< Previous10 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 F or some it’s clowns, for me it’s nuns. I was maybe 8 years old when St. Leo the Great Catholic Church threw a Halloween “party” for its young members. This party was a deviation from our standard social gatherings, which typically involved Disney movies and stale popcorn. The resident clergy and the nuns had transformed a long-vacant home across the street from the church into a haunted house. My friends and I already were obsessed with and frightened of that house, which stood alone among moss-cov- ered trees on a remnant of farmland where subdivisions now grew like crops. I was a brave child. There wasn’t a roller coaster I wouldn’t ride, a dare I wouldn’t take. I was no match for the nuns of St. Leo the Great. At every turn lights flashed, headless bodies danced, shrill screams beat against young ears. It all was disorienting, but soon a theme emerged from the dry-ice fog. This masterpiece of the macabre was set in a hospital run by insane sadistic health care providers. The grand finale was a man laid out on a surgical table moaning in pain while the nuns dressed in blood-stained nurses’ whites encouraged us to put our hands on entrails. I have to hand it to them — those nuns knew how to make some realistic guts. I had walked confidently into that house. I fled from it. I ran to my mother, who with other parents was gabbing away with Father Shea, oblivious to the horrors inflicted on their children. I clung to my mother and glared at Father Shea. Shea was a sweet man, the kind of priest who comes to dinner before a First Communion. He could hardly contain his pride for scaring the bejeebus out of us. I thought of Shea as I recalled that terrifying haunted house. I did what people do and Googled him. He died in 2012 and reading his obit I had to wonder how a smil- ing Paulist priest from Brooklyn, New York, who as a child said the Rosary regularly with his French Canadian mother and Irish father, developed such skill for and found such joy in diabolic designs. Then I remembered the Spanish Inquisition. Over the years, my memories of that haunted house have softened. My fear turned to respect for Father Shea and the ingenuity behind the Halloween party that haunts me to this day, though I still fear nuns. This issue is dedicated to all the creative souls out there who make this spooky season scary fun. LAURA ELDER Coast Monthly editor FROM THE EDITOR A HALLOWEEN THAT STILL HAUNTS MEhoustonmethodist.org/cancer 713.790.2700 From diagnosis to treatment to recovery, your dedicated Houston Methodist cancer center team uses leading research, cutting-edge technology and the latest treatments to create a personalized care plan for you. At eight cancer center locations throughout the Greater Houston area, you’ll fi nd the cancer expertise to help you feel whole again. That’s the difference between practicing medicine and leading it. For you. THEIR ADVANCED TREATMENTS BEAT MY CANCER The Woodlands Baytown Willowbrook Sugar Land Clear Lake Katy-West Houston Texas Medical Center Cypress12 COASTMONTHLY.COM SHORELINES WE ASKED ON FACEBOOK: What’s your favorite Halloween party song? “Thriller.” Judy Peterson-Fowler “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett Nita Andrews Reid “Heads Will Roll” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs Tate Burchfield “Monster Mash” and “This Is Hal- loween,” and “Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade.” Taylor Aiken “Somebody’s Watching Me,” by Rockwell Tara Brookover Mize Well, because I’m of a certain gener- ation, it’s gotta be “Monster Mash” … it was a graveyard smash. Bobby Martin “Werewolves of London,” Zevon. Phil Newton Anything by Yoko Ono would be absolutely terrifying, so her immor- tal hit “We’re All Water” would be my choice. Dan Braverman “What the Night Brings” by Wednesday 13. Debbie Borque Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” has a creepy, menacing vibe that’s perfect for any Halloween playlist. Bernice Torregrossa “Dead Man’s Party” by Oingo Boingo! Amy Burlingame “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads Sara Hafer Hawkes “Superstitious” by Stevie Wonder Melissa Deflora “Bad Moon Rising.” Denise Laine Beene “She Blinded me with Science.” Lillian Giacona “Purple People Eater.” Debbie Rich West Type O Negative — “Black No. 1.” Liz Andrews Black Magic Woman — Santana Steff Wells FREEPIKBET JENNINGS 2022-2025 Real Trends America’s Best Real Estate Pros in Galveston & Texas 281.773.3477 | bjennings@greenwoodking.com Chase Jennings, Associate RSPS | chasejennings@greenwoodking.com 13526 Windlass Circle | Laffite’s Cove Breathtaking Panoramic Views in Laffite’s Cove 13415 Jibstay Court SOLD SOLDSOLD14 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 A ghoulishly delicious Halloween spread by Chef Mary bass and her team featuring Silence of the Lamb Chops, Harvest Moon butternut Squash bisque and Spooky Nutella S’Mores Pies. SILENCE OF THE LAMB CHOP 1-2 racks of lamb (serve 3-4 chops per person) 1 1 ⁄ 2 cups fresh mint leaves 1 ⁄ 3 cup shelled pistachios 2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice Process mint, pistachios and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. With the motor running, gradually add oil and lemon juice through the feed tube. Process until the mixture forms a paste. If you use unsalted pistachios, add salt. Rub rib rack(s) all over with pesto mixture and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Let the lamb sit in the marinade as it comes to room temperature before cooking. Or transfer meat to a resealable plastic bag and allow it to mari- nate in the refrigerator overnight. Bring it to room temperature before cooking; if the meat isn’t at room temperature, it will be hard for it to cook evenly. Position oven rack in the middle and preheat oven to 450 F. In a hot skillet, sear rack of lamb until it reaches a nice golden brown on both sides. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 10 minutes or until it reaches your desired doneness (rack of lamb typically is served rare or medium-rare, but you also can serve it medium). Remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut lamb chops away from the rack by slicing between the bones. Serve with Red Bell Pepper Gastrique (recipe follows). COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOBeR 2025 15 FEATURE EAT, DRINK AND BE SCARY Island chef whips up elegantly eerie Halloween dinner party C oast Monthly asked award-winning Galveston caterer and private Chef Mary Bass to conjure a menu for a sophisticated and scary Halloween dinner party. Bass, who owns scratch kolache bakery Good Dough; La Cocina Market, which offers in-house prepared grab-and-go meals; and La Mesa Cooking Studio, gathered her team and set the stage for a magnificently macabre multi-course meal complete with haunting décor. photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS Silence of the Lamb Chops16 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 FEATURE RED BELL PEPPER GASTRIQUE 1 ⁄ 2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons water 1 ⁄ 2 cup red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon dry red wine, such as cabernet 2 ⁄ 3 cup fresh chopped red bell pepper Combine sugar and water in small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook without stirring until the liquid reaches a light blond caramel color, 5-8 min- utes, swirling gently to help mixture cook evenly. Add red wine vinegar all at once (mixture will boil very rapidly). Continue to cook until sugar is re-dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add wine to pan and reduce until slightly syrupy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add red bell pepper and cook until they have broken down slightly and mixture is dark red with the texture of light maple syrup. remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with lamb chops. HARVEST MOON BUTTERNUT SQUASH BISQUE 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 large yellow onion, chopped ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage ½ tablespoon minced fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 3-4 cups vegetable broth Freshly ground black pepper Savory whipped cream Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, salt and several grinds of fresh pepper and sauté until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add squash and cook until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, sage, rosemary and ginger. Stir and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant, then add 3 cups of broth. bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the squash is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly and pour the soup into a blender, working in batches if necessary, and blend until smooth. If your soup is too thick, add up to 1 cup more broth and blend. Sea- son to taste and serve with a dollop of savory whipped cream. SPOOKY NUTELLA S’MORES PIE 4 pack mini graham cracker pie crusts ½ cup Nutella 1 small bag mini marshmallows For the brownie filling: 1 ⁄ 2 cup unsalted butter 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 3 ⁄ 4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder 1 ⁄ 2 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled) 1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon salt 3 ⁄ 4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven temperature to 350 F. Slice butter into tablespoon-size pieces and melt in a small saucepan on the stove. Whisk oil and granulated sugar into melted butter. remove from heat and transfer to mixing bowl. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes to slightly cool. Whisk in 2 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk and vanilla extract until combined. Add cocoa powder, flour and salt and whisk until combined. batter will be thick. Fold in chocolate chips. batter will continue to thicken the longer it sits, so immediately spoon and spread evenly into crusts. bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. remove pies from oven and cool to room temperature. Once cooled, spread Nutella on top of the brownie. Individually place mini marshmal- lows upright, and torch with a brûlée torch to toast the marshmallows. Harvest Moon butternut Squash bisque Spooky Nutella S’Mores PiesGet a personalized CMA and a free consultation with us! TEXT / CALL 409-795-1269 Curious what your home is worth in today’s market? 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Co-listed with Jimmy Hoffman KRISTI BUEHRING, CLHMS, RSPS REALTOR ® 713.480.3042 kristi.buehring@compass.com kristibuehring.com Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Photos may be virtually staged or digitally enhanced and may not reflect actual property conditions.CHRISTMAS OPENHOUSE 201445thStreetOpenDaily NOVEMBER15TH COMPLIMENTARYDECORATINGDEMONSTRATIONS HOLIDAYGIFTSANDDÉCOR|EXCITINGGIVEAWAYS REFRESHMENTS|BRINGAFRIEND&ENJOYTHEFUN! LiveMusic12PM&2PM DesignerDemos2PM&3PMNext >