Chinese Casserole or (Dinner In a Pumpkin)

1 onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1-1/2 to 2 pounds ground beef

1 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 (4-oz.) can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 (10-3/4 oz.) can cream-of-chicken soup

1-1/2 cup cooked rice or (1/2 cup raw rice + 1-1/2 cups water)

1 (8-oz.) Can sliced water chestnuts, drained

Chinese noodles

DIRECTIONS:

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 rice, water, and water chestnuts. 

Place mixture a 9x13 inch pan.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Place Chinese noodles on top and bake another 15 minutes.

(This recipe is taken from a A Dinner in a Pumpkin@ recipe.  To cook in a pumpkin, follow these directions:  Cut off the top of pumpkin and thoroughly clean out seeds and pulp.  Pain an appropriate face on the front of the pumpkin with a permanent marking pen or acrylic pain.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spoon ground beef 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 meat. )