~what's for dinner?~

On the menu tonight at the Thompson house:

Moroccan-style stuffed acorn squashes,

compliments of my good friend Martha.

She's just so sweet!

Not only did she give me this incredible recipe

but she included it in a jam packed magazine with other

clever ideas, recipes, and decorating tips!

She is so good to me.

So while my acorns were roasting,

I browsed through the pages of her magazine and learned how to:

throw a bewitching Halloween party,

I learned a little about vintage cast-iron baking pans,

I learned how to create charming Halloween masks and candy containers,

I read about Martha's trip to Palm Springs,

and most importantly,

I learned about Caudiciform succulents!

Wow, she amazes me so!

ha-ha!

Anyway, I do have to say the dinner turned out

AMAZING

and so I am going to share it with you!

Here we go:

2 med. acorn squashes, halved and seeded

2 t. olive oil

3/4 lb-1 lb ground chuck

ground cinnamon and nutmeg

2 t. coarse salt

1/2 med. onion, finely chopped

4 cloves minced garlic

3/4 c. bulgur wheat

2 c. water

1/4 c. golden raisins

1/4 c. parsley chopped

2 T. pine nuts, toasted

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squashes cut side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Bake until tender, 35-40 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, heat oil in pan with a tight fitting lid. Add ground beef, and a pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg and 1 t. salt. Cook until browned and cooked through.

3) Drain fat and add onion. Cook about 5 more minutes. Add garlic. Add remaining salt and the bulgur, and stir to combine. Add water and bring to a boil. reduce heat to med. low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add raisins, parsley, and pine nuts.

4) Scrape out baked squashes, forming 1/4" thick bowls, and fold flesh into bulgur mixture. Divide among squash halves, and return to oven. Bake until warmed through and the tops are browned, 12-14 minutes.

Enjoy!

xoxo

p.s. I added fresh shredded Parmesan to the tops of mine and it was delicious!