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For the recipe you’ll need cheddar cheese, all-purpose flour, one stick of butter, fresh chives, salt and either sesame, caraway or poppy seeds for sprinkling on top of the wafers. I also had on hand both poppy and sesame seeds. The dough came together well and is shaped into a log. After that, it needed to chill for several hours. The recipe called for spraying cookie sheets with vegetable oil spray to avoid sticking to the pan. It also called for slicing the dough into 1/8-inch rounds. This was nearly impossible as the slices crumbled easily. I opted for a thicker slice, 1/4-inch, and would go to 1/2-inch after making these for the first time. Even at 1/4-inch, I had to be extremely careful when removing them from the tray. Despite these challenges the crackers were delicious. My daughter complimented on how they taste. These would be perfect for anyone’s New Year’s Eve night or New Year’s Day celebration. Another recipe I found and love is from Dorie Greenspan which appeared in The New York Times on December 9th of this year. Ham and Cheese Quick Bread is a tasty, moist and very flavorful bread that can be eaten on its own or perhaps have a poached egg placed on top of a slice. For the recipe you’ll need butter or nonstick baker’s spray, all-purpose flour, baking powder, fine sea salt, red pepper flakes, 2 eggs, an egg white, whole milk, olive oil, honey, shredded mozzarella, fontina cheese, ham or pancetta, roasted peppers, Parmesan cheese, fresh chives and fresh thyme. Also, you will need parchment paper to line the bottom and long sides of the pan to aid in removal. Instead of fontina I used Havarti and opted for pancetta. Once I had all my ingredients on the counter and prepped, the recipe was easy to assemble. The bread needs to bake for approximately 50 minutes. Ms. Greenspan suggests using an instant read thermometer to obtain a reading of 195°. Although normal testing of cakes and quick breads is a toothpick, with the amount of cheese in this recipe, you don’t want to mistake a wet spot which can lead to an overcooked bread. The combination of flavors was wonderful. It had the subtle flavor of roasted peppers, a texture and saltiness from the pancetta and creaminess from the combination of cheeses. The bread can keep for several days covered. I made this bread for my co-workers and they all enjoyed it. Crispy Cheese Crackers Penzeys Spices, Christmas 2002 Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus chilling time Bake Time: 8-10 minutes Yield: approximately 48 thin crackers “These melt in your mouth crackers can be cooked up in a flash and served warm to entertain unexpected guests. Store the dough in the fridge or freeze until the perfect moment arrives, then slice, bake and enjoy.” 1-1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ cup (1 stick) butter 1 teaspoon chives ½ teaspoon salt (we used kosher flake salt) 2 tablespoons, sesame, caraway or poppy seed for sprinkling on top of the wafers We like to freshly rate our own medium to sharp cheddar for this recipe, which is the least expensive and freshest way to go. A bag of shredded cheese works fine, just buy it fresh for the recipe and choose the finer grated pieces. In a large bowl, combine cheese, flour and butter which has been cut into small chunks. Rub together with your fingers for form a soft dough. Add the chives and salt about halfway through the mixing process. Once the dough is holding together, roll into a long sausage the same as a roll of sugar cookie dough. Cover the roll snugly with saran wrap and chill until ready to use. The dough does need to chill for at least several hours or it won’t slice into nice thin rounds. Preheat the oven to 425°. Spray one or two cookie sheets well with vegetable oil spray-the crackers can stick and crumble if you don’t. Slice the dough into thin (about 1/8”)* rounds. Place in rows on the trays, sprinkle with sesame, poppy or caraway seeds. We use a sprinkle of kosher flake salt on the caraway crackers. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the pans right away with a thin metal spatula. Serve warm or at room temperature. *I found it a bit challenging to remove the crackers in one piece. I would suggest making the rounds ¼ to ½-inch thick so they come off the sheet pan in one piece. 
Ham and Cheese Quick Bread By Dorie Greenspan “The Best Cakes for the Holidays Are Also the Simplest,” The New York Times/NYT Cooking December 9, 2022 Time: 65 minutes, plus cooling Yield: 8 to 10 Servings “This is the kind of savory cake that you make once and then play around with for years to come. In this version, there are chopped roasted red peppers, small chunks of ham, some herbs and three cheeses (mozzarella, Parmesan and fontina). The cheeses could be Cheddar and Gruyère and a semisoft, easily meltable cheese of your choice. The batter could have chopped Calabrian chiles or pepperoncini (go easy on these hot peppers), a different mix of herbs, scallions or shallots for the chives and pancetta or bacon bits for the meat (or you can skip the meat). Cut the cake into fingers to have with wine or serve it alongside soup or salad. And if it goes a little stale, simply toast it.” Butter or nonstick baker’s spray, for the pan 2 cups/272 grams all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste) 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 large egg white, at room temperature ½ cup whole milk, at room temperature ¼ cup olive oil 2 tablespoons honey 4 ounces/115 grams shredded mozzarella, preferably low-moisture (½ cup) 3 ounces/85 grams fontina, cut into small (¼- to ½-inch) cubes (⅔ cup) 3 ounces/85 grams ham or pancetta, cut into ¼-inch cubes (½ cup) 2 whole roasted red peppers (about 2½ ounces/70 grams), halved, patted dry and finely chopped ⅔ ounce/20 grams shredded Parmesan (3 tablespoons), plus more for sprinkling 3 tablespoons snipped chives 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
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