Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Mummy Pizza Puffs #Halloween #recipe @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: We've never made a big deal of Halloween at our house, but now that we know how easy these mummies are to make and how yummy to eat, that may change!

We own the one decoration, painted by a former secretary’s sister eons ago. Our community is wide-spread and rural, so the village – aka downtown – hosts the children, who roam from shop to shop collecting treats in the late afternoon, where they are safe and much enjoyed. I confess to being among the adults who make a point of going downtown to watch the fun. Toddlers who can barely walk make adorable jack o’lanterns and butterflies, and I love seeing the older children’s imaginations on parade.

Last year, my offering was the Veggie Skeleton with Brain Dip, and before that, Jewel Bay Critter Crunch, from Butter Off Dead, the third Food Lovers' Village Mystery.

Puff pastry, on the other hand, is a family fave. It’s super easy to use, yummy, and always looks like it took more work than it actually did, a bonus in my book. These mummies made us howl with laughter, and what beats that?

This recipe came from the Pepperidge Farm newsletter. As Krista said of her Scary Scones, it's all about the eyes! Or maybe, for this recipe, the guts.

Happy Halloween!

Mummy Pizza Puffs

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 package (2 sheets) puff pastry, thawed
6 tablespoons red spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
18 slices pepperoni
12 slices pitted ripe black olives


Heat the oven to 400°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.

Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.

Sprinkle the flour on a cutting board. Unfold 1 pastry sheet on the floured cutting board; roll lightly to smooth the seams. Cut sheet into 3 rectangles, along the fold lines. Cut each rectangles in half crosswise, making 6 (about 3x5-inch) rectangles. Place the rectangles onto the baking sheet.

Spread 1 tablespoon sauce on each pastry, smoothing it to the edges. Top each with about 2 tablespoons cheese and 3 slices pepperoni.

Unfold the remaining pastry sheet on the floured cutting board and smooth with rolling pin. Cut into 3 rectangles along the fold lines. Stack the 3 rectangles and cut crosswise into 12 strips, each about 3/4-inch wide.

Arrange 6 pastry strips on each pastry, placing them slightly askew over the filling to resemble a mummy's bandages. Seal the edges as best you can; don’t worry about this detail, because they will pop open anyway and look hilarious. Brush the mummies with the egg mixture. Place 2 olive slices on each mummy for the eyes.

Bake for 22-25 or until the pastries are golden brown, checking to be sure the bottoms are golden. Let the mummies cool on the baking sheet or on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Makes 6 mummies. (And who's been able to say that since the last pharoah died?)

P.S. from Mr. Right: Reheat mummies on the stove in a covered pan, 3-5 minutes. The pastry will stay crisp and heat through. The same trick works for left-over pizza and french fries.









Happy Haunting!

From the cover of TREBLE AT THE JAM FEST, Food Lovers' Village Mystery #4 (Midnight Ink, June 2017):  

Erin Murphy, manager of Murphy’s Mercantile (aka the Merc), is tuning up for Jewel Bay’s annual Jazz Festival. Between keeping the Merc’s shelves stocked with Montana’s tastiest local fare and hosting the festival’s kick-off concert, Erin has her hands full.

Discord erupts when jazz guitarist Gerry Martin is found dead on the rocks above the Jewel River. The one-time international sensation had fallen out of sync with festival organizers, students, and performers. Was his death an accident?or did someone even the score?

Despite the warning signs to not get involved, Erin investigates. And when the killer attacks, she orchestrates her efforts into one last crescendo, hoping to avoid a deadly finale.



Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. The past president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook where I announce lots of giveaways from my cozy writer friends.

Hobo costume circa 1968. 

7 comments:

  1. Leslie, those Mummy Pizza Puffs are so cute! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. They really were quite tasty! My cousin's wife made a similar version, wrapping jalapeno peppers in puff pastry for cute little ghosts.

    ReplyDelete
  3. These are great!
    I like the ones where it looks like the pepperoni is a tongue hanging out!

    ReplyDelete