Man Pleasing Chicken

Our back to school countdown has progressed to only six days. I've let my blog fall to the wayside as we're trying to get in as much fun as possible before Boy #1 starts first grade and Boy #2 starts his first year of preschool. Plus we just did a month of swim lessons that were at 11:00 every day, so that really messed with our days. We're actually on our last day of a staycation at a super fun resort, so while the husband is still sleeping (he has no idea how lucky he is...or maybe he does), and I'm hanging out with the kids while they watch some cartoons I figured I'd get a post done.

So, the name of this chicken totally cracked me up when I came across it. It was, of course, a Pinterest recipe. I don't always have chicken thighs on hand, but I happened to recently and also had all the other ingredients, so I figured I'd give it a go. Plus it sounded really easy which I love!

Man Pleasing Chicken
Source: Witty In The City via Pinterest

1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1.5 to 2 pounds chicken thighs

Preheat your oven to 450ºF. Then, mix together dijon mustard, maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar. 

Put chicken thighs into a foil-lined, oven-proof baking dish. Pour your maple mustard mixture over them, turning the thighs in the mixture so they are fully coated. Put the chicken thighs into the oven, and let them bake for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF. 

Baste the tops of the chicken with more sauce half way through. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Plate the chicken, making sure to spoon some extra sauce over the top.

*****

See? Super easy. And I kind of dug the longer cooking time because it meant I was able to hang out in the pool with my family while it cooked. Actually the first time I made this my BFF Jen and her son were over for swimming and dinner, and everyone really liked this. We had it again recently and Boy #1 gave it one thumb up and one sideways thumb and dubbed it an A-, so from him that's a pretty high rating. That kid is a tough critic. This has become one of my go-to chicken thigh recipes, especially since it's so easy and we all love it so much!

Oops...apparently I didn't take a picture of it. I'll make a mental note to get one next time I make this!

Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich

It should come as no surprise to those of you who read my blog that, given my family's obscene love for cheese, we also love grilled cheese sandwiches. Because of this, I am always on the lookout for fancy, delicious-sounding grilled cheese. Our love of cheese is probably only rivaled by our love of bacon. Seriously, this family of mine can go through some bacon! So, a grilled cheese with bacon?! Awesome! Add in some creamy guacamole, and it sounds freakin' amazing! I used to not like guacamole or avocados. My parents LOVED them, and I never saw the appeal of the weird, squishy food. I was never a vegetable hater (or is an avocado a fruit?), but avocados just never did it for me. When I was pregnant with Boy #1 I had a veggie sandwich for lunch one day and almost threw up when I tasted the avocado and it's squishyness in my sandwich. Yuck. But then somehow after he was born, I embraced the avocado and LOVED it. Go figure...pregnancy does weird things to you. So, anyway, when I saw this sandwich on Pinterest I had to try it!!

Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Source: closetcooking.com via Pinterest
Ingredients listed are for one sandwich

2 slices bacon
2 slices sour dough bread
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1/2 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons guacamole, room temperature
1 tablespoon tortilla chips, crumbled (optional)

Cook the bacon until crispy and set aside on paper towels to drain.

Butter one side of each slice of bread, sprinkle half of the cheese onto the unbuttered side of one slice of bread followed by the guacamole, bacon, tortilla chips, the remaining cheese and finally top with the remaining slice of bread with the buttered side up.

Grill over medium heat until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

*****

This sandwich definitely delivered!! I loved the addition of the tortilla chips in the sandwich for a little bit of crunch. I'm not normally a chip-in-sandwich-eater (except when I'm pregnant...which I'm not, I'm just saying I did it when I was pregnant), but this was pretty tasty. I love making my own guacamole, and if you've never tried it, you really should. It's so easy--mash up an avocado or two or ten (you know, depending on how much you need), add in a little salsa (homemade or from a jar, whatever floats your boat), salt, and maybe a squeeze of lime juice, and you're good to go. My only complaint was that I think I had too much guac and not quite enough cheese for the amount of guac I had used. But, like I said, this was super tasty, and we will definitely have it again!