Dinner in a pumpkin

Jack-o-lanterns are lighting up the street. "Skelketons," goblins, and witches are out and about. It's just about time to make our annual Dinner in a Pumpkin. Boo!

Dinner in a Pumpkin Recipe

1 small to med pumpkin
2 T oil
2 T soy sauce
1 4 oz can mushrooms (or some fresh cooked)
1 can sliced water chestnuts (drained)
1 onion chopped
1.5 - 2 lbs ground beef
1 T brown sugar
1 can cream-of-chicken soup
1.5 C cooked rice

Cut off pumpkin top and thoroughly clean out seeds and pulp. Paint an appropriate face on the front with a permanent marking pen or acrylic paint. Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet, sauté onions in oil until tender. Add meat and brown. Drain drippings from skillet. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms and soup. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cooked rice and water chestnuts. Spoon mixture into the pumpkin. Replace pumpkin top and place entire pumpkin with filling on a baking sheet. Bake 1 hour or until filling is hot and pumpkin meat is tender. Put pumpkin on a plate. Remove pumpkin lid and serve filling. For your vegetable, scoop out cooked pumpkin and serve. Serves 6.

Note: we usually precook the pumpkin in the oven for 30-60 minutes depending on size. I also like to add extra cooked veggies like peas, or green beans before baking.