AUTUMN TABLES & Stuffed Pumpkins

Celebrating Tablescape Thursday

with Susan @

Between Naps on the Porch

My 1st time to work on the blog in a significant way &

I searched for something simple, comfortable & beautiful for this event.

When you look at the runner you don't automatically think of Autumn,

but when everything comes together it looks lovely doesn't it?

loving the pears as place card holders,

so different, so inexpensive & so lovely   

 Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

with sausage, couscous & apples

    Choose miniature pumpkins like Small Sugar, Little Boo, or Jack Be Little

to act as individual casserole dishes in which to bake a mix of fresh pumpkin,

Israeli couscous, sausage, apples, onion, and cranberries.

The flavors and colors of the fall harvest

make this a dish you'll enjoy serving year after year.

• INGREDIENTS
• 4 ounce(s) sweet Italian sausage
• 1/2 cup(s) chopped onion
• 1 (1 1/2-pound ) pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup(s) chopped Granny Smith apples
• 1/4 cup(s) white wine
• 1 cup(s) Israeli couscous, cooked
• 1/4 cup(s) dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon(s) fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon(s) fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) 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. Saute until the pumpkin begins to soften -- 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chopped apple and sausage and saute 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.

recipe from Country Living 2008

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