cheese galore

• Use the shredding attachment on the food processor to freshly grate the cheddar cheese. (Note that pre-grated cheese from the store may not incorporate well.) Temporarily move cheese to a large bowl.
• Use a knife or kitchen shears to reduce the bacon to small pieces. Set aside.
• Switch to the s-blade on the food processor. Add the pecans and process until finely chopped, but don’t make a paste. Add the diced bacon, cold butter, cheese (don’t wash the bowl), flour, and cayenne. Process until mixture begins to form a dough.
• Place empty former cheese bowl on food scale. Level out the tare for the bowl (or note number to subtract).
• Remove the s-blade and transfer the dough to the big bowl that previously held the cheese. Use hands to make sure everything is incorporated to make dough. Observe the weight of the dough; divide in half.
• Place each half of dough on a long piece of plastic wrap. Shape dough into long logs about an inch in diameter. Dough may be quite crumbly; use the coating of plastic and hand pressure to bring it together.
• Completely wrap dough to stash in fridge. Chill in fridge for anywhere from 8 hours to a couple days, or stash in freezer for up to a month. If frozen, thaw in fridge overnight before baking.
• To begin baking, preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pull out a log. Slice into coins about 1/4-inch thick; if they crumble a bit, reform with fingers. Place slightly spaced out on parchment. Sprinkle pretzel or flaked salt on top of each cracker.
• Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Crackers should look pale golden and set. Leave them on the sheet to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat to bake the rest.
• Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Crackers are best within two days but are still edible after that, albeit chewier.

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Make the dough

• In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
• In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Gradually combine with the wet mixture, scraping the bottom to incorporate everything.
• At this point, the dough can be divided, if desired, to freeze half or all. If baking soon, wrap and chill the dough for about two hours or overnight.
• To begin baking, preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Use a large or small scoop or spoon to dole out dough balls spaced out on cookie sheet. Large cookies will bake in about 15 to 18 minutes; small cookies will need 11 to 13 minutes. The edges should be golden brown. Let cookies sit for about 3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Make the glaze

• Mix confectioners’ sugar, milk, and almond extract until thick and smooth. Use the back of a spoon to spread atop a cookie. Immediately add a pinch of sprinkles. Continue with the rest of the batch.
• Let cookies rest until glaze is set, then transfer to a sealed container. Store at room temperature.

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• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Generously coat the interior of a large bundt pan with nonstick spray with flour.
• In a big bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the pumpkin. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bottom of the bowl to incorporate everything.
• In another bowl, combine the flour, cardamom, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients to the big bowl alternatively with the buttermilk/soured milk. Scape the bottom of the bowl again to make certain everything is combined.
• In another bowl, mix together the cream cheese, ginger, brown sugar, and flour.
• Scoop about 2/3 of the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Spoon in the filling, being careful to make sure it doesn’t touch the sides of the pan (it could possibly stick and cause the cake to pull apart). Spoon the remaining pumpkin batter on top, evening out.
• Bake for 65 to 75 minutes; the middle of the cake should pass the toothpick test. Let it cool about 15 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely.
• Make glaze, adjusting the amounts as needed to create a thick texture. Drizzle atop cake. Let set at least an hour before cutting. Store covered or as wrapped individual slices.

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• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 15×10-inch pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
• In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cloves. Add the pumpkin puree. Beat in the eggs one at a time followed by the oil. Spread batter in prepared pan.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips in the microwave.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with the remaining sugar. Add the egg and milk. Fold in the melted chocolate until the entire mix is consistently brown.
• Spoon the filling over the pumpkin batter. Use something like a butter knife to create swirls throughout the pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips over the top.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cool for a while at room temperature, then put in fridge to fully chill.
• Slice in pan to serve, or use the foil to lift contents onto a cutting board to slice. If keeping in pan, store covered in fridge; if removing from pan, be sure to use waxed paper between the stacked layers and store in fridge. Best eaten within 2 days.

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• Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Coat a 10-cup bundt pan with nonstick spray or butter.
• In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add sugar and mix until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, salt, and baking powder. Gradually mix in the flour until just combined, then fold in the coconut.
• Pour batter into pan and distribute evenly. Bake for 75 to 80 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test.
• Cool pan for 20 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack to completely cool. Move to a plate or cake platter.
• To make the glaze, stir together the confectioners’ sugar and milk to form a smooth yet thick consistency. Pour or spoon glaze over the top, then sprinkle with additional coconut.

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• If you plan to bake this right away, preheat oven to 375-degrees. Butter or spray a 9×9 baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt and macaroni. Cook until al dente. Drain the water and return the macaroni to the pot. Add butter and stir until it has melted.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together evaporated milk and egg. Add seasoned salt, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Place about 1/3 of the macaroni in an even layer in the bottom of prepared baking dish. This should be just enough to cover the bottom. Cover with 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat twice more with remaining macaroni and cheese.
• Pour the milk and seasonings mixture evenly over the contents of the baking dish. At this point, you can stash the dish in the fridge overnight or during the day until it’s meal time.
• When you’re ready to bake, make sure the oven is preheated. Sprinkle the top of the macaroni with paprika and bread crumbs.
• Bake until top layer is lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes; note that if the dish is cold, bake time will likely need to be extended to closer to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
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