Twenty-two for 50 - Blog 22, Recipe 22, Book 22

'Polish Pride' clematis was blooming in June

Baby steps, right? That's the way back to feeling better. Thank you all for your love, support and words of encouragement. It means the world to me and nudged me further up the hill. I am getting more accomplished and planning things to look forward to on weekends. There have been fewer tears, slightly more motivation, and some really good laughs and friendly chats.

What else has been going on, you ask? A only-slightly-uncomfortable National Night Out block party,  rousing discussion at book club (which I did not expect when I picked the book), lunch with a dear friend, a sassy haircut and relaxing massage, chats with "neighbors" from the lake at our annual meeting (E is still on the board, so we went even though we do not own property on the lake currently), and a very comfortable lunch and boat ride with some of my favorite cousins of E. I made amazing BBQ pulled pork, tangy coleslaw and then turned the pork into pizza (3 new recipes!), and finished a couple of books. I walked and relished the recent cooler weather. E bought a flat (12 pints) of blueberries at the farmers' market the other day so I cleaned and froze berries on cookie sheets, then packed them in freezer bags. I can look forward to many handfuls of summer to eat for months to come. My tongue turned purple, prompting E to ask which character in Willy Wonka turned purple and me to answer, "Violet, you're turning violet!".

How about a recipe and a book? These are both from June, so hopefully I remember something about them.

Recipe 22 - Huli Huli Chicken

Huli Huli was yummy yummy

If you have been to Hawaii, you may have had this there. I found the recipe at Taste and Tell blog and used a cast iron pan instead of grilling it. It would be excellent grilled, but was still very tender and flavorful. This will be one to put on the regular rotation, with its simple on-hand ingredients and minimal preparation. It does need to marinate for 8 hours or overnight (I started mine in the morning before work so it was probably in there for close to 10 hours - I don't believe you can over-marinate).

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons ketchup
• 6 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons chicken broth (I used water and Penzey's chicken base)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger root (I happened to still have some left from when I made Easy Korean Beef the week before)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used boneless, skinless breasts because that was what I have on hand)
• In a small bowl (I used my small batter bowl from Pampered Chef) whisk together all ingredients except the chicken.
• Place chicken in a shallow dish large enough that they can be single layer. (You can also place them in a ziplock bag, per blog. I have a sealable large shallow glass dish which I prefer to single-use plastic bags.)
• Reserve 1/2 cup of marinade, and pour the rest over the chicken. Turn to coat the chicken in the sauce.
• Cover the dish and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight. (Try to turn once or twice during this time.)
• When ready to make the chicken, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat a grill to medium heat. (Or if you are me, heat a large cast iron pan over medium heat on the stovetop.) 
• Cook the chicken until it reaches 170ºF, about 12-16 minutes, turning a few times during the cook time. Baste the chicken with the reserved marinade during the last 5 minutes of cook time.
• We served with brown rice. Grilled pineapple would also be quite delicious.

Book 22

I borrowed the novel The Night Birds by Thomas Maltman from my mom who read it earlier this year. A Minnesota author, Maltman wrote this after living in the area of the state where I grew up, so some of the history and places were familiar. It is told in flashbacks and flashforwards, and is an intertwining story of multiple generations of German immigrants to the Midwest, before, during, and after the Dakota War of 1862. Most of the story is told from the perspective of Asa who was a boy (11? 12?) in a family of settlers who arrived in Minnesota after living in Missouri. Parts are also told from his aunt's point of view. She had lived for a time with the Dakota and was later institutionalized for "fits". It was a fairly balanced telling of the events leading to the war (which I learned about in school, but back then it was called the "Sioux Uprising"), though more through the eyes of the white settlers than the Dakota. It was uncomfortable reading at times (which if history doesn't make you uncomfortable, it is probably too slanted toward your own race/religion/social standing) but a good story that pulled me along. More people need to know about this and other ugly parts of the country's history. This historical fiction version is not a bad way to learn about the events and has made me want to read and learn more.

Until we read again,

Hallie

Fifty for 50 Tally

Books completed – 29 (6 more in progress)

Recipes tried – 28

Blog posts published– 22

Miles walked in July - 54.5

    Miles walked so far in August - 30.2 

    Miles walked year-to-date –364.48

Scrap book pages completed –27

Hats donated – 20

Hours volunteered – 0