Dinner in a Pumpkin

This is a tradition I started for my family last year and they loved it so much that I figured I would do it again and post it on the blog. I got this recipe from my awesome friend Mindy. She is such a super mom and I love her to pieces. Thanks so much Mindy for letting me put this on here! You totally rock!

Ingredients:
1 (10-12 inch) pumpkin
3 c. cooked rice
1 lb. browned hamburger
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4-1/2 c. brown sugar
1 can of mushrooms (we use fresh but whatever you prefer)
1 can cream soup (chicken, celery, or mushroom whatever you prefer)
1 1/2 c. chopped celery
1 Tbsp. butter
1 c. onion (chopped)
(we also add a can of corn but that is optional)

Brown hamburger. Cook rice according to pkg. directions. Saute celery and onion in butter. Stir all ingredients together and place in cleaned pumpkin. Put pumpkin 'lid' on top. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 1-1 1/2 hours. When serving, scrape cooked pumpkin off sides to eat, too. I like to top it with cheese and Mindy tops hers with Sour Cream.

Caramel Apples

I love Carmel Apples! No, I don't just love them, I ADORE them! You can add so much to them by using a variety of toppings. Please ignore our slightly blurry picture. We made these at young women's tonight and I ran off and forgot my camera. So this picture was taken with a phone. We started this at 7:15 and we were cleaned up and ready to go by 8:30 and that includes about 40 minutes in the fridge, while we worked on personal progress.

You will need a microwave safe bowl, cookie sheet and spoon.

Caramel
1 regular sized bag of Caramel's, unwrapped
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 stick of butter (no substitutions)

Combine ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, take out and stir. Continue to microwave for 2 minutes at a time, always stirring in between until you reach your desired consistency ~ Smooth!!

Dip your apples in the Caramel making sure to scrape off any excess caramel from the bottom. Place them on a greased cookie sheet. (I was melting chocolate while they dipped) Decorate as desired. Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to set and then enjoy!

The toppings that we had were white and semi-sweet chocolate, that we melted down and drizzled on top. Sprinkles, mixed nuts and almonds. You could also use crushed m&m's or oreo's. OH HEAVENLY DAY!

(Also, I found caramels that were unwrapped and were shaped like little, sixlet sized balls. So easy to melt!! It made the process go much faster.)

Another great idea, from my mom, who got this recipe and this particular idea from her Bishop, was to make the caramel as directed and then roll big marshmallows in the caramel. Then you can roll them in nuts, coconut or crushed candy! Oh, sugary high waiting to happen. How fun to do this for Christmas goodie plates. I may have to try it!

Happy Dipping!