Ghosts and goblins, oh my!

I have always found the holidays to be important. Not just for the chance to gather with family but for the chance to create traditions. I grew up in a family that made a big deal out of all of the holidays. We had an Easter bunny, a Santa Claus, and hundreds of potlucks to celebrate every little moment. So it is no surprise that I like to do something even though we live about 3500 miles away from all those people, potlucks, picnics and traditions. My husband and I are forging our own traditions here on the opposite side of the map. Halloween is no exception.

Despite our snowpocalypse the weather warmed up a tad and the snow disappeared just enough to venture out and do a little trick or treating. It was cold but munchie really enjoyed seeing things go into his little pumpkin bucket. The look on his face was joyous for me and made that bitter sting of cold on our cheeks worth every second.

A little photo recap of Halloween:

A little taste of Hawaii

If you have ever been to a Hawaiian luau then you know how delicious Kalua pork is. It is moist, salty and pretty addicting. If you have not been to a luau and you are wondering what in the world a Kalua pork is well let me tell you what it is. You build a fire, top it with rocks, take a pig and wrap it up in banana leaves, wrap it in burlap and then top with sand, and then let the heat cook it. That is how it goes in a nutshell. The Hawaiians know their pork (that is saying a lot from someone who doesn't eat pork).

I told my husband I was making Kalua pork and he made a funny face and was like I don't like that. I immediately knew he was picturing the drink in his mind so I told him about the pig we had in Hawaii and he lit up and agreed he was looking forward to it. All you need is your ingredients, a crock pot and 16 hours to cook. Pretty easy; nothing crazy. Also be prepared because the minute he walked in the door from work he was salivating over how delicious this smelled. You may need a stick to beat people off the pork before you get it to the table!

Crock Pot Kalua pork

3 lb pork shoulder, trimmed of fat
sea salt
2 tablespoons of liquid smoke

Add your pork shoulder to your crock pot and stab it with a knife in several places. Rub the pork with sea salt and then add the liquid smoke. Cover and cook on low for 16 hours. I put mine in before I went to bed and took it out in the morning. Take out of crock pot when done and shred with two forks. Reserve the liquid to help keep this moist.

I stored this in a crock pot and saved all of the liquid, I also added a bit more salt at the end to make this just right.