Time for a favorite: dinner in a pumpkin

Considering the weird weather we’ve had this summer — and the resulting total failure of some crops — the plenitude of pumpkins hereabouts is amazing.

Fields full of them, heaps, mounds, bins and boxes of the beauties at local farms, fruit stands, supermarkets and even those irresistible little out-of-the-way rural grocery stores.

Plump and perfect, too. Now’s the time, then, to choose one, two or a few and put them to work in the kitchen.

First, of course, we must have this stuffed pumpkin classic, one of the many favorite recipe treasures the late Bonnie Teeters of Lynnwood so generously shared with us over the years.

It’s become an every-fall, must-repeat Forum favorite, from the very first time Bonnie handed it along to us, so far back now it feels like almost forever. She told us she’d first eaten it at daughter {Cindy Wilson’s} home, liked it so much she asked for the recipe, then rushed it straight to our kitchens.

“”Everyone who has eaten it loves it,’’ Bonnie said. (An understatement of a statement, if ever there were one.) “”It really is delicious, and spooning some of the baked pumpkin out along with the filling is a must. Oh, it is just so good.’’

And don’t even ask — no, the filling is not too dry. It’s perfect as is. The only thing you might want — need — to do with this recipe, depending on the amount of people you expect to feed, is use two pumpkins and make a double amount of filling. (Readers repeatedly say it’s that good!)

Our second must-make recipe today comes to us from Everett cook Jody Harnish. She first shared it with us last fall in an Oct. 21 Forum column, and readers have been waiting for this year’s pumpkins so they can make it again.

Jody told us at that time, “Pumpkins are in the stores now, so it’s a great time to try one of George Washington’s favorite desserts. It’s delicious and really easy to make.

“I used to have a dog named Isabelle who loved this dish. Whenever I had a bowl of it, she would sit patiently and drool on my foot while I ate my half. When she decided I’d had enough, she’d put her front paws in my lap and scarf down the rest. I always got a big slurpy kiss afterward.’’

In case you missed it last time around, Jody shares it with us again, and this time mentions, “It was called a pie in George Washington’s day, but there’s no pie crust. It’s a delicious custard baked in a pumpkin. I hope you like it!’’

Now then, remembering both Bonnie and Isabelle, here are:

Bonnie’s dinner in a pumpkin from Cindy

1medium pumpkin, at least 4 pounds, preferably 5 to 7 pounds

11/2pounds lean ground beef

1/3cup chopped green pepper

3/4cup chopped celery

3/4cup chopped onion

1teaspoon salt

1/4teaspoon pepper

1/4cup soy sauce

2tablespoons brown sugar

1can (4 ounces) mushrooms, undrained

1can cream of chicken soup

2cups cooked rice

Optional decorations: olives, steamed carrot, whole cloves, fresh parsley

Wash, dry and cut lid from pumpkin; set lid aside. Scrape out the inside of the pumpkin well, discarding all seeds and membrane; set pumpkin aside.

In a large skillet, brown hamburger, green pepper, celery and onion. In mixing bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms, soup and rice, then add to the hamburger mixture.

Mix well and turn into the prepared pumpkin. Put lid on, place pumpkin on foil-lined, rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 11/2 hours.

To serve, be sure to scrape up some of the inside of the cooked pumpkin along with the hamburger mixture. To decorate the pumpkin, use toothpicks to attach black olives for eyes, steamed carrot for the nose, and whole cloves for the mouth. For hair, use fresh parsley around the top.

Isabelle’s favorite colonial pumpkin pie (baked whole pumpkin)

1pumpkin, 5 to 7 pounds

6whole eggs

2cups whipping cream

1/2cup brown sugar

1tablespoon molasses

1/2teaspoon nutmeg

1teaspoon cinnamon

1/4teaspoon ginger

2tablespoons butter

Wash, dry and cut the lid off the pumpkin just as you would for a jack-o’-lantern. Remove the seeds and save for toasting later.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, whipping cream, brown sugar, molasses, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger; fill the pumpkin with the custard mixture and dot with the butter. Cover with the pumpkin lid and place pumpkin in a baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the mixture has set like custard.

To serve, scrape some of the meat from the pumpkin and top with the custard.

Makes 8 servings.