I first had this dinner 42 years ago when I went to my first Halloween Party. It was originally called Grandma's Stuff in a Pumpkin, but that doesn't sound very scary. When my own kids started having Halloween parties, I began making this for them, with a little tweaking. I have also bought small pumpkins and made individual servings for each child at the party, it doesn't take that much longer to do, and the kids loved drawing the faces on their pumpkins and watched while I did the carving. My oldest son is now 21, and starting a cooking career - last October he called me and begged for this recipe. This is now a 3rd generation favorite- and who knows- may be passed onto more.

Ingredients

• 1 (9 to 12-inch) pumpkin
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1 red pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 4 carrots, thinly sliced into rounds
• 3 celery sticks, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
• 2 cups cooked rice (instant is okay)
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 large can tomato soup

Directions