During the winter months when I was little, about 3 or 4, I can remember eating several childhood staples: macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, corn dogs and grilled cheese.

Already you know I’m leaving one incredibly important food that most people don’t grow out of: chicken nuggets.

Each day about noon, my mom would make lunch just before a few of my favorite TV shows came on.

But it was magic when I’d watch “Eureka’s Castle” and then get up to eat lunch, just like how the characters left each show for lunchtime.

“Spicy, salty, sour, sweet, bring us something good to eat!”

As an adult, I still love chicken nuggets with mac and cheese.

Growing older — I mean growing up — I’ve branched out from the chunks of chicken and sometimes crave buttermilk tenders. You know, the adult version of a chicken nugget.

Homemade chicken nuggets and tenders aren’t always easy to make.

Sometimes, food tastes better when it’s ordered, or simply when someone else makes it.

That’s not the case with my crunchy chicken strips.

More often than not, I’ve tried different recipes to “cut back” from going to local coffee houses or restaurants, only to spend more money on the ingredients for a recipe that didn’t come out right after a few tries.

When this happens, I’ll revisit Pinterest to draw inspiration from the haircuts, clothing and recipes I saved years ago.

One thing that hasn’t gone out of style is the food.

Not quite a decade ago, I was perusing the “social media” site (it is, in fact, social media) for healthier meals as a new reporter on the go.

That’s when I came across something magical. A recipe that married my childlike palate with maturity.

Taking crushed cornflakes and tenderized chicken creates a crunchy, non-fried chicken strip.

I was instantly intrigued and went to the cupboards to see my ingredients.

Cornflakes: yes. Chicken: yes. Eggs: yes. Butter: yes.

The best part?

No frying.

I can’t stand the smell of frying inside my home and have thanked the good Lord each day since I purchased an air fryer.

Regular thanks is also given since finding this recipe.

This Pinterest recipe was one of the few where I felt confident making it the first time and it’s come out perfect ever since.

Smashing the cornflakes not quite into a powder, tenderizing the chicken and adding butter make an incredibly satisfying chicken tender.

Be still my 3-year-old heart.

Last week I went on about seasonings. I have fun jazzing up my crunchy, baked chicken fingers with different seasonings that I add either in the butter or egg.

This week, let’s take a few minutes and think about what goes well with chicken strips. Sauces, of course, but my go-to for at least 30 years has been honey.

As you’ve learned about me over the last several months, you can probably tell I lean toward the sweeter-tasting combinations. I do try to keep the sweet intake in check, but it’s OK to dunk and drizzle honey all over things, right?

In my unsolicited opinion, honey goes great with most things. Chicken and waffles, teas, corn dogs, certain cakes — you name it.

I also put honey on pepperoni pizza, but dunking a crispy, hot piece of chicken really satisfies any craving you didn’t know you had.

Every so often, I do want that mixture of sweet and savory, and for me, this has a great balance.

These tenders reheat nicely in the air fryer and are washed down great with adult grape juice (wine) or for your true inner child, chocolate milk.

Pardon me while I make this recipe and find my favorite shows from the 1989 and 1990 daily kids’ television lineup.

Crunchy Chicken Strips

Ingredients

1 pound of chicken, tenderized and cut into strips

½ cup milk

2 large eggs

4 cups cornflakes, slightly crushed into coarse crumbs

¼ cup butter, melted

Seasonings

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk milk and eggs in a bowl.

Dip chicken strips into the whisked milk/egg bowl.

Roll the chicken in the coarse cornflakes.

Place chicken on a baking sheet.

Drizzle melted butter over top the chicken.

Cook for about 15 minutes. Check with a thermometer that the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Note: You can add your choice of spices to the cornflakes or the butter.

Share your favorite recipes and memories with Features Editor Ashley Fox at afox@tribtoday.com.