Sugar Aftermath...

It might have been the seemingly pounds of candy 

Kate Cupcake scarfed last night while prowling the streets...  

Or it might have been her profound sense 

of Halloween letdown today...  

Regardless, she lost her lunch in the girl's bathroom 

at school and came home...  

She looked around forlornly, 

noticing the lack of scary ghouls greeting her at the front door, 

no sparkly signs stating, "The Witch is In," 

and she plopped on the couch with a resigned sigh...  

My rule when kids come home sick;

it is not party time...  

They may lie on the couch and watch TV, 

but there are no treats, games or outings...    

I wondered about her condition...  

No fever, no pallid complexion 

nor that stricken look kids get 

when sickness catches them by surprise....  

She almost appeared guilty, 

as if she had snuck a cookie right before dinner...  

So home we went...  

She took a warm bath, 

slipped into footie pj's 

and watched her shows...  

Soon, this little one was hungry; 

a sure sign of health...  

I fed her warm, liquid cherry Jello, crackers and bananas, 

just in case the flu was truly lurking...  

Nothing came up or even caused the tiniest of cramps...  

Kate needed a mental health day, I guess..  

We all do, now and then...  

While she convalesced, I made the most delicious pork recipe... 

This one is a keeper!  

Served with buttered noodles 

and a green veggie, you are all set 

for a comforting November dinner...  

I hope you have recovered from Halloween...  

Surely that is a small feat compared to those of you 

with much bigger fish to fry out east...  

Stay warm...

Braised Pork Shoulder with Apple Cider 

and Ginger Beer, courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine

Ingredients

• 1 5–6-pound boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt)(Mine was only 2 lbs)
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt plus more
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound shallots (about 9 large)
• 12 garlic cloves (about 1 large head)
• 2 apples, peeled, quartered, cored
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups apple cider, preferably fresh
• 1 12-ounce bottle strong ginger beer (such as Reed's)
• 3 sprigs rosemary

Preparation

• Season pork shoulder with 2 Tbsp. salt and pepper. Using kitchen twine, tie pork at 1/2-inch intervals, forming a compact cylinder. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, or cover and chill overnight. If chilled, let pork stand at room temperature for 2 hours before continuing.
• Preheat oven to 300°. Place pork in a large heavy ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid; arrange shallots, garlic, and apples around pork. Add broth, cider, and ginger beer. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and transfer to oven.
• Braise pork until a knife slides easily through meat, 4–5 hours. Let meat cool in braising liquid, then refrigerate until cold (the meat will slice more easily when cold). DO AHEAD Pork can be braised 3 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Using tongs, transfer pork to a cutting board. Strain braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard fat and solids. Slice pork between kitchen twine and place in a large roasting pan. Carefully remove twine, leaving slices intact. Pour braising liquid into pan to cover pork halfway (1 1/2–2 cups) and arrange rosemary over. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until pork is just heated through, 15–20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour remaining braising liquid from bowl into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil sauce until reduced to 2 cups, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Transfer sliced pork to a platter (discard any liquid in pan) and drizzle some of sauce over. Serve remaining sauce alongside.