By Halloween. Owen in his lion costume, Nora in her pumpkin costume, carried by Ryan and me through Steve and Patty's neighborhood because they are not yet old enough to actually trick-or-treat but are very much old enough to be carried to the door and presented to neighbors who respond with the degree of delight that small babies in themed costumes reliably produce. Patty photographed this approximately forty times. Steve held the camera for two of the photos and his expression in both is exactly the same: the expression of a man who is exactly where he wants to be.
Babcia Rose was there. She is ninety — will be ninety in a few months, actually — and she had asked to see them in their costumes, and we brought them in and she put her hands together and looked at them for a long moment and said, in Polish, something that Patty later translated as "they are warriors." Which, given that they spent three weeks in a NICU and showed up for every single day since: not wrong.
We did two blocks of trick-or-treating in a way that was mostly about the adults making babies wave at neighbors and neighbors saying oh my goodness, which is the right response. Owen accepted a Tootsie Roll that he immediately tried to eat through its wrapper and had to have redirected. Nora waved at a dog. This is a complete Halloween.
Patty made kielbasa soup for after, the one with potatoes and sauerkraut and a thick broth that gets better the longer it sits, and we ate it at the table with the adults and the babies in their highchairs eating puffs, and it smelled like October and family and the specific warmth of a house where people love each other and have come together on purpose. This is what I was working for in the NICU. This exact evening.
Patty’s kielbasa soup was the real anchor of that night — warm and thick and exactly right — but after the soup bowls were cleared and Owen and Nora were still wide-eyed from all the door-knocking excitement, we needed something for the candy-happy part of the evening that the adults could actually enjoy. Brownie Batter Puppy Chow has become my go-to for exactly this kind of night: it’s ridiculously easy, it tastes like Halloween in a bowl, and there’s something fitting about making a treat that looks a little like the chaos of two babies in costume discovering the world. Babcia Rose had two handfuls and declared it very good, which is the only review that matters.
Brownie Batter Puppy Chow (Muddy Buddies)
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 9 cups Rice Chex cereal
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup brownie mix (dry, unprepared)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prep the cereal. Measure 9 cups of Rice Chex into a very large bowl and set aside.
- Melt the chocolate mixture. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth — about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes total.
- Add flavor. Stir vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt into the melted chocolate mixture until fully incorporated.
- Coat the cereal. Pour the chocolate mixture over the Chex cereal and gently fold with a spatula until every piece is evenly coated.
- Shake with the coating. In a large zip-top bag or second large bowl, combine powdered sugar and dry brownie mix. Add the coated cereal in batches and toss or shake until thoroughly coated in the sugar mixture.
- Cool and set. Spread the finished puppy chow in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let it cool for at least 10 minutes until the coating is set.
- Serve. Transfer to a serving bowl or airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days — if it lasts that long.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 46g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 190mg