Spice up your sides

Thanksgiving is next Thursday, and if you're tired of the same old sides, you might want to mix it up a bit.

David Venable, resident foodie and QVC television host, offers several new recipes that could easily become new traditions. Instead of boring corn, why not Corn & Bacon Pudding? It's like a vegetable and bread in one.

And Sweet Potato Bacon Hush Puppies? What's not to love?

If you're tired of the same old pumpkin pie, why not give Deep-Fried Pumpkin Ravioli a try? In fact, why wait until Thanksgiving to try any of these recipes?

Corn & Bacon Pudding

Serves 8-10.

4 slices thick-cut bacon, small dice

2 eggs, separated

½cup butter, room temperature

¼cup sugar

1 cup sour cream

1 (8.5-ounce) package cornbread mix

½cup buttermilk

1½cups fresh corn kernels

1 (14.75-ounce) can creamed corn

¼cup fresh basil, chopped

½cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a medium saute pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel, reserving the bacon fat.

While the bacon is cooking, whip the egg whites in a stand mixer with a wire whip. Place the whipped egg whites into a small bowl and set aside.

Add the reserved bacon fat, butter, and sugar to the bowl of the stand mixer. With a paddle attachment, cream until the mixture is light and fluffy. Put in the egg yolks and sour cream, then mix again. Stir in a little bit of the cornbread mix, followed by a little bit of the buttermilk. Continue alternating and stirring until all of the cornbread and buttermilk has been used.

Fold the corn, creamed corn, basil, and cheese into the mixture. Then fold in the reserved eggs whites.

Pour the mixture into a 2.5-quart greased baking dish. Bake about 1½ hours or until set and lightly browned.

Roasted Chestnut & Parsnip Soup

Serves 8.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup leeks, white part only, medium dice

2 (2.5-ounce) packages peeled, roasted chestnuts, chopped, with 2 tablespoons reserved for garnish

10 parsnips, peeled and chopped

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

2 quarts chicken stock

4 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon honey

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

In a 6-quart stockpot over medium heat, heat the oil. Once hot, add the leeks and let them sweat until they just begin to get color. Put in the chestnuts and parsnips, then sauté for about 5 minutes to soften. Stir in the nutmeg and thyme, followed by the remaining ingredients.

Bring the heat up to medium-high and the liquid can simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. When the parsnip pieces can be easily pierced with a fork, remove the soup from the heat.

Using a Vitamix blender, or similar blender, purée the soup in small batches until a very smooth texture has been achieved. Taste the soup and check for seasoning, adjusting as desired with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup hot in bowls with some of the reserved chestnuts and chopped parsley on top.

Deep-Fried Pumpkin Pie Ravioli

Makes 30-35

Ravioli:

2 quarts vegetable oil

2 cups canned pumpkin

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

30-35 wonton wrappers

About 100 mini marshmallows

1 egg, beaten

½teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼cup sugar

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1½tablespoons bourbon

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

½teaspoon vanilla extract

To prepare the ravioli, start by heating the oil in a deep fryer to 365 F.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, cream cheese, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.

Take a wonton wrapper and put about 1 teaspoon of filling in the middle, topped off with 3 marshmallows. Brush the edges of the wrapper with the egg. Fold one corner over to meet the opposite corner, forming a triangle. Press the edges together to seal. Repeat with the remaining filling and wonton wrappers.

Mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

To prepare the whipped cream, start by fitting a stand mixer with the wire whip attachment. In the bowl of the stand mixer, add the cream, bourbon, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla. Whip until fluffy and light.

To finish the dish, fry the ravioli in the deep fryer until crisp and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove them from the oil and toss in the cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat. Serve with a dollop of the whipped cream for dipping.

Sweet Potato Bacon Hush Puppies

Makes 25-30

Hush Puppies:

2 quarts vegetable oil

2 cups cornmeal

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

½teaspoon chili powder

¼teaspoon cayenne

1½cups buttermilk

½cup sweet potato, cooked and puréed

1 egg

1 teaspoon lime zest

½cup onion, minced

4 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked until not quite crispy and finely chopped

Honey Butter:

½pound butter, room temperature

⅓cup honey

To make the hush puppies, start by heating the vegetable oil to 365 F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, chili powder and cayenne.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, sweet potato, egg and zest until smooth. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together. Fold in the onion and bacon.

Using a small ice cream scooper or a spoon about the size of 2 teaspoons, drop the batter into the oil, in batches. Cook 4-5 minutes or until the batter reaches a deep golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.

To make the honey butter, fit a large stand mixer with the paddle attachment while the hush puppies are cooking. Place in the butter and whip until fluffy. Add the honey and mix until combined. Serve with the warm hush puppies.

In the Kitchen with David: QVC's Resident Foodie Presents Comfort Foods That Take You Home, and he also released a second cookbook, Back Around the Table: An "In the Kitchen with David" Cookbook from QVC's Resident Foodie in October 2014. Tune in to "In the Kitchen with David" on QVC Wednesdays and Sundays and visit QVC.com/ITKWD for Venable's recipes and blog posts. Plus, follow him on Twitter @DavidVenableQVC, Facebook at David Venable QVC, Pinterest at David Venable QVC and Instagram at David Venable QVC.