New twists on classic side dishes

I seriously am having a very hard time grasping the fact that Thanksgiving is one week away. As in NEXT Thursday! Wow. So if you are scrambling I have a few ideas to help.

It is the time of year that I start to wonder if I should try something new. In terms of what I bring to Thanksgiving, of course. Then I started wondering what side dishes could be considered classic Kentucky, or what could I alter to make them that way. Below are some of my ideas.
First on the list is cranberry sauce with bourbon, vanilla bean and orange. Sure your Uncle Bob loves the canned stuff and so do the kids but it is time to put a grown up cranberry sauce on the table as well. Try this recipe from the cooking channel.

If you are hit or miss on the sweet potato casserole, this next twist will make you a believer. With bourbon and bacon in the ingredient list you might have your new holiday favorite! The recipe is from tablespoon.com and you can check it out here.

This next recipe idea might not have a twist to it like bourbon, but it was what my grandmother always made and the nature of the dish is very southern. You used to be able to buy this cheese roll that was garlic flavor but that is no longer the case. This recipe is a good substitute.