Poultry

Today, lunchtime will be interactive and dip-a-licious!

Rachael says, "The original recipe for Pretzel-Crusted Chicken, published in 365: No Repeats, remains one of the most popular in the literally thousands of meals I’ve written in the last decade. Here, it becomes a kid favorite, too, because I slice up the chicken breasts into the kid crowd pleaser: chicken fingers! I added zucchini sticks to the meal as well, swapped pretzels for whole wheat pretzels and cut back on the milk in the sauce by half and added chicken stock in its place."

…because you just cannot have enough chicken finger recipes.

Rachael says, “Yup, here’s another recipe for chicken fingers. This one is a riff on everything bagels (my favorite). The chicken fingers are coated in everything crust (seeds, garlic and onion) then baked, not fried. Then they get dipped in a vegetable cream cheese sauce. High protein, low-carb fun!”

Rachael says, “Like chicken fingers and Buffalo-style anything, you can’t have too many nacho recipes! These nachos are topped with lots of veggies and are super satisfying. When it comes to cheese for my nachos or the use of cheese in general, I use less of good quality, strong flavor cheeses rather than more of reduced fat, flat-flavored cheeses.”

Rachael says, “This one is an updated version of shake and bake style chicken. The ranch dressing is made with buttermilk, which I always thought of as rich and fattening – not so! Buttermilk is very low in fat, as it is made from skim milk. This is one feel-good-about-it down-home supper.” Serve with Rachael’s Peeler Salad, included in the recipe below.

Rachael says, “I made this when Wayne Brady came by the show. He was so funny I could not speak! I do not think one person heard the recipe, so here it is, written down. He loved the Joes. Maybe we should call ‘em Sloppy Waynes. Nah. He dresses too spiffy for that name to stick!”

Rachael says, "In this recipe, all the flavors of sweet Italian sausage – fennel, garlic and cheese – get combined with sweet smothered onions and are piled on top of lean pork loin chops. My mom’s simple roasted peppers seemed the right side for this meal. If you like sausage, pepper and onion subs at the ballpark or at street fairs, this meal is for you!"

Rachael says, "Stoup is a made-up term that I use for a recipe that is thicker than soup and thinner than stew in its consistency. Slow-cooked Cacciatore Stoup, originally a hunter’s stew of rabbit and wild mushrooms, then a spicy on-the-bone chicken dish with vegetable and tomato sauce in mainstream restaurants, today gets a fast, fun update with this winning recipe that the whole family will love! Plus, it’s easy cleanup for whomever gets stuck with the dishes!"

A tostada is like a mega size nacho: a tortilla topped with beans or meat and cheese and veggies. Try this simple, fun Mexican-American meal with your family and friends. Each Taco Nacho is made on a crispy baked flour tortilla rather than corn chips. It’s topped with chicken and taco sauce, cheese and salad – Yum-Olé!

Thinner than a stew, but thicker than a soup…it’s a stoup! Braised sausages in a thick pepper and onion soup with cubed sundried tomato and basil garlic bread on top make for a delish dish! Serve with a tossed green salad dressed with oil and vinegar.

Thanksgiving for four, for any day of the year! At Yum-o!, we believe in all things in moderation. Special treats like the Cran-applesauce Sundaes included in this recipe are to be eaten once in a while and only after you’ve been a good eater the rest of the time. That’s why it’s called a treat!

Rachael says, “I love mashed potatoes because they taste great and because they are so much fun to smash up! In this recipe, you can smash away because we’re making Shepherd’s Pie, which is ground meat mixed up with veggies and topped with smashed potatoes. The potatoes are like a crust, so they call it a pie even though it’s not. If you’re not taller than the stove, itself, let a Grown-up Helper (GH) handle the stovetop work – make sure you’re in there for the smashing though; that’s the key to the whole thing! Yum-o!”

Rollover Suppers are meals from which the leftovers can be turned into a second or even a third night’s meal with entirely different flavor. Add a DVD of Johnny Depp as a pirate and you’ve got a night in the Caribbean with this recipe, plus a head start on two more nights’ meals! Make this meal the first night, followed by Sweet and Spicy Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken on the second night and Jerk Chicken Quesadillas with Slaw Salad on the final night.