If you're in doubt, why not use a relay? They're simple, cheap and robust. I also re-iterate the other responses in that solid state relays come in a variety of sizes - 10amps is not a problem. Also note that solid state relays are just a prepackaged triac (or SCRs) with the drive circuitry all nicely packaged in black epoxy.

As for the ACE micro, there are 8 pin 8051 style micros as well as AVR,PIC etc if you want a tiny bare bones micro. It's all very nice if you're making 1000's of devices and you need to save every cent, but for me, I'd prefer to use a larger device and avoid trying to squeeze everything in a tiny micro - my time is normally the most expensive part of a project.