Last-Minute Thanksgiving Appetizers And Desserts Slideshow

A couple of boxes of pre-made frozen appetizers in the freezer ensures you're ready for any disaster–or impromptu visitor–you may have this holiday season. We love the assortments available at  Dean and Deluca, as there is a wide variety to choose from, like Asian-inspired Autumn Rolls, or Greek-inspired Sundried Tomato and Roasted Garlic Tiropita. Plus, they're easy to "make;" just pop them out of the freezer, into the oven. The hardest part is choosing what kind to buy.

When one of our editors first tried Effie's Homemade's oatcakes when they first launched, it was love at first... taste. Effie's recently came out with their nutcakes, with a deep nutty pecan and honey flavor. We like pairing them with blue cheese and honey, goat cheese and cherry preserves, or a smooth sheep's milk cheese with nutty pesto.

One of the simplest quick-fix appetizers to have on hand is an array of jarred bruschetta toppings and warm spreads. Pull a baguette out of the freezer (the par-baked ones found in markets around the country will ensure your bread is always fresh and warm), bake it, slice it, and spread it with some of the products available from Wildly Delicious. Try the Caramelized Red Onion with Balsamic Dip, or the Oven Roasted Tomato with Basil Bruschetta topping. 

Sticky Toffee Pudding is a perfect fall dessert. Lucky for you, British baker Tracy Claros uses her own tried-and-true recipe when making her company's Sticky Toffee Puddings with Buttery Toffee Sauce. Each pudding is made with fresh dates soaked in vanilla and espresso, comes both in large format containers and individual "basins" that only need a 40-second warming in the microwave. When it pops out, in a swirl of buttery toffee sauce, no one would know you had them hiding in your freezer.

For over 20 years, The Great San Saba River Pecan Company, has been harvesting nuts from their 10,000 pecan trees. We love their Pecan-Pie-in-a-Jar for last-minute dessert crises. All you need are a couple of eggs, a bit of butter, and a pie crust, of course, to make a delectable Thanksgiving dessert in a matter of minutes.

Who doesn't always have a selection of ice cream and sauces on hand for impromptu guests, or that late-night ice cream craving? Why not serve Graeter's Pumpkin Ice Cream (yes, made with real pumpkin puree) with toasted pecans and a drizzle of Le Caramel's Salted Caramel Cream this Thanksgiving for a deconstructed pumpkin-meets-pecan-pie sundae—so well coordinated, your guests will never guess that it was a last-minute dessert fix.