"We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention."
- - Gordon B. Hinckley
October 25, 2013
Halloween Treat for the Whole Family
by Dian Thomas

Halloween is just a short week away, and it is a great time to create memories with the family that will last forever. I have been sharing Halloween ideas for more than thirty years, and the most mentioned one is Dinner in a Pumpkin. This is a perfect idea to build a family tradition around.


Dinner in a pumpkin

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 small to medium pumpkin
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1.5 to 2 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 (4oz.) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1.5 cup cooked rice
1 (8-oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

Cut off the top of the pumpkin and thoroughly clean out seeds and pulp. Paint an appropriate face on the front of the pumpkin with a permanent marking pen or acrylic paint. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large skillet, sauté onions in oil until tender. Add meat and brown. Drain drippings from skillet. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms and soup. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cooked rice and water chestnuts.

Now, spoon the mixture into the cleaned pumpkin shell. Replace pumpkin top and place entire pumpkin, with filling, on a baking sheet. Bake 1 hour or until inside meat of the pumpkin is tender. Put pumpkin on a plate. Remove pumpkin lid and serve heat. For your vegetable, scoop out cooked pumpkin and serve. Serves 6.

If you want to have a fun drink to go along with you pumpkin dinner try floating hand in a punch bowl.


Floating hand punch

Floating Hand

Wash the inside of a surgical glove and fill it with water. Tie a knot or rubber band at the top. Freeze until solid. Carefully cut slits down the fingers and hand with a sharp knife. Peel away the glove, being careful not to break off the fingers. If accidentally break off a finger, do not worry. After all, this is Halloween.

Float the hands in a very cold punch or put it wherever your imagination takes it. For an extra spooky effect, put dry ice in the punch, but be sure not to serve the dry ice or touch it. Be very careful with dry ice when kids are around. The temperature of dry ice is 160 degrees below freezing and if it is touched it will cause a burn just as if it were very hot water.

Make these fun ideas a family tradition.

For more fun ideas like this, check out Dian’s Holiday Fun Year-Round. It is packed with ideas for more than 20 holidays. It is great for mothers and grandmothers that want to have fun with the kids, teach them how to be creative, and share memories that will last forever. Go to www.DianThomas.com for more information.


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About Dian Thomas

Dian Thomas was blessed with the good fortune to be born near and raised in the remote, breathtaking Manti-La Sal National Forest in southeastern Utah, where her father was the forest ranger. She took the skills she learned in the outdoors and turned them into a New York Times best-selling book, Roughing It Easy. Her appearance on the NBC's "Tonight" show with Johnny Carson boosted her into the national media scene, where she became a regular on NBC's "Today" show for eight years and then ABC's "Home Show" for six years. After more than 25 years of media exposure and 19 books, she now shares her practical insights and wisdom with audiences who want to savor life.

A former Relief Society president, Dian is currently serving as a visiting teacher. Visit her website at www.DianThomas.com

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