Teriyaki Chicken

This is one of the only pictures of Sadie and me because I'm the main photographer and there was only one trip to the beach where Lincoln even handled the camera (pretty well too)

Life here in Dominica moves at a very slow pace, which is actually a really nice change. It's given me time to cook well-balanced meals almost every night and I've had a lot of time for my own hobbies. Sadie's thrilled to be here, she is still shy about people but when it comes to kids she's very friendly. There are only a few other kids even close to her age so she mostly plays with the 4yr olds and the 6month babies. There's another mom here that has 2 kids and we'll switch off babysitting on campus so that the other can go to the school's gym. If I decided that life's too slow, there's an infinite number of things for me to get involved with: tutoring local high school students (which I currently do on Mondays), volunteer to help the local children, hiking, exploring, more volunteering, working as an SP (standardized patient) for the med students.... the list goes on.

It saddens me is that we won't be there this summer to see you all! Take lots of pictures and be sure to post them or send some my way! The one thing that I have missed is the snow, we haven't been up to the mountains in years and Sadie's never seen snow, we had been planning a quick trip to Utah before we left, but seriously? In the midst of packing and getting ready for the move, I never really believed it would happen, so, enjoy some snow for us! For more on Michelle and her family, follow them here.

This is one of the only pictures of Lincoln and Sadie, notice that it's on the plane, since we've been here the school has stolen him.

I figured it's been a while since I contributed to the cooking blog (and I actually read it regularly too). So, here's what we had for dinner last night: Teriyaki Chicken! This is a super easy meal and often I will make the teriyaki sauce and store it in the fridge for whenever I need it. Keeping it in the fridge and reheating it also seems to help thicken the sauce.

This is of the teriyaki dinner, fresh green beans from Saturdays market, and passion fruit juice

Teriyaki Chicken

yield: 4-6 people, depending on how much sauce everyone uses
active time: 15 min
total time: 15 min
cuisine: Dinner

Ingredients

3/4 c. water
1/2 c. soy sauce
3/4 to 1 c. brown sugar
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. ground ginger
1 T. cornstarch

Preparation

Heat the water and soy sauce to a boil on the stove. Mix the dry ingredients together (mixing this before adding to the liquid keeps the corn starch from clumping).

Add the dry ingredients to the pot and keep at a low boil/simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens.

The End! I told you that was easy!

Additional Notes:
Here in Dominica, I haven't been able to find brown sugar so instead I used almost a full cup of regular white sugar and added 1 tsp of vanilla for flavor. I also forgot to bring garlic powder with me and I don't know how available it is in stores (although if I look I'll probably find that a lot easier than brown sugar). Instead of garlic powder I just used the garlic salt I had on hand and it turned out just fine.

Sometimes I prefer it thicker than others and so I add an additional 1 T. of corn starch (make sure to decide before you put the dry ingredients in, adding the corn starch by itself will make clumps appear)

by Michelle, Barbara's granddaughter

Mom Doney recipes

grandparents in Franklin — 1988

Here are a couple of my mother's recipes I found in my Rolodex. 
You can find more of her recipes—along with a list of those 
that were included in my cookbook—by clicking on 
Areta Bergeson cookbook above. 

MOM DONEY’S RECIPES

Chicken Casserole

1 can cream of mushroom soup                     
½ c slivered almonds

2 c. chicken, diced                                              
¼ c grated cheese

2 c. cooked noodles                                           
2 T. melted butter

1/3 c. ripe olives, sliced                                     
½ c potato chips, crushed

       
Combine soup, noodles, ¼ c almonds, chicken, olives, and onion.  Grease casserole and add mixture.  Sprinkle potato chips, grated cheese and nuts over top and bake in 400 deg. oven about 20 min.

Minute Fudge Icing

1 sq. chocolate or 2 T. cocoa                           
1 T. corn syrup

1 ½ c. sugar                                                          
2 T. butter

7 T. milk                                                                
pinch salt

2 T. shortening                                                    
1 t. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together, except vanilla, and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Boil briskly about 3 min (a little longer on humid days). Cool to warm and add vanilla.  Beat til thick enough to spread.   If it becomes too thick, add a little cream. Makes enough for 2 layer cake or a flat cake.

by Barbara!

Hootenanny, Creamy Potato Soup

Cheryl and Sarah, overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee


The Ayer Family’s favorite birthday breakfast!

Hootenanny

Topping:

2-3 c. of fresh strawberries, cut-up

2 T. sugar

Sour cream

Brown sugar

​Batter:

​4 (12 fl. oz.) crocks

​4 T. butter

​1-1/2 c. milk

​3/4 c. flour, unsifted

​1/3 c. sugar

​3 eggs

​1/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put 1 T. butter into each crock. Bake about 5 minutes, or until the butter melts and bubbles. (Make sure that the butter does not burn)

While the butter is heating, mix the milk, flour, sugar, eggs and salt on medium speed in the blender until smooth. Remove crocks from the oven, pour 2/3 c. mixture into each crock, and return to the oven. Adjust the heat to 450 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. Now…lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake about 10 minutes longer. (Do not undercook!) The Hootenanny should be very puffed and browned. (If it isn’t puffed and browned, cook a few minutes longer.) As the hootenanny cooks, prepare the strawberries and sprinkle with the sugar. The Hootenanny will “fall” after it is taken out of the oven and it begins to cool. Serve with sugared strawberries, sour cream and brown sugar. This is very delicious! Surprisingly enough, it also tastes good cold.

Yield: 4 servings 

Optional: Bake in a glass 9” pie plate. Crocks are the preferred method though. 

by Cheryl, Barbara's daughter

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SARAH TODAY!!

TWO DECADES :D

Check out the birthday girl in the left column!)

My mom makes up this recipe every time she cooks potato soup, 

so it's not an official recipe; I had to try to write it in "recipe language." haha 

All the credit goes to my mom, though.  

It's an apartment favorite amongst me and my roommates! 

Creamy Potato Soup

5-6 potatoes

1/2 lg. onion, cut

1/2 c. butter

2/3 c. flour

5 c. milk

1 c. chicken broth

cheese

sour cream

green onions, cut

bacon bits

Cut up potatoes.  Boil.  Drain.  Sauté onion.  Melt butter in a large pot.  Slowly add flour.  (Make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot or else it will burn.)  Slowly whisk in milk.  Add chicken bouillon.  Stir frequently.  Add potatoes and onion to milk base.  Thicken with instant potatoes or half and half.  Add salt if desired.  Serve with cheese, sour cream, green onions, and bacon bits.

by Sarah, Barbara's granddaughter/Cheryl's daughter

Parmesan Chicken

Okay, there was no way my kids would touch the brussel sprouts, but they devoured this chicken. Mostly they were amazed I could cook something so professional!

Chicken Parmesan

3 chicken breasts

1 egg

1 c. Italian bread crumbs

2 t. garlic powder

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

1/4 c. butter

1/2 t. garlic powder

1 t. chopped parsley

1 t. lemon juice

1 jar spaghetti sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Beat egg. Combine bread crumbs, 2 t. garlic powder, salt, pepper and parmesan. Dip each piece of chicken in egg mixture then roll in crumb mixture. Arrange chicken in large shallow baking dish. Melt butter and combine with 1/2 t. garlic powder, parsley, and lemon juice. Pour over chicken. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, until cooked. Remove from oven. Top each piece of chicken with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella. Bake another 10 minutes. Top with parmesan and fresh parsley. Serve.


by Stephanie, wife of Barbara's son Brandon

Oven Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

Stephanie submitted this recipe via Facebook. The post is from www.ourbestbites.com


"Brussels sprouts are great at this time of year because they have kind of a wild, earthy smell that make spring feel like it's right around the corner. Brussels sprouts have kind of a bad reputation and it's true, they can be a little strong. But I love roasting because they come out sweeter, less bitter, and a little crispy rather than mushy. Plus, they pack an amazing nutritional punch, especially when you use a little extra-virgin olive oil. You can roast them a la Ina Garten with just some olive oil and Kosher salt, but I love it with some balsamic vinegar and garlic (almost exactly how we do our grilled asparagus!). You'll need 1 lb. fresh Brussels sprouts (frozen sprouts aren't great--they come out mushy and smelly), 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, some balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat your oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Rinse your sprouts.

Working one sprout at a time, cut off the tough end. At this point, you'll probably notice some of the outer leaves begging you to pick them off. Do it. Just gently slip your fingers over the sprout and peel off anything that wants to come off.If the whole sprout is falling apart, toss it, but generally, you'll get at least 2 leaves off of each sprout.

After you have de-uglified the sprouts, slice them each in half and place them in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together some vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour it over the sprouts and toss them so they're evenly coated.

Spread the sprouts onto the prepared baking sheet

and roast for 20-25 minutes or until the sprouts are tender and a little crispy. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a little more vinegar and some more Kosher salt to taste. Serve immediately. Try to convince your children that they're giants and they're eating teeny tiny cabbages. It might work! My kids, however, were not convinced that they were giants or that they liked Brussels sprouts, but hey, I tried, right?"

Oven-Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

1 lb. fresh Brussels sprouts

1 1/2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 T. balsamic vinegar, divided

3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1/2 t. Kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling before serving

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Rinse sprouts in cool water and then chop off the tough ends. Pull any straggly leaves off the sprouts and then chop each sprout in half. Place in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, 1 1/2 T. balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, 1/2 t. salt, and the freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle it over the chopped sprouts and then toss to combine. Spread the sprouts out evenly over the baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes or until the sprouts are tender-crisp. Remove from oven, transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with the reserved tablespoon of vinegar, and sprinkle with kosher salt to taste. Serve iimmediately. Makes 4 servings. Weight Watchers Plus Points (per serving): 3

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/02/oven-roasted-balsamic-brussels-sprouts.html

by Stephanie, wife of Barbara's son Brandon

Green Smoothies

A few of years ago, a couple of gals in our ward did a RS cooking night based on the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield. It was about getting more nutrition into our family meals. (There's also another book along that like called Stealth Health by an Oregonian dietician Brenda Ponichtera.) Great class and information. In that class, Joanna taught us about putting spinach in smoothies. I thought that there was NO way my guys would go for it, but they did. So for a few years I've been buying bags of spinach, then throwing them in the freezer. The fun part is crunching the spinach up into little bits. Anyway, we made smoothies with yogurt, bananas, frozen berries and a handful of spinach. As long as there is blueberry, or another dark fruit, it seemed drinkable. And nutritious!

Green Smoothie Revolution:
The Radical Leap Toward Natural Health
by Victoria Boutenko

http://greensmoothierevolution.com/
http://www.rawfamily.com/recipes
http://freegreensmoothierecipes.com/recipes/

Fast forward to last October. I saw the book above at our little Troutdale Library and checked it out. I learned about an Oregon woman who was trying to get more greens into her family's diet, as they were all suffering from ailments such as diabetes, heart disease, etc. Long story short, she started blending the greens. Then she began blending them with fruit so the smoothies were more tasty. I read her book, and then read her first book called Green for Life. It's a lot more technical about the nutrition in greens, etc. Anyway, I've been having a green smoothie most days since then. Scott will have some, and Ian has fun slurping them also. (Straws are the ticket for him!) Lately if I don't give him one, he asks for one. Victoria Boutenko is pretty radical (compared to the Standard American Diet—S.A.D.), and I don't want to scare you away...but throwing fruit and greens into the blender takes just a few minutes. The best 'fast food' ever. There has only been one time that I really couldn't choke one down. I added another banana and it was OK. I've kept a journal so I can remember what combos I/we like the best, but really it's been fun. AND NO COOKING! I've included some links, with recipes. She's all about just starting with water, adding fruit and greens and not really following a 'recipe' per se. I've been doing them for lunch, sharing with Ian, and saving some for late afternoon snack.Or we have a smoothie with a family meal. I did banana, fresh pineapple, mixed baby greens and water last week and all liked it. Unlimited options, so check the recipes to get ideas.

http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/

While talking about green smoothies with my friend Debbie, I found that she and her husband were having them regularly also. They have been following another person who is a 'soccer mom' version of the gal above. (And she speaks of the author about as one of the pioneers in the field.) She is trying to make it doable for a family and offers a 12 step program to going all whole food. (step one adding green smoothies, step two adding a salad every day, step three appropriate dressing, etc.) She makes 3 qts. of green smoothie every morning. She has a quart, then gives a pint to each of her kids. Her recipes and program are not all online free. I did find her basic book shown below at the library. Debbie and Stan are light years ahead on eating healthy. Stan is diabetic, so they are always trying to do what will help him the most. They us the other things she recommends like chia seeds and coconut oil, etc. I haven't done that yet. I'm kind of like those 'fence sitters' Elder Maxwell talked about some: wanting to be in Zion, but keep a summer house in Babylon! I have good habits I'm developing, but bad habits I'm still working to eliminate. I think the closer we can get to the Word of Wisdom with healthy the better, but not for all vegetarian/vegan. Debbie and I went to a free class this month (2/4) by Robyn Openshaw (AKA Green Smoothie Girl).  She was very interesting, and feels very strongly about young mothers helping their children learn good heath habits. She also started research this because of a sick child.

I'm not perfect at this...especially the additional expensive things. Scott still would prefer 'meat and potato' land, but is usually willing to try dishes.. Some of the stuff in these books is a bit out of my league now, but I've really enjoyed feeling heathier drinking one for lunch everyday. There is actually a non-fruit one that I love. If you like guacamole you might like it. It's avocado, romas, water, cilantro, onion, garlic, green pepper and salt. Hope there is something interesting to you!




Robyn’s Green Smoothie Template Recipe

Makes 8 cups of 100% raw smoothie.

Put 2 1/2 to 3 cups water (or some ice also) in your blender.

(Optionally, add:

½ t. stevia (herbal sweetener) or
up to ¼ cup raw, organic agave nectar (low glycemic index)

¼ whole lemon, including peel (anti-skin cancer, high in flavanoids)

2-3 T. fresh, refrigerated flax oil (omega-3 rich oil)

Gradually add greens until, briefly pureed, the mixture comes up the 5-cup line (or less if you are “converting”):

¾ to 1 lb. raw, washed greens, added up to 5 ½ cup line:

spinach, chard, kale, collards, mixed greens, celery, turnip greens, beet greens, arugula, dandelion etc.

Puree greens mixture for 90 seconds until very smooth.

Gradually add fruit until the container is very full, blend 90 seconds or until smooth:

1-2 bananas

1-2 cups frozen mixed berries

any other fruit to taste: pears, peaches, apples, oranges, apricots, cantaloupe, mango, pineapple, etc.

Make a full blender and you’ll have some to drink, and some to share.
Why is the green smoothie habit worth 10 minutes of your day?
One quart is 12-15 servings of greens and fruit. That quart costs about $2.50. (Think of what people are spending daily on Starbucks or the $1 fast food menu...)

p.s.  Tips:  For beginners and those trying to convert children (or spouses!), consider using LESS greens and MORE fruit (especially berries and bananas) in the beginning, gradually working up to a 50/50 ratio as described here.  Consider using only spinach the first few days, then sneak in chard, collards, and kale, the other mild but excellent greens gradually.  Add other savory or bitter greens only when your family are “experts” in green smoothies!  Add a bit more water if you feel the smoothie is too thick. Also, add dark berries if the smoothies is too 'green' for someone...or say it's a Shrek smoothie for kids.

http://www.wordofwisdomliving.com/

Finally, I read about a new blog on your health. I just spent a few minutes there, but really liked what I saw.  The man that started this is a church member and engineer and very down-to-earth and Word of Wisdom based. His daughter wrote a guest post on a blog I read, and I'm hooked. I'll have to go back and read from the beginning of the year. Here's a taste: "My parents taught me good habits as a child, but over the past few years my dad has gotten really serious about studying nutrition. I’ve been encouraging him to start his own blog so he can share all that he’s learned with the rest of us. It’s now up and running and it’s called Word of Wisdom Living. It’s becoming a real community, with people asking questions and sharing what works for them.

In January he started one year of “Healthy Changes”, one small thing you can change in your diet or lifestyle each week. He’ll post a new one each Monday for the rest of the year. So far these have touched on topics like soda, fried foods, exercise and vitamin D. You can even download a little reminder card that you can hang on your bathroom mirror to help you remember. He’ll also be reviewing some of his favorite health books, sharing nutritional blogs and medical journal studies, and some of his favorite healthy recipes.

I know that I am biased, but my dad is a really smart guy. I think we all could learn a lot from him. Here’s to a healthy 2011!"

Back to Dee—OK, and here's one I really like below:

And by the author: "Though an avid student of nutrition, I am neither doctor nor scientist and don’t pretend to be. In fact, that is my credential: I’m a private person studying a public puzzle: how to live. In my search I have read over a hundred books, plus many, many articles and studies. Whatever I have been able to learn, I freely offer for your consideration and comment."

by Dee, wife of Barbara's son Scott

Mother's Hamburger Soup

Barbara with her mother and sisters in 1988

(left to right: Ann, Shirleen, Areta, Barbara, LaDawn)

These amazing women have cooked for their spouses, children and grandchildren for many years. We didn't do a cookbook for this side of the family, but wish we had one. Barbara will have to go through her collection and we could post some for everyone. Here's one from the Barbara Doney cookbook, that was most likely from the Idaho farm family. 

MOTHER'S HAMBURGER SOUP

1 lb. hamburger 1 lg. onion, chopped 2 c. celery, diced 2-1/2 c. tomatoes 4 c. water 2 or 3 carrots, diced 1/2 green pepper, chopped

2 lg. potatoes, diced 1/4 c. raw rice/pearl barley or 1/2 c. noodles 1 T. salt Pepper to taste Celery salt to taste

Brown meat and onions.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer 45 minutes.  Serves 6 to 8.

This picture was taken when Mom was down from Alaska

for a Doney family reunion in 1988.

Cheryl, Jason, Scott, Erik, Dee, Kirsten and Mom are pictured.

"It's always fun when Grandma comes,

when Grandma comes,

HOORAY!"