smarriveurr made Biryani burgers for supper, and I made naan bread to go with them. I didn't get any pictures of the burgers because we inhaled them way too quickly, but the bread was both fun and easy to make.

What I really wanted this morning were waffles, but we only had two eggs, and I'd have had to find somebody to retrieve the waffle iron from its retirement allotment way high up on the kitchen shelves. And likely scrub said waffle iron. Meh.

This was easier. It was made super-easy by the fact that I'd already stewed some squash with assorted pumpkiny spices, and I could just add that to the batter.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Cooking spray
c/125 g all-purpose white flour
c/135 g whole-wheat brown flour
tsp baking soda
0.5 tsp salt
assorted pumpkin pie spice, to taste
0.75 c/175 g packed dark brown sugar
0.25 c/60 mL unsulphured molasses
0.25 c/60 mL vegetable oil
2 large eggs
c/330 g canned pumpkin or stewed butternut squash
tsp vanilla extract
0.75 c/170 mL milk

Preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

Stir together the flours, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, molasses, oil, eggs and milk. Stir in pumpkin and vanilla.

Add wet ingredients to dry, and stir for about 20 seconds. Let sit for a few minutes to hydrate.

Pour the batter into prepared muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through for even baking. Turn out onto a clean tea towel to cool.

The chocolate filling changed consistency very quickly and became hard to spread, so I may do this slightly differently next time.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake

1 c/125 g graham cracker crumbs
0.25 c/30 g wheat germ
2 tbsp white sugar
0.25 c/60 g butter, melted

2 c/350 g chocolate chips
24 oz./675 g cream cheese, softened
c/250 g white sugar
0.25 c/40 g light brown sugar
15 oz./425 g pumpkin
4 eggs
5 oz./150 mL evaporated milk
0.25 c/30 g cornstarch/cornflour
tsp cinnamon
several dashes nutmeg
dash cardamom

In the bottom of a 10"/25 cm springform pan, combine graham cracker crumbs, wheat germ, sugar and butter. Press onto bottom of pan. Sprinkle with half the chocolate chips.

In large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in pumpkin, eggs and evaporated milk. Beat in cornstarch, and spices.

Melt the remaining chocolate, either doing it the hard way over the stove, or by microwaving in short bursts. (I found 3 20-second shots sufficient.) Stir until smooth. Stir one cup batter into melted chocolate--quickly, so that it doesn't set the chocolate too much.

Pour pumpkin mixture into crust. Spoon chocolate mixture over top, swirl as best you can while the chocolate is a different viscosity than the rest of the batter.

Bake in a preheated 325ºF/165ºC oven for 60 minutes or until edge of filling is set. Turn oven off. Allow cheesecake to stand in oven for 30 minutes before covering with tinfoil and chilling for several hours.

Best when made as an interstate conspiracy.

Chess Pie

9" (23 cm, but that seems weird) pie crust, unbaked
0.5 c/125 g butter, melted
1.5 c/375 g sugar
tbsp cornmeal
3 eggs
5 tbsp milk
tsp vinegar
tsp vanilla

Beat sugar, cornmeal and eggs together. Stir in butter, milk, vinegar and vanilla. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 400º F/200º C for 35-40 minutes. Check on it regularly, as it will get very brown. Bake until the custard is set.