This post is sponsored by MADHOUSE Collection. Casual entertaining shouldn’t sacrifice style. You can find statement melamine serveware, cool paper products and the neatest twig utensils I’ve ever seen.

I first experimented this recipe on Mother’s day. We had 11 people to dinner that night so I wanted to make something tasty and easy. I also wanted to use our new grill for the first time! I based this recipe off a traditional Sunday dinner my mom used to slow cook in the winters with cream of mushroom soup. They’re good, but the cream of mushroom soup is a bit to heavy for spring and summer dining.

Since Mother’s day I’ve perfected the recipe. It’s delicious, easy to double or triple and makes for great leftovers. If you have any.

Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Chicken

prep and cook time: 40 minutes, serves: 6-8

• 1-2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 9 chicken tenders
• 9 strips of bacon
• 9 toothpicks, soaked

You can use fresh minced garlic, but I’ve found that the minced garlic from a jar works best. I get better flavor and the garlic cooks all the way through. I would also recommend using regular bacon. Thick country-style bacon is too fatty, we had issues with the bacon catching fire and charring the bacon while not evenly cooking the chicken. I use chicken tenders because they’re thin and small. You can certainly cut chicken breasts down to about the size of a chicken tender. Start with a clean surface and be sure to thoroughly clean all surfaces that have come in contact with the raw meat.

Pre-heat your grill to medium heat.

Lay out 1 bacon strip, place one chicken tender in the middle, spread minced garlic on top of the chicken. Starting from one side, roll the bacon and chicken up neatly. Pierce the middle with a toothpick to keep the meats from unrolling. Set aside. Repeat for all 9 chicken tenders.

Once your grill is preheated (I heat it to 450, clean the grill bars and cool it down to 300), place meat on grill bars, bacon sides down. Allow to cook about 10 minutes on each side, cook until bacon is medium brown and chicken is all-the-way cooked. This is about 20-25 minutes. Remove toothpicks (or tell guests to remove them). Serve.

And if you already have the grill going, put a few ears of corn and slabs of sweet potatoes on the grill. You’ll have an entire meal without dirtying a ton of pans or heating up the house.

How was Father’s Day around your house? We had a really relaxed, low-key day. Chris isn’t one to make a huge fuss out of holidays so it was easy to make him feel loved and appreciated.

On a personal note, I’m so grateful to have Chris as my man. He is a wonderful Father and husband. He is awesome with our kids and he’s so supportive of me and my adventures.

So supportive, in fact, that he recently quit his job so that we can work from home together. He’s been working tirelessly on a project that we’ve been dreaming about for almost for a year. When he’s not solving crazy dev problems; he’s playing with the kids, changing diapers and tidying up the house. He’s doing whatever he can to help me grow this little business of mine. Sometimes I get anxious thinking about being our own bosses, but then Chris comes to assure me that we’re doing the right thing. And he’s right. I wouldn’t have this any other way. We work really well alongside each other. I’m grateful that we have this opportunity to do that.

I’m also incredibly grateful that my kids get to spend so much time with their dad. Both Chris and I have wonderful dads. They’re strong, hard-working, faithful men. I cherished those quiet moments with my dad in the car enroute to Home Depot on Saturdays. I’m excited that Penelope and Felix will grow up with cherished moments with their dad as well.