it ain't cpk

so i thought i'd try something different for dinner, since i had some time to experiment today. well, it wasn't really different...its something we eat practically on a weekly basis, but it usually comes to my kitchen premade and in a box. anywho, i picked up a bunch of toppings and went at it: fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, olives, garlic, pepperoni and onions. oh, and instead of tomato pizza sauce, i used one of those olivier dipping oils (toasted parmesan, garlic and herbs, if you're curious)...that added some nice flavor, if i do say so myself. the crust recipe was from my kitchen aid manual. since the pizzas were personal sized, i sliced up the toppings to fit. the only downfall (in my head, anyways) was that the water from the fresh mozzarella resulted in a crispless crust. there were small areas where the crust didn't get soaked by cheese water (which gave us a nice crunchy surprise in every other slice), but otherwise, we were stuck with just a "chew" (rather than a "crust"). oh, well. when i'm not desperate for a crispy crust, i can experiment again.

yummy cuppies

my new-old favorite (maybe renewed favorite?) dessert of the month: cupcakes! real simple mag has taken me back to my youth, but then brought me right back with their multiple re-inventions of the cupcake. i've tried a couple of their concoctions, and so far i'm diggin' cupcakes of the toasted marshmallow variety. instead of frosting, the geniuses at real simple topped their cupcakes with marshmallow cream and put it under the broiler (i like to torch them) until golden brown...or they catch on fire...however you like your toasty marshmallows. its s'mores...in cupcake form! yum-oh!