Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallows and Spiced Cream

Over the years, I’ve made Thanksgiving more about homemade, from scratch dishes and less about anything that’s pre-prepared. And, during that time, I’ve also spent less and less time with my family on Thanksgiving and more and more time in the kitchen. Well this year, that ends. My goal for this Thanksgiving is to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible and still have that wonderful traditional turkey dinner.

I’m going to utilize the frozen and dairy aisles as much as I can for this Thanksgiving. There’s so many little timesavers available. For instance, those incredible pies. My family’s favorite are Mrs. Smith’s Dutch Apple and Sweet Potato Pies. Here, I have made a few little additions to a basic Mrs. Smith’s sweet potato pie to make it even more special!

After the pie was baked, I added mini marshmallows on top and quickly put it under the broiler, just until the marshmallows were browned. Then, when I serve it, I add fresh whipped cream (but to save time, you can also buy whipped cream topping from the dairy or frozen food aisle). It’s such a simple and easy dessert that everyone loves! And, what I really love about this dessert is that I don’t feel that I have to make a sweet potato side dish if I serve this pie. Win, win!

I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve that I know will help me spend more time with my family this year instead of in the kitchen. Also by doing easier recipes, I know my family will be much more likely to help out in the kitchen, so things will go even smoother. So, here are my top stress-saving tips for Thanksgiving Day Dinner:

1. Make an easy to follow menu plan filled with easy, time tested recipes paired with pre-prepared menu items you can find in your grocer’s freezer and/or dairy aisle.
2. Choose one or two pre-prepared pies available in your grocer’s freezer for Thanksgiving Day dessert. There’s a huge variety of delicious, just as good as homemade pies available that your guests will love.
3. Yeast rolls are a very popular Thanksgiving side. Instead of making your own from scratch, choose a frozen pre-prepared yeast roll from the freezer aisle.
4. Don’t forget to look at the pre-prepared sides available in the freezer aisle. There are mac and cheese dishes and scalloped potato family-size sides that would work great for Thanksgiving.
5. Don’t forget to also stock up on basic frozen vegetables for recipes like green beans, spinach and peas. These ready-to-go items will save a lot of time in the kitchen.
6. Be sure not to forget the whipped cream and ice cream! These ingredients are perfect pairings for Thanksgiving Day pies.
7. Make ahead as many recipes as you can the night before Thanksgiving and refrigerate until those dishes are ready to go in the oven.
8. Keep the appetizer tray light and healthy. I like to serve lots of fresh-cut veggies and a few assorted cheeses— you don’t want your guests to fill up before dinner is served.
9. To cut down on the amount of dishes, use disposable baking dishes. You could also look into paper plates. There’s a huge variety available online and at your local party store and some of them are really beautiful.
10. Be sure to have lots of disposable storage containers on hand so that you can send leftovers home for guests. This will cut down on the amount of food you have to store in your fridge.

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NFRA is a non-profit trade association representing all segments of the frozen and refrigerated dairy foods industry, including distributors, logistics providers, manufacturers, retailers/wholesalers and suppliers. Headquartered in Harrisburg, PA, NFRA is the sponsor of March National Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month, June/July Ice Cream & Novelties promotion and October Cool Food for Kids educational outreach program. NFRA provides consumer information such as food safety guidelines, meal preparation tips, recipes and sweepstakes opportunities at EasyHomeMeals.com. For additional information on NFRA or to find recipes or tips, visit NFRAweb.org or EasyHomeMeals.com.

This post sponsored by NFRAweb.org. I was compensated for my time. All opinions 100% mine.