Chicken Roll-ups

When Martin and I were "thirtysomethings" we used to hang with Jerry and Lynette B. An evening together would consist of dinner and then some kind of card game. Lynette was the kind of person who could cook adequately but didn't really consider time in the kitchen much fun. Her passion leaned more towards all kinds of crafts and home decorating, so any recipe she endorsed was likely to be something that could be thrown together quickly and with minimum fuss. Sometimes the lack of time spent in the kitchen might have been a bit evident but there was one dish she made that I always thought looked good and tasted even better. Of course, I had to have that recipe, especially after she confessed to how easy it was to prepare. As with many different things I've prepared in the kitchen over the years, I go through phases with this dish - making it often for a period of time and then forgetting it for months or even years.

Today, I was driving home from getting my hair done and realized I needed to buy chicken breasts to cook up for my 11 pound canine killing machine. Since Funston decided to try and eat a fellow teacher's dog, we've been working with our own dog whisperer to tame the wild beast hidden beneath her furry little body. The trainer has us using chicken bits as a very special treat to lure Funston to our sides when another dog comes on site. So far, we've been through plenty of poultry with mixed success.

Since I was buying chicken breasts it seemed sensible to figure out a recipe that would use some of the leftovers - and that's when Lynette's recipe suddenly came into my consciousness. I wasn't even sure if I remembered all the ingredients but decided to take a risk and go for it anyway. When I got home I couldn't find my recipe card so I looked up one on the internet that appeared to be a reasonable facsimile of Lynette's original.

I really figured none of the family would even remember what chicken roll-ups were but the minute I put the plates on the table Tim made a comment about how long it had been since he last ate whatever the thing was on his plate. Martin was the one who right away tagged our dinner as chicken roll-ups - major surprise that he could recall the name of what he was eating.

Tim's memory of the last time he ate a chicken roll-up was specific. "Did you put the mushrooms in these?" he wanted to know. Mushrooms!!!! That was the other ingredient I couldn't quite remember! Obviously, in my younger years I was afraid to risk leaving anything out of the recipe as written. Silly me! Now I'm a wild and crazy kind of cook who can forget mushrooms and still serve up a roll-up with perfect confidence that it will be well received. At least by my family.

Chicken Roll-Up Recipe
1 c. cubed cooked chicken (2 breasts)
8 Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
6 tbsp. melted butter
scallions
mushrooms (optional)
3/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine cream cheese and half of butter. Mix well. Stir in chicken and scallions. Don't forget mushrooms! Separate crescent rolls into 4 rectangles. Spread each with chicken mixture. Fold roll dough over the chicken mixture and crimp shut. Also crimp ends of the rolls. Dip rolls in remaining butter and then coat with crumbs. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden.