By Teri Cayton
The Parsons Advocate
It is hard to believe that this month would have been mom’s 90th birthday. As a kid I remember thinking that I could not picture my mother as an old woman. She would be young and superwoman forever. I wish that had been true. I miss her immensely and it just gets harder as the years go by. I will never forget her as she sweated away out mowing the yard.
She could get more done in a couple of hours than most people could do in an entire day. Sometimes I surprise myself at how much can be accomplished if you just put your mind to it. Momma Said, “Just put your head down and get it done.”
I like to stand back and look at a hard day’s work well done. When you get something done that you can see at the end of the day it is really rewarding. My brother is getting some landscaping done at his house and it is really a good job. I have gifted him with plenty of perennials that will only get better as time goes by.
As a matter of fact some of them actually came from mom’s house after she passed. Now that is what you call heirloom flowers, I have kept them going for close to 23 years now. That is something I hadn’t thought about until I was writing this column. I actually just impressed myself with that tidbit of wisdom. I hope they keep going for him as well and each time he walks out his front door mom will be there to greet him.
Grilled Huli Huli Chicken
INGREDIENTS
- 1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces or 2 breast & 4 thighs (skin-on, bone-in)
- ½ CUP pineapple juice
- ¼ CUP soy sauce
- ¼ CUP rice vinegar
- ⅓ CUP ketchup
- ½ CUP brown sugar
- 1 CLOVE garlic minced
- 1- INCH fresh ginger grated
- ¼ TEASPOON freshly ground black pepper
- 2 scallions finely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the marinade by combining the pineapple juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and black pepper in a small bowl.
- If the chicken breasts are large, cut them in half. Place the chicken pieces into a zipper sealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade into the bag, seal and massage the chicken to make sure it is covered in marinade. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to overnight.
- Remove the chicken pieces from the bag and pour the marinade into a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes until it has reduced in volume and thickened. Use this as a basting sauce.
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat (between 400-450°F). Place the chicken, skin side down on the grill for about 8 to 10 minutes until the skin is well-marked and crispy. Lower the grill heat to medium, baste the chicken with the basting sauce and flip the chicken over. Close the lid and grill for 15 to 20 minutes, turning and basting every 5 minutes, until the chicken is almost cooked through. Baste and flip the chicken over again and grill for 5 more minutes, or until chicken reaches 165°F on an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.