Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

Since it's pumpkin season and all, and I'm not in DC to go eat my favorite pumpkin dish ever. Or, maybe my most favorite meal ever. Ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever, (We've been on a Brian Reagan kick for some reason). I found this recipe, and I think it looks fun. I just like the idea of having a meal inside a pumpkin. How cute! Wouldn't that be so cute for a dinner party? Too much work yes, but I'd say it'd get an A+ for presentation. Maybe John will be daring and let me attempt to make it.

 Ingredients:

Charles Schiller

4 once's sweet italian sausage
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 (1 1/2 pound) pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1/2 c. chopped Granny Smith apples
1/4 c. white wine
1 c Israeli couscous, cooked (i'm sure any kind would work)
1/4 c dried cranberries
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
4 small (1 pound) pumpkins, hollowed out

Directions:

1. Make the stuffing: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Decase and crumble the sausage meat and place it in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the sausage until it is almost done -- about 8 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan, increase heat to medium, and add the onion and 2 cups of the chopped pumpkin. Sauté until the pumpkin begins to soften -- 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chopped apple and sausage and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the wine, cook for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and set aside. Combine the couscous, dried cranberries, olive oil, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add meat mixture to the bowl and toss to combine.
2. Bake the pumpkins: Evenly fill the hollowed-out pumpkins with the stuffing mixture and place the pumpkins in a shallow baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, bake for 25 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.