Welcome to My Kitchen

Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwiches have been a staple on the Quilt Show menu for many years. The recipe originated with Betty Lybbert of Moses Lake and shared with Debbie Buscher. Charlene Kagele adapted the recipe for serving a large crowd. The basic recipe makes 10-12 sandwiches, depending on bread size.

Chicken Salad Filling

4 cups cooked, diced chicken

2 cups pineapple tidbits, well drained

2 cups green grapes, halved

1 cup minced celery

1/4 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped

1/4 tsp fresh basil, finely chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp pineapple juice

Combine all ingredients, tossing well to evenly distribute dressing. Serve as a salad, or as at Quilt Show, on a split croissant roll.

Note: Betty’s original recipe included 3/4 cup salted peanuts, added just before serving. If you add then earlier they will get soggy. The recipe also called for salt and pepper, but when you use good quality mayonnaise you won’t need additional salt. Charlene noted that she adds more tarragon than called for.

The late Freda Braun, also an avid quilter, often made Easy Perfection Salad for quilting events. She found the recipe in Shortcut Cooking by Meredith Corp. 1969. This tangy salad will please the sauerkraut fans.

Easy Perfection Salad

2 packages (3 ounces each)

2 cups boiling water

1 Tbsp vinegar

12-15 ice cubes

Tops of 6-7 small green onions, chopped

1 small jar dice pimento, well drained

2 cups well drained sauerkraut, snipped fine

3-4 cups chopped salad greens

1 carrot, made into curls with a vegetable peeler

Horseradish Mayonnaise

1 tsp prepared horseradish

1 cup mayonnaise

Place the contents of the two gelatin packets in a 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 X 2 1/2 inch glass loaf pan. Add the boiling water and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add vinegar and ice cubes. Stir constantly until gelatin begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Remove any unmelted ice.

Fold in onion tops, pimento and snipped sauerkraut, distributing evenly. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

Cover a serving platter with the chopped salad greens. Unmold gelatin loaf onto greens garnish with carrot curls.

Combine mayonnaise and horseradish to serve alongside salad. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Note: you may use sugar-free gelatin in this recipe.

Leanna Schafer enjoys trying recipes featuring crops grown on their farm. Lentil Confetti Salad, a recipe she got from the Idaho/Washington Pea and Lentil Commission, goes well with barbecue and picnic fare. Lentils are as easy to fix as pasta because they do not require soaking.

Roylene Scoggin of Warden, WA, often brings delicious treats to quilting events. Here easy to prepare, Nutty Cracker Cookies get scooped up quickly.

Nutty Cracker Cookies

1 sleeve Club Cracker

1/2 cup real butter

1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cover a jelly roll pan with foil and lay crackers in pan, close together.

In a medium sauce pan, bring butter and sugar to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Pour evenly over crackers. Bake 8 to 10 minutes.

After baking, sprinkle with chocolate chips. Allow to melt. Then spread chocolate and sprinkle with finely chopped nuts (walnuts or sliced almonds are good choices). Chill until set. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container until serving.

Note: if you are not fond of chocolate, these are very good without the topping as well.

The late Mildred Deife, loved trying new quilting techniques and new recipes. One of my favorites from her recipe testing is Yuletide Toffee Squares. She found the recipe in a magazine ad for Quaker Oats. Good any time of year, they are easy to prepare, but do line the pan with parchment paper to aid removal from the pan.

Yuletide Toffee Squares

4 1/2 cups Quaker Oats, uncooked

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup margarine, melted

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt (optional)

1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate pieces

2 tbsp shortening

2/3 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 15 x 10 inch rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Grease paper on pan bottom, but not sides.

Combine oats, sugar, margarine, corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Mix well. Firmly press mixture into pan. Trim any paper sticking up past pan rim so it doesn’t scorch. Bake 12 minutes, or until mixture is browned and bubbly. Cool completely.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate and shortening, stirring constantly until smooth. Spread evenly over oat base; sprinkle with nuts. Chill until set, cut into bars with a sharp knife. Yield: 60 bars.

Notes: don’t press the mixture too hard, it makes the bars difficult to cut. Also, chocolate and shortening may be melted in a microwave safe bowl at high power for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

Do you have favorite recipes from social events? Are there recipes you wish you had for dishes served at events? Let me know and I will do my best to track down the recipe. Share your recipes and recipe request by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o the Odessa Record. P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email the record@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Keep you geraniums and petunias undercover. We are not done freezing at night.