Julia's favorite part of the meal

Remember this squash centerpiece?

Carried lovingly into our gathering by this vagabond:

I have the most excellent recipe below for you. This is a great one for my veggie friends, not my vegan friends, as it is teaming with cheese and cream. (For some reason I am having a terrible time coming up a G-rated description of this dish, as each time I write something it sounds like a harlequin novel). All I can say is that my little sister nearly ate this entire squash herself. She strategically parked the thing in front of her and had consumed a good portion of it before my dad could say the blessing. It is like the best macaroni and cheese you've EVER had but with squash . . . served in the squash! No cleanup!

This is a recipe from one of my mom's friends, Rosemary. Thanks for sharing, Rosemary, as no holiday meal will be complete without it. I hope you try it -- I am confident potiron will be adopted as a stable for your family, too.

My knife skills came into question after the muscle relaxant.

Potiron is the pale yellow at twelve o'clock.

Le potiron tout rond (stuffed pumpkin)

*Rosemary Fornshell’s recipe

1 large soccer ball sized pumpkin or winter squash

2/3 cup chopped onion

1.5 cups fresh bread crumbs (1 loaf inexpensive white bread)

6 T butter

1 cup grated Swiss cheese

2-3 cups whipping cream or half and half

1 tsp salt

½ tsp sage

½ tsp nutmeg

Dash of pepper

Cut off the edges of the bread and place on a cookie sheet, toast in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes turning occasionally to make sure they do not burn. Put in a bag and use a rolling pin to finely crumble. Using a large sauté pan, melt the butter and cook the chopped onions until translucent. Add the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, sage, nutmeg and grated Swiss cheese to the onion mixture.

Cut off the top of the pumpkin or squash and clean the inside out well. Save the top. Place the bread crumb mixture inside the cavity of the pumpkin or squash. Fill with cream or half and half to within 2 inches of the top of the squash. Place the top back on the pumpkin or squash and bake at 400 degrees for at least 2 hours or until the stuffing sets up. Serve in the pumpkin, scoop out the stuffing mixture with the pumpkin or squash.