Q: My father-in-law gave us some pheasants, which are now in the freezer since I had no idea what to do with them. I could use some recipes that don't involve throwing them in a slow cooker with a can a cream of mushroom soup! Any ideas?

Sent by Lacy More

Q: Frozen chicken fingers can be extremely useful for all kinds of things: In wraps, on salads, in sauce for a quick appetizer. But, even in the oven, I have trouble getting them crispy. Besides breaking out a pan full of oil, is there a trick to getting a nice crunch from the oven?

Sent by Wyatt More

Grilling is a beautiful thing. You can grill something (perhaps accidentally) until it's so blackened and beyond edible-looking that you think it won't be fit for anyone but the dog. But when you tentatively slice off a piece, it turns out to be absolutely perfect. This recipe for beer-brined chicken is a case in point. More

Q: Some friends and I are planning a "kitchen-weekend," where a different couple cooks a 3-course meal each night. I still haven't thought of my menu, and definitely need help! The only kinds of meat allowed are veal, chicken and duck, or dishes should be vegetarian. Any great menu ideas?

Sent by Jeroen More

All hail the conquering chicken! Chickens are the Western world's most ubiquitous dinner entreé — how did they achieve such sweeping cultural and culinary dominance? That very interesting question is the subject of an equally sweeping article (and a wacked-out slideshow!) in this month's Smithsonian magazine. More

I grew up in the Midwest and far away from fresh seafood so my standard fallback lean protein is chicken. But it's easy to fall into a rut with this accessible poultry. If you need something to break the routine, check out these ten ways to add something new to the mix! More

Do you cook with chicken sausage? It's a staple in our house, great for rounding out a casserole, topping off a pizza, or throwing into a soup. Nealey's recipe for Glazed Chicken Sausage the other day made me realize just how much I've come to rely on this in my cooking. More

I have a few weeknight dinner options in my back pocket that are a guaranteed success. If there's chicken sausage, a rib eye, or teriyaki-marinated pork tenderloin in my refrigerator, then I can have a delicious meal on the table in 30 minutes or less. It is easy dinners like these that usually remind me why less is often more.

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By now it's probably safe to assume that you've heard of the famous Zuni Roast Chicken. Considering the viral nature of the food blogging world, who hasn't?! I've tried it and it's fabulous, but I'm not going to lie: I just don't always have the time to put that much effort into dinner. (Please tell me I'm not the only one.) More

Last week I spoke on a panel with my friend Melissa Clark at the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference in New York. The topic was recipe voice. As I was considering what I might say, I asked myself what it is that I hear when I read a recipe and what I want my readers to hear when I write one. I immediately thought about Judy Rodgers' book, The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, and how it was her recipe voice that first caught my attention as something unique: it was playful, breezy, sometimes annoyingly lengthy, and full of wit and memorable lessons, particularly her five-page recipe for roast chicken. More