Penguins, Cream Cheese

By seamline

Recipe by: Valerie Cain Cuff "Just imagine a cute display of penguins, made with black olives, carrots and cream cheese! You can add scarves and hats by using fresh red pepper strips, or canned pimentos cut into different shapes. Use frilly toothpicks if you can."

Ingredients

• 18 jumbo black olives, pitted
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• Philadelphia Cream Cheese Fat Free
• 18 small black olives 1 ca
• 1 can (5-3/4 ounces) jumbo pitted ripe olives, drained
• 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Dash pepper
• Dash garlic powder
• 1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 12 small pitted ripe olives
• 12 toothpicks with cellophane frilled tops
• 1 jar (2 ounces) sliced pimientos

Details

Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 35mins
Adapted from allrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive. Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive. Slice the carrot into eighteen 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Save the cut out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak. If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak.
Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.
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Cut a slit from the top to bottom of 12 jumbo olives; set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the next six ingredients; mix well. Fill a small heavy-duty plastic bag with cream cheese mixture. Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag; carefully pipe mixture into jumbo olives. Set aside. Cut a small triangle out of each carrot slice; press triangles into small olives for a beak. On a each notched carrot slice, position a jumbo olive so the white chest is lined up with the notch. Place the small love, hole side down, over the jumbo olive so the beak, chest and feet are aligned. Carefully insert a toothpick through the top of head into body and carrot base. Wrap a pimiento around neck for a scarf. Yield: 1 dozen.