Gourmet at Home: Olive Tapenade

We love olives.  We do.  Because we love olives we almost always have a variety of them on hand in the fridge.  Recently, I was checking out the specialty items in the deli at my local grocery store and I noticed some Tapenade - it came in what might have been a 4 or 6 ounce jar - and they were charging $4.99 a jar!  I was both appalled at the price and reminded how easy it is to make yourself.  So I decided to show you how too.



There's really no recipe needed, just use 2 or 3 of your favorite types of olives, chop them up and serve with crackers or bread and your favorite cheeses, charcuterie and fruit or nuts and you have the perfect summer picnic, easy light dinner or cocktail party platter.  Check it out:

Ciao!

Rice and Turkey Meatballs

Did I tell you I'm a henna artist? Shortly after our nieces and nephew moved in with us, I learned to do henna body art and spent the following 3 summers plying my trade at the local fairs and festivals. I still do henna every June when I work for an event company at Graduation parties.

To keep costs down and to ensure I actually ate something, I always packed an assortment of items for my crew and I to eat. I liked to keep the items small and easy to eat like cubes of cheese, grapes, sliced turkey or ham and nuts. The meats were fine, but messier than I liked and on longer days I'd be starving at the end of the day - not having really managed to get anything much in my stomach in between clients. I thought a meatball might would be a good solution.

I wanted a meatball that would be tasty cold, right out of the cooler and I wanted them to be simple to make but full of flavor and satisfying but fairly healthy. Finally, since my assistant artist and some of my other henna artist friends have issues with wheat, gluten and dairy I wanted to make them without breadcrumbs or cheese (I always put parmesan in my Italian meatballs). This is the recipe I came up with. They are great hot, but I honestly like them best right out of the fridge or cooler the next day. You could, of course, switch up the flavors and serve them with the sauce of your choice, or gravy, but if you're looking for something that packs well for lunches or picnics, these fit the bill well.

Rice and Turkey Meatballs

1 lb ground Turkey
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin, ground
1/2 tsp coriander, ground
pinch of chili powder
salt & pepper
2 tbls fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 cup cooked rice, cold

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet or cast iron skillet with pam or a thin coating of Olive Oil. In a medium bowl, mix turkey and seasonings, then add rice until it just comes together. Scoop out and roll into small meatballs and place cookie sheet or in skillet. Bake approx. 12-15 minutes for bite-sized meatballs, or until browned and cooked through.

I think these would be great served with tzatziki sauce or Raita.