Halloween Icebox Cake—Hold the Radioactive Bananas! by Ang Pompano plus a giveaway!

Ang Pompano: You may remember Joey and James from last Halloween, when they made Graveyard Pudding. 

Since then, they've been honing their culinary skills at home. Joey has become a guacamole guru, while James has perfected the art of making hot dogs with his hot dog maker.

When I asked what they wanted to make for this year's Halloween post, they both voted for icebox cake. Great, I thought. But icebox cake isn't exactly a Halloween classic.

Then I decided, why not? We'd wing it. With no real recipe in mind, we got to work one day while the boys were on school vacation. Our only goal was to have fun. We started with a basic icebox cake and added Halloween touches as we went along.

HERE'S WHAT WE USED

- 1 package instant chocolate pudding

- 1 package instant vanilla pudding

- Graham crackers

- Heavy whipping cream 

- Bananas, sliced

- Sprinkles, chocolate chips, and Halloween candy of your choice

- Food coloring

Optional ingredient: two active kids. They may make things a little chaotic, but that's half the fun.

Step 1: Make the pudding. Prepare both flavors according to the package directions.

Step 2: Give the vanilla pudding a Halloween makeover. 

They decided to turn the vanilla pudding pumpkin orange. The boys reached for the red and yellow food coloring, but discovered that the pudding's natural yellowish color meant they needed only a few drops of red to get the shade they wanted.

Step 3: Taste-test everything. Any good chef will tell you that frequent taste tests are essential. The boys were happy to do their part.

Step 4: Whip the cream.

James whipped up some cream for an extra dose of goodness. Refrigerate it until you're ready to assemble the cake. And if anyone took a shortcut and used whipped topping, these guys wouldn't tell.

Step 5: Start building your layers.

Joey calls the next step "making pudding lasagna." Put a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of your dish. Spread a layer of pudding over the crackers. Joey started with the pumpkin-colored vanilla pudding, while James went straight for the chocolate. 

Step 6: Add the bananas. Or don't!

Joey added a layer of bananas. James passed, explaining that bananas are radioactive. That was news to me. We looked it up and it turned out he was technically right! I had to admire James for bringing a little science into the dessert prep. But who knew an icebox cake should come with a radiation warning? 

Step 7: Keep layering.

Continue alternating graham crackers, pudding, and bananas, if you're using them, until you reach the top of your dish.

Step 8: Add the finishing touches.
Cover the final layer with whipped cream. Then let the Halloween decorating begin! The boys added Halloween candy and chocolate chips to decorate their masterpieces. Cover and refrigerate the cakes until the graham crackers soften and the layers set. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Step 9: The most important step. Don't forget to lick the spoons.

Step 10: The Finished Creations! 

Two icebox cakes, two happy chefs. Missing from the picture—one very tired granddude. We set out to have some fun, and I'd say the mission was accomplished. Have a spooky and delicious Halloween!

Readers, how old were you when you first started helping in the kitchen? Do you think kids should be encouraged to experiment with food, or should they learn to follow a recipe exactly as written?

Comment below and one lucky reader will win a Kindle edition of Death Camas: Best New England Crime Stories 2026, featuring the story "Cough Lasagnas and Salty Memories" by our Mystery Lovers' Kitchen pal Edith Maxwell, my own story, "The Angel of Sachem Creek," and plenty of other great crime stories by some of New England's best authors. Don't forget to leave your email address. 

ORDER DEATH CAMAS HERE

Simmering Secrets releases on November 3, 2027

You can pre-order Simmering Secrets here

Visit me at angpompano.com

Red Velvet Cupcakes Guest #AlexErickson #giveaway #Halloween

MADDIE DAY here, delighted to welcome my friend Alex Erickson to the blog with a yummy recipe for Red Velvet cupcakes and a giveaway of Death by Red Velvet Latte, his sixteenth Bookstore Café Mystery!

I forgot that today starts our two weeks of Halloween recipes, which means I forgot to tell Alex. You could still make these work by sticking a tiny toy knife in each cupcake or adding ghost faces! 

Take it away, Alex.

I’m not a cook. Or a baker, for that matter. But because I’m lactose intolerant, eating out is often a dangerous proposition, so it’s usually best to make my own food—desserts included. In Death by Red Velvet Latte, Krissy doesn’t have the same issues as me, so her red velvet wedding cake, along with the accompanying latte, would be similar to what you might find at a bakery or in a store. But for me, this little recipe works, especially when you use alternative ingredients that aren’t so milky.

Red Velvet Cupcakes 

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups white sugar

½ cup butter 

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk**

1 fluid ounce red food coloring**

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

2 cups all-purpose flour

⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder** 

1 teaspoon salt

**Notes:

**Because of my lactose intolerance, I made my own buttermilk (1 cup of lactose-free milk with one tablespoon of distilled vinegar - let set for 5 minutes or until it thickens and looks like it curdled)

**Gel food coloring will give a more vibrant red color than a liquid food coloring.

**It’s preferred to use a regular cocoa powder. I used a Dutch-process cocoa powder which resulted in a darker chocolate color (combined with not having gel food coloring)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two cupcake pans with liners. Recipe will make roughly 24 cupcakes depending on pan size. Mine is smaller so we ended up with 28.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.

 

Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Mix in eggs, buttermilk, red food coloring, and vanilla.

Stir in baking soda and vinegar.

Stir combined flour and cocoa powder mixture into the batter.

Spoon batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.

Frost with desired frosting (I used a store-bought brand that is lactose free, but feel free to make your own to taste). Frosting tip was an Open Star #32.

Enjoy with the hot drink of your choice and a good mystery!

Readers: Want to win a copy of Death by Red Velvet Latte? Just comment below with your favorite dessert—especially one that’s lactose free. I could always use more options!

As bookstore café owner Krissy Hancock worries over her wedding plans, the double murder of rival bakers really takes the cake . . .

At Krissy’s Death by Coffee bookstore café in Pine Hills, Ohio, she’s trying out a new red velvet latte, which she also plans to serve at her wedding along with the red velvet cake a local baker is making. But with the wedding only weeks away, the baker has to cancel due to health reasons. What should have been a cakewalk turns into a last-minute scramble. Krissy and her fiancé Paul meet with two competing cake decorators at the same time, who seem more interested in going at each other than baking her cake.

The next day, when Krissy walks into the bakery to make her choice, she finds both bakers dead with a red velvet cake splattered on the floor. Did they kill each other? she wonders. Over a cake? But soon it’s revealed this mystery has many layers, and any way you slice it, Krissy has to do two more things before she walks down the aisle: solve the murder—and find another baker. Piece of cake, right?

Death by Red Velvet Latte is the 16^th book in the Bookstore Café series.

Alex Erickson is a mystery author with a handful of books under his belt. He lives in Ohio and can be found online at alexericksonbooks.com or contacted by email at alexericksonbooks@gmail.com.

 

Pumpkin Yogurt Bark #Recipe Peg Cochran/Margaret Loudon #Halloween

     

This recipe comes from Style Blueprint but I've made a number of adaptations.  I had vanilla yogurt so I went with that thinking vanilla would go with the rest of the flavors.  My granola has cinnamon in it so I swapped the cinnamon for 1/2 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice.  I didn't think the swirl of peanut butter would be necessary with all the other flavors going on so I omitted it.  For the toppings, I added cinnamon pecan granola, Reese's Peanut Butter Baking Chips along with orange and black sprinkles for Halloween!  Tip:  I taped the parchment paper to the cookies sheet to keep it from slipping.

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup pumpkin purée

1-2 tbsp maple syrup  

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp peanut butter

1/4 cup granola

Additional toppings as desired: chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or dried fruits

 

Line a cookie sheet with either wax paper or parchment paper

 

 

Mix yogurt, pumpkin purée, maple syrup and cinnamon

 

 

Spread mixture into a rough rectangle on your lined cookie sheet

 

Dot with spoonfuls of peanut butter and using a knife, swirl the peanut butter through the yogurt mixture.

Sprinkle desired toppings over yogurt

 

Freeze for at least on hour then break into pieces 

 

 It's never too early to start the season...!

 

  

 

When a wealthy local benefactor is slain on the farm, Monica has to figure out who wanted to cash in on the killing . . .

As Sassamanash Farms hunkers down for the long winter, Monica agrees to let the local animal shelter host their Christmas-themed fundraiser there. The draw of the event—a chance to have your pet’s picture taken with Santa—brings in animal lovers from far and wide. But when the crackling fire dies down and the festive holiday props are all carted away, Monica discovers a very un-jolly sight next to the barn—the dead body of one of the shelter’s biggest donors. With the farm’s good name in jeopardy, Monica goes to work to root out the killer.

By all accounts the victim was a charming and generous supporter of the shelter, but Monica discovers that he was loathed by those who knew him for being tight-fisted and unscrupulous. Suspecting money might be the motive, she turns her sights on his stylish wife and her lavish lifestyle, along with the manager of the struggling shelter, who stood to collect a hefty bequest from his will. But as Monica closes in on one final clue, the culprit closes in on her. Caught unawares, she’ll have to survive the brutal winter weather, as well as a cold-blooded killer . . . 

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Spanish Rice with Chicken and Olives from Vicki Delany

This recipe is from my ever-favourite, Food + Drink from the LCBO here in Ontario, and I adapted it slightly to suit what I had on hand.

You might notice in the pictures that the olives in the jar are whole, but I cut them up.  That’s because I only had olives with pits in the house and foolishly didn’t buy more. You will want pitted olives, because it’s pretty time-consuming to cut those little things up.   

Anyway, once that’s done it’s a delicious dinner.

Spanish Rice with Chicken and Olives

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs, skin removed
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 spicy sausage, either chorizo or hot Italian
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups basmati rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup green olives

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, sear chicken until deeply golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.

3. Reduce heat to medium and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until soft and lightly golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Squeeze sausage meat from casings into pot. Cook, breaking up meat into smaller pieces using a wooden spoon, until golden brown, 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add paprika, tomato paste, 1 tsp salt and rice. Stir until all ingredients are well incorporated, about 1 minute. Add ½ cup of the broth, and cook until most liquid has been absorbed, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot. Add rest of the chicken broth, red pepper and olives, stirring to combine. Raise heat to high. Nestle chicken pieces on top, adding any juices from plate. When bubbling, place lid on pot. Place pot in oven and cook until rice is fluffy and chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Vicki Delany – Canadian Author of Mystery Novels and Suspense Novels » Contact. She’s on Bluesky at @vickidelany.bsky.social

Now available: ‘Tis the Season to be Scary, a Year Round Christmas Mystery from Crooked Lane Books.

 

 

 

Broiled Rubenesque Sandwich by Lucy Burdette

LUCY BURDETTE: A while back, I scrolled past a sandwich on the New York times cooking app involving sauerkraut, cheese, and pickled jalapeños. This is pretty much my lunch fare, only minus the sauerkraut and including arugula or sprouts. But in my refrigerator, I had a partly used jar of unbelievably good sauerkraut, and it was calling to me. I decided to riff on the sandwich I’d seen in The New York Times, use up the sauerkraut, and enjoy something special. I made two versions, one for John with Swiss cheese and peppered turkey, and the other for me with cheddar cheese and pickled jalapeño. 

I could see from the results that lots of adjustments would be delicious. For example, add thinly sliced peppers and onions on top before broil? That would be amazing. Replace the jalapeños with dill pickles? Go for it! Here is the basic recipe.

Ingredients.

Two or more slices of good country style bread

About half a cup of sauerkraut

Cheese or turkey or both, your choice and style.

Jalapeño peppers, optional but amazing.

Mustard, or in my case, homemade Russian style dressing with a tablespoon of mayonnaise and a tablespoon of red pepper relish.

Turn the broiler on. Spread the bread slices with the Russian dressing or mustard. Chop the sauerkraut and spread that across the dressing. Layer the cheese, optional turkey, and jalapeño peppers on top.

Broil for a few minutes until browning and bubbly. Serve and wish you’d made another one!

A DELICIOUS DECEPTION can be found at a bookstore near you!

A Delicious Deception has a slightly different tone than some of the earlier books, with more emphasis on family, but I loved it just as much as the rest of the series. Ms. Burdette has created characters who have grown in such natural, believable ways. She delivers an excellent mystery while also weaving in a major, emotional turning point in their lives. There is drama, murder, secrets, late-pregnancy feelings and hormones, a sick father-in-law, home renovations, a fun baby shower, and friends and family ready to tackle whatever comes their way. And in the end, a beautiful baby! Escape with Dollycas

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

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

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.