Winner, Winner Pumpkin Dinner

 When my kids were younger at this time of year, we would take our pumpkin from our fall display......

....and have our traditional -

Dinner In A Pumpkin

It was fun to plop the whole pumpkin in the oven and then serve it as a meal.

Here's the recipe - 

Pumpkin:  Cut off the top of pumpkin and throughly clean out seeds and pulp.  You can draw a face on the font of the pumpkin with a permanent marker if you like.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 small to medium pumpkin

1 onion, chopped

2 T. vegetable oil

2 lbs. ground beef

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. brown sugar

1 4oz can sliced mushrooms drained

1 can of cream-of-mushroom soup

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

1 8oz. can sliced water chestnuts drained

Cook meat mixture:  In a large skillet, saute onions in oil until tender.  Add meat and brown.  Drain drippings from skillet, ådd soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms and soup.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Add cooked rice and water chestnuts.  Spoon mixture into the cleaned pumpkin shell.  

Bake:  Replace pumpkin top and place entire pumpkin, with filling, on a baking sheet.  Bake an hour or until the meat of pumpkin is tender.  

Serve:  Dish out meat mixture and then scoop out cooked pumpkin as your vegetable.

.....TWO LUCKY WINNERS!

We have two Tim Holtz canvas messenger bags that we will be giving away along with some fun TREATS included inside.  If you would like the opportunity to win one, please leave a comment on this post by midnight Monday the 15th.  We will announce the winner on Tuesday the 16th.

GOOD LUCK!

deb