Olive Obsession: Black Olives, Green Olives, Garlic Stuffed Olives, Oh My!

When I was a little kid, I loved big family get-togethers. My mother was the oldest of seven, and I was the last of eight, so these were no small gatherings. Everyone brought a dish, so we had a feast. I was always that kid getting into trouble for putting a black olive on each finger (all ten if I didn’t get caught first). Olives were such a luxury that I only got them when we went to the family get-togethers. My cousins did not feel like they were such a big deal, but, in my mind, they had cupboards filled with black and green olives. My mother only had the money to buy the basics, so we never had olives.

As I grew up, my passion for olives only grew. When I got married, one thing I swore was that olives were always going to be in my kitchen. I am never without them. My family always asks me to bring the “relish tray” for our get-togethers because I am now the “Olive Queen” of my family.

I love to cook with olives. If you read my recipe for the Optional Cheese Ball, you can see that green and black olives are there. Depending on whom my guests are when I make the Optional Cheese Ball, it will sometimes look nearly black and green with a little white from the cream cheese.

Do I go overboard with my olives? Absolutely! I am like Bubba in Forrest Gump describing how many dishes he could make with shrimp, but I am making those dishes with olives:

Salad with olives, Spaghetti with olives, Pizza with olives, Cheese Ball with olives, Deep Fried Stuffed Black Olives with cheddar cheese and jalapenos, Garlic Green Olives, Olive and Cheese Tray, Variety Olive Tray (Greek olives, garlic stuffed olives, feta cheese stuffed olives, jalapeno stuffed olives, black olives, pimento stuffed olives), Cottage Cheese Salad with olives… I could write an olive cookbook! I am an olive lover; that is for sure.

Oh, did I mention how many olives I add to my Optional Veggie Salad?

Now, nutritionally, they are low in cholesterol and a good source of vitamin E, but they are extremely high in sodium. I wake up swelled after a night of olive gorging. To me, it is worth the heart attack and stroke risk. I know, I am just insane about olives. I have raised children who love olives too. I was the type of mother who said, “Don’t waste your olives. You eat every one of them.”

What really gets me, though, is when I have company and they let their kids with their dirty little hands just grab a handful of olives. I want to grab their hands. It just ruins it for everyone. I always put a big spoon in the olives, but they still grab them. They do not understand “olive etiquette.” Some of them even put them on their fingers, but they don’t eat them because in a whiney voice they will say, “I don’t like olives.” My mind screams, “Then DON’T TOUCH THEM!” At least eat them after you place them on your fingers. As hostess, though, I keep my mouth shut and lip smile over my gritted teeth. Olives aren’t a fashion statement; they are a sophisticated acquired taste. You must raise your children to respect olives of any kind because you never know when an olive lover is around and you may be causing an irrevocable hurt if you allow your children to “play” with the olive without respecting it by savoring it afterwards.

So, to all my fellow olive lovers: CHEERS! May all your meals and snacks be olive-ridden.

Inspired by MissOlive – our fellow hubber - and dedicated to all the passionate olive lovers in the world!!