I am not a big fan of frozen chicken fingers, so I make my own, which isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Lately, I’ve found that combining panko (Japanese) bread crumbs with store-bought bread crumbs results in a crust that is crunchy but not too crunchy. This is a fast mid-week dish that is heavenly with the pairing of a honey and mustard dip.

Is there no combination more magical than warm blueberries with brie? I can’t think of a more delicious combo, unless you wrap it all up in phyllo dough. Amazing! As blueberries come to market, make this as often as possible. When blueberries reach their peak, freeze them and you’ll enjoy blueberry pancakes, muffins, pie and this yummy appetizer all year long.

chicken fingers with honey mustard dipping sauce
serves 4

2 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten with about 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for drizzling

honey mustard dip
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 450˚F.

2. Cut chicken into strips. Place flour on a plate. Place egg and mustard mixture in a bowl. In another shallow bowl, mix panko, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.

3. Dredge chicken in flour, then eggs, then bread crumb mixture.

4. Place chicken on baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle each piece lightly with olive oil. Bake uncovered in 450˚F oven 11 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

5. Meanwhile, make honey mustard dip: in a bowl, whisk honey with mustard. Serve chicken strips with dip.

This is a simple dish, so keep the wine to a simple white vin de pays or California Chardonnay.

phyllo-wrapped brie with blueberries
2/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
10 sheets phyllo dough
1 small wheel of double-cream brie (about 8 oz)

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.

2. In a small bowl, combine blueberries, lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

3. Arrange phyllo sheets in a stack on a baking sheet. Place brie in centre. Spoon blueberry mixture over brie.

4. Fold the edges of the top sheet of phyllo up and over cheese and blueberries. Spray with cooking spray, then repeat with remaining sheets.

5. Bake brie 25 minutes or until phyllo is golden brown. Serve immediately with a warm toasted baguette.

When served as an appetizer, open a bottle of sparkling wine. When served as dessert, try a Vidal Icewine.