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!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
Hi! I would LOVE to try it all, but the tapenades in particular! YUM!!!
I would love to try the Basil Oil & Oregano Meli-Melo and also the balsamic! I love basil!
I would like to try all the truffle oils!!!
I want to try the truffle salt. There’s a wine bar by me (where my husband and I had our first date) and they sprinkle truffle salt on their popcorn. It’s SOOOO good and I would love to try it at home!
I would love to try the different balsamic vinegars! Yum!
My husband and I love truffle oil popcorn but we’ve just been using the standard grocery store brand – I would love to try the white truffle oil from here. Also, I am thinking that the basil olive oil would be amazing to cook up with some chicken and toss with pasta!
The white truffle oil sounds amazing!
BOURBON, MAPLE & CHIPOTLE BARBECUE SAUCE! Everything looks really fantastic though!
‘i love balsamics and would love to try any (or all!) of the flavors. We have friends from Mexico visiting right now, so I’d love to eat anything that doesn’t involve cilantro or chiles 😉
White truffle oil
I would love to try the blackberry and mint jam! WOW that sounds delish and I think there are alot of recipes I could incorporate it into. LOVE this site
Hands down I would want to try the olive and garlic oil! It would make a wonderful marinade, dipping oil, homemade hummus addition AND I would want to brush it on my grilled kabobs! Oliviers & Co has so many amazing options for gifts too! I bookmarked them for future housewarming and hostess gifts 🙂
I would LOVE to try their pesto! It looks delicious in your picture!
I love great olive oil and would love to try them ALL (maybe not all at one)! My husband and I went to an Olive Oil store on our honeymoon, and we spent hours trying all of the different kinds.
By the way, congrats on purchasing your first house! It’s a great feeling to be a home owner 🙂
Ummm everything?? But I loved the accessories! I really loved the OLIVE WOOD MORTAR & PESTLE!!
I would love to try some quality olive oil! I know some of the stuff I buy at the grocery store is nowhere near quality!
I would love to try their black olive and sun dried tomato tapenade spread on their mini crostinis! Also their olive oil and vinegar sets look amazing!
im a big fan of balsamic so id love the aged balsamic!
I’d love to try the aged apple balsamic.
http://www.oliviersandco.com/gifts/autumn-gifts/apple-balsamic-condiment.html
Oooo everything looks great, but I would love to try and Zucchini and Goat Cheese Delice. Yum!
I would like to purchase everything! But the Table Cruet is so cute! I love the idea of having a holder to have my oil and vinegar on to place on the table!
I would go with the black truffle oil! I have ordered truffle-infused dishes at restaurants but never cooked with it myself!
I would love the pesto!
I would love to try the aged apple balsamic condiment and the pistachio spread.
I love all of the olive wood accessories! I love to entertain and these pieces would be great to have at my next party!!! 🙂
Everything! Can I seriously get one of each??
Black Truffle oil for sure! I have loved every dish at restaurants that have truffle oil and would love to cook with it at home!
Black olive and sun dried tomato tapenade! And everything else on their site! hee hee. 😉
I would love to try the Plum and Olive Marbella Sauce! Yum!
The tomato and lemon spread with almonds sounds yummy and unique!! And I love anything with black olives so the black olive and sundried tomato tapenade looks delicious too.
Oh my goodness, all the pasta and pesto! All of them! 🙂 I’m Italian, so.
Everything on the site looks amazing. The Bourbon, Maple & Chipotle Barbecue Sauce would definitely be on my list!
Everything on the website looks and sounds fantastic. I was especially intrigued by the fruit spreads. I have a huge sweet tooth and these sound different and delicious.
Definitely the white truffle oil! YUM
definitely the fig and melon spread!!! that goat cheese dip looks delicious.
The pesto!
Yum! The BELL PEPPER & RICOTTA CHEESE pesto looks so good!
The olive & mandarin oil sounds like it would be delicious!
I would love to try the vinegar sampler set or the pesto.
I would definitely recreate the Taggisaca Olives Feta and Tomato Salad! Olives and feta are two of my favorite things :-p
My amazing bosses have really opened my eyes to buying GOOD olive oil and now after trying theres all never go back. I would probably buy something that they would enjoy to give as a gift back to them 🙂
I am a huge fan of fruit spreads, so i would love to try the set of four seasonal fruit spread. And, you cant go wrong with a good olive oil, so when looking through the olive oils, the table cruet caught my eye. the olive oil i am sure is amazing and the bottles are beautiful! great conversation piece with friends at a dinner party.
I would definitely try truffle oil. It would be a great splurge!
Olive oil and bread is one of my favorite snacks! I’d love to try the lemon olive oil and the fig and melon goat cheese dip. Yum!
I would love to try any of their olive oils and the pistachio spread. And well…basically everything on their website 🙂
Oh my word…olive oil and fresh bread is probably one of my favorite things! I go to restaurants just to eat those! 🙂 I also really love garlic and would love to try the olive oil and garlic with the freshest crustiest bread. Excuse me while I wipe away my drool… 🙂
Thank you!
Sara
I would love the Pesto and the olive oil
truffle oil!
I love white balsamic vinegar so I would love to try that and any of the olive oil/vinegar sets.
I would love to try the risotto with truffle or just the white truffle……. Or all of the olive oils!!