When it comes to fancy schmancy dinners or get-togethers with friends that somehow always seem to center around food, all too often the appetizer and dessert courses are my favorites. Light bites before dinner take the edge off my hunger and frequently steal the show for me! I’m not sure how many times I’ve ended up full on appetizers before it was time for the main course!
A few weeks ago, Oliviers & Co. reached out to me about hosting a giveaway and offered to send me some of their naturally flavored specialty oils, vinegars, condiments and Mediterranean-themed goodies. I knew immediately that I wanted to try their high-quality olive oil (both flavored – like the lemon and olive oil or chili pepper olive oil – and original) and marinated olives, but I couldn’t resist sampling some of their spreads as well.
The process behind the creation of Oliviers & Co. olive oils is quite extensive. Olives must be hand-harvested when still green and olives of different origins are never pressed together, which would result in sub-standard oil. I was a little skeptical but I can honestly say I tasted a difference! Their olive oils were smoother, less acidic and tastier than the olive oil I typically buy at the grocery store.
In the end, I used the goodies I received to create a hodgepodge of appetizers that became dinner for me and Ryan on Tuesday night!
Hey, you won’t ever hear me complain about big ol’ snack plates or hors d’oeuvres for dinner! Oh, and one dessert popped up, too, because you know I can’t neglect my sweet tooth.
Here’s a roundup of what we enjoyed:
- Basil Pesto and Italian Cheese Crostini
Oh my gosh this appetizer was so darn delicious. Ryan had the idea to make little toast “pizzas” with the pesto. They were super easy to make and came together in a flash. After toasting sour dough baguette slices under the broiler, we topped them with a spread of basil and parmesan pesto and a sprinkling of shredded Italian cheeses before placing them back in the oven until the cheese started to melt. Simple, right!?
- Taggisaca Olives Feta and Tomato Salad
This salad is a dish I enjoyed at a college girlfriends’ apartment one time that totally stuck with me. She assured me it was crazy-simple to prepare and since I had some incredibly fragrant marinated Taggisaca black olives begging to be enjoyed, I combined them with fresh tomatoes and feta cheese for a simple salad that Ryan and I ate both on its own. (Watch out for the pits!) The lemon peel and chili used in the olive marinade made the flavors in this salad pop!
- Fig and Melon Goat Cheese Dip with Grissini Breadsticks
Sweet and savory! The best of both worlds. To make this dip, I combined the Oliviers & Co. fig and melon spread with creamy goat cheese and used Grissini (savory Italian breadsticks from Liguria, Italy that are made from both wheat and corn flour and olive oil) for dipping. (The Grissini I used appear to be sold out, but I think the sweet olive oil crackers would be great with this, too!) Yum!
- Olive Oil with Fresh Bread
A classic and with good reason! We dipped fresh bread into the olive & basil oil and the everyday olive oil and were instantly reminded why this simple appetizer is always a favorite. The basil olive oil was my favorite but I also enjoyed the light and slight lemony flavor of the everyday olive oil as well!
- Vanilla Ice Cream with Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar
The combination of rich, creamy ice cream with a tangy balsamic strawberries made this the perfect way to wrap up the day! Ryan was skeptical about the balsamic flavor with ice cream at first, but commented on the way it complimented the fresh berries and ice cream. (I followed a recipe from Ina Garten for this dish!)
Are you drooling yet!? I hope so because here is your chance to make some delicious appetizers and have some fun in the kitchen with Oliviers & Co.
Giveaway
One PBF reader will win $300 of Oliviers & Co. product (of your choice!). To enter this giveaway, simply click here, join the mailing list, browse the site and leave a comment below telling me what product(s) you’d most like to try! (Anyone who enters the giveaway will also receive 10 percent off their purchase!) I will randomly select a winner on Thursday, September 18. Please note that this giveaway is open to US readers only and you must have a US shipping address and valid email address to win.
Good luck!
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I would LOVE to try the Sundried Tomato & Basil Pesto….so yummy on some whole wheat pasta, along with some freshly grated parm cheese, crusty bread & a salad…..what a great meal!
OMG their pestos. <3 I would love to drizzle their flavored oils onto my meals, too.
I also recently discovered that gifting a bottle of a really nice olive oil usually exceeds gifting a bottle of wine to my friends and family. I would absolutely love to bring a bottle of Oliviers & Co. to the next house warming party. 🙂
Love using balsamic on a bunch of things. I would have to try some of the fruity ones and also the black truffle oil!
If I had to pick one it would be the Beet and Red Onion Confit. It sounds amazing, just like everything else on that site. The Tomato and Lemon with Almonds Spread is also calling me name! Thank you for sharing, I am hungry now! 🙂
Oh man. My boyfriend and I LOVE olive oils! We have at least 6 or 7 of them at home right now, all different flavors. I guess that’s what happens when you date an Italian! I’d love to try a truffle oil or pesto. Mmm, I’m already dreaming of the flatbreads and pasta dishes I could make (gluten free of course).
I would love to try the balsamic vinegar for some ice cream!
I would totally get the white truffle oil! The oil & vinegar sets look amazing too!!
I have to pick one?! I would get some of the delicious olive oils and some of their white balsamic vinegar…and some of the fruit vinegar’s. And probably some of the gift sets so I can spread the love 🙂
oh my everything looks so good! I would want to try the mini crostini with olive oil with the pisttachio spread mmmmmmmmmmmm
I would like to try the Wild Pepper Balsamic!!! yummy!!!
I would love to try it all but specifically the tapenades! The black olive and sundried tomato sounds especially good.
I would LOVE to try their truffle oil!
I would love to try the taste of Italy set!
I would love to try them all, looks delish!
I love it all… tapenades, truffle oil, balsamic vinegar, pesto but to get the full experience, I would get the Journey to Provence. This has it all!
Game Night pesto hors d’oeuvres spread would be amazing! Always looking for something new to feed our friends.
They all look fabulous! I think I would pick the Pesto Basil and Parmesan, Artichoke and Apricot with honey or the ginger and garlic sauce. YUM!
Wild Pepper Balsamic?! YUM!!!
Yummm… the basil olive oil looks delicious, as do the potato chip sampler, the basil & garlic pasta, and the pistachio & almond torrone!!
So many to choose from!!! I think I would love the bell pepper and ricotta cheese pesto. It sounds amazing!!!
I am such a sucker for french bread dipped in olive oil! I would definitely try the everyday oil topped with a little parmesan and sea salt. Also I almost always use balsamic in my dressing for salads so that would be a “love to try” as well!
I would try the olive and basil oil!
I’d have to go with a classic and start with their olive oil!
I would go for the mortar and pestle … along with some delicious oils! Great giveaway, Julie! 🙂
The hazelnut spread looks delicious.
Yum! Evereything looks delicious! I would love to try the everyday olive oil since I would use it so often. The regular pesto and sundried tomato and basil pesto also would be nice to try…. And the tapenades. Basically, just anything and everything 🙂
The White Truffle Oil because I’ve never cooked with that. But I had it once in mac & cheese at a restaurant and it was the best mac & cheese in my life.
Vanilla Balsamic! OMG!
I’m a big fan of flavored, good quality olive oils. These sound intriguing:
-Basil olive oil
-Garlic olive oil
-Olive & chili pepper oil
-Black & white truffle oils
Would love to try the ginger & garlic sauce. Yum!
Basil red wine vinegar! Super yum!
Any of the Truffle or Pesto items please!
I love pesto, so I would love to try the different flavors they have!
I would love to try the green olive & almond tapenade!
Oh my, their products look amazing, would love to try the wild cherry balsamic with salad or over ice cream, mmm!
Oh wow, this is so hard. I think I have to go with the fig balsamic and one of the truffle oils!
Dips and spreads are my FAV! Do they have a nut flavoured-one?
The Picholine Green Olives looks delicious! I love olives!
Awesome giveaway!
I honestly could probably spend it all on vinegars…I LOVE them. The wild poppy vinegar looks awesome and so does the peri peri sauce (love peri peri chicken). Awesome giveaway!
I would love to try all of the olives!
The fig and melon spread looks delicious!! Thanks!
The black olive and sundried tomato tapenade sounds amazing!
I would love to try the truffle oil!
I would love to try the Risotta with truffle!
I would love to try the tapenades and all of the oils and vinegars. Everything looks so amazing!
Would love to try their pesto…yum!
Oooh the parmesan and truffle cream and the basil red wine vinegar sound amazing!
The Olive and Basil Oil sounds AHHHH-MAZING! And I agree – italian bread and olive oil is such a delicious classic!
I’d like to try out the basil olive oil and oregano mali-melo combo to use on a homemade pizza!