I used to love to be in the kitchen whenever my parents cooked. My dad worked night term when we were kids so he would be home with my brother and I during the day while my mom worked. She was then home with us at night while he slept. It worked for us and it gave me good, quality time with both my parents.
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This is the age when I loved helping in the kitchen. |
Since I was home all day with my dad, he often cooked our breakfast and lunch. He would make eggs or sausage in the morning and then sandwiches or made up chicken recipes for lunch. One thing I loved was whenever he would break the eggs into a bowl and let me beat them. I felt like such a big helper and he enjoyed having me in the kitchen. My mom was the same way. If we were having chicken for dinner she'd let me put it in the bag of bread crumbs and shake it up to help.
Looking back it would have been easier for them to cook without our help but it was fun for us and it was nice for them to spend time with us. Now that I'm a teacher I see how easy it would be to have kids help in the kitchen and learn too. Young kids can be responsible for washing fruits and vegetables, mixing the ingredients in a bowl, or even measure in cups. For a teaching tool they could sort the items by size or color. Older kids can help by peeling vegetables, measuring ingredients in measuring cups or teaspoons, and even help by chopping fruits and vegetables. If they are working on multiplication or division in school you could even ask for their help in halving or doubling a recipe.
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Almost a year old. |
American Family Insurance is launching a new Back to The Family Dinner Table Campaign to get families back around the dinner table. Since that is the mission of #SundaySupper we've partnered together this Sunday to bring you our favorite childhood meals. I had to really think about this one. The things I liked as a child are not the things I enjoy now. I used to love hot dogs, scrambled eggs and sausage, and chop suey. I don't eat any of those things now which is funny because I ate them almost daily. The one thing I can remember eating over and over again were Chicken Crescent Squares.

If you ask anyone they will tell you I'm a chicken and cheese kind of girl. That isn't a new thing. I've always liked chicken and cheese more then almost anything and this dish has a crescent roll filled with chicken and cheese. It's then coated in a crumb mixture and baked. While I love the original recipe my mom made, I tweaked it just a bit to my more adult taste. The original flavors and the basic recipe are still the same though and I still like it as much as I did when my mom made it.
American Family Insurance is having a “Share Your Recipe” sweepstakes for 6 weeks with a weekly prize is a $100 Williams-Sonoma gift card plus a grand prize of a $500 Williams-Sonoma gift card. For details visit: http://www.amfam.com/familydinnertable/
Chicken Crescent Squares (adapted from Pillsbury)
5 oz. cream cheese
2 c. cooked chicken, cubed
2 T. onion, chopped
2 T. green pepper, chopped
1 T. chives, chopped
½ t. sea salt
1 t. black pepper
¼ t. cayenne pepper.
1 T. milk
1 can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls
1 T. butter, melted
1 c. Shake N Bake
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, chicken, onion, green pepper, chives, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and milk. Mix well to combine.
3. Separate the dough into 4 rectangles, pressing on the seam to seal. Spoon ½ cup of the chicken mixture in the middle of each rectangle.
4. Pull the four corners of the dough to the center and pinch together. Press firmly to seal the seams.
5. Brush the tops and bottoms of the crescent square with butter and then press into the Shake N Bake covering the entire crescent square. Place on a greased baking sheet.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Want to see more childhood favorites? Visit the fabulous bloggers below:
- Asian Short Rib Tacos with Pineapple & Crunchy Slaw by Foxes Loves Lemons
- Barbecue Chicken Pizza by In The Kitchen With KP
- Beef & Potato Skillet Supper by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Braised Pork Chops and Sauerkraut by kimchi MOM
- Chicken a la King by Juanita's Cocina
- Chicken and Dumplings by Country Girl In The Village
- Chicken Crescent Squares by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Family Fave Lasagne by NinjaBaking.com
- Gluten Free Peppered Steak by No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
- Greek Meatballs (Soutzoukakia) by Supper For A Steal
- Green Chile Chicken Tortilla Casserole by girlichef
- Hungarian Goulash by The Foodie Army Wife
- Linguine with fresh Tomatoes and Basil by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
- Meatloaf by Magnolia Days
- Peixe Asado no Forno | Fish Baked in the Oven by Family Foodie
- Pierogies by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Straw and Hay Pasta by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Swiss Steak by Curious Cuisiniere
- Veggie Mac and Cheese by Hip Foodie Mom
Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here → Sunday Supper Movement.
Alida
These look delicious! And I love the photos of you...so cute!
The Ninja Baker
What a wonderful idea to review math skills in the kitchen! I agree that self-esteem is enhanced when kids feel like they are contributing. Thank you for the yummy recipe!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom
Love that both of your parents were in the kitchen. . I personally loved seeing my dad in there too! 🙂 and hey, love the use of the Pillsbury crescent roll dough. . awesome! yum!
Karen Hartzell (@InTheKitchenKP)
Very cool you coat the squares in shake n bake. I never saw that, but now need to try it! It is true, we can all cook faster and easier without the little ones helping, but it's important to get them in there with us. It doesn't have to be every night, but often enough to stay connected.
Susan
Seeing shake and bake in your ingredient list brought back memories for me because my mom totally would shortcut on some nights and shake n bake chicken or pork. I can taste it now!
german in pdx
It sounds like a good solution for the kids to spend quality time with both parents 🙂 Having kids help in the kitchen certainly does not make cooking easier but oh so much fun for the child and parent 🙂
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons
Sounds like you had so much fun in the kitchen with your parents! And these sandwiches look SO good. I wish I had one for lunch right now...and yes, it is only 10am.
Jen @JuanitasCocina
These are like little packages of comfort! LOVE these, and so would my family!
Shannon @VillageGirlBlog
Yum! I have never thought to coat the outside of the crescent rolls. My kids would love these.
Cindys Recipes and Writings
I never did the Shake 'N Bake thing but I see where a crumb coating would work well with this recipe. I'll give it a try!
Renee
Crescent rolls, chicken, and cheese = yummy!! Now why wasn't this one of the meals of my childhood? I so missed out on this one. I guess I'll have to make it so I can finally enjoy such goodness.
Family foodie
Love your pictures Heather! It is so true that for busy parents, it is so much easier to whip up a meal without the help of our children. What a great learning experience that will last a lifetime, when we take the time to let our kids into the kitchen!
Liz Berg
I haven't made these in years!! And they are definitely a childhood favorite of my oldest. I'm going to have to resurrect the recipe and invite him over for dinner 🙂 Your recipe is a wee bit different and I'm going to tweak mine now...