Dinner and Game Food - How Sweet It Is!

Finding something that a 4 year old actually thinks looks good, sounds good, is somewhat good for him to eat and is actually something he can help make - how sweet it is! The chicken recipe I watched Paula Deen prepare yesterday that is.

I have seen the episode where she makes these before, but this time Aidan was watching the show with me and he thought these looked pretty tasty and fun. Granted, the bacon probably isn't the most healthy option in the world, but when you are dealing with someone who's idea of the perfect breakfast is still pop tarts (because he can watch cartoons when he eats them) then actually getting some protein in him and on a plate that looks like a meal is a beautiful thing.

We paired Paula's chicken/bacon bites with some oven roasted yukon gold potato wedges dredged in a sweet and spicy seasoning and roasted them together. We also added some ground pecans to Paula's version below mainly because, well, we love 'em.

Now I will just have to do this again for the big game on Sunday, maybe served with a hot chile butter sauce. (Favorite hot sauce - I like chipotle Tabasco), melted with some butter and a little crushed garlic and toss the chicken bites when they come out of the oven).

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

(Adapted from Paula Deen's recipe)

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)

1 (1-pound) package sliced bacon

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar (we like dark)

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/4 cup ground pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Stir together brown sugar, chili powder and ground pecans. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp (turning over once after about 15 mins).

Roasted Potato Wedges

4 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

2 egg whites

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp (or to taste) chili powder

2 Tbsp dark brown sugar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Vegetable cooking spray

In one bowl beat the egg whites til frothy. In another bowl combine the flour, chili powder, sugar, salt and pepper, stir well. Dip the potato wedges in the egg whites then the flour mixture. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the potato wedges on the baking sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray. Transfer the baking sheet to a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are golden and cooked through. After 15 minutes, turn the potatoes over and continue roasting.