Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

           

            Do you think it’s fun having a Halloween birthday or are childhood birthday memories overshadowed by memories of tummy aches from birthday cake and then too much Halloween candy? And is your birthday party always dress-up?

            Today is our friend Paula’s birthday.  Yes, there will be cake, but we’re also having lots of good adult food featuring a stuffed, baked pumpkin, recipe by Dorie Greenspan.  The title of this piece is actually the title Dorie gave to the recipe.  Let’s see if you agree with the “everything good” list: 

Good quality French bread
2-3 types of good cheese
Garlic
Crispy bacon
Cream
Fresh chives and thyme 
 

Any quibbles? 

                If you make this, and you should, you should have a friend who’s handy in the kitchen help you.  I had my Mr. What’s Next at my right hand or it would have taken me much longer to assemble this.  The thing that really slowed me down was hand-cubing at least 12 cups of fairly tough crusted bread without cutting a finger… again.

The skin is green, but the flesh is electric orange.

           The other part that is always a little physical is cutting into a whole, large pumpkin without severing an appendage.  Allan did that part.  Feared medical emergencies aside, this is a really nice comfort dish, perfect for today as it has been raining torrentially since about midnight last night.  And that would be the great part about having a Halloween birthday. Atmosphere.

            By the way, KS is planning to serve this at her Thanksgiving feast this year so if you are lucky enough to get one of those golden tickets, act surprised.