Baked Pumpkin Dinner

Hello there!  Wow, I have an excellent dinner idea for you that is just about one of the best I've tried in a very, very long time!  While we were visiting our family last week, we also celebrated a special young lady's 14th birthday.  She requested to have her favorite dinner prepared and it was called, "Dinner In A Pumpkin".  Now, I must give credit to the one who shared it with me. Thank You, my sweet, bestestestest friend and sister (ITL)Tammy for an excellent dinner, fun and laughter along with puttin' up with our 'hurricane', :)!! 

  We enjoyed it so much that I wanted to make it this week for my family here at home. I just know you're going to love it as much as we did!  I wasn't planning to post on this recipe, but I've had a few requests to share it, so here it is.

Start with :

• 1  5-6# pumpkin
• 2 #'s ground chuck/turkey
• 2-3 cloves garlic/minced
• 1 green bell pepper/chop't
• 1/2 yellow onion/chop't
• 3 C cooked, brown rice, cook as directed
  
• 1/4 C soy sauce
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1/2 C fresh mushrooms
• 1 can cream of chicken(recipe below)

Here is our gorgeous pumpkin along with some ingredients

clean your pumpkin good and save the seeds for roasting later

making the roux for the home made cream of chicken

browned meat with garlic, peppers, mushrooms, soy sauce, onions, brown sugar, salt & pepper and homemade cream of chicken and the cooked brown rice

cleaned out pumpkin, it looks so nice

pour the meat into the pumpkin 

place the pumpkin on a cookie sheet and put into the heated oven

Mmmm.....it looks delicious and the outer skin is browned while the inside is tender and ready to scoop out

Serve with your favorite veggies; the yellow is part of the actual pumpkin..very soft in texture, similar to vermicelli pasta

Directions:
*start your rice 1st
*while it's cooking, clean out your pumpkin/set the insides and seeds aside
*after that, begin cooking your meat, drain and return to skillet. Add the chopt peppers, soy sauce, mushrooms, onions, brown sugar, garlic, S & P; stir and allow to simmer until veg are tender
*While meat is simmering, continue to stir rice and,
*begin your roux mixture for the homemade cream of chicken
****Cream of Chicken Recipe****

• 2 T real butter
• 3 T flour-I used wheat flour
• 1 C chicken broth-I used organic 
• 1 C milk
• S & P to taste

In saucepan, heat the butter on medium till it sizzles.  Add the flour, S & P.  Stir with a whisk till it begins to thicken. Slowly pour in, the broth and then the milk, stirring well and constantly.  It will slowly begin to thicken. You may need to turn up the heat.  When it is as thick as white country gravy, turn off heat and set aside.  No need to cover, you'll be using it in a moment.   

*Preheat oven to 350
*In large pot, place 3 cups of the cooked rice, all the meat mixture and the cream of chicken.  Blend thoroughly, but DON'T OVER STIR. You'll make your rice mushy and that won't be tasty. Save the extra rice for later.
*Place your pumpkin on a sturdy cookie sheet. Pour the meat and rice mixture into the pumpkin. Remember to put the 'LID' on it. 
*Set the whole pumpkin into your oven on the lowest rack. 
*Bake on 350 for 1 1/2 hours (- or +, depending on your oven)
*When done, remove from oven and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. 
*Scoop out meat and also lots of the pumpkin, serve with your favorite veggies, bread and drink.

Enjoy~Kimi