3 easy recipes to upgrade store-bought Thanksgiving staples: Cranberries, yams, pie dough
If you're looking to take a little stress out of Thanksgiving dinner this year, cookbook author Anna Gass has a few food hacks to help get the feast on the table with ease.
Gass joined "Good Morning America" on Friday with just over a week until Thanksgiving to share some easy ways to jazz up some classic store-bought items.
Using canned cranberries, canned yams and a pre-made pie dough, Gass transformed all three of the ready-to-go ingredients into delicious, upgraded dishes.
Check out her full recipes below.
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Souped Up Canned Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 tablespoon orange flavored liqueur
1 orange, juice and zest
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
A few springs of thyme
Directions
In a bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, liqueur, orange zest and juice. Mix to combine.
Place in a serving bowl and add the cinnamon stick, star anise and the thyme.
Can be made a day ahead.
Canned Yam Casserole
Ingredients
Two 15-ounce cans canned yams
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs, beaten
Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a large baking dish.
Mix the yams, cream, maple syrup, salt and beaten eggs together and spread onto the baking dish.
Mix all the topping ingredients together and sprinkle evenly over the yam mixture.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until set and golden on top.
Brown Bag Apple Pie
Ingredients
2 store-bought rolls pie dough
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft and cut into small pieces
Filling:
3 1/2 pounds mixed apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 small lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup shortbread butter cookies (I like Walters), ground
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 F.
In a large bowl, mix all the filling ingredients together until fully combined.
Roll one of the pie doughs into a pie plate and add the apple mixture evenly over it.
Roll the remaining pie dough over the apples and crimp the bottom dough with the top dough.
Cut four slits into the top of the pie, making sure not to go to close to the edge.
Evenly press the pieces of butter into the dough and sprinkle with sugar.
Place the pie into the brown paper bag, fold it closed and seal with a metal clip. You can also staple the bag shut. Do not use tape.
Place the bag onto the baking sheet and bake for 55 to 65 minutes.
Remove from the oven and carefully cut the bag open. Careful not to get hit with the steam.
Enjoy your beautiful baked apple pie.
