Stuffed Pumpkin for Abundance Recipe

Hosting a dumb supper on Samhain or a feast for your coven for the Witches' New Year? Or maybe you're just trying to make sure your kids eat something balanced before trick or treating begins. This recipe is great for any autumn occasion, full of ingredients such as rice, black olives, tomatoes, and the pumpkin itself that will bless your dinner guests with abundance in the year to come. What kind of abundance? Well, that is up to you to decide when you do your kitchen witchery! (Although the oregano corresponds with happiness, which you can't really go wrong with.)

Ingredients

• 1 large pumpkin

• 1lb ground beef

• 1lb ground pork sausage

• 1/2 red onion

• 1 red bell pepper

• 2 tsp minced garlic

• 2 cups cooked rice (I prefer white rice, but it's chef's choice)

• 1 15oz can of tomato sauce

• 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes

• 1 6oz can of sliced black olives

• 3 tbsp oregano

• salt and pepper to taste

• 8oz shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. No more than a day in advance, cut a lid for your pumpkin and clean out the seeds. The amount of pumpkin innards and stringy bits you wish to leave behind is up to your taste and what you think your guests will prefer. The more left behind, the more pumpkin you get in each scoop. If preparing the pumpkin in advance, be sure to refrigerate it.

2. Cook your rice.

3. Remove all but the bottommost rack in your oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Dice your bell pepper and red onion.

5. Brown the meat and strain out the excess grease.

6. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the cheese. Add half of this mixture to your pumpkin. Sprinkle half of your cheddar cheese on top. Add the other half of the mixture and top it off with the remaining cheese.

7. Place the lid back on the pumpkin and bake on a sturdy baking sheet for 1 hour. You will know it is done when the cheese it melted and bubbling slightly.

8. Serve straight out of the pumpkin and enjoy!