5 Smart Thanksgiving Day Shortcuts

You can easily make the canned stuff look, and taste, homemade with the addition of walnuts, orange zest, and orange and lemon juices. To make a tangy relish:

Whisk 1 can cranberry sauce with ½ cup toasted chopped walnuts, ½ tsp. fresh orange zest, and 2 tsp. each fresh orange and lemon juices in a medium bowl until combined.

In the South it’s called dressing, but you still can buy a bag of herb-seasoned stuffing mix for a Southern purpose: topping your casserole. To add a crunchy layer to your casserole:

Process 2 cups dry stuffing mix in a food processor until coarsely ground. Combine with ¼ cup melted unsalted butter in a bowl. Use as a topping for green bean casserole or scalloped potatoes; bake as directed.

Sister Schubert’s Dinner Rolls are good all on their own, but we’re not against throwing on a little seasoning to make them extra special for the holidays. To update your bread basket:

Stir together 2 tsp. seeds (such as sesame, fennel, or caraway) and a pinch of garlic powder in a bowl. In a second bowl, whisk 1 egg white until foamy. Brush tops of frozen rolls with beaten egg white, and sprinkle with seed mixture. Bake as directed.

If you're not making your own pie crust, you can still enhance the flavor with a simple addition. To make a nutty piecrust:

Dust work surface with powdered sugar. Unroll refrigerated pie dough; place on top of sugar. Sprinkle evenly with 1/3 cup toasted, finely chopped pecans. Gently roll over dough with a rolling pin. Place in a pie plate; bake as directed.

If you’re looking for something to do with the leftover turkey besides making a sandwich, we love a good bowl of turkey and dumplings. Simplify things even more with store bought flour tortillas. To make quick-and-easy turkey and dumplings:

Cut 6-inch flour tortillas into 1-inch wide strips. Drop them into simmering broth and add shredded turkey.