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Luncheon Ladies Recipe

"The character behind these salad gals was my mother," reveals Harriet Rummel of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. "She'd serve them to my teachers each spring at a special luncheon she hosted. I did the same when my children were little. Nowadays, I make them when friends come over."—Harriet Rummel, Reynoldsburg, Ohio

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Luncheon Ladies Recipe

Prep: 20 min. + chilling

Yield: 4 Servings

20 20

Ingredients

3 celery ribs
4 hard-cooked eggs
12 whole cloves
4 pimiento slices
20 carrot curls
4 tomato slices
4 lettuce leaves
2 cups chicken salad
12 ripe olive slices
8 whole pitted ripe olives

Directions

Cut eight 1-in. celery sticks and set aside. Cut eight 1-1/2-in. pieces from remaining ribs; with a sharp knife, make lengthwise cuts in each piece, as close together as possible, beginning 1/2 in. from one end. Place in ice water. Refrigerate until celery begins to separate, about 1 hour.
To form ladies, place each egg on a salad plate. Insert cloves into egg for eyes and nose. Add a pimiento for a mouth. Surround top and sides of egg with carrot curls for hair. Position a tomato slice below egg for the body. Tuck the narrow end of lettuce leaf under tomato for skirt.
Spoon 1/2 cup chicken salad under each lettuce leaf. Place three olive slices on each tomato for buttons. Drain frilled celery ribs; place next to tomato for arms. Place celery sticks below lettuce for legs. Place whole olives at ends of celery for shoes. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

Originally published as Luncheon Ladies in Country Woman May/June 1998, p47