Would a soup interest you? Not sweet.with a chicken broth base and a fair amount of hot peppers...
Linda C

LA FONDA DEL SOL'S PUMPKIN SOUP (serves 8)
2 1/2 lbs pumpkin, peeled & cut into cubes
5 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup green onions, white par only, chopped
2 cups half-and-half
Salt & pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of nutmet
3/4 cup finely chopped scallions, green part only

In a large kettle combine the pumpkin, chicken stock, onions & white part of the green onions. Bring to a boil & simmer until the pumpkin is tender. Put themixture through a fine sieve or puree in a processor.
Stir the half-and-half into the soup & season to taste w/salt, pepper, cayenne & nutmeg.
Serve the soup at room temperature garnished with sprinklings of the green part of the green onions.~~Craig Caliborne

CURRIED PUMPKIN SOUP (serves 4)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 TBL butter
2 TBL flour
1 TBL curry powder
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups pureed pumpkin
1 TBL honey
Ground nutmeg
Salt & pepper
1 cup evaporated milk

In a saucepan, saute the mushrooms & onions in the butter. Stir in the flour & curry powder. Gradually add the stock & cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add the pumpkin, honey, nutmeg to taste & salt & pepper to taste, mixing well. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Add the milk & simmer just until heated through; do not boil.~~Rhode Island Cooks

PUMPKIN CHEESE PANCAKES (serves 4)
2 TBL butter
2 large green oinions, sliced
2 cups grated peeled pumpkin (can use other winter squash)
Salt & pepper
Ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1/4 cup + 2 TBL milk
1/4 cup + 2 TBL flour
1/4 cup shredded Swiss or Jarlsberg cheese

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the green onions & stir 1 minute. Add the pumpkin, salt, pepper & nutmeg. Cook, stirring frequently until the pumpkin is tender, about 6 minutes. Cool the pumpkin mixture slightly.
Mix the eggs, milk, flour & cheese in a processor. Add the pumpkin mixture & blend, using on/off turns.
Heat a large, heavy skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Grease well with oil. Spoon in the batter, using 1 TBL for each pancake. Cook until the pancakes are browned & set, about 45 seconds on each side.~~Marblehead Cooks

PRALINE PUMPKIN COOKIES (4-5 dozen)
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (simmer, drain then put through processor)
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butterscotch bits
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup raisins (I omit)

Frosting:
3 TBL butter
4 tsp milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. Cream shortening & sugar; add pumpkin & egg. Combine flour, soda, cinnamon & salt; add & mix into creamed mixture. Stir in butterscotch bits, nuts & raisins; spoon the dough onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes; remove & cool on wire rack. Combine butter, milk & brown sugar in saucepan; cook until sugar is dissolved; cool then stir in powdered sugar & vanilla. Frost cookies while they're warm.~~Of Tide & Thyme

Here's a bunch more fresh pumpkin recipes. Several look really good.

As you do your research keep in mind that all winter squashes are interchangeable. So there's no reason to not use the pumpkin with a recipe that specifies, say, hubbard, or butternut, or whatever.

Also keep in mind that the pumpkin you were given might be a jack-o-lantern type. If so, the texture is likely to be more stringy than are sugar pumpkins. So it may work out better in recipes calling for puree than chuncks or slices.

Meanwhile, here's a recipe that, coincindentally, I made last night:

Savory Squash

2-2 1/2 lb. winter squash or section of a larger one
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tsp salt
Heavy pinch white pepper
1/4 cup butter
1 cup tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove seeds and stringy membranes from squash. Cut squash into 16 equal-sized pieces. Peel them and place in a 2-quart casserole. Cover the squash with onion slices. Sprinkle with the salt & pepper and dot with butter. Pour the tomato sauce over all.

Bake, covered, 1 hour or until tender.

When I can get my hands on fresh pumpkins I usually pierce them several times and them micro-wave them until they are soft. After that, I cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seed innards and then the pulp. The pulp goes into the blender to puree everything, into canning jars and into the freezer. I have pumpkin all winter.

I use the puree just like the canned stuff in whatever recipe I am using.

Well, I could be very rude and suggest that the compost is the best place for it, but - I won't. Instead, you might like to try these:

Pumpkin Slices
Base:
2 cups self raising flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 cups oil
2 cups mashed pumpkin
4 eggs

Frosting:
2 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup butter
90g cream cheese
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven 180C. Blend base ingredients and mix at low speed for 2 minutes. Pour into a greased slab pan and bake 25-30 minutes. Cool. Combine frosting ingredients and spread over base. Store in refrigerator.

Pumpkin Fudge
3 cups sugar
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Butter or grease one 20cm square pan. In a large saucepan, mix together sugar, milk, corn syrup, pumpkin and salt. Bring to the boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling. Do not stir. When mixture registers 110C on a candy thermometer, or forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water, remove pan from heat. Stir in pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, butter and nuts. Cool to lukewarm (43C on candy thermometer). Beat mixture until it is very thick and loses some of its gloss. Quickly pour into prepared pan. When firm cut into 36 squares.

Pumpkin Butter
3 1/2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
60g powdered fruit pectin
4 1/2 cups sugar

Place pumpkin in large saucepan. Add pumpkin pie spice and fruit pectin and mix well. Place over high heat; stir until mixture comes to a gentle boil, immediately add the sugar and stir well. Bring to a rolling boil and boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and ladle into jars with lids. Store in refrigerator 2-3 weeks. Serve with warm, fresh bread or scones.

Pumpkin Candy
1 pumpkin, about 1.5kg
5 cups sugar
1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
water

Peel and seed pumpkin. Cut into 4x8cm strips. Stir bicarbonate of soda into enough water to cover pumpkin and let stand 12 hours, then drain and wash pumpkin in running water. Drop pumpkin into a saucepan of boiling water, and cook until tender but not soft. Remove and crisp in ice water, drain. Mix sugar with one cup water and boil 10 minutes. Add pumpkin and simmer, covered, until syrup is thick and pumpkin is brittle. Spread pumpkin to dry. Cool, then store.

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust:
1 1/2 cups sweet biscuit crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
250g melted butter or margarine

Combine all ingredients and press into the bottom and sides of a 25cm pie plate or 23cm springform pan. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes.

Filling:
625g cream cheese at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
720g cooked or canned pumpkin
2 1/2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup brandy

Mix together the cream cheese and sugar, beat in eggs one at a time, add pumpkin, spices and brandy, and mix well. Spoon into crust and bake at 160C for 50-60 minutes. Best decorated with whipped cream and preserved ginger slices.

wow several of these sound so good, I will have to go through and try some of them,
I guess it was a jack o lantern style because it was very stringy. It was also yellow in side instead of orange.
but it tastes fine.

This is one of our favorites!!

Harvest Pumpkin Dip

INGREDIENTS
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Apple and pear slices, and graham crackers (the sticks work best)

SERVINGS 28

DIRECTIONS

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Gradually add the pumpkin, pie spice, vanilla and ginger; beat until smooth. Serve with fruit and crackers. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 3-1/2 cups.

I made a really good recipe awhile back... it was so easy I didn't even write it down. I used a squat pumpkin/winter squash and sliced it into wedges (top to bottom) about 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick. Then I thin-coated the wedges with olive oil, seasoned them with salt, pepper, chopped Rosemary and Thyme, and roasted them in an open, shallow roasting pan in a 450º oven for about 30-45 minutes. The result was sooo good. I think the original recipe was in a magazine like Cuisine at Home.

Sounds good, Westelle. Did you peel the wedges before baking, or leave the skin in place?