I just had a birthday! I turned 22 years old. July 29th was my birthday. And where was I? At the "Happiest Place on Earth" Disneyland!! We didn't go there purposely for my birthday. We went so they could meet up with their family and such and it just so happened to overlap my birthday. Lucky me :) Phlyicia couldn't come with us, boo. But we had so much fun! Take a look...
Long time no post. Sorry! We've been busy :)
Kona just turned 3 years old. What a big boy! And I got to make 3 birthday cakes for him. Yup... 3 cakes! Since he had a Batman Birthday, I made Batman cakes. You likee?? The gray one was a chocolate/yellow marble cake. The blue one was a blue and yellow layered cake. And the cupcake cakes were blue colored white cake and yellow cake cupcakes. I baked and decorated all of these. So fun! I was so excited when his mom told me she wanted me to make the cakes for his birthday party. These turned out so cool (I think) and they were a hit at the parties! Hooray and phew :)
This Saturday, I am having a luau with my church. It's going to be great. My first luau since leaving Hawaii. Fun! And since I'm "The Hawaiian," I'm in charge of all of the Hawaiian foods. Lucky me :) But seriously, I'm excited. I will be making Kalua Pig and Cabbage, Chicken Long Rice, Shoyu Chicken, Potato Macaroni Salad, Rice (nice and sticky,) and Haupia. Yummmmm. However, I have never actually made any of these before. Well, I can make rice actually, but that's it. My family made them, or we went out to eat at Hawaiian restaurants. Young's Fish Market is my favorite! The most delicious Hawaiian food. I'm getting so hungry/home sick just thinking about it.
Ok, back to why we are here. So, since I've never cooked any of this before, I knew I had to try out all of these recipes before the actual luau to make sure they'd be tasty. I wouldn't want to show up to the party with a whole bunch of inedible food. No thank you. Only 'ono (delicious) food allowed. So first up, Kalua Pig and Cabbage. My absolute favorite. I found this amazing recipe for Crock Pot Kalua Pig and Cabbage here. I was so excited to find this recipe. You know my love for Crock Pots. This recipe is so legit. It tastes like I dug an imu (hole in the ground used as an oven,) placed the pig on some rocks, and cooked it. (That's how you kalua something btw.) You can't even tell the difference. A-MA-ZING! I jumped up and down I was so excited about it. Haha. I really did. And it's so easy to do. Here's the recipe.
Crock Pot Kalua Pig and Cabbage
All You Need Is (LOVE):
2 lb. Pork butt or shoulder
2 Tbsp Concentrated Mesquite Liquid Smoke
2 Tbsp Kosher, Rock, or Hawaiian Salt
Small Head of Cabbage
Water
What to Do:
Place pork into the crock pot.
Pour the liquid smoke and sprinkle salt over it.
Fill the crock pot with water to cover the pork completely.
Cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours. (Or on LOW for 8-10 hours)
Pork should fall apart when stuck with a fork. Remove pork from the crock pot and shred using forks. Remove bones, if any.
Cut cabbage into large chunks and place in the crock pot, with all the liquid.
Put the pork back into the crock pot and cook on HIGH until cabbage is done to your liking. (For me it was 30 minutes.)
Serve Kalua Pig and Cabbage over hot white rice. Enjoy!
Before I Go:
I am so happy that I tried this recipe. It is so super easy and tastes so good. Even better, the kids loved it! Sammy said she remembers eating it in Hawaii. Sammy doesn't really like cabbage, but she loved this cabbage. Haha. I hope you try out this recipe. If you do, please let me know, I'd love to hear from you. It tastes like home to me. I can picture myself eating outside on the beach, surrounded by my family. :) Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Thank you so much for stopping by!
This morning when we left the house, it was 40˚F outside. The next thing I know it, it's a beautiful 70˚F day! Outside we go of course! Kai and Kona love riding around the backyard in their big cars. And they are such good drivers. Seriously. They can steer, reverse, all that good stuff. Haha. Here are some pictures I took on my phone of them today :)
And here's a video of them driving. They are so cute!
I wish everyday could be like this. Sun shining. Perfect weather.
(But I do like a little snow every once in a while. Hehe. Just saying.)
