This is a great recipe to serve during the Holiday Season. Guests at the Garden and Galley Bed and Breakfast in Indianola, Iowa, rave about it. (www.gardenandgalley.com) Served with bacon or ham, it’s the perfect dish to serve a crowd.

Baked Cranberry Pumpkin French Toast
8 Ingredients Include:
12 slices sour dough bread cut into 1-inch cubes
1 - 8oz-cream cheese - cubed
1 - 16oz-pkg fresh or frozen cranberries
12 large eggs
2 C milk
2 C canned pumpkin
1 T. cinnamon
4 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 C. brown sugar
cinnamon-sugar for top of dish
can of Whipping cream
Crannberry sauce:
1 - 16oz -can cranberry sauce
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. water

*Method: Spray 1X15-inch cake pan with non stick cooking spray.
Arrange 1/2 bread cubes in bottom of pan. Top with cream cheese and brown sugar. Top this with cranberries. Arrange rest of bread on top of this.
Beat together eggs, milk pumpkin and spices. Pour over bread and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and press down so bread soaks up the egg mixture and refrigerate overnight.

*For sauce combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 min. (check after 25 min - if browning too quickly, cover with foil) Let stand 10 min. slice and top with whipped cream and serve with cranberry sauce.

At Elderberry Inn Bed and Breakfast Forest City Iowa you might find the cook making pumpkin stew for a special occasion. Plan a visit to the Inn during the fall season. Watch the leaves fall, soak in the whirlpool, and relax by the fireplace.
You will need a 10-12 pound edible type pumpkin, such as a pie pumpkin. Now is the time to find one at a Farmers Market. The stew is a taste of autumn and also makes a lovely presentation.

PUMPKIN STEW
1 large pumpkin (10-12 pound) make sure it will fit in the oven!
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. oil
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic
4 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
1 t. salt
1/2 t. oregano
1 1/2 pounds sweet potato
1 1/2 pounds white potato
3 ears corn, cut off
1 cup chopped zucchini
3 chopped tomatoes
1-16oz. can of peaches

Wash pumpkin, cut a 6-8 in. circle around top stem. Remove top and set aside; discard seeds and loose fibers from inside. Place pumpkin in a shallow sturdy baking pan. Brush the inside with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Brush outside with oil. Replace the lid. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender(do not overbake). Saute beef in oil. Add onion, pepper, garlic, beef stock, and bay leaf. Simmer 1 hour. Add potatoes and cook 15 minutes. Add zucchini and tomatoes. Cook 10 minutes. Add corn and peaches. Cook 5 minutes. Pour into prepared pumpkin (while still in the sturdy baking dish). Bake 350 degrees for 15 minutes with the lid on. Serve stew from pumpkin, scooping out a little pumpkin with each serving. Serves 8-10.