Life is too short to use poor quality olive oil.

Yes, indeed. I am an unabashed addict. The amount of evoo I consume in a month is obscene. I have a particularly strong aversion to butter, for reasons I can't quite explain. A pet peeve? When dinner rolls come pre-buttered! (I occassionally feel guiltily un-American when I reflect that I loath butter, sugar, and chocolate. Unless it is a chilled York peppermint patty.)

Here are my favorite recipes for flavored olive oils:

- Press green olives through a garlic press, and let it sit in oil for a few days. The oil will taste wonderfully fruity!

- Let pressed, raw garlic permeate the oil for a few days.

- Place a chili pepper or two in a bottle for about a week.

- I have not tried these, but you might: crushed peanuts, rosemary, basil, lemon, and chives.

With all these recipes, I recommend refrigeration while the extras are present. Once sufficient time has passed, strain and store at room temperature.

These make excellent gifts! Use a glass bottle - I've had luck with old maple syrup bottles - and dress with a ribbon.

Uses:
- Drizzle over homemade bread or pasta.
- Use to make popcorn in a pan on the stove.
- Use in place of evoo or oil for stir-fry, etc.
- Drink.

Benefits:
- Lowers LDL.
- Raises HDL.
- Reduces the risk of ulcers, gallstones, many cancers, and coronary heart disease.
- Lowers blood pressure.
- Helps maintain steady blood sugar.
- Helps maintain a healthy body weight.
- Improves the condition of the skin and hair.

Picture credit.

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Tip/trick/lesson of the day: Popcorn is an inexpensive and healthy alternative to other snack foods. Once you've made it with evoo on the stove, you'll never go back to microwave popcorn, I promise! Cover the bottom of a large pan entirely with oil, and then add a single layer of popcorn kernels. Cover with lid <--- important. Listen for popping, and turn off when popping slows. Drizzle with just a small amount of olive oil, and add any additional ingredients as desired. Salt is popular, but a spoonful of raw, pressed garlic is also yummy.

The baddogs adore popcorn time! A kernel or twelve always manages to escape. When Roommate is home, we make a batch in the evening. Coco'nut will pace and huff if the popcorn is not started by a certain time :)

Raw garlic is a wonderful antibiotic. Stir a spoonful into soups or add to a salad. I'm blessed with a very strong immune system, but when I feel a sniffle I run out for garlic and parsely. Raw garlic can be a bit tough on the belly if you are not used to it.