Get two new free healthy recipes each week. Sign Up

Pumpkins

I’m so glad you liked yesterday’s Single Serving  Cupcake recipe.

Today, I might have to make a pumpkin cupcake. Pumpkins are still on my mind, and that probably won’t change til at least Thanksgiving.

Speaking of pumpkins, yesterday, on my morning run, I passed no fewer than three houses with big kabocha squashes outside as decoration. People, kabochas are not meant to sit outside your porch. They’re meant for one place, and one place only: the dinner table!

Don’t make me knock on doors…

kabocha dinner

Kabochas are, however, meant to be turned into Pumpkin Pie Soup.

If you cannot locate a kabocha, I will totally support any act of stealing one off your neighbor’s porch. (And by support, I mean I’ll visit you in jail.)

But before you resort to pumpkin-pilfering, try looking at your local pumpkin patch:

pumpkinpatchfam

Family Portrait!

I think this was the only photo in which my dad posed normally (i.e. he wasn’t strangling the scarecrow like he did in another photo!)

pumplittle

But wait. Where’s my sister in this photo? When the little sister’s away, the big sister will be horribly mean. *Evil laugh*

Published on October 27, 2010

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
featured on The 
Today Show, CNN, 
Fox, The 
Huffington Post, and 
ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

Learn more about Katie

Get Free Recipes

Don’t Miss Out On The NEW Free Healthy Recipes

Sign up below to receive exclusive & always free healthy recipes right in your inbox:

Chocolate Covered Katie The Healthy Dessert Blog Recipes

Popular Right Now

Reader Interactions

54 Comments

Leave a comment or reviewLeave a rating
  1. abby says

    katie!!! you are sooooooooooooooo gorgeous!!! 🙂

    As for stealing, well yeah i have. i didn’t shoplift or anything, but in high school i used kazaa and limewire all the time. i know it’s not a good excuse to say well everyone was doing it, but that’s what i thought. everyone was doing it, so it was ok.
    i got scared when the government started going after people, but even then i figured it wouldn’t happen to me. the only thing that made me stop using these programs was that my computer ended up with a huge old virus from them! so not worth it in the end! 🙁

  2. Jennifer - jcd says

    Miss Congeniality!

    I accidentally stole marbles once. They were in my hand and I just walked out of the store. Oops. I went back in and paid for them at least.

    My sister-in-law decorated a butternut squash last year because there were no orange pumpkins left. We had a pumpkin shortage last year, so it was interesting to see how creative everyone got to fill in their decorations.

    As for pumpkin patches, I don’t even know of one around here. I should really look into it, even if it is way too late to visit one this year. Maybe next year, if I find one. There are some pumpkins at the farmer’s market, so maybe I’ll ask the sellers if they have a patch people can visit that isn’t hours and hours away.

    Oh, wait… I went to a Botanical park in Huntsville, Alabama in October once – they had all sorts of pumpkins and gr=ours and scarecrows around the place. Even a wee corn maze. It was odd to see autumn decorations and then look at the lush green trees…

  3. dancinghopinglivingdreaming says

    :/ yeah i’ve stolen things. the best thing i stole was a potato though bahaha. i just really didn’t want to pay for one potato! and i really wanted a baked potato for my dinner that night 😀
    i agree with you. kabocha squashes should NOT be used under an circumstance, halloween or not, as decoration. it’s an abomination!!

  4. Dianne says

    LOL last month I stole five pairs of underpants from Macy’s! I had put them in my purse because I didn’t want to walk around the store holding panties, and then I forgot to take them out at the register! Of course the next day I came back and paid for them…no one suspected me hahaha

  5. Efi says

    Some years ago I went to the British museum in London. In front of every statue there were historical books about the spacific exhibit. Which I thought they were for free….Yes I took about 50 of them, and no one stopped me! I suppose I was carrying them in such a natural way that everyone thought I had paid for them.

    When I got home and realised what I did (stole) I calculated the amount of them and I found out that the total amount was about 350 english pounds (about 500 $)!! I still feel guilty 🙂

  6. Amy says

    I hardly ever comment, since I don’t have a blog, but I HAVE to comment on this post because I LOVE Miss Congeniality!!! Best movie ever!
    🙂
    Love your blog, Katie!

  7. Kelsey @ Clean Teen Kelsey says

    Haha, I’ve been kind of an “honest Abe” most of my life. I’ve definitely been teased for it. 😛 However, one time when I was 5 or so, I was at Chuck-E-Cheese with my family. We were playing one of those games with coins, and my cousins told me to go get someone and tell them that I’d dropped my coins in (I don’t even know how that works.. I can’t remember what the game was like, lol). I remember having the guy get the coins out, not really understanding what I was doing, but my mom was mad when my brother or I brought it up in the car later. We immediately turned around and I was a sobbing mess as I apologized to the Chuck-E-Cheese workers for taking coins that weren’t mine. Lol, I was so embarrassed at the time, but now it is hilarious. 😀

    Yes, looove kabocha! It’s finally available in my regular grocery store, which is so exciting to me. 😀

  8. Anonymous says

    yes, i’ve stolen before. i’m not proud of it, and every time i say it’s the last time. but then i go back and no one’s watching and i think, “just one more time.” usually, it’s food. i’m sure it has something to do with my ED, and it’s my malnourished brain that causes me to think it’s ok to do it. i never would have done such a thing when i was at a healthier weight. it’s just another reason i’m trying so hard to gain weight, because i don’t like the person i’ve become.

  9. Kara says

    Haha love this post! Your family is darling :).

    I, too, was interested in my guy friends’ toys, growing up. I never thought it was fair that we were stuck playing with barbies while they got transformers that were both a person AND a car! But then again, I was a complete tomboy, playing with forts and involved in every single sport imaginable. Now I’m like the anti tomboy; it’s so funny! I wear skirts and love makeup and shopping. But somewhere in there is a boy LOL.

  10. VEGirl says

    Haha! I knew that quotes halfway through reading it! I LOVE MISS CONGENIALITY!

    I don’t remember stealing stuff off the top of my head (yeah… I was basically the perfect child. JK). BUT, when y sister was three and four, she had a huge problem with stuffing merchandise in her shirt and pants. Luckily we caught her most times (we would tend to do a check before we left a store LOL!). It sounds funny now but it was pretty serious at the times (cracks up).

    I HAVE been to a pumpkin patch! One time with my friend in third grade 🙂
    VEGirl

  11. Sarah says

    Best movie ever! I love Sandra Bullock!
    I also love kabocha, after first seeing it on your blog, and then other blogs. Now I eat it like it’s nobody’s business. Thanks for introducing me to such an amazing food :).

  12. Fi says

    katie, one q! can i have the shinyness of your hair purlease? thanks 🙂
    ive never stolen anything, not that i can remember anyway!! why do dads always have to act so silly for photos and stuff like that! its like theyre uncomfortable but trying to cover it up by being humourous! 🙂 my dads the same! thankgod im at the stage now where i just laugh at him rather than getting embarassed 🙂
    xx

  13. spoonfulofsugarfree says

    Of course, Miss Congeniality!!! I love that movie 😉

    I just bought my first Kabocha two days ago…It is still sitting on my kitchen counter ready to be eaten…What is your favorite kabocha recipe?

    My sister and I actually teamed up together in Day Car (ages 4 and 2), and stole lego! We were so giddy, because of what we did 🙂 Haha!! I don’t remember it at all, but my younger sis does!

  14. Ilana says

    FAVORITE MOVIE!! When I was like 15, I flew to Israel and Miss Congeniality was one of the in-flight movies available, and I watched it four times.

    I’ve still never tried a kabocha. I see them all the time … ok this week when I go to the farmer’s market I will get one and make something Miss Chocolate-Covered.

    Stealing – When I was in high school my friends and I were all in this one store and they all stole these little things -rings and scarves and stuff, apparently they liked to shoplift… I guess I got peer pressured into it and walked out wearing this, like, $2 ring. I felt soooooo bad that I couldn’t wear the ring!!

    • Lisa says

      I’m so glad to know I’m not the only one this happened to! When I was in high school, my friends and I went to the mall and one of them decided it’d be fun to see if we could all get away with stealing from Claires. Well, I didn’t want to be the goody two shoes, so I went along with it and stole a pair of earrings. But I felt SO bad. 🙁 And I never did it again.

  15. Camille says

    I love Miss Congeniality! One of my favorites 🙂
    When I was little, I accidentally walked out of a store with a pair of earrings in my pocket. We were on vacation and bu the time I realized, we were about 100 miles away. When we got home, my Mom mailed them the money for the earrings 🙂

  16. couchpotatoathlete says

    Miss Congeniality!

    I stole…from my sisters. But never from a store. I almost did and I felt like I was having a panic attack as I walked towards the doors, so I took it out of my pocket and ran out of the store — it was some makeup I think.

    I also worked in Loss Prevention for Macy’s for a few years and yes it is easy to steal from stores, but at the same time, if you get caught it SUCKS and is not worth it at all. It was tough calling kids’ parents to come and pick them up because they stole — and then hearing the parents scream at their kids was no good. I do not miss that job!

  17. Cindy says

    OH I love movie trivia! nobody ever gets mine!!! haha

    miss congeniality was the most adorable movie ever and your quote made me smile so big.

    when I was probably, gosh i’d say 8 or so I went to use the bathroom at the store and in the back they kept boxes and boxes of lifesavers…of course being the sugar addict I was I stole a roll.

    I felt so guilty, sure I would burn forever in lifesaver hell, I thru them away and have been trying to walk a straight and narrow path ever since.

    shew, so glad to get that off my chest!
    I HAVE tried kabocha and every time I can get my hands on one I buy it and slice it and bake it up. best snack ever!!!!

    my favorite part of the movie is where Gracie is TRYING to get ready for her interview and she’s stuffin donuts in her dress…LOVED Michael Cain in this one too…gosh the whole movie was insane!
    xoxo

  18. Tori says

    Oh my gosh Katie, I bought a kabocha for the first time a couple weeks ago and at the check out, the cashier lady said “what are you going to do with it? Decorate?” Um……….no!? I said “I’m going to eat it?!” And gave her a weird look. Why do people think they’re sold in the grocery store for decorating purposes? People make me laugh…….

  19. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says

    Omg we just went to a pumpkin patch yesterday and it was a day in life of PARENTING HIGHLIGHTS!!! It represented everything about WHY i am a parent, why I love my daughter so much, I just posted it. A mere 40+ photos or so 🙂

    So yes, love pumpkin patches 🙂

    HAve I ever stolen anything? Yes when I was a kid I stole some gummy worms from Ben Franklin. It was a little tiny mom and pop store. My mom realized that I did it and made me go back and apologize to the owner…never did that again! I think most all kids do it..it’s just they way we learn. Not all but most of us have I think.

  20. seemichellecook says

    This post made me laugh out loud! I’ve actually had kids steal Kabochas off of my porch so I guess it serves me right 🙂 I stole batteries and a car air freshener once from Walmart. When I got home I found them in my daughters stroller which she tucked safely away under her diaper. My husband told me that she belonged to me as did the stroller so technically I was a thief! I’ve never stolen again 🙂

  21. Shelby says

    Miss Congeniality! One of my favorite movies ever!

    Yes, in my unfortunate rebel days I used to steal eyeliner and power bars from Walgreens. I knew the code to the bathroom so I would just go in there, take the wrapper off and leave. I also mistakenly stole a lip balm from Target once because it was under a lot of stuff and the detectors didn’t pick it up. I didn’t realize I still had it in the cart until I left!

  22. Bianca- Vegan Crunk says

    I once stole a cell phone case from Wal-Mart because it was being sold as part of an ugly-ass purse that was like $12. I didn’t want the purse, just the case. So I took it. Didn’t feel that bad about it. I once worked for Wal-Mart and they’re a horrible company, so….

  23. Mary @ Bites and Bliss says

    I’ve never stolen anything. I think my subconscious would knock me upside my head and eat me alive. I can’t even borrow something from my parents without asking first!

    I had pumpkin soup for lunch today, too!! Ohhh that stuff is heaven in a bowl.

  24. kelsey@snackingsquirrel.com says

    aside from ur glorious beauty, i have to admit that i first thought “woah katie’s mama is HOT” !!!! just had to say it 😀
    oh Texas <3 how you can wear adorable short shorts in Fall 🙂 LUCKYYYY

    haha Katie the Kleptomaniac, who would have guessed!! and because im not a cop, i love you for it <3 <3

  25. Tara says

    I remember I stole a craft jewel from the art classroom in second grade and thought I was really badass. But thats as much as I can think of! Stealing really bothers me, and unfortunately my ipod was stolen today. Booo!

  26. candicemccoy says

    Oh, this is hilarious! Speaking of stealing, if I saw a kabocha sitting on someone’s porch, I probably wouldn’t be able to hold myself back! I can’t believe anyone would think it’s acceptable to decorate with one…let’s face it – they’re as ugly as they are tasty.

  27. littlemisspotato says

    Miss Congeniality!! Did I spell that right? 😉
    I’ve never stolen anything but I have been around when ‘friends’…or just people I’ve known have stolen things. Too risky!

    Oh, and that color looks so beautiful on you! xo

  28. Claire Finlay says

    Haha, well done getting the sword into the house without your parents noticing 😛
    The only thing I’ve even stolen was a lemon, I was about 2 or 3 and I grabbed a lemon from the market and hid it behind my back in the pram! Haha, clearly a foodie from way back!

  29. Moni'sMeals says

    I love the idea of Pumpkin Soup with Kabocha. I have like 2 a week so I better try this out soon.
    So funny your neighbors had them on their porch…so odd of them, if they only knew! 🙂

  30. Anne @ Food Loving Polar Bear says

    I have never stolen anything, I’ve always been too scared to get caught and the consecuences.. but I do know that some girls in high school stole clothes and make up.

  31. Maike says

    I remeber taking a nail polish….haha when i told my boyfriend this story he started laughing so much he nearly fell off the cahir!! well i pretend I AM an angel but, we all have our little secrets, don´t we?!?!

  32. Heather @ Life, Gluten Free says

    I love kabocha squash!!

    But I have not stolen anything! It’s just not something I could do. Though my husband always laughs when I go to Hobby Lobby or Michaels and print out two coupons to bring with me. If I need two things, he checks out with one coupon and I check out with the other (because they say “One Per Customer”). I don’t think thats immoral though 🙂

Leave A Reply

Get Free Recipes

Don’t Miss Out On The NEW Free Healthy Recipes

Sign up below to receive exclusive & always free healthy recipes right in your inbox:

Chocolate Covered Katie The Healthy Dessert Blog Recipes