Here's what's making us happy this week.

First off—apologies, readers. I failed to report our nice things last Friday, so we have a combo week. Gratitude is abundant this Hallow’s Eve. So what’s been making us happy?

In a word? Soups. 

Oliver Scialdone made a killer butternut squash soup last week—with a “lil side of red daikon and sunflower greens,” for good measure, care of the farmer’s market.

Drew Broussard acknowledged the season with two broth-based hits: a potato-leek soup, and a turkey white bean chili.

And James Folta, our resident recipe captain, made his “go to simple cozy sipper”—a Sesame-Ginger Chicken Noodle Ramen that apparently needs no embroidery.

For those of you wondering how we managed to sop all this up, know that some of the staff went for side dishes. Jessie Gaynor got in on the cozy food craze by winning first place(!) in a cornbread kick-off last week. Though she may or may not have been the contest’s sole entrant, this shouldn’t diminish the power of this Cheesy Creamed-Corn Skillet Cornbread. Which is apparently “really, really good.”

Elsewhere on the cozy front, we’re consuming good tunes and good people. (Cue zombie moan.)

Julia Hass is loving Apple TV’s Shrinking, after a run of bad luck with programs that “all somehow feel like they were written by AI.”  This comedic drama about a grieving therapist (played by Jason Segel) comes “highly, highly” recommended. Julia says this is the first show in a minute to “feel distinctly human and real.”

Jonny Diamond is still on the music beat. He went to see see Craig Finn last week in Woodstock, where he enjoyed feeling like “not the oldest guy” at the club. The Hold Steady frontman’s sixth solo album has been praised for its groovy narrative skeleton.

And speaking of shows spent in good company, James Folta also visited some family last weekend, where he was treated to a showing of K-Pop Demon Hunters complete with live niece commentary.

Now he can tell you “who all the guys are, which songs to sing along to in the car, which parts are funny, which parts in the movie you need to cover your ears for because the demon is loud, and which parts you need to step away from because someone is in danger.” In case anyone needed an expert guide.

It being Halloween, I (Brittany Allen) am thinking about Tim Curry, whose holiday this is.

If you have the opportunity to spend this midnight at a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show—or at a sleepover, watching Clue—please know you go with my blessing. But for those of us home alone, I recommend a freakier musical treat: Curry’s rendition of “Anything Can Happen On Halloween,” from the 1986 televised musical fantasia, The Worst Witch.

“Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” owes a debt, let’s just say.

Wishing you a weekend of tricks and treats. And if you have a favorite soup to shout out for the Lit Hub recipe exchange, the staff would love to know.