When the bottoms of pumpkin spice marshmallows billow out in spooky ways, sinking into the abyss of my hot apple cider, I know that it’s finally time to put dead-looking things in the yard and stuff candy corn in all of my pockets.
It’s also time for mad-scientist-style kitchen experiments while Nate’s settled in, watching a football game. Earlier in the day, when I rushed about the grocery store, I nearly knocked over a display of fall items, a squishy bag of marshmallows falling on my head. At first, I thought the marshmallows were leaf-shaped, but upon closer inspection, they were pumpkin-shaped, and I just knew I had to trap them in my cart and take them home to the Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks lair.
At home, I tore open the bag and sampled an unadorned, naked pumpkin treat. The pumpkin spice flavor was not very noticeable, but it was interesting enough to make me want to heat up a cup of apple cider and dunk several of the pumpkin shapes into the steaming hot liquid. And, I was happy with the results. The apple cider spice brought out the sweet pumpkin and cinnamon flavor, but here’s where I took the experiment too far:
I put the marshmallows into a cup of hot chocolate.
Pumpkin spice and chocolate, in this case, don’t go together. They make for a most unpleasant combination, so I thought I’d spare Nate from that experiment, but I did bring him a piping hot cup of the apple cider concoction while he was watching football. And, the look on his face—well, I’m not sure he liked it as much as I did, but now we know. Now, we will always know what pumpkin spiced marshmallows taste like—and what they look like, drowning in hot chocolate, “Monster Mash” gently playing in the background.
In Other News: I have a new story out called “Devil’s Urn,” published by Free Flash Fiction. I first learned about the Devil’s Urn from a fabulous blog post by Robert Parker, “Upstate & Away—Waterlooseneca.com” Do check out Robert’s blog posts—they are excellent. My story can be found here: Devil’s Urn.
I also have a Halloween essay out on the Horror Writers Association blog: “Halloween Haunts: Halloween Memories in the Basement.”
Your Turn: What have you been experimenting with in the kitchen lately?
Fixin' Leaks and Leeks 
It doesn’t get much better than this for a first line: “In a stunning feat of magic, my father, who was rehearsing his role as a terrifying Merlin the Magician for the local YWCA Halloween party, burned a hole in my mother’s underpants.” As for the pumpkin spice marshmallows, I’ll pass.
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So glad you enjoyed the story! I was a little underwhelmed by the marshmallows by themselves, but I did like them in the apple cider–just not every day.
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Enjoyed both stories, Cecilia, the chills from the first and the warmth from the second. And I agree with Liz, that’s a great opening line. And thanks for the mention of my humble post, too.
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Thanks so much for reading–and for writing such terrific posts on your blog!
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I cut the pumpkin spice marshmallows in half and make marshmallow treats. Delicious. 🙂
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Oh, now that is a good idea! I will definitely have to try that.
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I cut them so they’d melt more easily. Enjoy! 🙂
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Great stories – enjoyed them both!
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Thanks so much for reading!
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I enjoyed your article and story, which I found to be especially spine-tingling. Great writing, Cecelia! As for experiments in the kitchen, I recently tried delicata squash for the first time. Still hot here in TX, so I didn’t want to turn on the oven. I sliced and steamed it, serving with steams onions and mushrooms over top. Tasted like autumn, somehow:)
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Thanks so much for reading! That squash recipe sounds amazing!
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I really like that kind of squash, and it was easier to cut into than many of the other types.
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I’ve been having fun trying to cook as many cuts of meat with a pressure cooker
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Yes, you have! It’s been going well, I see:)
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Sounds pretty good to me! I’m experimenting with a cook. Woe is me!
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Oh, no! Good luck:)
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Loved both the stories, especially the Merlin one 😊
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Thanks so much for reading! Yes, Halloween was fun for my family–still is:)
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Awesome story!
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