[Ed. note: Once again, since it's Halloween, our four-pawed special-guest blogger returns.]

Okay. Hello. Marlowe here. Mom and Dad say it okay to write because I has a did last Halloween (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/mini-butterscotch-apples) and then also as well again repeated here (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/sauteed-white-beans-with-kale). Dad better give me raise of more treats or I bite him. [Ed. note: We'll talk.]

Mom say Halloween one of her favorites times of year, which I no understand because weird little people ring doorbell all night and everybody tell me to stop barking. But I guess okay since little people very nice to me and give me lots of pets and scritches. Howevers nobody let me have any of small packages that they put in their bags, maybe I need to talk to union repersentartive.

Since it Halloween, Mom and Dad dress me up. You may remember I was UPS driver last year. This year I something called Little Red Riding Hood, and also a lumberjack. Mom like Riding Hood since good story, Dad like lumberjack because he keeps singing some silly song and I no know what a Monty Python is. Also not want speculate what Dad do in spare time. [Ed. note: More treats, yes! I think we can work something out.]

Mom says to tell you this cake like "little bite of autumn on your plate," which strange since though I a dog even I know you no can put a season on dinnerware. Duh. Oh, she also say this no need frosting and what the fresh hell who are you Mom?

Besides weird little people ringing doorbell, Mom and Dad like to put on even weirder movies like Hocus Pocus, The Blair Witch Project, Shaun Of The Dead, and The Shining. Me no like when that guy puts face through the door.

Mom and Dad say wish you all Happy Halloween, and Dad say please click ads on right-hand side because that give me more minty treats that good for teeth.

Thank you for reading and hope you like bundt cake!

PS: Last year Mom also went crazy with pumpkin motif and this quote-unquote epic pumpkin bread (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/epic-pumpkin-bread).

PPS: We no just stuffing ourselves with pumpkin stuff and candy, also try be healthy with this butternut squash chickpea stew, which Dad should have more of because he taking shape of school bus I always afraid of (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/butternut-squash-chickpea-moroccan-stew).

Me also not know what up with "Amok Amok Amok."

I wish I were a kitteh, just like my dear Papa!

Adapted from: Cozy Cakes Cottage
Number of servings: 10-12

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ⅓ cups canned pumpkin
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature [Ed. note: God yes it's back ROOM TEMPERATURE]
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs (large)​
• Powdered sugar (for sprinkling)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Spray bundt pan (10-11 cup capacity) with Baker's Joy (or butter and flour). Set aside.
3. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
4. Mix pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl. Set aside.
5. In the bowl of a stand-alone mixer (I used a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures, alternating (beginning and ending with flour mixture).
6. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake for about 45 minutes (check at 40 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (crumbs on the toothpick are okay since it should be moist).
7. Cool about 10 minutes and remove from pan. Let cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Halloween looms [Ed. note: OoooOoOooOooo], and I love making this soup every October. Recently, the BF and I had a good friend over for dinner, and she specifically requested it. I served biscuits with jalapeno butter, a crispy green salad, and various soup toppings for everyone to add what they like. 

If you're familiar with the blog, you know I don't like super thick, heavy soups, so I lightened this up to my liking. The recipe also calls for ham, which I left out. Usually I prepare this vegetarian, but this time included crispy pancetta as a topping. You can leave it out, of course.

The pumpkin is really a nice background flavor. Key word is "background," as both the BF and guest did not realize pumpkin was one of the main ingredients. 

Speaking of ingredients, I made a ton of changes to the original recipe:

• Left the majority of beans whole. 
• Added one more cup of broth, to make it lighter. If you prefer a thicker soup, don't add it.
• Subbed pancetta for ham and only used it as topping. Did not add meat back in the soup as our guest does not eat pork or red meat. 
• Subbed chicken broth for beef broth, only because our guest does not eat red meat.
• Cut back on the butter.
• Replaced onion with shallots.
• ​Nixed the sherry vinegar at the end.
• Added cayenne pepper. It will not be too spicy. It's just a little kick.

My favorite stress-free kind of dinner party.

[Ed. note: Chef Jacquie loves her Halloween. How much? ↓↓↓]

​A very vintage Steiner Halloween (Portland, 1966).

Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
Number of servings: 9 cups, approximately 6 servings

Ingredients

• ½ pound pancetta, diced small (you can find diced pancetta in your grocery store)
• Three 15 ½ ounce cans black beans (about 4 ½ cups), rinsed and drained
• 1 ¼ cup canned diced tomatoes
• 2 cups shallots, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you're heat averse, use less)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups beef, chicken or vegetable broth (Add one more cup broth if you like a brothier soup like I do)
• One 16-ounce can pumpkin puree (about 1 ½ cups)
• ½ cup dry Sherry

Topping Suggestions

• Crispy pancetta
• Avocado, chopped
• Sour cream
• Jalapeno, Fresno or Serrano peppers, thinly sliced
• Scallions, thinly sliced
• Pumpkin seeds
• Cilantro leaves
• Shredded cheddar or jack cheese
• Corn or tortilla chips

Directions

1. In a food processor, coarsely puree ¾ cup black beans and 1 ¼ cup diced tomatoes.
2. In a 6-quart heavy pot, cook the pancetta (if using) until slightly crispy, rendering out most of the fat. With a slotted spoon, remove pancetta, place on plate and set aside. Pour the rendered fat out and wipe pot with a paper towel.
3. Place pot back on burner. Heat butter and extra virgin olive oil until shimmering. Throw in shallots, garlic, cumin, salt, and cayenne. Cook over moderate heat, stirring until shallots are softened and beginning to brown.
4. Stir in beans and tomato puree.
5. Stir in broth, pumpkin, Sherry, and the rest of the whole black beans, until combined. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
6. Season soup with salt and pepper.
7. Serve soup garnished with toppings of your choice.

Soon. The guest blogger returns.

The BF and I recently had a wonderful dinner at a neighbor's house. Husband and wife (turns out she and the BF went to the same university and graduated a year apart) and their two adorable children. The wife made a special request for something sugar-free and low carb, something I always try to pull out of the proverbial hat over the holidays.

So besides the normal sugar-full monstrosity that sent the kids (and BF) spinning [Ed. note: GERPH SNORG FLEEGLE NOP], I presented a version of this pumpkin cheesecake to the wife.

"Honey, you have to try this," she gasped at her husband. Soon, everybody was taking a small forkful.

The husband and my BF, bless them, went from sumptuous satisfied grins to quizzical bewilderment. The husband cocked his head, "This is...sugar...free?" No wonder, it really did taste like a decadent cheesecake.

The BF likes to say these are "weapons." [Ed. note: As in, people, including or especially kids, will not question whether or not the dish has a particular ingredient until you tell them.] When time allows, I experiment and make us sugar-free-grain-free-low-carb desserts (or similarly constructed main dishes) and the BF will say, "It's okay, but it tastes healthy." Kiss of death. So when something gets the "weapon" seal of approval, it must be shared. The pumpkin cheesecake will definitely make an appearance on this year's Thanksgiving dessert table.

Many have even asked me to post more sugar-free, low carb desserts, so rest assured, there will be more to come.

A big reason why this cheesecake and other such desserts can now be made: sugar substitutes have come a long way in the last 30 years. Had never found one that I liked for baking, until stumbling on a product called Swerve (swervesweet.com/products), which comes in granulated, powdered-confectioners, or brown form. This is not a sponsored post, simply have made countless desserts with it and the performance screams "real thing." Will bet you can't tell the difference.

You can purchase Swerve online, or I have been lucky enough to find in my local grocery store. Am sure you could try a different brand, but I highly recommend this one and can't vouch for other brands in the final outcome of this particular dessert.

The original recipe for this mini cheesecake says it serves two, but for the aforementioned dinner it was cut into four small pieces and was a perfect ending to the meal. Made a few tweaks to the original recipe from the blog All Day I Dream About Food: upped the cream cheese filling just a bit and doubled the whipped cream topping.

For people who count their Net Carbs, half of this cheesecake is only 3 Net Carbs.

Number of servings: 2 large or 4 small
Adapted from: All Day I Dream About Food for Swerve, The Ultimate Sugar Replacement
(swervesweet.com/products)

Ingredients
Crust

• 3 tablespoons almond flour (Bob's Red Mill super fine was used here)
• 1 tablespoon Swerve (granular)
• 2 pinches salt
• 2 teaspoons melted butter

Filling

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 ½ tablespoons Swerve (confectioners) 
• 2 ½ tablespoons pumpkin puree 
• 1 ½ tablespoons beaten egg (reserve remaining egg for another use, like an omelet!) 
• ½-¾ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 4 teaspoons Swerve (confectioners) 
• Dash vanilla extract

Directions
Crust

1. Preheat oven to 325 °F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 4-inch springform pan. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the almond flour, Swerve, and salt. Add melted butter and stir until it begins to clump together. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake 8-10 minutes. Remove and let cool while preparing the filling.

Filling

1. Reduce oven temperature to 300 °F. 
2. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sweetener until well combined. Beat in the pumpkin puree, egg, pie spice, and vanilla extract until well combined. 
3. Spoon the batter over the crust and smooth the top. Bake 20-30 minutes, until edges are set and the center just jiggles slightly when shaken. Remove and let cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate at least one hour. Run a sharp knife around sides of the pan before releasing the spring.

Topping

1. Whip the cream with sweetener and vanilla until it holds stiff peaks. Spread over the chilled cheesecake.

"Only the knife knows what goes on in the heart of a pumpkin."
-Simone Schwarz-Bart

It's here. October. My favorite month of the year. The month where the BF hangs on for dear life, as I vortex all things pumpkin. [Ed. note: I'm worried about you, man. Seriously.] Pumpkin items I adore: bread, muffins, donuts, cakes, cookies, popovers (coming soon to the blog), ice cream, mousse, cheesecake, soups, curries, pancakes, french toast, scones, cinnamon rolls, trifle and candles. Lots and lots of candles.

Most unnecessary pumpkin-spice products that I've seen? Pringles, vodka, body lotion, kale chips,  salsa, salmon and bagels (the BF had a bite and requested that I never, ever, pinkie-swear-on-penalty-of-death buy that again). [Ed. note: Can confirm.]

Side note: The Huffington Post "reports that their taste testers were struck with a variety of reactions to Pringles’ new line of potato chips, ranging from 'surprisingly not revolted' to a 'horrible abomination to humanity.'"

​October is also the month to make a mean pumpkin lasagna, crispy pumpkin and sage cannelloni (coming to the blog close to Thanksgiving) and pumpkin gnocchi. Seriously, I feel like there are not enough days in October for everything I want to make with pumpkin. [Ed. note: So this is why you were pining for them in February.]​

This pumpkin bread is moist, tender and plush on the inside, with a sumptuous cinnamon-sugar craggy lid. One of my biggest pet peeves when baking pumpkin bread are the recipes that use 1 cup of pumpkin puree out of a can that holds 1 ¾ cup. That leftover puree drives me bat-shit crazy. [Ed. note: Can confirm.]​ Fear not, this recipe utilizes every last drop of that canned pumpkin and it only takes one bowl to make.

Very key here is the size of your loaf pan, as this will fill out every inch of it. Mine holds 6 liquid cups; it’s 8 × 4 inches on the bottom and 9 × 5 inches on the top. If yours is even slightly smaller or you’re nervous, go ahead and scoop out a little to make a muffin or two.  
​
Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen says, "Finally, I know someone is going to say 'that’s way too much sugar!' but please keep in mind this loaf is gigantic, easily 1.5x a normal one and the sugar is scaled accordingly. You can decrease it if you wish but we have made this now several times and many people have commented about how in-check the sugar level tastes, not over the top at all."

PS: Can't forget last year's pumpkin challah (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/pumpkin-challah), and mini pumpkin whoopie pies with apple cider filling (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/mini-pumpkin-whoopie-pies-with-apple-cider-cream-cheese-filling), which were client and reader favorites.

Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
Number of servings: 8-10

Ingredients
Bread

• 1 15-ounce can (1 ¾ cups) pumpkin puree
  
• ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable or another neutral cooking oil or melted butter (115 grams) 
• 3 large eggs
• 1 ⅔ cups (330 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea or table salt
• ¾  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Heaped ¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• Heaped ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• Two pinches of ground cloves
• 2 ¼ cups (295 grams) all-purpose flour

Topping

• 1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 °F. Butter a 6-cup loaf pan or coat it with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar until smooth. Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves over batter. Whisk until well-combined. Add flour and stir with a spoon, until just mixed.
3. Scrape into prepared pan and smooth the top. In a small dish or empty measuring cup, stir sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over top of batter.
4. Bake bread for 65-75 minutes until a tester poked into all parts of cake (both the top and center will want to hide pockets of uncooked batter) come out batter-free, turning the cake once during the baking time for even coloring.
5. You can cool it in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove it, or cool it completely in there. The latter provides the advantage of letting more of the loose cinnamon sugar on top adhere before being knocked off.
6. Cake keeps at room temperature as long as you can hide it. I like to keep mine in the tin with a piece of foil or plastic just over the cut end and the top exposed, to best keep the lid crisp as long as possible.

​How fun are these? I make mini whoopie pies every Halloween.

Every year I try a different flavor for the filling: cinnamon, maple, eggnog, butterscotch, bourbon [Ed. Note: HELLO.] and this year, apple cider. This may be my favorite yet.
​
The secret ingredient to this filling is boiled apple cider. If you haven't heard of bottled boiled apple cider, don't worry, I didn't either until last year. It's a good product to have in your arsenal.

Ordered it online from King Arthur Flour www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/boiled-cider-1-pint and I've used it for muffins, cookies, cakes, pie, and it makes a great glaze for meats when mixed with whole grain mustard.

King Arthur Flour describes their boiled cider as "magically capturing the intense, robust flavor of just-picked apples, preserving it in liquid form." Couldn't agree more.

​

Kids love them, and adults do too (have passed them around on trays of finger foods and they were the hit of the night).​

​These little mounds of goodness hold well in the fridge for up to three days. Great for make-ahead parties.

Know there are many who despise the word "moist," but I will use it here, because the cookie part is, well, moist...and flavorful. All the autumn flavors packed into one tiny little mouthful of goodness: pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and apple cider.

Adapted from: Every Day with Rachel Ray (Whoopie Pies); Marbled, Swirled, and Layered by Irvin Lin (Apple Cider Cream Cheese Filling).

Number of servings: makes approximately 12-14 whoopie pies (with tablespoon scoop) and 20 whoopie pies (with teaspoon scoop).

Ingredients
Whoopie Pies

• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
• 1 ½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1  ⅔ cups flour

Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick (4 ounces) butter, room temperature
• 2 ½-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons boiled cider (see link above)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• A pinch of salt

Directions
Whoopie Pies

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold in flour, using a rubber spatula.
3. Using  1 tablespoon or 1 teaspoon ice-cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop 12 mounds of batter, evenly spaced, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Filling

1. Using an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter. Add sifted powdered sugar 1 cup at a time (I don't like it too sweet, so start tasting at the 2 ½ cup mark and keep adding sugar until it's to your liking). Beat on low until smooth and fully combined.
2. Add boiled cider, ground cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Beat together until frosting is smooth. If the filling is too runny, refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes to firm up.

Assembly

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling into a pastry bag or a ziplock bag and snip the end.
2. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half the cookies. Sandwich with the remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies.
3. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

Happy Halloween!

​Because I ain't no Challahback Girl, I ain't no Challahback Girl!
 
Sorry, couldn't get Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" out of my head while making this pumpkin challah. No Doubt fans will understand.

I don't make homemade bread too often, as there are many extraordinary bakeries around me that offer all manner of amazing confections. But it was so worth making this particular bread at home. The aroma alone was intoxicating, and I've never seen pumpkin challah at any bakery.
​
Disclaimer: my BF is a writer-music-journalist and is meticulous with grammar, so he hates when I use too many !!!!!! [Ed. note: I'm letting this slide, but will need to see you after class.] But people, I mean, look at this challah! Oh my beloved October!

Pumpkin and challah is a divine combination. The inside is a gorgeous saffron yellow, the crust is laquered, and the bread itself is soft and has an ever so slight taste of pumpkin. You can taste it, but it doesn't overwhelm. 

There is, however, much down time, and you can do other things while the bread is rising and baking. ​When fully baked this loaf of bread is hefty, the BF and I feasted on this loaf of love for a week (we've made deli sandwiches, grilled cheese, french toast, bread pudding, croutons and eaten it plain, slicked with honey butter or cranberry butter—my favorite).
​
If you're invited to a dinner party or perhaps a holiday dinner, and the host asks you to bring the carbs, consider bringing this gem of a challah. Bet you're asked to bring it the following year.
​
Adapted from: The Bojon Gourmet, Smitten Kitchen and Joan Nathan
Number of servings: Makes 1 large loaf

According to Joan Nathan, the secrets to good challah are simple: use two coats of egg wash to get that laquer-like crust, and don't overbake it. Also, three risings always makes for the tastiest loaves.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon rapid-rise yeast, or 5 teaspoons active dry, or 3 tablespoons fresh (I used active dry)
• ½ cup luke-warm water
• 1 cup (8 ounces) pumpkin puree
• 3 eggs, plus 1 for brushing the bread
• 4 ounces (8 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• about 5 cups all-purpose or bread flour (I used bread flour)
• optional: 1 tablespoon poppy or sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the yeast, water, pumpkin, eggs, butter, sugar and salt. (If using active dry yeast, sprinkle yeast over water and let stand 5-10 minutes, until foamy, before adding the other ingredients.) Stir in the flour, a cup at a time, until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Add just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and the surface, until the dough feels smooth and springy. Place in a lightly oiled bowl or container, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. I placed my dough in an oven that had been warmed to 150 °F and then turned off.  After 2 hours, punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for 30 minutes.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently press out the air bubbles. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Tuck the edges under to form loose rounds. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a large plastic bag and let them rest for 10 minutes to relax the glutens and make them easier to shape.
3. Roll them into approximately 14-inch ropes. Connect the ropes at the far end, with the loose ends closest to you and then tightly braid (on my first attempt I braided mine a little too loose). Pinch the ends together and tuck them under the loaf.
4. Now lift the loaf onto a parchmented baking sheet, put the whole thing in a large plastic bag, and let rise for about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 ºF with a shelf on the lowest rack. Brush the loaf with the beaten egg, and let rise another 15 minutes in the bag. Brush the loaf a second time, return to the bag, and let rise another 15 minutes or so. The bread should roughly double in size, and should hold the indentation of your finger when pressed lightly. (Optionally sprinkle the top with poppy or sesame seeds.)
6. Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 ºF and bake for another 20 minutes. Rotate the loaf, and bake another 10-15 minutes, for a total baking time of 40-55 minutes. The bread should be a rich brown, sound hollow when thumped on the underside, and an instant read thermometer should register at least 190 ºF when inserted in the center.
7. Remove the pan from the oven. Cool loaf on a rack for 1-2 hours.