Jacky Lanterns

Today Bryson came home early to carve pumpkins with the kids. "Jacky lanterns," as they call them. And so we stripped Taylor down to just his pants (he is a magnet for all things gooey & sticky) and safeguarded the kitchen table with today's newspaper in order to protect it from the pumpkin onslaught.

Taylor & Reilly were really wary of the pumpkin innards, but were really excited to pick the shapes out that would make up their jack-o-lantern faces. Taylor wanted circle eyes, Reilly preferred triangles.

In the meantime I was fixing up a pumpkin of my own in the kitchen... Tonight I decided to get creative and make dinner in a pumpkin. I had a recipe years ago back in college that was really yummy and I have yet to find a similar recipe to recreate it. So I just decided to wing it tonight. Give it a try and tell me what you think.

Dinner in a Pumpkin:

1 lb. ground turkey
1 lb. ground pork sausage
salt & pepper to taste
a few shakes each of: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, fennel seed & chili powder (just go with me on that one)
1/2 onion, diced
1 medium apple, cored & diced (tart is best-- we used Jonathans... what else?)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 T brown sugar
~32 oz. chicken stock (2 cans or one of the big boxes)
1 1/2 c. brown & wild rice mixture (or use what your family enjoys)
1 sugar pumpkin
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

In a large skillet over medium high heat, mix ground meats together & cook until browned. Drain off fat and mix in salt, pepper, spices, onion, apple, mushrooms, & brown sugar. Stir in stock & rice. Cover & cook until rice is tender.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove top of pumpkin by cutting straight across the top (if you cut it jack-o-lantern style the top will collapse in on itself as it bakes). Scoop out pumpkin innards.

When meat/rice mixture is done, add the condensed soup and stir well. Season the inside of the pumpkin with salt, pepper, a little brown sugar, nutmeg, & some chili powder (there it is again!) Spoon the meat mixture into the pumpkin, replace pumpkin top.

Place the pumpkin on a large baking sheet & bake for 1 hr - 1 1/2 hrs at 400, or until the pumpkin is tender. Scoop out portions of filling and parts of the cooked pulp & serve. This is especially yummy with some crusty homemade bread & apple cider from Southridge Farm. :)

Enjoy!!!!!!!