two unrelated, yet equally delicious matters

Two happy things tonight – a quick (and awesome!) recipe, and a few last-minute details about Craftcation (tickets go on sale tomorrow at noon – EEEEE!!!!).

But first, the recipe. Because, well, to borrow the words of Ron Swanson, it involves my #1 favorite food, wrapped around my #2 favorite food. Yes, bacon and chicken. I am a carnivore. Unapologetically. And bacon and I are tender friends. And thus, one of my favorite grilling recipes which needs to exist on the internet because it doesn’t  now (that I could find) and it’s so stinking yummy.

Enough build up? Ready to see it?

(Oh, and if you are not the carnivorous type, you may want to skip to the second part of this post…)

Here it is, y’all:

Pineapple-Bacon-Chicken Skewers

(The recipe – I found it in an issue of Family Circle years ago – called them “Chicken-pineapple kebabs”, but I think bacon should get a spot in the billing, plus, I don’t like the way “kebabs” is spelled.)

So, this is a pretty easy, clear cut recipe, but I’ll break it down like a fraction for you anyway:

Ingredients:
(fyi- this served 5 adults, 2 picky children, with leftovers – you can adjust it depending on how many people you’ll be serving.)
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
16oz bacon
1 can pineapple chunks or one fresh pineapple
1 large Vidalia onion
14oz barbecue sauce (I like something in the hickory brown sugar family if possible)
Jasmine rice enough to make you happy – I steamed up 1.5 cups dry and that was just about right.
14oz pineapple preserves (really, the pineapple preserves and hickory barbecue sauce are the stars of the show. Well, except the bacon… and the chicken… okay, it’s an all-star cast!)

Directions:

Soak a dozen large bamboo skewers for a few hours. (I just stuck mine in a tall cup in the morning when I got up.) Or use metal skewers.

Cut the chicken into 1″ cubes and place them in a bowl.

Cut the bacon into 2″ pieces (or just cut all the strips in half) and put them in another bowl.

Cut the onion into largish pieces and put in another bowl. Are we sensing a theme? Do the same with the pineapple – either cut it up or dump it out of the can and drain. No one will judge you for eating pineapple from a can – not even me. Put them in bowls.

Or, you know, forget the bowl things altogether. My only big piece of advice here is: don’t get chickeny hands in the pineapple bowl unless you’re certain that you’ll use all the pineapple for the skewers and don’t want to save any aside for your picky children. Nothing like a bit of salmonella to ruin a fun evening. (this did not happen to us, yet I live in constant fear…)

Start steaming your rice (according to package directions, of course) and skewer up all the ingredients – you don’t need me to tell you what order. Most importantly: it’s nice to start and end with an onion, and it’s key to wrap the pieces of chicken in bacon. Yep, that’s key.

Prepare your grill and throw those puppies on! They should be good if you cook them for 6 minutes on each side. (It’s not my fault if you eat undercooked chicken. ftr.)

While they’re grilling, combine the pineapple preserves and barbecue sauce in a pot on the stove (or on the sideburner of your grill) and when the skewers are nearly finished cooking, brush that delicious sauce onto them so they get nice and glazed. This will make you glad. Put the leftover saucy sauce in a gravy boat or cool, stemless martini glass – you don’t want this goodness to go to waste.

Now, pop the skewers off the grill and onto a pretty serving platter. Put your perfectly steamed rice in a pretty bowl and set them both on the table before your eager meal companions.

Then, if you’re like me, free the grilled goodness from the skewers as quickly as possible onto a heap of rice, add a bit more magic sauce and dig in. Mmmm… happy summer in January!

Okay, really the post could end right there. But, I’m just so excited about tomorrow and Craftcation sign-ups and getting to know who’s coming!

I’m excited as we move into the next stages of planning to get to do it with our guests in mind!

I’m excited for y’all to meet Devon and Peyton!

I’m geeked to get to treat all of our guests to Nourish loot upon arrival!
(Oh, yes! You had to know Nourish would show up as a sponsor, right?)

 I’m excited to line up sewing machines and pretty stacks of fabric and hot glue guns and projects galore!

I’m excited to get to host twelve of you for your very own (and the very first!) Craftcation!

I am looking forward to sending y’all pretty badges to put on your blogs that look something like this:

Won’t you be fancy?

I can’t wait to meet new fun friends and eat awesome food and enjoy pretty Tennessee summer evenings together on that great big porch!

It’s going to be epic, y’all! Are you going to be there???

Eeee! Tomorrow at noon, CST. Be there or be square!

Also, to answer a few recent questions:

1. Can I purchase more than one ticket? There are twelve spots and when they’re gone, they’re gone. BUT, if you get to the sign up page, you will have the option to purchase up to three spots. So, you may sign up for a friend if she misses the sign up screen.

2. What happens once I sign up? You will receive an email from us with lots of exclamation points and smiley faces. Also, further instructions and possibly a short questionnaire. You’ll know it when you see it.

2. What if I don’t get a spot? Angst! We’re not sure how tomorrow will go, or even if all of the spots will fill up, frankly. Time will tell! But if spots fill up and you didn’t get one, there will be a waiting list and you may still get a spot!

3. Are the tickets refundable? Tickets are refundable for 30 days after purchase, and after that they are transferable. If for some reason you are not able to come, we will have a waiting list and you may sell your ticket to the person at the top of the waiting list or to someone you know – no problem (just as long as it’s not a boy or a baby!) :) If you are unable to transfer your ticket to someone else, we cannot refund your purchase price after the 30 days.

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