A Fun Kid’s Lunch Idea – Crescent Dog Butterflies

Before the summer fades away into fall, I thought it was the perfect time to share a recipe idea that I created years ago for a kid’s camp.

I taught a group of 6-10 year old kids how to have fun in the kitchen by creating food that was visually exciting. Even the pickiest eaters enjoyed the lunch they made that day.

Our menu included these Crescent Dog Butterflies along with some pretty melon flowers and peanut butter fudge caterpillars. Most of the kids had never seen such festive looking food and they were all excited to eat their meal.

The caterpillars were made by rolling peanut butter fudge into balls and attaching chow mein noodle legs and candy eyes.

The butterflies were a little bit more work, but the kids did a great job making their own.

Butterfly Crescent Dogs

Ingredients: (makes 2)

1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Creations Dough Sheet (or crescent rolls with the seams pressed together)
1 bun size (long) hot dog cut in half
4 chow mein noodles or potato sticks
food coloring marker

Special equipment:

parchment paper
4″ heart shaped cookie cutter
optional: mini cookie cutters (round, oval, heart, star)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unroll crescent dough and cut in half widthwise.  Lay one piece down on a cutting board.

Set a half of a hot dog at one end.  Roll dough around hot dog.  Cut off just enough dough to cover the hot dog.  Pinch the seams of dough together, removing any excess if needed.  Roll into a nice smooth log.

Use heart shaped cookie cutter to cut two hearts out of the dough.  Cut off the tips of each of the hearts.  Set hearts together on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use small cookie cutters to cut designs out of the hearts to create butterfly wings.

Set crescent dough wrapped hot dog in the center of the wings.

Use a food coloring marker to draw on a face.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.  Press two chow mein noodles or potato sticks into the top of the butterfly’s head to create antenna.  Serve hot.

If you’d prefer to make something super quick and easy, try making Corn Dog Butterflies or Chicken Nugget Butterflies using Doritos, chow mein noodles and a black food coloring marker.

For dessert, make a Fruit Pizza Butterfly. It’s so colorful and it’s loaded with a nice variety of fruit. It’s the perfect summertime dessert.

Embrace the beautiful weather that we are having and make some of these gorgeous and scrumptious Summer Fun Recipes.