DINNER IN A PUMPKIN

WEEK TWENTY: RECIPES THAT WILL EVEN IMPRESS YOUR FUSS-BUDGET MOTHER-IN-LAW WHO HAS NEVER BEEN IMPRESSED WITH YOUR COOKING BEFORE.

This is something I've always wanted to try because I've heard how much fun it is and I know there are lots of families out there who have this as one of their time-honored tried and true family traditions at Halloween. Now that I have actually done it, I did learn a few things and would do it a bit differently next time but it turned out great and I'm glad I took the plunge and served it for dinner last night.

I would say on a scale of one to ten this is about a seven. It would be a ten if everything had cooked more thoroughly inside the pumpkin, so it does take a lot more time than I gave it which was two and a half hours. Also, it makes a lot so plan on having someone over for dinner if you decide to make it. But the flavor was good and I think the combinations were about right. Of course, you can experiment on your own and make it any way you want. You could even put spaghetti and meat balls inside the pumpkin and have it be brains and eyeballs for the little spooks in your house. Get as creative as you have the time and the inclination to be. Here is how I did it:

1. Take a nice round pumpkin, just the regular kind, wash it good and cut out the top. Scoop out all of the insides and wipe it down.

2. Put 10 cups of already cooked rice (I used brown rice but any rice will do) in a large bowl. Every recipe I read said that uncooked rice just doesn't cook inside the pumpkin and I can believe it because even with cooked rice some of the vegetables weren't quite cooked.

3. Chop up 1/2 head of cabbage.

4. Peel and chop a large onion and add to the cabbage. To this add 1 lb. browned hamburger.

Season with 1 T. Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

5. Add 1 can spaghetti sauce, 1 can crushed tomatoes and 1 can Chili beans (optional).

6. Mix it all together (it looks awful, but that doesn't mean anything) and stuff it inside the pumpkin. If you have any left over, put it in a casserole dish and bake with the pumpkin.

7. Put the pumpkin on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. It does make quite a mess.

8. You can cut a face into the pumpkin to make it more fun. It does ooze a little out of the holes, but that is part of the charm.

9. Now bake the pumpkin for at least 2-3 hours in a 350 degree oven depending on the size and how full you fill it. Here is how it looks when it's ready to serve. We added some grated yellow cheddar cheese to go on top of each serving and it was good. Serves 5-6 generously. Enjoy!