Friday, October 31, 2025

Spicy Peanut Pumpkin Soup #Halloween recipe from Molly MacRae

Only as spicy as you want it to be, with a lovely zing of lime, this soup is good on every level. Next time I’ll double the recipe so we have leftovers for lunch.

Spicy Peanut Pumpkin Soup

Adapted from Yewande Komolafe in The New York Times

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, smashed1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and chopped

1/2 habanero (or other hot pepper of your choice, or hot sauce to taste)

1 (14-ounce) can pumpkin puree

3 cups vegetable stock

1 (13-ounce) can coconut milk

1/4 cup unsweetened natural peanut butter

1/3 cup peanuts, toasted

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon coriander

Salt to taste

Lime juice to taste

Directions

In a stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring often, until softened and just beginning to brown around the edges, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the habanero (or other pepper or hot sauce) and pumpkin. Whisk in the stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you don’t care for much spice, remove the habanero after the soup simmers.

While the soup simmers, toast the pumpkin seeds and peanuts in a small skillet.

After the soup has simmered, add coconut milk and peanut butter to the pot. Using an immersion blender, or working in batches in a blender, puree soup until smooth. Taste and add salt if needed. Keep soup warm until ready to serve.

Serve with toasted pumpkins seeds, peanuts, and a squirt or drizzle of lime juice.

🎃 click here for a free, printable pdf of this recipe 🎃

🎃

Take time to curl up with a trio of cozies – a drink, a treat, and a good book. May I suggest a bit of armchair travel, too? Visit Ocracoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina, in the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries.

Or travel to the Scottish Highlands in the Highland Bookshop Mysteries.

Spend time in northeast Tennessee in the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, two stand-alone mysteries, and a collection of short stories.

Or travel from Cape Cod on the east coast to Monterey on the west coast, with a stop in Ohio along the way in my very gentle mysteries written as Margaret Welch.

Happy reading!

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.

Thursday, October 30, 2025

A Peach Pie in Disguise for #Halloween by Lucy Burdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I remembered making a wonderful pie ten or so years ago for wonderful writer Nancy Pickard, whom we’d invited to teach a class in Connecticut. The recipe came from Whole Grain Baking by King Arthur flour. It was a peach pie with a crumb crust, and oh so good. Since the peaches have been so amazing this year, we froze 6 cups of them to use in a future pie. At the last minute, I added some blueberries that were otherwise going to go unused. This is not actually a Halloween recipe, but I thought you could admire John’s pumpkins and gourds from the garden while reading about my peach pie in disguise.

Ingredients for the filling

6 cups of peeled and sliced peaches, either fresh or frozen

Other fresh fruit as desired

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon water.

1/4 cup cornstarch

Ingredients for the topping.

2/3 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats, pulsed in the food processor.

1/2 cup oats, left whole.

1/2 cup brown sugar, either light or dark

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

The King Arthur recipe also had a fancy crust which you can look up in their book. I had a crust in the freezer left over from my experiment in tomato pie. So I decided to make it easy on myself and use that.

Defrost the crust, but keep it cold.

For frozen fruit, place it in a large pan and heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the bigger pieces. Stir the nutmeg, cinnamon, and almond extract into the peach mixture. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, the lemon juice, the water, and stir this until smooth. I found there wasn’t enough liquid to smooth out the cornstarch, so I added some from the pan of fruit. When this is smooth, stir it into the peach mixture.

To make the topping, pulse the first batch of oats until it’s partially broken up. Add the cubes of butter and pulse this until distributed. Mix in remaining oats plus the vanilla and the pinch of salt.

Remove the crust from the refrigerator and place it on a pan covered with parchment. (You will thank me for this later!) Add the peach mixture to the crust. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top of the pie.

Bake at 375 until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes. You can see that mine was a big mess! Serve this with either ice cream or whipped cream or nothing.

But oh so good!

For some serious Halloween posts, you can check out the cheese ball dressed as a pumpkin or Alison Roman's carrot cake or even a fancy stuffed pumpkin. Happy Halloween!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.

Book 15 in the Key West series, THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

The trade paperback edition of A POISONOUS PALATE is out now!

And the trade paperback edition of A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is out now!

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Haunted Dubai Monster Cookies High Protein #Recipe Maison Methodologie Copycat by @LibbyKlein #Halloween #HighProtein

Libby Klein I am slammed with ads on Facebook and Instagram for these outrageously expensive protein cookies from Maison Methodologie. They always look amazing and I want them. The first time I looked into buying them I thought for sure I was misunderstanding something. Like is that assortment for a dozen of each cookie? or a dozen total cookies. If you've checked them out you know exactly what I mean. So I confess. I finally broke down and bought them. They are good. They are smaller than I expected for the price. And I can tell you from working on a copycat recipe that a lot of the cost comes from high quality ingredients and the amount of protein powder necessary to get the cookies to meet the macros they say they have. Plus the packaging and the detail and of course the profit margin. And I personally love a variety pack of just about anything.

While all that is true, and they were a very nice treat, I still can't afford to eat a $12 cookie every day. And since I know how to bake, I have no business buying $12 cookies very often when I can just make them myself. No offence to Maison Methodologie. You better believe I'm waiting to see what the post Thanksgiving sale looks like!

So the cookie I decided to tackle was their Haunted Dubai for Halloween. I cannot guarantee that a side by side comparison would prove I have nailed this copycat because it's not one that I received in my order. But I did make a very good cookie that makes for a high protein snack or meal replacement.

I used President butter from France, Valrhona chocolate from France, Pistachio Paste from Sicily, Einkorn wheat, Black Cocoa from King Arthur and Levels Vanilla Bean Protein Powder.

I know the recipe isn't exactly the same because, Dubai chocolate has toasted coconut involved and I did not add that. You could though. Just toast a few tablespoon of coconut and add it on top of the pistachio. I also did not add any green food coloring to my pistachio because I prefer not to have colorings whenever possible. I used a very expensive Sicilian Pistachio spread, but you could substitute just white chocolate ganache with green food coloring if you're going for the look without the pistachio flavor and added expense.

In fact, if you make these for the kids for Halloween you can just make any chocolate-chocolate-chip cookie recipe you want and decorate them with the green tinted white chocolate and candy eyes. But if you're going for the high protein kick so you can have one of these as a meal replacement, I've got you covered with the whole recipe below, and the nutrition information and comparison is below that. Be sure to let me know in the comments what you think.

Haunted Dubai Monster Cookies
Maison Methodologie Copycat

Makes 15 Giant or 18 Large or 24 Medium Cookies

Ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup) of French butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup monk fruit with allulose
1½ cup Einkorn flour
1½ cup Vanilla Protein Powder
¼ cup black cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
3 eggs
140 grams Valrhona milk chocolate (Either feves or chopped chocolate bars)
24 tsp (1/2 cup) Sicilian Pistachio Spread
48 candy eyes

*If you have coconut, toast some and sprinkle it on top to make these a really nice Dubai Chocolate inspired Cookie.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Combine Flour, Vanilla Protein Powder, Black Cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Whisk to combine.

Put butter, brown sugar, and monk fruit in the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat until thick and creamy. Add Eggs and molasses to the sugar and butter. Beat to combine. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough comes together.

Chop the chocolate if necessary. Add to the cookie dough. Mix well. Take the dough and form either 18 large balls or 24 medium sized balls with a chocolate piece on top. Flatten slightly.

Bake in a 350° oven for 10 minutes for 24 medium cookies, 12-14 minutes for 18 large cookies. Let cool on the pan.

Stir your pistachio paste until smooth. Drizzle lines of pistachio paste across the center of each cookie. Add two candy eyes in the middle of the pistachio paste.

I tried to make 70 gram cookies like the Maison Methodologie website says their cookies weigh, but they were way too big for me and came in at a whopping 400 calories. At 70 grams each, the recipe makes 15 cookies.

If you make 18 large sized cookies, they each have
330 calories / 19.5 g protein / 18g fat / 22g carbs.

If you make 24 Medium cookies, they each have
250 Calories / 14 g protein / 13 g fat / 17g carbs.

For comparison, the macros for the Maison Methodologie Brown Butter Milk Chocolate Cookies according to their website are
293 Calories / 15 g protein / 16 g fat / 23 g carbs.

Layla Virtue, a blue-haired, 30-something recovering alcoholic and former cop is trying to reinvent herself as a musician—between AA meetings, dodging eccentric neighbors at her trailer park, and reconnecting with her mysterious dad—in this unforgettable new mystery brimming with hilarity and heart.

Layla is taking her new life one day at a time from the Lake Pinecrest Trailer Park she now calls home. Being alone is how she likes it. Simple. Uncomplicated. Though try telling that to the group of local ladies who are in relentless pursuit of Layla as their new BFF, determined to make her join them for coffee and donuts.

After her first career ended in a literal explosion, Layla’s trying to eke out a living as a rock musician. It’s not easy competing against garage bands who work for tacos and create their music on a computer, while all she has is an electric guitar and leather-ish pants. But Layla isn’t in a position to turn down any gig. Which is why she’s at an 8-year-old’s birthday party, watching as Chuckles the Clown takes a bow under the balloon animals. No one expects it will be his last . . .

Who would want to kill a clown—and why? Layla and her unshakable posse are suddenly embroiled in the seedy underbelly of the upper-class world of second wives and trust fund kids, determined to uncover what magnetic hold a pudgy, balding clown had over women who seem to have everything they could ever want. Then again, Layla knows full well that people are rarely quite what they seem—herself included . . .

Libby Klein writes ridiculously funny murder mysteries from her Northern Virginia office with a very naughty calico Persian named Miss Eliza Doolittle, and a sweet black Lab named Vader. She can name that tune for 70s and 80s rock in the first few notes, and she's translated her love of classic rock into her Layla Virtue Mysteries. Libby was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that prevents her from eating gluten without exploding. Because bread is one of her love languages, she includes the recipes for gluten free goodies in her Cape May based Poppy McAllister series. Most of her hobbies revolve around travel, and eating, and eating while traveling. She insists she can find her way to any coffee shop anywhere in the world, even while blindfolded. Follow all of her nonsense on her website www.LibbyKleinBooks.com/Newsletter/

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

How to Dress Mashed Potatoes in a Healthier Costume for #Halloween by Cleo Coyle

Cleo Coyle: Happy Halloween week, everyone! For today's post, I'll show you how to dress up your plain old mashed potatoes in a beautiful costume of fall colors for Halloween (or Thanksgiving) or any day you're ready to jazz up your dinner plate. You'll not only love the gorgeous color, you'll enjoy the flavors in this recipe, too.

So let's start cooking!

Cleo Coyle writes two
bestselling mystery

series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

🎃 A Recipe Note from Cleo

Potatoes are one of my favorite comfort foods. Unfortunately, peeling, boiling, and mashing potatoes with butter and cream leaves you with high carbs, low fiber, and not much nutrition.

This recipe is a tasty solution. The carrots and garlic bring dietary fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and a spectacular golden-orange color to your plate. And here’s the best part: This recipe is absolutely delicious. No carrot taste. Just a creamy, garlicky, mashed potato experience. And, of course, there are health benefits from the garlic and carrots (more fiber and vitamins). I like to leave the potato skins on for even more nutrition. There is no milk or cream in the recipe, so it can be made vegan or Kosher by replacing the butter with margarine.

Another thing I like about this recipe are the proportions. The amounts are very easy to commit to memory for whipping up a "from-scratch" dinner side dish fast:

3 Potatoes

+ 3 Carrots

+ 3 Cloves Garlic

+ 3 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine

= 3 Cups of No-Guilt Mashed Potatoes...

(Enough to serve 4)

To download this recipe
in a PDF document
than you can print, save,
or share, click here.

Click the image for
Cleo's free recipe PDF.

🎃 Cleo Coyle's
Pretty Fall Mashed Potatoes

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

3 medium white potatoes*, scrubbed, skins on (about one pound)

3 large carrots, peeled and sliced (about 8 ounces)

3 cloves garlic

3 Tablespoons butter or margarine

1 teaspoon salt

+ salt and pepper to taste

*What kind of potatoes?: For this particular recipe, white potatoes are the best for creamy, smooth, delicious tasting mashed potatoes. Yukon gold will work, as well. But do not use russet potatoes, the results will not be as appealing.

Directions:

Step 1: Prep the veggies — Peel and slice the carrots into one-half inch rings. Cut the potatoes into sections about one-half inch thick, halving the sections again if too large. Peel and chop the garlic.

Step 2: Start by boiling carrots alone — Carrots take longer to cook than potatoes so you're going to give them a head start. Bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Add the peeled and diced carrots, return to boil for 8 minutes, uncovered.

Step 3: Add potatoes and garlic — After adding your potatoes and garlic, return the pot to a boil and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, uncovered, or until potatoes and carrots are soft enough to mash.

Step 4: Drain well, add butter, and mash — Pour the cooked veggies and garlic into a strainer and make sure water is well drained. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add butter or margarine and mash. Marc and I use a traditional hand-masher. Then, for a creamy finish, we whisk briskly with a fork until smooth (about 30 seconds). Salt and pepper to taste. (You can also go techno and use a hand-stick or immersion blender or throw everything into a food processor.)