How to Make Kalua Pig in a Slow Cooker

Bring the luau out of the back yard and into the slow cooker with this simple 3 ingredient recipe for slow cooked pork. This is a great meal to take to friends, and the leftovers freeze well.

Disclosure--there is nothing to disclose. This post is not sponsored by anyone--it's just for me. I'm putting on the 'blogger' hat and writing a web log about recent events, primarily to help me debrief myself as much as to have a record on my website of this recipe, this experience. Scroll down (there's a video!) if you're just interested in the recipe and not my life.

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Earlier this year I read a book called The Year of Yes [Amazon link below with some other stuff. You click, you find something else to buy, and I may get a couple of pennies for my annual website costs. Up to you. Thanks.] In the book, Shonda Rhimes wrote about choosing to say Yes to projects outside her comfort zone, and I decided to do the same thing. When my local community center asked me to teach another canning class I said yes and developed a pickling class I'll be teaching next month. When Jennifer of the Ohio Pork Council asked me to do a cooking demo at the Ohio state fair? Of course I said yes.

The schedule looked busy. The dates of Fair Week included the time I'd be up in Minnesota having a family reunion celebrating my folks' 60th anniversary and visiting my spouse at his new assignment, meaning I'd come off driving 2200+ miles and jump right into cooking? It seemed reasonable 3 months ago, and in fact it was just fine. I was crazed and harried, but just fine. Jennifer asked me to cook something easy, and after about 30 seconds of thought I knew I'd be grabbing a lei and channeling my time in Hawaii. I could cook this with my eyes closed, although there are knives involved so I don't recommend you try it.

I lived in Hawaii, on Oahu, twice--both times courtesy of the military. During my first stay, my son was born in a Pepto bismol pink hospital on the side of a mountain while I was assigned to the patient squadron and waddled around exploring as much of the island as I cared in my heavily pregnant/postpartum state. [You might think that's not much, but you don't know my spouse. He had us hiking up to see waterfalls the day after our baby was released from the NICU--2 weeks after my C section.] My spouse was the one stationed in Hawaii the next time we lived on Oahu. He likes to refer to the assignment as my 3½ year "Hawaiian Honeymoon". [We had a JoP wedding in the States and I'd flown back to Germany 2 days later, so no honeymoon. The marriage was the important part, not the vacation.] When we arrived in Hawaii, our kids were 2½ years old (returning to his birthplace) and 8 months (our baby girl). They were 6 and 4 when we left. Yes, I changed a lot of  diapers. I don't think you're supposed to wash diapers on a honeymoon, nor have your spouse go on a deployment, so I'm still waiting for my trip.

Banana Cookie Butter Oatmeal Muffins for #MuffinMonday

These whole grain banana oatmeal muffins are sweetened with cookie butter. Add cocoa powder if you'd like an even richer treat!

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You know "those cookies you get on airplanes"? The sweet, crumbly type in the fiddly little red & white wrapper? That's how my mom described Biscoff cookies the other day, as she was offering snacks during our car trip. This description rang true for me, as I've only eaten Biscoff cookies while fighting for command of the arm rest with a complete stranger and trying to quietly read with my knees practically in my chest due to the ever decreasing leg room. Apparently the FAA is gonna get involved with that. I'm not holding my breath. Instead, I'll just grab my pantry staple jar of Cookie Butter and make a batch of muffins for Muffin Monday.

I've made these muffins 2 ways--both with and without cocoa powder in the mix. I prefer them with the cocoa powder--both the deep color and the rich flavor of the muffin hit all the notes I like in a muffin. You can see the different versions in the photos above and below this paragraph. As is my custom, these muffins aren't as sweet as your usual bakery muffin. I cut back on the sugar even more since I was boosting up the sweetness with cookie butter.

What do you do if you can't find Biscoff cookie butter in your grocery store? (Hint--I find it over near the bakery in my local Kroger, never on a shelf by the peanut butter which is where my organizational heart thinks it belongs.) Trader Joes makes their own brand of cookie butter which is perfect for this application. You can also order some from Amazon, I'll throw up some links below the recipe. This post is not sponsored by the Biscoff or Trader Joe's folks. Just sharing what I've used to make my muffins.

Lemony Beet and Lentil Salad

A hearty salad of red lentils and beets in a lemon thyme vinaigrette. This vegan recipe is a healthy addition to a summer pot luck because it keeps well at room temperature.

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Salads are staples in our fridge in the summer. It doesn't seem to matter the base of the salad--lettuce, kale, potatoes, or grains--having a salad is a go to alongside grilled vegetables and proteins. Something that can be prepared ahead of time is a great way to round out a meal when you're busy working at the grill on the entree.

This blush colored salad is a colorful cool addition to a picnic. Since the dressing is made of lemon juice and olive oil, it can sit out at room temperature for quite a while safely. For leftovers, I like to mix in a bit of hummus for a quick version of my Layered Summer Appetizer. If you need to bring a salad to a pot luck, something that can hold at room temperature is a great idea for summertime. It provides a change of pace from mayonnaise-based potato salads, a gluten free option from macaroni salads, and a vegan option to bacon-topped tossed salads.