Ingredients:
1/3 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter (1 stick) -- softened
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 (15 ounce) container Ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dried cherries -- chopped
OR
1 cup prunes -- chopped
1 cup chopped almonds -- toasted if desired
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat oven to 350º. Grease 12-cup bundt cake pan or tube pan, 10 × 4 inches. Coat pan with 1/3 cup finely chopped almonds. Beat sugar, margarine, milk, almond extract, Ricotta cheese and eggs in large bowl on low speed until blended. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in remaining ingredients (batter will be very thick). Spread in pan.

Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes. Remove from pan; place on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Serve warm or let stand until cool.

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese -- softened
1/4 cup stick margarine or butter* -- softened*
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Beat cream cheese, margarine, milk and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer on low speed until smooth.

Gradually beat in powdered sugar on low speed, 1 cup at a time, until smooth and spreadable. Frosts one 13 × 9-inch cake generously, or fills and frosts one 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake. Refrigerate any remaining frosting.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups shredded carrots (5 medium)
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
2 1/2 cups Cream Cheese Frosting -- (see recipe), if desired

Directions:
Heat oven to 350º. Grease bottom and sides of rectangular pan, 13 × 9 × 2 inches, or 2 round pans, 8 × 1 1/2 or 9 × 1 1/2 inches, with shortening; lightly flour.

Mix sugar, oil and eggs in large bowl until blended; beat 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients except carrots, nuts and Cream Cheese Frosting; beat 1 minute. Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour into pan.

Bake rectangle 40 to 45 minutes, rounds 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. Frost rectangle or fill and frost layers with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 cups Fine graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup Granulated sugar
1/2 cup Butter (softened)

Filling:
1 pound Cream cheese
1 cup Sour cream
2 tablespoons Cornstarch
1 cup Granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Butter (softened)
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Topping:
3/4 cup Sour cream
1/4 cup Powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. For crust combine crumbs, sugar and butter and mix well. Press firmly into 9" pie-pan covering bottom only. Bake for 8 min., or until the edges are slightly brown. Reduce oven to 350 F. For filling, combine cheese, sour cream, cornstarch, and sugar in bowl of mixer. Mix until sugar has disolved. Add the butter and vanilla and blend until smooth. Be careful not to overmix, or the filling will become too fluffy and will crack when cooling. Pour the filling over the crust. Bake for 30 to 35 min., or until knife inserted 1" from edge comes out clean. Cool 1 hr. For topping, mix sour cream and powdered sugar. Spread mixture over top of cooled cheesecake. Chill or freeze until ready to eat.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 25 wafers)
1/4 cup margarine or butter (1/2 stick) -- melted
30 vanilla caramels
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup chopped pecans -- toasted
2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese -- softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 (4 ounce) bar sweet cooking chocolate
3 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whipping (heavy) cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Easy Chocolate Curls, if desired -- (recipe in directions)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350º. Mix crumbs and 1/4 cup margarine. Press mixture firmly against side and bottom of pie plate, 9 × 1 1/4 inches. Bake 10 minutes; cool.

Heat caramels, 2 tablespoons margarine and 2 tablespoons water over medium heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted. Pour into crust. Sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate about 1 hour until chilled. Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Spread over caramel layer; refrigerate.

Heat chocolate and 3 tablespoons hot water over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted. Cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla. Beat whipping cream and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar in chilled medium bowl until stiff. Reserve 1 1/2 cups. Fold chocolate mixture into remaining whipped cream. Spread over cream cheese mixture. Top with reserved whipped cream and Easy Chocolate Curls. Refrigerate any remaining pie.

EASY CHOCOLATE CURLS:
Place a bar or block of chocolate on waxed paper. Make chocolate curls by pulling a vegetable peeler toward you across the flattest side of the chocolate, pressing firmly in long, thin strokes. Small curls can be made by using the side of the chocolate bar. Transfer each curl carefully with a toothpick to a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet or directly onto frosted cake, pie or other dessert.

The curl will be easier to make if the chocolate is slightly warm, so let the chocolate stand in a warm place for about 15 minutes before making curls. Semisweet chocolate can be used but the curls will be small. Also, the thicker the bar of chocolate, the larger your curls will be.