Kitchen Krafts

Easy Chicken Bundles

By M. H. Martin

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken

1 package (4 ounces/113 g) cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon dried minced onion (optional)

2 tablespoons milk

1 tube (8 ounces/226 g) refrigerator crescent rolls

1. With a fork, mix together all the ingredients except the rolls.

2. Assemble the eight rolls into four square sections (two triangles each) on a lightly greased baking sheet.

3. Place one fourth of the chicken mixture in the middle of each section. Lift the four corners of each section over the chicken mixture and pinch them together at the top, then twist them to help keep the bundle closed. Pinch together any side edges left open.

4. Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 25–30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Overnight Pickled Eggs

1/2 cup juice from canned pickled beets (serve the beets with a meal)

1/2 cup vinegar

1 teaspoon mixed pickling spice

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings

1. Put the first four ingredients into a quart jar, secure the lid, shake to mix, and remove the lid.

2. Place the eggs and the onion rings in the mixture, secure the lid, and gently rock back and forth. Then refrigerate the eggs overnight or up to several days.

Polka-Dot Cookies

1 package (9 ounces/255 g) white cake mix

2/3 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup margarine, melted

1 egg

1/2 cup small candy-coated chocolate pieces

1. Beat the first four ingredients together; stir in the chocolate pieces.

2. Drop the batter from a tablespoon 2″ (5 cm) apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake at 375° F (190° C) for 10–12 minutes or until lightly browned. Quickly remove the cookies from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

Carrots in Potato Baskets

3 large baking potatoes

2 pounds (.91 kg) carrots

1. Pierce each potato with a fork a few times. Bake at 400° F (205° C) for 45 minutes or until tender.

2. Cut the potatoes in half crosswise. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the inside of each potato, leaving the shell 1/2″ (1.3 cm) thick. You may need to trim the rounded ends of the potatoes now so that they will stand up when served (see illustration).

3. Place the potatoes, scooped sides down, on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° F (205° C) for 30 minutes or until the skins are crisp. Prepare the carrots while the potatoes are baking.

4. Peel the carrots and cut them into short sticks. Boil, steam, or microwave the carrots sticks to desired doneness.

5. Serve the potatoes, scooped-sides-up, filled with the carrot sticks.

Photo by Tamra Hamblin