Halloween Traditions

So, this year I decided to start a few Halloween traditions. We already carve pumpkins. So this year I decided to add to that. Sadly, we don't get any trick-or-treaters. Sigh.


Anyway, my friend Casey makes dinner in a pumpkin. I thought that would be a perfect tradition to start. Something C and I can enjoy and then eventually kids. So, she sent me the recipe this morning. It's ground beef, rice, soy sauce and other things (obviously). Yesterday I had sushi for lunch and chicken fried rice for dinner. I couldn't do soy sauce and rice again. Shoot. What was I going to do? I REALLY wanted to make dinner in a pumpkin! So I started Googling and found variations of Casey's recipe (which I do want to make) and then I found a recipe for macaroni and cheese in a pumpkin. SOLD!!! It turned out really good. It is extremely rich, but oh so delicious.


Why wouldn't you eat this on fine china?
And yes, we are drinking beer out of our crystal.

Macaroni and Cheese In a Pumpkin
1 large pie pumpkin or 4 smaller pie pumpkins

Cut the top off the pumpkins (a good size to get inside it) and scoop out the centers as you would for carving. You will want to scrape into the sides a bit to bring a little pumpkin flavor into the mac and cheese. Remove all the raw pumpkin you scraped, and the stringy insides.

4 links mild Italian sausage (or 1 pound other meat)
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 T flour
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 cups uncooked pasta
1/2 cup panko crumbs

In a small fry pan saute the Italian sausage. Cook thoroughly and slice when links have cooled slightly.

In a medium saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved and slowly add the milk and cream, stirring as you add. Cook for about 5 minutes as the mixture begins to boil and thicken slightly. Stir regularly and you will see the mixture coat your spoon. Remove from heat and add Worcestershire and hot sauce if using. Slowly mix in the cheeses and stir well. Set aside the cheese mixture while the pasta boils.

The pasta is best cooked al dente if you plan on baking in the pumpkin. Drain the pasta and add to the cheese sauce. Add the cooked meat. Stir well and put into either a large pumpkin or smaller individual pumpkins, sprinkle with panko. If opting not to use a pumpkin, the pasta can be served right now. It can also be placed in a shallow dish and topped with panko crumbs and baked. Place the pumpkins on a sturdy baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes for small pumpkins and 30 for a large pumpkin. Uncover and bake for about 5-10 minutes more to crisp the panko. Remove from oven and plate carefully. Put the lid on the plate for presentation! Store any leftovers in a separate container and not in the pumpkin.

And then the other tradition (of course!) we had to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" I love this movie. How can you not?