Pickle Things

Pickle Things, Alligator Eyes, Pickle Pinwheels....call them whatever you want....just know they are delicious! I can't think of a holiday in the past 5 years that I haven't been requested to make these. I have now perfected the art of making these yummy treats! Note: for the best flavor combination do not substitute any brand other than what is mentioned below!!

Ingredients:

• 1 jar Claussen mini dill pickles (found in the refrigerated case)
• 2 packages Philadelphia cream cheese
• 4 packages Budding pastrami

Directions:

1. Gather the above mentioned ingredients. Leave the 2nd package of cream cheese in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it (you do not want the cream cheese to come to room temperature, keeping it cold will help it to adhere to the pastrami better). 
2. Gather a butter knife (for spreading cream cheese), a steak knife (to cut the pickle things), a cutting board, paper towel (can get messy), and serving platter or Tupperware (if you aren't planning to serve them right away). 
3. Open package of pastrami and lay one flat on the cutting board. Using the butter knife take a small amount of the cream cheese and slather across the pastrami (thinkness is up to you). Take a pickle out of the jar and wrap/roll the cream cheese covered pastrami around it. Set aside. Take another piece of pastrami and slather that one with cream cheese as well. Retrieve the pastrami wrapped pickle and roll the 2nd piece of pastrami around it. Repeat with remainder of pickles, pastrami and cream cheese until you run out.
4. Depending on if you plan to eat them now or store for later as to what the next step will be. If you plan to eat now: cut the ends off each side and set aside (don't worry they won't go to waste - if someone is around they always get eaten right away - otherwise you can store them and eat them later - for presentation purposes I don't set these out with the other ones). Then cut the rolled pickle into equal parts (I usually get 4-5 little coin pinwheels off one pickle). If you don't plan to serve them right away, just put them in an airtight Tupperware in the refrigerator until you do serve them (for freshness you will want to serve them within 24 hours of making them). 
5. Enjoy!