is too salty.
My mom used to bring apple pie, but then she decided Mrs Smith was suitable (and I agree). When still cooking, she also used to bring her stuffing cooked/hot. That was really handy. We all love that, so I still make it from scratch. I use her “cheater” method to cook the sausage, celery and onion the week before and freeze.
That’s not cheating. That’s being organized!
We always have Pillsbury crescent rolls. That’s enough of a cheat for me.
I make cranberry sauce - it is the easiest thing to make that day, but we used to have canned too. I would open both ends of the can and slide it out carefully so it was a perfect little cranberry log, complete with ridges from the can. The kids loved that when they were younger but now we skip it.
I’m happy to say I have some turkey stock from last winter in the freezer. I can use that to get a head start on the gravy.