Pint Night

Wednesday in Columbia is pint night at many of the local bars. In honor of the ‘hump’ day special—how about some bar food? They say that in order to keep yourself looking young on the outside all you have to do is to harness the child on the inside. Which could explain why every once in a while we all get the child-like craving for chicken fingers and french -fries. Just short of driving through a fast food window at midnight after one of these pint night experiences, try these easy at home recipes that children of all ages will enjoy.

Coconut Chicken Fingers & Dip
1 pkt. Shake & Bake Extra Crispy Seasoned Coating Mix
1 cup Angel Flake Coconut, toasted
1/4 tsp. each curry powder and ground cayenne pepper
1 egg
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips *
1/4 cup Miracle Whip Dressing
1 Tbsp. mango chutney

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

COMBINE coating mix, coconut and seasonings in pie plate. Beat egg in second pie plate.

DIP chicken in egg, then in coating mixture, turning to evenly coat both sides of each strip; place on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 12 to 14 min. or until chicken is done. Meanwhile, mix dressing and chutney.

SERVE chicken as dippers with the sauce.

NOTE: Some grocery stores carry pre-cut chicken fingers, by all means feel free to use those!



Cajun Yam Fries
1 large yam, peeled and cut into ¼ thick fries
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

PREHEAT oven to 425 degrees F.

TOSS yam sticks with oil, salt, and Cajun seasoning. Spread out evenly on a sheet tray. If multiplying the recipe, use a separate sheet tray for each yam.

BAKE for 15 minutes then flip fries with a spatula. Rotate pan and bake for another 10-15 minutes until nicely browned and crisp looking.