Jack o'Lantern Rice

Description
Makes 10 servings.

Ingredients

 * 1 medium pumpkin (large enough to hold 6 cups mixture)
 * 1 pound well-seasoned lean bulk pork sausage
 * 3 cups cooked rice
 * 1 tart red cooking apple, cored and chopped
 * 1/2 cup chopped onion
 * 1/2 cup chopped celery
 * 1/2 cup raisins
 * 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
 * 1/2 teaspoon salt
 * 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
 * 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 * 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
Cut off top of pumpkin; remove seeds and fibers. For a jack-o-lantern effect, paint a face on pumpkin with a permanent marker or acrylic paint. Set aside.

Cook sausage in skillet, stirring to crumble. Drain well.

Combine sausage, rice, apple, onion, celery, raisins, brown sugar, salt, allspice, cinnamon and pepper; spoon into pumpkin shell. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours, or until pulp inside pumpkin is tender.

Spoon rice mixture from pumpkin. Scoop out cooked pumpkin; season with butter, salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with rice mixture.