Ram Recipes: What we're making with our families this holiday season

Place a colander in the sink and line with a tea towel or cheesecloth.

Pour goat's milk and cow's milk into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir regularly until nearly at a boil.

Add ¼ cup vinegar and immediately remove from heat. Allow mixture to coagulate for 2-3 minutes.

Pour the coagulated mixture into the lined colander and rinse the curds with cold water.

Gather the tea towel with your hands and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

Form the cheese into a block inside the tea towel, then place in a tofu presser or put a heavy pan on top. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to drain remaining water.

In a medium bowl, combine ¾ cup warm water, a pinch of salt, ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, and ⅔ cup maseca. Mix to form a stiff dough, adding more maseca or water if needed.

Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, knead the dough a few times, then cover and let rest until ready to cook.

In a large skillet, cook 4 slices of bacon over medium heat.

While bacon cooks, cut the paneer into cubes and cut half an onion into ½-inch wedges.

When bacon is done, remove from pan and carefully place paneer cubes into the hot bacon fat.

Cook paneer cubes over medium heat until the bottom is golden brown and releases from the pan.

Carefully scrape the bottom of the pan, then add the onion wedges, black pepper, dried thyme and tablespoon sesame seeds. Cook for 4 minutes or until aromatics are fragrant.

Add soy sauce and sake. Simmer until liquid reduces.

While liquid reduces, divide tortilla dough into 6 balls.

Cut a gallon-sized ziplock bag so it opens into one long plastic sheet.

Place a dough ball in the center and fold the plastic over it. Using a heavy pan or book, press down on the dough with your weight against the countertop to flatten into a thin tortilla.

Cook on a griddle or skillet over high heat for 30 seconds on each side, or until tan spots appear.

Fill tortillas with the paneer and bacon mixture. Crumble reserved bacon on top if desired. Serve immediately.

Prep cheese by shredding both or cutting to half an inch.

Put a pot of water on the medium high stove and add the noodles once it comes to a boil. 

In a separate sauce pan, heat the stove to medium-low and add the butter till it melts and starts to gently bubble, then add the flour and cook gently till the flour scent is gone.

Then add both the milk and evaporated milk starting with a splash and stirring till homogeneous and repeat, slowly pouring more in little by little till fully combined.

After that add the spices and combine and taste for seasoning. 

Next turn the heat off and add the cheese and stir constantly until fully melted. 

Next pour the cheese sauce into the noodle pan and stir till all the noodles are fully coated.

Combine green beans, milk, and cream of chicken/mushroom soup in a large baking bowl and mix well.

Add ½ container of crispy fried onions and mix well

Sprinkle salt, pepper and remaining crispy fried onions to the top of the casserole

Bake green bean casserole at 375°F for 25 minutes.

It should have bubbles towards the edges and that’s when you know it’s done.

Scrub potatoes to remove all dirt then dice the potatoes into cubes

In a large pan add the potatoes and a pinch of salt, then cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer

Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork or knife.

While the potatoes cook, mix the broth and butter in a small pan over medium heat. The butter should be melted.

When the potatoes are done, drain the water then lay them out on a dish towel to absorb any excess water.

In a pot, add the potatoes and the broth/butter mixture. Mash the potatoes until creamy. This is where you should add your spices and a splash of cream

Enjoy!

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Place the butter in a baking dish and warm it in the oven until the butter melts.

In a medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and milk until smooth.

In another bowl, toss the peaches with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon.

Assemble toppings in a small bowl, mix the pecans, remaining sugars, and melted butter for the crunch topping.

Pour the batter over the melted butter in the baking dish. Do not stir.

Spoon the peaches and their juices evenly over the batter. Do not stir.

Sprinkle the crunch topping across the surface.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden and crisp.

Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix sugar, graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl until completely combined. Press mixture along the sides and bottom of a 9-inch pie dish and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. 

Strain ice out of Baja Blast and bring to a light boil in a saucepan on medium heat. Reduce until you have 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of Baja Blast (10 oz). Cool in the fridge until it is warm. 

While the Baja Blast reduction cools, sprinkle gelatin powder over 2 tablespoons cold water and do not stir. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to bloom gelatin. 

Pour gelatin mix into reduced Baja Blast and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. In a bowl, combine gelatin/Baja Blast mix with instant pudding powder and whisk until there are no clumps. Set aside to thicken, about 5 minutes. 

In another bowl, create a Baja Blast slurry by mixing corn starch and 2 tablespoons Baja Blast. Add this to the pudding. 

To create the filling base, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Slowly pour in heavy whipping cream. Once slightly fluffy, add in condensed milk, lemon zest and lime zest. 

Fold pudding mixture into filling base until combined. Add food coloring to reach desired hue. 

Scoop filling in the prepared pie shell and smooth surface. (You may have leftover filling to snack on later). Chill pie for at least four hours, preferably overnight. Serve with whipped cream and a cold glass of Baja Blast.