* You may need more or less vegetable oil. It depends on the size of the pan you will be frying the donuts in. * All ingredients for the dough should be at room temperature. 1. Heat the milk (to approximately 40°C). Add the yeast. Stir, cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let stand for 15-20 minutes. The yeast should become frothy. 2. In a large bowl: mix the dissolved yeast with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add 3 egg yolks and 350 g of pumpkin puree. Mix. Sift in half of the flour. Mix. Add 0.5 teaspoon of salt and mix. Then gradually add the remaining flour, kneading the dough well (you can do this by hand or with a mixer with a dough hook attachment). Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. 3. Add 2.5 tablespoons of softened butter to the dough. Knead the dough well again. Cover the bowl with the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise. The time depends on the room temperature, from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours. The dough should double in volume. 4. Place the dough on a floured surface. Roll it out to a thickness of approximately 1 inch. Cut out circles. Tie each circle with cotton butcher's twine string, giving it a pumpkin shape. Place the finished pumpkins on a floured tray and cover with a clean, dry towel to prevent the dough from drying out. 5. In a bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon, and, if using, 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice. 6. Prepare a large plate lined with paper towels for placing the donuts after frying. Place scissors and the bowl with sugar and cinnamon next to it. 7. Prepare a large plate lined with parchment paper for the finished pumpkins. 8. Over high heat: heat the oil in a deep pan or pot. (The oil is hot enough if, when you dip a wooden spoon into it, bubbles form around the spoon.) Reduce the heat to medium. Fry the donuts on both sides until golden brown. Place them on a plate lined with paper towels. Let cool slightly, cut and remove the strings. Roll donuts in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place them on a plate lined with parchment paper. Repeat with all the donuts. 9. Optionally, decorate the donuts with cinnamon sticks. *** COFEE-FLAVORED CREAM Ingredients: white chocolate - 100 g, cream - 200 g, instant coffee - 2 tablespoons, butter - 2 tablespoons, spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg) - to taste. Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring continuously until the chocolate is completely dissolved. Do not boil! Strain the resulting mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Whip with a mixer. Put the cream into a pastry bag. Make indentations in the donuts and fill them with the cream. ***

   Baking dish: (8 in x 12 in) 20 x 30 cm. 1. Peel and finely grate the garlic and onion. Place the minced meat in a bowl, add the grated garlic and onion, half the salt, and ground black pepper to taste. Mix well. 2. Peel, wash, and coarsely grate the potatoes. Add the remaining salt and 2 eggs. Mix. 3. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). 4. Grease a baking dish with butter. 5. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater. 6. Layer 1: Place half of the grated potatoes in a baking dish and smooth them out gently with a fork (do not press them down). Pour the potato liquid over them. Layer 2: Spread 1/3 of the grated cheese over the potatoes, then place the minced meat on top of the cheese. Layer 3: Spread the remaining grated potatoes. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. 7. Remove the pan from the oven. Remove the foil. Spread sour cream or yogurt on top of the casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C). Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. 8. Remove from the oven. Let cool for 15 minutes. Cut into portions.