Dinner In A Pumpkin

One of my favorite traditions during this time of year is to serve Dinner in a Pumpkin.  Kids love the idea of it first off……….and once they taste the mixture inside, they are just as wowed with the flavors as the adults are.  I’ve even had people say they couldn’t even eat ANY squash come away from the table a true convert!

If you’re lucky enough to have your own pumpkin patch, go out back and bring in one that’s the size of a large serving dish.  Otherwise, start at your local grocery store!

Ingredients

• 1 medium pumpkin (needs to be at least the size the ingredients listed here….and it has to fit in your oven!)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 (4 ounce) cans sliced mushrooms
• 1 (15 ounce) can cream of chicken soup (I make my own from the cream of anything soup mix you can find on the net)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice ( fine to use leftover rice from the night before, makes this lots quicker)
• 1 (8 ounce) cans sliced water chestnuts

Directions

• Wash the outside of the pumpkin, then cut off the top and clean out the inside, removing all the seeds and the pulp. Set aside until you get the filling combined & cooked. If you feel like cleaning up the seeds, they can be seasoned & roasted for a yummy snack.

– In a large skillet sauté onions in vegetable oil until tender. Add meat and brown. Drain the drippings from the skillet

– Add soy sauce, mushrooms,brown sugar and soup. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

– Add cooked rice and water chestnuts. Then, spoon the entire mixture inside the pumpkin. Place onto a greased baking sheet. I usually bake the top for 15 minutes at the end, then sit it on the side of the pumpkin when serving.

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 1 hour or until inside meat of the pumpkin is tender.

Be cautious when removing the pumpkin from the oven. I usually just serve from the baking sheet, as sometimes, the hollowed pumpkin gets very soft when it is cooked, and the moving it to a platter business doesn’t bode well.

Any leftovers are terrific the next day! I try to clean out the pumpkin/meat mixture right after dinner, cover & refrigerate. The pumpkin skin & top will be all that’s left; toss to the chickens or the compost pile.

 

Flavors of Autumn

One of my favorite things at this time of year has to be fresh apples.  Not the ones that have been in cold storage, but the ones that have recently been on a tree!  When they are fresh and so crisp and juicy, it seems a shame to “do” something else to them.  So, I’ve used this little recipe for years. Probably decades!

 

 

 

 

 

Caramel Fruit Dip

8 oz creme cheese (softened)

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 T vanilla

Blend well.  I use the wisk for my hand mixer for this job.

The dip is certainly good to go as soon as you get it mixed up, but if I have time, I like it better after it has a chance to sit for at least an hour. The sugar melts into the creme cheese, so it becomes smooth and silky.  I have no research as to how long this keeps in the fridge.  It has a very short shelf life at my house.

I usually dip out a bit in individual custard cups, so each person has their own.  I slice my apples at the last minute, tossing them on a plate with the serving of the dip.  Absolutely yummy and a great way to showcase Washington apples!

 

Charting Creativity

With todays post, I’ve come to yet another milestone.  At least for me.  I started keeping a notebook in the studio here, last January 6th.  The idea was, to challenge myself to create something daily for 365 days.  Well, somewhere around Day #3 of the exercise, I had to make a revision.  The goal became to create something weekly.  Not quite so lofty, but doable.    My time isn’t my own these days, and any time spent playing with yarn and fabric, has to be carefully gathered up & then spent wisely.

I discovered a few things about myself after keeping a record of my ‘creativity’.  First off, I’m not sure creativity should be documented.  They seem at opposites really.

I’m certain I’m more creative than I give myself credit for.  In the writing of my daily work here, I could see more clearly how much I was designing, adapting and making on a regular basis.

I also noticed how many more things I do in the process of a normal day here, that are in that Creative column.  From haircuts, perms & sets  for several people, to using my skills as a calligrapher to get orders labeled for shipping I’m most comfortable when I get to work with my hands, making almost anything.

One thing that surfaced for me, was my disdain for cooking.  I’ve always been reluctant to spend time in the kitchen…………it seemed like such a waste of time.  That hasn’t changed, but I did realize, my cooking is pretty darned creative.  (even though I resent like crazy the need to do it in the first place)  I decided to focus on the creative part of this activity and it has become not quite so bad.  The household has benefited from a Pizza making Intensive, and now I am pretty sure no one here would be happy with commercial pizza of any kind.  This sounds pretty haughty, but you should see, smell & taste some of the creations here!

I’ve also learned it is OK to bunch a project.  (or projects) If something doesn’t feel right, I have typically just tossed it off the work space, never to be seen again.  Throughout the year, I have dug these little critters out of their deep dark spaces and either re worked them, or taken them apart to become something else entirely.  I have to admit, some of these are the best.  I have only a few more of these lurking around the space now, and most have a plan to get tweaked and come out in the daylight.

My works in progress is a pretty small bit of work too these days.  I think it was the push to keep creating, that kept me chipping away at anything I had started.  There is only one project that just sits and mocks me.

 

 

This scarf is so boring to knit, and I do have to keep track of where I am, so it isn’t the best project to pick up here most of the time.  I have trouble remembering my name some days!

So, this might not see the finish line here…….but be taken out to return as something else.  Still pondering……..as it does have a weightless quality, that I’m liking.

So, my Creativity Notebook here is going to be an on-going project.  I learned so much, and it evolved into a daily TO DO checklist of sorts for my Etsy shop.  Without a list, I’m a lost soul.  Lists and notebooks of lists and I’m a pretty happy camper.

Here is to 365 more days of playing with fiber of all kinds!  (oh, and a bit of that time consuming cooking business too!)

 

 

 

Eagle Above………..River Below

That was the title I gave to my latest treasury.  I so love putting them together, even though they seem to sneak their way into my day here and take WAY more time than I had in the first place.

But, I get an idea in my head & it is a bit like a scavenger hunt, to see what I can find on Etsy that will fill in my vision.  Wow, what talented people.  I think I put this particular grouping together for a couple reasons.

– I work in a basement.  One that has pretty much no view of the outside

-I live just outside Seattle, Wa.  The Seattle that isn’t getting a summer.

Put those two situations together & it just seemed like time for me to take a virtual hike.  Thus, the scenes of eagles and rivers and items like boots, walking sticks and trail mix cookies!  Eagle Above, River Below.

I found such interesting shops & items for this collection, be sure to check out the river rock necklace just one of the lovelies.

____________________________________________________________________

Create Something Daily Journal;

Almost nothing today.  Unless you count 2 homemade pizza’s for dinner.  They were delish.  Fresh mozzarella, basil from the garden and a touch of Italian sausage.  And, the best part?  There is a plate of leftover pizza in the fridge, so I’m going to be able to skip cooking tomorrow night.  (I just hate to cook; it is so temporary. Spend all day in the kitchen and the results are gone in less than 15 minutes here)

I managed a few minutes of knitting time………..worked on a Universal knit scarf, with a micro spun sort of yarn in the brightest fuchsia I could imagine.

Also had some crochet time while breakfast was cooking.  (here, again……the cooking stuff is just cutting into my MAKING time, all the time, every day!)   Working on a complete wardrobe of booties apparently.  I can’t stop.  I’ve got aqua ones, lavender ones and pastel mary janes with variegated yarn.   Hoping to have them all finished in the next couple days and ready to post.

BECAUSE………….Get this!  They will be the 98, 99, and 100th listing on my Etsy store site.    I’m getting just a touch giddy about the whole thing.  It has taken me almost 8 months to get to 100 listings.

Now, if I could just convince folks here to give up the regular meal thing, I’d have so much more time to knit, crochet & play with fabric!

**** And, a special “hello” to the new subscribers to my little Create Something Daily Journal….   Thanks for following along!  Why don’t you jump on board and start creating something daily too?