Three Olive Tapenade

I just love olives. They're so salty and pungent. Yum! Olive tapenade is the perfect snack for olive lovers. It's a mix of finely chopped olives with some other yummy flavorings. For this particular recipe, I kept it pretty simple because I wanted the olives to be the star of the show. But I've seen some other recipes that include capers, anchovies, or roasted red peppers. Feel free to play around with it and add your own spin!

Three Olive Tapenade
Makes: 8 servings

1 1/2 cups black olives
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1/2 cup green olives with pimiento
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

• Combine all of the ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped.
• If you prefer a smoother texture, continue to puree for 2 minutes, periodically scraping down the sides.
• Serve at room temperature or cold.
• Serve on crostini (toasted bread rubbed with garlic) or with veggies. You can even spread it on some chicken breast then bake in the oven!

Grilled Pizzadillas

In case you hadn't guessed, a Pizzadilla is a glorious combination of pizza and quesadillas. I first came across this concept on Pinterest - surprise surprise! Then Matt actually had a Pizzadilla at East Coast Wings and Grill. He loved it so much that it was set in stone - I had to try to make them! I thought I would make this recipe my own by making them on the grill. The weather has been warming up here in the Carolinas and I am so ready for spring and grilling and flip flops!

I made a few pepperoni pizzadillas and a few veggie ones. The veggie ones had olives, mushrooms, and green peppers and they were really delicious. I don't like raw veggies on my pizza/in my quesadillas so I sauteed the veggies first with a little garlic. You can do the same if you want or just throw them on there raw, whichever you prefer.

Grilled Pizzadillas
Makes: 6 pizzadillas

6 large burrito sized flour tortillas
6 oz pizza cheese (mozzarella and cheddar blend)
Toppings such as pepperoni, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, olives, peppers, onions, etc
14 oz jar of plain pizza sauce

• Preheat the grill on high with the lid down.
• Once the grill is nice and hot, open the lid. Place 3 - 4 tortillas on the grill at a time, depending on how many will fit on your grill.
• Carefully top each tortilla with 1 oz of cheese (about 1/4 cup) then add desired toppings. I quickly learned that I couldn't keep my hand over the grill for longer than about 2 seconds because of the heat. So you should expect to have to add the cheese and toppings in short bursts. If it's easier for you, you can make two at a time so that they don't burn by the time you're able to get all of the toppings on.
• Leave the lid open and allow the pizzadilla to cook. Once the cheese is melted, about one minute, use a grill spatula to fold the pizzadilla in half. Then remove from the grill.
• Cut the pizzadilla into thirds then serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

On the grill!

As I was adding the labels to this post, I asked Matt if this was T1D friendly and he said, "No! God no!" Haha whoops, I guess that answers that question...

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

We had strawberry shortcake for dessert last night.  I love making this with my mom's buttermilk drop biscuits.  It reminds me of my childhood... and it's delicious!  The biscuits are great by themselves as well or even with some extra little goodies added to them.

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

2 C Flour

4 Tsp Baking powder

½ Tsp Baking soda

¾ Tsp Salt

4 Tbsp Melted butter

1 C Buttermilk

• Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix in the melted butter and butter milk until just combined. You definitely don't want to over-stir this kind of recipe.
• Drop the biscuits in large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can also drop them into a round cake pan, then cut them after they come out of the oven.
• Bake at 375° F for 15 minutes.

Variations:

Cheddar Biscuits: add ¾ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, and one teaspoon of parsley to the dry ingredients before adding the wet. Only add 3 tbsp of melted butter to the biscuit dough. Reserve the last tablespoon to brush on top of biscuits after they come out of the oven.

Strawberry Shortcake: Slice one pint of strawberries and toss with one tablespoon of lemon juice, one tablespoon of orange juice, and two tablespoons of sugar.  Place a biscuit in a bowl; top with strawberries and whipped cream.

Cheesy Olive Biscuits: take ¼ cup black olives and ¼ cup kalamata olives and finely chop.  Add to the biscuit dough along with ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese.

Note: Ok, so I think it's been well established at this point that I'm a cheater.  And I've gotta fess up.  I actually use powdered buttermilk in this recipe.  For me, it's so much easier because the shelf life is around 2 years so I can have it hanging around whenever I need it.  I just add 4 tablespoons of the powder directly to the other dry ingredients.  Then I add one cup of water (instead of the cup of buttermilk, just to be clear).