Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

Or perhaps "everything in the fridge" would be a more apt title.  
The possibilities are endless, but pumpkin season is not. 
We both enjoyed this and look forward to preparing it again,
 before the season is over ~



Per Tricia~

I thought this recipe sounded delicious as soon as I read it,

 and I cautiously tried not to get my hopes up too high.

  I have a track record of FFWD recipe results being

inversely related to my expectations.   

 But I could not help myself.  Excited I got. 

 I love the Fall and this dish is "autumn on a plate".  

Not only did I have to try an orange AND a white pumpkin,

but I got so worked up reading Dorie's "Bonne Idees" that

 I had to stay focused on which combinations

 I was sticking in which pumpkin ! 

Pear, spinach, craisins, ham - it all sounded wonderful. 

I finally decided to make the Dorie version with bacon and add organic spinach (fresh) and craisins.  That was for the orange pumpkin. 

The white pumpkin was treated to the basic recipe but

with ham substituted for bacon, craisins and a

beautiful red pear.   I also used Vermont Cheddar and Swiss. 

The heavy cream did not seem to moisten it enough

 so I added a bit of half and half.

I adored this recipe. 

I will definitely plan to add this to the Thanksgiving table,

 provided we have enough oven space to juggle this and a turkey.

Regardless, I will making this versatile recipe over and

 over again during pumpkin season.

Per Nana :

This is an exceptionally good recipe. 

 Hubby and I really enjoyed it.

The pumpkin I selected was so cute and weighed

about 4 lbs, so I adjusted the recipe accordingly.

There are only two kinds of pumpkin I am used to.

One sits at the front door for the season, and

 the other one is in pie that I purchase.  

I have never cut one open or cleaned

out the seeds or stringy insides.

For the stuffing I decided to use a combination

of Gruyere and sharp cheddar cheese that

 tasted delicious.  Rather than day old bread,

I used a package of fresh potato bread cubes

Crisp bacon and sliced scallions were

added as well as the thyme.

 I always seem to make too much stuffing  for our

Thanksgiving turkey and  bake the rest in a casserole. 

 While I was baking this recipe I thought how nice

to use a pumpkin instead of the casserole.  

I baked the pumpkin for the two hours

and everything came out perfect.  

After dinner I removed all the stuffing and pumpkin  

meat, gave it a good stir while still warm and

stored the rest in the fridge.

I think this would make a lovely addition to a holiday meal.