appetizer Archives - Fresh From Oregon

Simply Natural ~ Lindsay Olives

September 5, 2016 · by Carrie Trax ·

I took a recent trip to our southern neighboring state to see what was “Fresh from California” and to attend my 5th IFBC in Sacramento. Northern California has the perfect climate to grow and produce a large selection of fresh fruits, vegetables and other products. During an evening of “Taste of Sacramento” I stopped by to meet the folks from Lindsay Olives. Usually when you say olives we all think of green and black olives. My memories of olives are at the holidays and putting a black olive on every one of my fingers, playing with them before eating each from my little fingers. I am starting that tradition now with my granddaughter and watching her enjoy olives just as much as I did. But olives are not just for the holidays Lindsay Olives has a NEW Line of Simply Natural Olives in the traditional green and black but also some delicious blends of olives. Check out some of the blends they will have:

Natural Italian Medley
Kalamata, Manzanilla and Queen olives mixed with a robust flavor combination of garlic and basil that is reminiscent of summertime on the Italian seaside. These would be perfect on an Antipasto Platter.

Natural Mediterranean Medley
A simple combination of parsley, black pepper and garlic is the ultimate enhancement to a perfect assortment of queen, Kalamata and Manzanilla olives. Toss these olives in a traditional Greek salad to add new layers of flavor.

Natural Spanish Blend
A hearty mix of garlic, paprika, marjoram, cumin and laurel leaves produce a bold and flavorful olive blend. Toss these in a pasta salad or chop some up and add to your favorite frittata recipe.

Coming soon NEW Lindsay Party Picks … Entertaining made easy, these olives are already on a pick in the jar, just open and add to your Martini simple and easy. Check out all the flavors they will have: Red Pepper, Spicy Veggies, Garlic, Sweet Veggie, Jalapeno, and hot Piri Piri Peppers.

Check out here all that Lindsay has to offer at ilovelindsay.com

Keep some Lindsay olives on hand just in case you have some family or friends that stop by. Here is a quick and easy recipe you can throw together in minutes.

Warm Olives with Herbs
3 tablespoons CVR Arbequina Olive Oil
1 (6 oz.) can Lindsay Naturals California Black Ripe Pitted Olives, drained
1 (6 oz.) can Lindsay Naturals California Green Ripe Olives, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add olives, garlic and thyme sprigs; saute 5 to 6 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cowboy Candy Poppers

January 29, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

Quick and easy, these Cowboy Candy Poppers are perfect to serve at your next gathering. Only three ingredients make up these mouth watering poppers that you can make ahead or assemble, cook and serve. Surprise your guests at the upcoming Superbowl game and serve these sweet & spicy poppers but make sure you have plenty of beverages to serve with them.

Cowboy Candy Popper
1 package Wonton Wrappers
1 batch Cowboy Candy Dip
Canola Oil

Open wonton wrappers but make sure to cover with plastic wrap they dry out quickly. Fill a small bowl with water, you will need to wet around the wontons to seal them. Take one wonton and with your finger wet around the outer edge with water. Place a heaping teaspoon of Cowboy Candy in the center of the wonton. Bring back of wonton up and over the filling. Now take both sides and fold in, finish by rolling wonton forward to seal. Make sure the wonton is completed sealed or the cheese will melt out when you are cooking. Place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. In a deep skillet or pot heat about 1-inch of canola oil over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Add one Cowboy Candy popper to check if the oil is hot and popper starts to fry. Add more to the skillet or pot about 8 total and cook about 1 to 2 minutes or until a golden brown. Using tongs flip over and cook the other side. The first batch always seems to take the longest to cook. Cook remaining poppers but watch these will brown up much faster. Place finished poppers back on the paper towel-lined baking sheet. They are ready to serve and you need no dipping sauce for these poppers. If you would like to serve later, cool poppers on paper towel. To reheat remove paper towel and place in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 3 minutes or until they are hot.

Krusteaz Honey Cornbread Poppers…

October 6, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

I met so many great food vendors at the IFBC 2014 in Seattle. One of my favorite sessions was presented by Krusteaz . Krusteaz’s Culinary Specialist Malia Hasegawa and event stylist and entertaining personality Jennifer Sbranti of Hostess with the Mostess had a fun filled session where they gave us “out-of-box” recipes and some great tips on table setting and entertaining ideas. This is a local family business started here in the Northwest. I learned from the founders grandson that it all started back in 1932 with one man, a group of woman from a Seattle bridge club and a pie! The first product that Krusteaz (a cleaver combination of “crust” and “ease”) made was a boxed pie crust. Since then they added pancake mix, biscuits, muffins, brownies, breads, desserts and more. One of their newest mixes are three different Krusteaz Flatbreads but we will save that for another post. During the presentation Malia and Jennifer gave us so many ideas I wanted to go home and start creating myself. With the cool weather upon us and football tailgating I decided to make an easy pop in your mouth treat using the Krusteaz Honey Cornbread & Muffin Mix. The recipe is easy and quick to make but you need to have some “Cowboy Candy” around to make this sweet and spicy little popper.

Krusteaz Honey Cornbread Poppers
Makes 36
1 box Krusteaz Honey Cornbread & Muffin Mix
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz jar of Cowboy Candy, drained, chopped finely

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare mini muffin pans by spraying 36 mini muffin cups with a non stick spray.

In medium bowl combine the Krusteaz Honey Cornbread mix, milk, oil and egg until moistened, do not over mix. Scoop into mini muffin pans and bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Combine in the bowl of a stand mixer the cream cheese and cowboy candy. Mix until combined and soft, about 1 minute. Place in a icing bag that has been fitted with a large tip and pipe onto cooled muffins. These are ready to serve or refrigerate for later.

Jalapeno Dip is it Sweet or is it Hot …

September 1, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

It’s a jalapeno dip that is “Sweet” & “Hot” and you just can not stop eating it. There are only two ingredients in the dip but you need to have a jar of homemade “Cowboy Candy” on hand to make this dip. Cowboy candy is easy to make and you can just store the jars in your refrigerator. I use so many jars of this that I get jalapeno peppers in season Fresh From Oregon and process them in a hot water bath and store them on my shelf. Jars of “Cowboy Candy” are great to give as a gift or perfect to have on hand for guests that just stop over. These sweet & hot jalapeno slices also can be added to many other things like sandwiches, chili or just enjoy eating them from the jar!

Jalapeno Sweet & Hot Dip

1 – 4 oz. jar Cowboy Candy, chopped

8 oz cream cheese, softened

Mix together and serve with nacho chips or crackers.

Cowboy Candy ~ Pickled Jalapenos

1 lb fresh jalapenos

2/3 cup cider vinegar

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons mustard seed

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Slice jalapenos. Mix cider vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery and mustard seed, garlic, and cayenne to boil. Reduce for 5 minutes to a simmer. Add jalapenos at the simmer for 20 minutes more. Cool to lukewarm and place in glass canning jars (I use the 4oz size it is perfect for the recipe above) or one big glass jar or container. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. If you would like to can some follow recipe below.

If you want to can them you need to simmer the jalapenos for 5 minutes once you add them to the liquid. Load sterilized jars with jalapenos first and add liquid filling the jars leaving a 1/4 head space. Process in a water bath for 15 minutes. Makes 8 (4 oz) jars.

Simply Natural ~ Lindsay Olives

Cowboy Candy Poppers

Krusteaz Honey Cornbread Poppers…

Jalapeno Dip is it Sweet or is it Hot …

Experience fresh food from Oregon!

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