stuffed baked pumpkin

* 1 pumpkin, about 3 pounds
* Salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1/4 pound stale bread, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
* 1/4 pound cheese, such as Gruyère, Emmenthal, cheddar, or a combination, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
* 2–4 garlic cloves (to taste), split, germ removed, and coarsely chopped
* 4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and chopped (my addition)
* About 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives or sliced scallions (my addition)
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (my addition)
* About 1/3 cup heavy cream
* Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

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Preparation

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment, or find a Dutch oven with a diameter that's just a tiny bit larger than your pumpkin. If you bake the pumpkin in a casserole, it will keep its shape, but it might stick to the casserole, so you'll have to serve it from the pot—which is an appealingly homey way to serve it. If you bake it on a baking sheet, you can present it freestanding, but maneuvering a heavy stuffed pumpkin with a softened shell isn't so easy. However, since I love the way the unencumbered pumpkin looks in the center of the table, I've always taken my chances with the baked-on-a-sheet method, and so far, I've been lucky.

Using a very sturdy knife—and caution—cut a cap out of the top of the pumpkin (think Halloween Jack-o-Lantern). It's easiest to work your knife around the top of the pumpkin at a 45-degree angle. You want to cut off enough of the top to make it easy for you to work inside the pumpkin. Clear away the seeds and strings from the cap and from inside the pumpkin. Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper, and put it on the baking sheet or in the pot.

Toss the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, and herbs together in a bowl. Season with pepper—you probably have enough salt from the bacon and cheese, but taste to be sure—and pack the mix into the pumpkin. The pumpkin should be well filled—you might have a little too much filling, or you might need to add to it. Stir the cream with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper and pour it into the pumpkin. Again, you might have too much or too little—you don’t want the ingredients to swim in cream, but you do want them nicely moistened. (It's hard to go wrong here.)

Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours—check after 90 minutes—or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. Because the pumpkin will have exuded liquid, I like to remove the cap during the last 20 minutes or so, so that the liquid can bake away and the top of the stuffing can brown a little.

When the pumpkin is ready, carefully, very carefully—it's heavy, hot, and wobbly—bring it to the table or transfer it to a platter that you'll bring to the table.

Serving
You have a choice—you can either spoon out portions of the filling, making sure to get a generous amount of pumpkin into the spoonful, or you can dig into the pumpkin with a big spoon, pull the pumpkin meat into the filling, and then mix everything up. I'm a fan of the pull-and-mix option. Served in hearty portions followed by a salad, the pumpkin is a perfect cold-weather main course; served in generous spoonfuls, it's just right alongside the Thanksgiving turkey.

Storing
It's really best to eat this as soon as it's ready. However, if you’ve got leftovers, you can scoop them out of the pumpkin, mix them up, cover, and chill them; reheat them the next day.

Bonne Idée
There are many ways to vary this arts-and-crafts project. Instead of bread, I've filled the pumpkin with cooked rice—when it's baked, it's almost risotto-like. And, with either bread or rice, on different occasions I've added cooked spinach, kale, chard, or peas (the peas came straight from the freezer). I’ve made it without bacon (a wonderful vegetarian dish), and I’ve also made it and loved, loved, loved it with cooked sausage meat; cubes of ham are also a good idea. Nuts are a great addition, as are chunks of apple or pear or pieces of chestnut.


Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Stuffed-with-Everything-Good-361169#ixzz13qvDjWr6

SALAD GREENS WITH HOT BACON DRESSING

If you are not familiar with Swiss Chard let me introduce you to a hardy leafy vegetable resembling spinach. It grows easier than spinach and is milder in taste. Believe me, folks, dandelion, as well as any other garden leaves, will be great with this dressing also. I must say my number one choice is the young dandelion leaf, followed by Swiss Chard. Please read the recipe over carefully before preparing.

8 slices (1/2 lb.) chopped lean bacon
1/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
8 c. bite-size pieces of salad greens (try different types together)

Note: Wash and dry any leafy vegetables before using.

In a skillet, cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring until crisp. Remove skillet from heat and transfer bacon, with slotted spoon, to paper towels to drain. Let bacon fat stay in the skillet.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, vinegar, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons water until the sugar is dissolved. Add 1/2 of mixture to the bacon fat, stirring, and heat the dressing, stirring, but do not let it boil.

In a large bowl toss the greens with the bacon and the remaining vinegar mixture. Pour the hot dressing over the salad and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. May garnish with lemon wedges.

Pisi e Orzo

i used a cup of organic chicken broth and a cup of v8 and water for the broth. need to use up barley in the pantry and peas in the freezer.

straight forward barley and pea soup recipe that will be nice in late spring when fresh peas reach the markets. To serve 6:
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:

* 12 ounces (300 g) pearled barley
* 2 quarts good vegetable broth
* 6 ounces (150 g) freshly shelled peas
* 2 ounces (50 g) pancetta, either ground or diced
* An onion, minced
* 1 tablespoon minced parsley
* Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:
Pour the broth into a pot, add the barley, and simmer it gently, covered.

In the meantime sauté the pancetta with the onion and the parsley; as soon as the onion begins to brown add the peas and cook, stirring, until the peas are about half cooked. Stir the pea mixture into the barley, check seasoning, and continue simmering the soup until the barley is done.

Yield: 6 servings barley and pea soup.

Coffee rubbed texas bbq burgers

Coffee rub:

* 1 tablespoon freshly ground coffee
* 2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt


Burgers:

* 8 slices applewood-smoked bacon
* 1 pound ground chuck (preferably grass-fed)
* 1 pound ground sirloin (preferably grass-fed)
* 8 slices smoked provolone, smoked caciocavallo, or smoked Gouda cheese (about 8 ounces)
* 8 potato-bread hamburger


Buns:

* 8 slices red onion
* 8 slices tomato
* Texas Barbecue Sauce

Preparation

For coffee rub:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

For burgers:
Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Break in half. Gently mix chuck and sirloin in large bowl. Form meat into 8 patties, each 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter and 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Using thumb, make slight indentation in center of each burger. DO AHEAD: Burgers and bacon can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover separately and chill.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Sprinkle 1 teaspoon coffee rub on top side of each burger. Place burgers, rub side down, on grill rack. Grill until slightly charred, about 4 minutes; turn.

Place 2 bacon slice halves atop each burger. Cook 3 minutes.

Top each with 1 cheese slice. Cover and cook until cheese melts, about 1 minute longer. Place burgers atop bottom halves of buns. Top with onion slices and tomato slices. Spoon dollop of Texas Barbecue Sauce over. Cover with bun tops and serve, passing additional sauce alongside.

What to drink:
Beer is a natural pairing for a burger. Keep the southern theme going by pouring a Texas brew. We like the caramel sweetness and mild hoppy flavor of Shiner Bock ($8 per six-pack).

Test-kitchen tip: Making a small indentation in the center of the patty before cooking ensures a nice, flat burger.