Posted By Lindsay on December 17, 2010
Ahh, the annual tradition of gingerbread.
AKA: how I spent my Thanksgiving vacation.
All of it.
Tediously cutting. And baking. And piping. And flooding. And cutting out miniature fondant scarves.
But you know what? They turned out so gosh darn cute it was totally worth it. Robin and I are getting better, don’t you think?
It was also my first year shipping the fragile boys and girls to relatives. I haven’t heard of any casualties, so I am assuming they all made it to their destination with heads and toes in tact.
And because I’m sure people will ask… The cookies were first sealed inside cute cello bags (XL size), which fit perfectly inside these glossy white gift boxes, which in turn were the perfect size to stack (lightly wrapped in bubblewrap) inside the square Priority mail boxes. Each box was tied with either pretty grosgrain ribbon or two colors of baker’s twine, and labeled with a printed sticker of my own design. I sent two varieties of cookies, the gingerbeads pictured above and a tasty mocha shortbread cookie (recipe to come). Precious!
(By the way, if you’re looking for the gingerbread recipe, it’s my grandmother Bettie’s. And you can find it right here.)
All good things have to come to and end. Such is the case with giveaway week. I thought, what better way to end such a fabulous week than with a homemade gift box? That’s right, I’ll be giving away not one, but TWO gift boxes filled with homemade goodies from the Love & Olive Oil kitchen. What’s inside? Well, I’m not exactly sure yet. Chances are good you’ll get some jam, and surely some cookies or other festive sweets. But who knows what else I’ll decide to throw in there. It’ll be good though, that I can promise you! The boxes will be shipped out on Monday, and should arrive at your doorstep just in time for Christmas. Joy!
****GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****
To Enter:
Simply leave a comment on this post with the answer to this question:
What is your all time favorite holiday cookie? (And, you know, feel free to link to the recipe in case someone else *cough*like me*cough* wants to try them…)
Entries open through 12/19/10 at 11:59 CST. I’ll be randomly selecting the winner the morning of Monday, December 20th. Prize will be shipped to the winner directly from yours truly. Please note that due to the perishable nature of this prize, this contest is open to US residents ONLY (sorry International folks… I’ll try to track down a non-perishable giveaway for you soon!)
Want Extra Entries?
Increase your odds of winning! In addition to the main entry comment, leave a separate comment for each bonus entry.
1. Follow @loveandoliveoil on twitter and tweet the following:
I just entered to win a homemade holiday gift box of goodies from @loveandoliveoil! Enter here: http://bit.ly/eDdv43
2. Like Love & Olive Oil on Facebook (or if you are already a fan just say so!)
Be sure you enter a valid email address, because if your name is drawn and I can’t get a hold of you within 24 hours, I will choose an alternate winner. You may also want to add me to your address book (lindsay AT loveandoliveoil DOT com), as I’d hate for your congratulatory email to end up in the spam folder.
Disclaimer: The goodies in this giveaway are homemade, made in my own (non commercial) kitchen. I’ve personally eaten and will sample all the edibles contained in the gift box prior to sending them, however should you win, you consume at your own risk. Please don’t sue me. Thanks!
Posted By Lindsay on December 16, 2010
You know what? Canning in the winter is quite enjoyable. I need to do more of it. Especially when the temperature drops, standing next to three boiling pots on the stove is quite lovely. A nice change from the frigid depths of the living room.
Earlier this year I received a note from Tom of Singer Farm Naturals, who found one of my posts touting the deliciousness of garlic scapes (which, I agree, are underutilized). Tom offered to send me a sampling of his organic garlic varieties (he grows over 20 unique varieties). How could I say no?
When the box came just this past week, I was overwhelmed. Think about it. You buy garlic in little mesh bags in the grocery store. It’s just garlic. Plain old, generic garlic. It’s not like apples, there are no options… garlic is garlic. Or so I thought.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. Ever since the fragrant box arrived, we’ve been exploring the varieties like fine wines. Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil, garlicky spinach soup, classic garlic bread…
Anyone have a breath mint?
But I wanted to do something that would really highlight the garlic. And I wasn’t quite sure what that would be, until I saw this:
Smoked Gouda and garlic jam.
It was a comment left on the Kerry Gold giveaway post by Michelle, describing her ultimate grilled cheese. I saw the words “garlic jam” and I knew I had it. Thanks, Michelle, for the inspiration I needed!
While I couldn’t find any recipes for garlic jam, recipes for garlic jelly were all over, including in my canning bible, which had a recipe for Roasted Garlic Jelly that I ended up using. I made two batches, one featuring the Lorz Italian variety of garlic, and the other featuring Persian Star. Both delicious, both garlicky and wonderfully rich, and oh so slightly different. While I think the varieties are best distinguished in their raw forms, (garlic tasting party, anyone?), this jelly is a real treat.
Yes, indeed. I think this will make one fine grilled cheese.
Roasted Garlic Jelly
Ingredients:
3 medium heads garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, divided
1 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, crushed
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cups granulated sugar
2 (3oz) pouches liquid pectin
Directions:
Using a sharp knife, cut off tops of garlic heads, exposing cloves. Place each head on a small square of aluminum foil set on a baking sheet. Top each head with 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Scrunch foil loosely around garlic heads and roast in preheated oven until garlic is golden and very soft, 45 to 60 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Separate cloves, pinching each one to extract the soft roasted garlic. Discard skins.
In a medium stainless steel saucepan, combine roasted garlic, wine, water, white balsamic vinegar and peppercorns. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes.
Transfer garlic mixture to a strainer lined with several layers of dampened cheesecloth or a dampened coffee filter set over a deep bowl. Let drip, undisturbed, for about 30 minutes. Measure 1 2/3 cups garlic juice. If you do not have the required amount, add up to 1/4 cup dry white wine or water. (This step can be done up to one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate juice until ready to use).
Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars, and lids.
Transfer garlic juice to a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Stir in lemon juice and sugar. Over high heat, stirring constantly, bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Stir in pectin. Return to a boil and boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam.
Quickly pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight.
Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.
Giveaway week continues with (you guessed it) garlic! I am so pleased to offer a garlic sampler, filled with multiple varieties of organic garlic from Singer Farm Naturals in Appleton, New York. We’ve enjoyed exploring the subtle differences in the unusual varieties of garlic we received, and we are sure you will too!
****GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****
To Enter:
Simply leave a comment on this post with the answer to this question:
What is your favorite garlic recipe?
Entries open through 12/19/10 at 11:59 CST. I’ll be randomly selecting the winner the morning of Monday, December 20th. Prize will be shipped to the winner directly from Singer Farm Naturals. Please note that due to the perishable nature of this prize, this contest is open to US residents ONLY.
Want Extra Entries?
Increase your odds of winning! In addition to the main entry comment, leave a separate comment for each bonus entry.
1. Follow @loveandoliveoil on twitter and tweet the following:
Vampires need not apply. I just entered to win an organic garlic sampler from @loveandoliveoil! Enter here: http://bit.ly/eDdv43
2. Like Love & Olive Oil on Facebook (or if you are already a fan just say so!)
Be sure you enter a valid email address, because if your name is drawn and I can’t get a hold of you within 72 hours, I will choose an alternate winner. You may also want to add me to your address book (lindsay AT loveandoliveoil DOT com), as I’d hate for your congratulatory email to end up in the spam folder.
This is one situation where garlic breath is actually a good thing.
Posted By Lindsay on December 14, 2010
You know those days, when you’ve eaten dinner, but maybe it’s too late for dessert (or maybe you’ve already eaten dessert) and you still feel the need to munch? Maybe you’re watching a movie on a Friday night and to you, movies just aren’t complete without popcorn? Whatever your reason, sometimes we all just need a snack.
Enter the air popper. Yes, we have one. We’ve decided that this little unitasker is worth our precious cabinet space. You may feel otherwise, but we love our little popper.
One of our favorite snacks is freshly popped popcorn drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Yes, we kind of ripped the idea from Trader Joe’s (whose olive oil popcorn is practically like crack), but we’ve adopted it as our own.
Until now, however, we’ve stuck to plain old extra virgin. The fruitier the better. You’re only using a few tablespoons so you might as well use the good stuff. You may feel that popcorn is useless unless it is smothered in butter (and I think I’ve expressed my love for butter enough already this week), so let’s give the olive oil some love, too. Because it truly makes an otherwise ordinary snack extraordinary. This may be the shortest, simplest recipe I’ve ever posted. It may also be one of our all-time favorites.
Take it up another notch and use a fiery chili-infused olive oil, like the one the fine folks at Nudo were kind enough to send (they also sent me a sample of their stone ground lemon, which sounds divine, but maybe not on popcorn). But the chili… oh the chili! Spicy. Sassy. Delicious.
So for once (and I don’t say this often), put down the butter, and give this a try.
Olive Oil Popcorn
Makes 4 snack-size servings
Ingredients:
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1 teaspoon table or popcorn salt (fine grain), or to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil of your choice
Directions:
Place popcorn kernels in air popper and pop according to manufacturers directions (alternatively, you can make 'air-popped' popcorn in the microwave, simply put kernels in a brown paper bag. Fold over top of bag multiple times. Microwave on high for about 4 minutes or until the pops are more than 1 second apart).
Transfer popcorn to a large bowl (much larger than the actual quantity of popcorn). Drizzle over olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, and toss to coat. Continue adding olive oil until you achieve your desired coverage. Sprinkle with salt again and toss until evenly coated.
This wouldn’t be Giveaway Week without a giveaway, right? I am so pleased to be able to offer one of Nudo’s Three Tenors gift boxes to one of you. That’s right, one lucky reader will win a fabulous gift box with a sampling of some of Nudo’s most popular oils, including their basic extra virgin, stone ground lemon lemon, and the fiery chili-infused oil.
Would you believe, that after almost 4 years of blogging under this name, this is the first olive oil giveaway I’ve done? I should really put this name to better use…
***GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****
To Enter:
Simply leave a comment on this post with the answer to this question:
What is your all-time favorite snack?
Entries open through 12/17/10 at 11:59 CST. I’ll be randomly selecting the winner the morning of Saturday, December 18th. Prize will be shipped to the winner directly from Nudo. Please note that due to the perishable nature of this prize, this contest is open to US residents ONLY.
Want Extra Entries?
Increase your odds of winning! In addition to the main entry comment, leave a separate comment for each bonus entry.
1. Follow @loveandoliveoil on twitter and tweet the following:
I love olive oil! I just entered to win a @nudoitalia olive oil gift box from @loveandoliveoil! Enter here: http://bit.ly/foeer8
2. Like Love & Olive Oil on Facebook (or if you are already a fan just say so!)
Be sure you enter a valid email address, because if your name is drawn and I can’t get a hold of you within 72 hours, I will choose an alternate winner. You may also want to add me to your address book (lindsay AT loveandoliveoil DOT com), as I’d hate for your congratulatory email to end up in the spam folder.
Love & Olive Oil loves olive oil… do you?
Posted By Lindsay on December 12, 2010
Remember a week or so ago when I begged, er, asked nicely to vote for my rainbow cake in the Butter recipe exchange? Well, if you hadn’t heard, I won. And I am pretty darn proud and thankful for all of you who rallied behind me. (Thank you!)
Anyways, the prize for the victory, a $150 Kerry Gold gift basket, arrived shortly after. While I knew I was getting some butter (and fantastically amazing butter at that), what I didn’t expect was the sheer quantity of cheese. Swiss and cheddar and gouda, oh my!
Now the grilled cheese probably makes more sense, huh?
But this isn’t just any grilled cheese, this grilled cheese has class. With a thin layer of homemade apricot jam and a few leaves of fresh arugula added at the very last minute, this sandwich is as delicious as it is simple. I mean, it is a grilled cheese, after all. And what a perfect way to highlight the superb ingredients I was given.
This particular sandwich makes use of Kerry Gold’s unusual Dubliner cheese, described as somewhat sweet, somewhat nutty (sound like someone else you know?). That slight sweetness, when combined with the fruit jam and spicy arugula, makes for the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.
Grilled Cheese with Apricot Jam and Arugula
Ingredients:
4 slices country bread
4 oz. Kerry Gold® Cheddar or Dubliner cheese, sliced
2 tablespoons apricot (or other fruit) Jam
1 tablespoon Kerry Gold® salted butter
1/4 cup arugula
Directions:
Preheat a large skillet or sandwich press on medium-high heat.
To assemble sandwiches, spread a thin layer of jam on one side of bread. Top with a double layer of cheese slices and second piece of bread. Generously butter outsides of both pieces of bread.
Put sandwiches in skillet and toast until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from pan. Carefully (it will be hot!) peel apart bread and place arugula inside and replace top slice of bread. Cut in half and serve immediately.
And even better? Kerry Gold USA has so kindly offered to share some of their incredible butter and cheese with one of you. That’s right, one lucky reader will win a month’s supply of Irish cheese and butter for their very own.
Mmm… butter…
This giveaway officially kicks of what I am calling “Giveaway Week” here on L&OO (I know, so creative!) I’ve got a lineup of fabulous gourmet giveaways just for you. So watch for those appearing throughout the week and enter for your chance to win.
***GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****
Congratulations to Mary, whose comment (#388) was randomly selected as the winner! Hooray!
To Enter:
Simply leave a comment on this post with the answer to this question:
What ingredients are in your ultimate grilled cheese?
Entries open through 12/14/10 at 11:59 CST. I’ll be randomly selecting the winner the morning of Wednesday, December 15th. Prize will be shipped to the winner directly from Kerry Gold. Please note that due to the perishable nature of this prize, this contest is open to US residents ONLY.
Want Extra Entries?
Increase your odds of winning! In addition to the main entry comment, leave a separate comment for each bonus entry.
1. Follow @loveandoliveoil on twitter and tweet the following:
“I just entered to win a month’s supply of butter & cheese from @KerryGoldUSA and @loveandoliveoil! Enter here: http://bit.ly/i4HOq0″
2. “Like” Love & Olive Oil on Facebook (or if you are already a fan just say so!)
Be sure you enter a valid email address, because if your name is drawn and I can’t get a hold of you within 72 hours, I will choose an alternate winner. You may also want to add me to your address book (lindsay AT loveandoliveoil DOT com), as I’d hate for your congratulatory email to end up in the spam folder.
Spread some love butter this holiday season.
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