Random moosages as I see fit.

I came across this recipe for pizza crust awhile ago.  It was interesting to me, as it was not the traditional yeast dough crust.  It only uses chemical leaveners, and you know how I like using chemical leaveners over yeast.  Because I am lazy.  So I figured I’d give this a try.  Since this also helps me use up all my Greek yogurt as well.  I often have a lot of Greek yogurt, guys.  (It’s because I sub out half the mayo in mayo based dressings, or anything, with plain yogurt.)

Well, I finally had some time to give the crust a try and I have to say, I’m mildly impressed.  I don’t have to plan ahead as much to make the crust because it doesn’t involve yeast.  There is no yogurty taste, in case you’re wondering.  If you do it right, the crust bakes up wonderfully crisp at the edges with just enough chew in the center.

The first time I tried making a batch (using AP flour, salt, and baking powder and not pre-mixed self-rising flour), I made only one pizza as the recipe says that it yields…one pizza.  I made a 12″ pizza because my pizza peel is about that large and the resulting disc of dough was relatively thick.  This meant that it was hard to try and control the doneness of the crust.  The bottom and edges would be done, but the center would not be done…especially since I’m a fan of fresh tomatoes on pizza.  Tomatoes leak a lot during cooking and makes everything sog.  It makes it hard to make sure the dough is baked through under the tomatoes.  I ended up microwaving some of the more tomato-laden slices.

The second time, I split the dough and made two 12″ pizzas, meaning the crust was a lot thinner.  And this worked out very well.  It was nice and crispy all around the edges, there were some bubble pockets, which are always fun, and the center was fully baked.

I like this crust recipe so much that I may never order out for pizza again.  (This is a total lie as I’ve been known to eat the most questionable and disgusting of pizzas just because I really like pizza.  Also, I am lazy.)

The first time I brushed the crust with olive oil I heated with a bunch of minced garlic and then I layered fresh mozz, fresh tomato slices over the whole thing.  I did fresh basil on one half of the pizza and cilantro-lime chicken (lots of leftovers), fresh cilantro, and green onions on the other half.  There was a light dusting of cornmeal under the pizza to prevent sticking.

I did the same thing the second time but added a light sprinkle of salt over the crust before layering on the toppings and also I split the two halves into their own pizzas.  I also sliced the tomatoes thinner this time.

And that you are correct in your suspicions, I did not use pizza sauce at any point in my pizza making endeavor.

It’s the season for pumpkin related things right?  Actually, the season for pumpkin spice everything began awhile ago.  I just haven’t had lots of people clamoring for pumpkin related things this year so I haven’t made any.  But anyway, I saw a recipe for these brownies awhile ago and I decided to give them a try as a Friday night activity.

The brownies made as-is aren’t bad at all.  They had a nice chocolate flavor with a hint of pumpkin and spice.  I would have preferred more pumpkin and spice and highlighted the pumpkinness of the brownies…because they’re not your normal brownie.

In the end, I did change up the recipe because 1) I didn’t want to make a 9×13 pan of brownies every time, 2) I think the pumpkin:brownie ratio could have been bigger, 3) I normally have semi-sweet chocolate on hand but not bittersweet, and 4) I almost never have all spice.

Here’s my adaptation:

Ingredients:

• 4 oz unsalted butter, melted
• 5 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 0.75 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 eggs + 1 egg
• 1.5 tbsp vanilla extract
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 2.125 oz all purpose flour
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 0.75 cup pumpkin purée (it’s about half a can if using canned)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp ground cloves
• 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350deg F.
2. Prep 7×11 pan. Spray, butter, oil, flour, parchment, whatever.
3. In a large bowl, combine melted butter and chocolate chips.  Stir until smooth.
4. Add 0.5 cup sugar, 2 eggs, vanilla.  Stir until combined.
5. Sift in baking powder, cocoa powder, flour, and salt.  Stir until combined.
6. In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, pumpkin, 1 egg, 1 tbsp sugar.  Stir until incorporated.
7. Sift in cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.  Stir until combined.
8. Pour about 0.75 of the brownie batter into the baking dish and spread evenly.
9. Pour the pumpkin mixture on top of the brownie batter and spread evenly.
10. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining brownie batter on top of the pumpkin mixture and swirl through the batters with a knife.
11. Bake for about 50 min or until a toothpick inserted into the center just comes out clean.

Notes:

• Use whatever spices you like with your pumpkin.  I’m always a fan of cinnamon.  You could use a pumpkin pie spice mix too if you wanted.
• Double the recipe to make a 9×13 pan of brownies.
• I would probably also add chopped walnuts if allergies were not a concern.