Chewy Pumpkin Cookies Makes: 25-30

½ cup butter or vegan butter at room temperature (recipe tested using Earth Balance)

½ cup vegetable shortening

½-3/4 cup brown sugar (see note)

½-3/4 cup granulated white sugar

¼ cup milk or unsweetened or plain soy milk, room temperature (recipe tested using Silk brand unsweetened soy milk)

By Bonnie S. Benwick

Even fish benefits from fall's signature fruit, and this quick dish works well with almost any kind of white-fleshed fish. Saucewise, there are two ways to go: Use the reduction of sparkling cider and optional apple brandy, or swirl in creme fraiche or a few tablespoons of butter just before serving (and off the heat).

What readers want

    Hampton Crab Cakes

Makes: 4-6 

Crab cakes:

1 pound backfin lump or  claw crab meat

1 stick of butter

4 ounces cream cheese

Optional seasonings: a pinch of Old Bay seasoning, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon mustard.

Flour

1 egg, beaten

1 cup panko bread crumbs or crushed Ritz crackers

Salt and pepper to taste

What readers want Edamame and tofu salad Ginger Sznakowski of South Mills, N.C., wrote, "Harris Teeter has a wonderful one sometimes at their salad bar - it also has shredded carrots and, I think, wild rice."

By J.M. Hirsch and Jim Romanoff Creep out your kids and gag your guests this Halloween by brewing up beakers of "blood" and purple ooze for them to drink. Both drinks have serious gross-out factor, but are easy to mix and can be made with or without alcohol, depending on the age of the goblins who will be slurping them.

Easy Pumpkin Bisque

1½ tbsp unsalted butter

1 small onion chopped

1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin

1¼ cup chicken broth

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

1 cup half-and-half

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Freshly chopped parsley

Fat free croutons

In a medium saucepan, saute onion in butter until soft.

Halloween can be a tough time for children with braces, but fear not Mom and Dad. There are plenty of braces-friendly Halloween treats out there. Here is one suggested by the American Association of Orthodontists. Find recipes for many more online at www.braces.org
 Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 cup canned or fresh cooked pumpkin

1 can Spam cut into 10 slices 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup shoyu (soy sauce) 1 teaspoon rice vinegar 5 sheets sushi nori (seaweed) 3 1/2 cup uncooked rice - steamed Furikake nori (see note)   Use either a bamboo sushi mat or musubi mold (look for a mold at Asian markets).

Serves: 2

1 to 2 whole cloves garlic (to individual taste)

Freshly ground pepper to taste

4 anchovies

4 ounces extra virgin olive oil

1½ ounces red wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon Coleman’s dry mustard

1½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 egg yolk (see note)

1½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice