“Great Gobs of Guts”

By: Douglas W. Decker, the dad of the Deckerbunch.

The Saturday before Halloween in 2015, I watched a Food Network show call Farmhouse Rules with Nancy Fuller.  She was having a Halloween theme and made what she called “Meaty Bursting Intestines”.  I thought about this during the week and wanted to make it but change it up to fit my style.  It just so happened that the day before Halloween was a Friday and I wanted Pizza antd thought that I would make my Great Gobs of Guts instead of Pizza.  When I got home from my CLE in Santa Fe, Barb reminded me that I had the double whammy: Red Rock Elementary Fall Fest, and, Butler’s Office Supply Teacher Discount Night, both of which served food.

I was also sad because we have Dinner in a Pumpkin each Halloween and I had forgotten that Barb and I discussed earlier in the week that we would have Dinner in Pumpkin on Sunday November 1, 2015 (Fast Sunday) to break our fast.  When Barb reminded me that this was the case, I told her that I would fix supper on Halloween.  Yes, you guessed it, I surprised her with Great Gobs of Guts!

I started by making our normal whole wheat Pizza dough (for Barb and me, we make the size of crust for a 12” pizza).

Pizza:

Two 14” crusts:                                                                                                   

1 ¼ cup warm water                                                                                             

1 scant Tbsp. yeast                                                                                                

3  2/3 cups flour                                                                                 
¾ tsp. salt 
1 Tbsp. oil (for Pizza I like Olive Oil)

One 12" crust: 
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. Warm Water
3/4 scant tsp. yeast
1  1/3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oil

For thinner crust use less yeast; for thicker, use scant more yeast.  Sometimes we add Italian seasoning to taste to the dough. Let dough rest for @ 20 minutes.  Roll out dough on greased (cooking spray) Pizza Pans.

Par bake the crust at 425° while the oven is pre heating for 10-12 minutes; after placing your toppings on, Bake Pizza at 425° for another 10 – 12 minutes.  Remove the Pizza(s) off the pan onto a cooling rack.  Cut, and replace Pizza onto the cooled Pizza Pan.  Eat!  

I made the Pizza crust in the morning, and Barb thought it was going to be a spooky pizza.  I let the dough rest in the fridge until I made the Guts that afternoon.  I cut the dough ball into 4 pieces and rolled out each piece into a 3” +/- wide strip which ended up being about 12” +/-.  I greased (sprayed) a baking sheet and then laid a strip on the pan then spooned out some filling down the middle of the strip.  Then I lifted one edge of the strip of dough and rolled it over the filling continuing to roll the dough over so the seam was on the bottom of the pan.  You end up with a long tube when you connect the other pieces and weave them around on the pan to look like intestines.  When they look like you want, you need to brush a special blood-looking egg wash on the top of the tubes.  The next time I make it, I will roll out the dough as if i were making a rectangle pizza in the baking sheet; and, then I will cut the rolled out dough into the 3" strips.

Filling:                                                                                                  

I simply mixed together the toppings                                                 

we like in a bowl; (for this do not use pizza sauce).                       

Use the equivalent amounts you would                                               

Place on the pizza or pizzas for the size of dough

you make.

I used sausage (Thrive freeze dried), mozzarella cheese, one small can olives, one small can mushrooms, and a can of green chili.  Again, use what you like on your pizza.

Bloody egg wash:
1 egg + one scant tsp. water

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

Beat well and brush on top of guts.

Ready to go in the oven...

...and voila!  The finished product.

It looked disgusting, but it was delicious!