Savory Pumpkin Cheese Ball

Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, 1 1/4 cups (125 grams) of the cheddar cheese, chives, ranch seasoning, and crumbled bacon in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese mixture until it's very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl 2-3 times. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.

Spoon the filling into the center of a big piece of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap, shape the cheese into an oval shape.

Unwrap the cheese ball and press the remaining shredded cheddar cheese into the bottom, sides, and top of the cheese ball. Make sure there are no gaps. Re-wrap the cheese ball in a big piece of plastic wrap and seal it very well to keep the cheese from drying out.

Then, cut 4 long strips of kitchen twine. Tie the kitchen twine around the cheese ball in a criss-cross pattern to get the pumpkin indentations. You can also use large rubber bands for this.

Chill the cheese ball for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. When you're ready to serve the cheese ball, let it come to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes. Snip the kitchen twine and make a small indentation at the very top of the cheese ball with a teaspoon. Place the bell pepper stem in the indentation to create the stem. Serve the cheese ball with crackers & veggies.

To make a jack o'lantern: slice the black olives in half length-wise. Cut each olive half into a triangle, doing your best to make them all the same size. Then, press the olives into the cheese ball in the shape of a face. If they aren't sticking, cut toothpicks into small 1/2-inch pieces and use them to secure the olives to the cheese ball.