Happy Birthday dinner

Last week my middle mini turned 7.  Here is what you need to know about him, my mini is the most amazingly kind, sweet, sensitive, and empathetic kid ever.  I know you're probably rolling your eyes and thinking that every mom says that about every mini.  Not true.  I would never say that about my other two.

I struggled with this birthday a bit because a part of me is afraid that when my middle mini grows up he may outgrow his cuddliness and his desire to curl up on my lap and rub the skin on the back of my arm.  OK, let's all hope he outgrows that someday.

But seriously, my middle mini is a doll.  He loves everybody and everybody loves him.  He has a very kind spirit and is a devoted brother and friend.  He works hard in everything he does.  He prays thoughtfully every night.  He loves baseball, superheroes, the Chicago Cubs, and his puppy.  He tolerates his long shaggy hair because he knows I love it.  And I can't believe it's been 7 years since that 11 lb, 1 oz bundle of joy came into my life.

And here he is today.  Sweet.  Adorable.  Aspires to be a stay at home dad and live in an RV on the beach after he retires from MLB at the age of 26.  He doesn't want to have kids when he's playing for the Cubs because he knows he will miss them too much.  Those words actually came out of my mini's mouth.  Told you he was sweet, kind, and thoughtful.

One thing I love about my middle mini is that he will eat anything.  My other 2 minis are picky, but my middle mini will try anything.  So for his birthday, I wanted to make him something he would love...and what better to make a little boy on his birthday than man-pleasing chicken?

Man-Pleasing Chicken

• 1 package of chicken thighs (I did a pound of thighs and a pound of breasts)
• 1/2 cup dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• fresh rosemary

1.  Preheat oven to 450F.

2.  Mix together dijon mustard, syrup, and vinegar.

3.  Put the chicken in a foil lined baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Pour mustard mix over chicken.  Flip chicken over to coat both sides.

4.  Bake to 165F.  Baste chicken throughout cooking.

5.  Let chicken rest 5 minutes.  Serve with sauce on top and sprinkled with fresh rosemary.

This chicken was simple to make and tasty.  I think my middle mini was pleased.  So perhaps I should rename this recipe the Mini-Pleasing Chicken?

Happy 7th birthday to my middle mini!!!!

RV show!

Today is the mini's last day of school before spring break!  I am so excited, we seriously need some McGhee family time.  Mr. McGhee took the week off, and we resisted all urges to book the vacation we've been dreaming about.  Instead we are going to stay home and work around the house.  Remember when I told you Mr. McGhee and I were taking a farm class.  I was totally thinking I would come home from that class with funny stories of Mr. McGhee declaring that I am officially nuts.  But, nope.  Guess what?!?!  Mr. McGhee wants to be a farmer now too!  Unfortunately, we currently live in a small subdivision, so we will have to focus on gardening and composting for now.  But we are on the lookout for any farm-suitable land, so if you've got any you're looking to get rid of, let me know!

Before we jump into our week of work, we are going out of town to visit our best friends for a few days.  Our friends have 4 minis, so along with our minis, that is a total of 7 minis under the age of 9.  We're practically the Duggars.  Well, except we drink, swear, and yell at our kids.  We were supposed to leave today as soon as school is over, but then I looked at my calendar and realized that there is an event today that we have been looking forward to for a year.  The RV show!!!!!  The McGhee family is obsessed with RVs and so we're going to have to hit up the RV show before we head out of town.

I love camping.  Now, I friends that are campers that claim I am not a camper.  Whatever.  I love going to campgrounds and staying in cabins.  Preferably the cabin with the jacuzzi, wine cooler, deluxe kitchen, 1000 thread count sheets, and a beautiful view.

This is from our camping trip last summer.  See, look at how happy I am.

Look at us here.  We are totally campers braving that rushing water behind us.

So, Mr. McGhee and I have a dream of renting an RV someday and taking a month during the summer to drive the US.  As a family, we've been planning this vacation for about a year now, so we all agree....we must go to the RV show and scope out what options we will need for our rental.

I don't want to leave you all for a few days without a recipe to try.  For dinner last night we had mustard chicken and sauteed spinach.  I've got to be honest with you, I think I did something wrong with the chicken because I did not taste the mustard at all.  But, I think the idea is good, so I am going to rework this recipe with more mustard and regular breadcrumbs.  Perhaps a drizzle of honey too.  We thought the spinach was really good.  If you like cooked spinach, you should definitely try it.  If you don't like cooked spinach, you should try my shamrock smoothie.

Sauteed Spinach and Pine Nuts (from Rodale Whole Foods Cookbook)

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (I didn't have pine nuts, I used slivered almonds)
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds 
• 1 pound baby spinach leaves
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• lemon wedges

1.  In a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat.

2.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook until garlic is golden.

3.  Discard the garlic.

4.  Add the nuts and sesame seeds to the oil and cook until lightly toasted, about 1-2 minutes.

5.  Add the spinach, water, and salt.  

6.  Cover and cook over high heat until wilted and tender, 4-5 minutes.  Toss with a fork once or twice.

7.  Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Oven Baked Crispy Mustard Chicken (from Rodale Whole Foods Cookbook)
NOTE:  To cut a whole chicken into 8 serving pieces, separate it into drumsticks, thighs, and breasts.  Cut each breast in half.  Save the wings and backs for making stock.  

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup coarse-grained mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 chicken (4 pounds), cut into 8 pieces with skin removed (I used chicken breasts)
• 2 cups italian flavored panko bread crumbs

1.  Preheat oven to 425F.  

2.  Using olive oil, coat a rimmed baking sheet.

3.  In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy.  Whisk in mustard, salt and pepper.

4.  Add the chicken and coat with egg mixture.  

5.  Lift the chicken from the mustard mixture and roll in the crumbs, pressing them so they adhere.  

6.  Place chicken on baking sheet.  Drizzle chicken with remaining oil.

7. Bake for 30 minutes or until crispy, browned, and cooked through.

I used these breadcrumbs and seasoned them with italian seasoning.  Next time I will use regular non-panko breadcrumbs.

Have a fabulous weekend!  The McGhee family is sure to enjoy ours!