Grilled Adobo Chicken & Sweet Potato Bowls with Jicama Guacamole

I have a bone to pick with boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

I mean, there aren't any actual bones in there to pick, but I'm trying to say I have a problem with them. Ninety percent of the time I eat boneless, skinless chicken breasts, they're no good! Dry, flavorless, and boring. One hundred percent of the time, I would much prefer chicken thighs.  

(Side note: Back when I was a kid and McDonald's still used dark meat in some of their chicken nuggets, I would refuse to eat the white meat ones. I would actually take a bite out of each nugget to check and only eat the ones that passed muster, which was usually 2-3 per order. I was a super fun kid. Thanks, Mom, for putting up with me!)

Anyway, chicken thighs are one of my go-tos (and luckily, McDonald's chicken nuggets no longer are). I love bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for pan-searing and roasting or braising. I am even willing to go to the trouble of deboning thighs myself to make Nom Nom Paleo's amazing cracklin' chicken. And I love boneless, skinless chicken thighs for grilling and making curries. They're moister and more flavorful than breasts, and won't dry out even if you overcook them slightly. I'm super paranoid about making sure my poultry is fully cooked, so I like that extra flexibility.

Pico de gallo de frutas

After I graduated from college, I moved to Houston and became a bilingual teacher.  I had the most amazing group of students, and was lucky enough to be their teacher for three years in a row: kindergarten, first grade, and second grade.  We spoke Spanish almost all day, except for an hour or so of ESL.  Their kindergarten year was my first year of teaching, as well as my first year living far away from home.  While those things made it a difficult year for me, my kids and their families were absolutely fabulous.  A lot of people may say this, but I truly think I could not have asked for a better group of students.  They worked as a team almost from the beginning--embracing me, each other, and all the new students that trickled in (and sometimes out, and sometimes back again) over the course of our three years together.  They were unbelievably kind, patient, tolerant, bright, and hilarious.

At the end of three years, I had learned a huge amount of Spanish (I had thought I was fluent before taking the job, but the Spanish spoken in Texas is so different from what I'd practiced while studying abroad in Argentina that I had to learn new words for much of what I wanted to say).  Most of them had learned a huge amount of English, and had learned to read in both languages.  I had also learned so much about teaching, about children and families, and about life.  I know that sounds very expansive, but it was a foundational experience for me, and I think of those kids and their families almost everyday.  Shockingly (to me, because it makes me feel so old), they're in middle school now, and I'm happy to still be in touch with several of them.

Strawberry & Cream Margaritas

You didn't think I was going to leave you without an idea of which margarita to enjoy with your cupcakes, did you?  I am here for you! 

This is delicious.  I am not sure if it really counts as a margarita, but it has tequila in it.  And it has something on the rim (not salt, but who's counting?).

Ingredients (makes two servings):

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup coconut milk

4 ice cubes

2-3 shots silver tequila

Squeeze of lemon or lime juice, plus extra

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons honey (for a paleo-friendly version) or agave nectar (for a vegan version)

Sugar for glasses

Blend all ingredients except the sugar in a blender until smooth.  Taste, and add more lemon juice or agave nectar (or tequila!) if desired.

Dip the rims of two glasses into lemon juice and then sugar.  Pour into the glasses and enjoy!

¡Salud!