Okay call me cheater. Instead of peeling and slicing fresh apples I used 2 cans of Lucky Leaf apple pie filling. Sure was a lot easier though! I adjusted the sugar and flour because it is already sweetened and thickened. I used about ¼ cup more brown sugar and only about 1 tbsp. flour. And I left out the lemon juice too because the filling evidently already has something like that in it to keep the apples from turning brown. There’s no cinnamon or nutmeg or any spices in this brand so I gather you are supposed to add your own anyway. In a bowl I stirred the brown sugar, flour, spices and sour cream into the apples. Ha, ha, I also melted the butter for the apples in the microwave and then forgot it was there so it got left out. Pie still came out great so I didn’t blab my mistake. I made the crumb topping with brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. I watched my baking time since the apples were already mostly soft cooked from the can but it took about the same time until it was hot and I even added another 10 mins. to crisp up my topping a little more. I froze this pie for a few days while we finished another I had made and thawed it overnight in the fridge. Quite successful and just like fresh especially if you microwave the pieces to warm them a bit for serving.

Like the call that others heard, this recipe did whisper, “This sounds like it would be good with a pork roast.” After Thanksgiving our small, “just the 2 of us” turkey leftovers were gone but, as usual, the sides lingered. Half a can of jellied cranberry sauce is always a challenge to use. I used a little pork tenderloin roast from my freezer I could serve the leftover mashed potatoes and even the cornbread dressing. I started out with the pork mostly frozen, only thawing a bit to remove the vacuum wrap. I did slice the cranberry sauce and lay the slices over the top of the roast. It looked prettier loading the crockpot, but one lump or slices, if left in the pot undisturbed, the cranberry doesn’t really melt. It gets really soft though and is then easily stirred into the onion soup and meat juices in the bottom. I used the whole envelope of onion soup thinking that, with only ½ cranberry, it wouldn’t be as sweet as some who thought it too much. I thought the onion gravy was very tasty. Kind of tangy, but no one would guess the cranberry addition. I didn’t add the butter or any thickener at all, it was a pretty nice sauce / gravy consistency as it was. I wouldn’t buy cranberry sauce simply to make this recipe again, as I have other favorite ways of making pork roast, but I’d make it again with leftover cranberry.

You really need the 3 cans of beans. The French cut style are more compact than the whole cut ones. To those who had a runniness problem I squeezed the excess water out of the beans in addition to simply draining them. I think I actually like them better than the whole cut green beans. I wanted to do something a little dressier with the GB casserole this holiday and I love sour cream so I figured that (1/2 cup) would be good. I used only 2 cans of beans and a whole can of mushroom soup since I hate using partial canned goods in recipes. I always end up wasting the unused portions. I used a tsp. of soy sauce because the traditional recipe uses it according to the Campbell’s site and I like soy sauce. I know the cracker topping is the highlight of this recipe but I had the FF onions (and no crackers) and I like them, so I used them. The sour cream and French green beans made this for me though. The casserole was eaten and was better this way but (personal opinion) I’m still lukewarm on whether this requisite holiday dish is as great as its reputation. I’ll make it again for regular fare but may try something snazzier next Thanksgiving.