My husband is a feta cheese fanatic. So, when he makes one of his frequent Costco runs, he invariably comes home with a 2-pack of feta. (Unless of course we already have some on hand. Even then, he might just pick some up because “we don’t want to be without. Right?”) He simply can’t help himself! He loves the stuff.

Of course, I am right there with him. But I at least have the good grace to show some restraint in how much and how often this salty, tangy, sharp, and creamy delicious cheese makes it to my mouth! But not Mr. C. He could eat feta cheese every day of his life!

So, in order to change things up a bit for him or whenever I deem it desirable to offer an appetizer to friends or family as a before dinner treat, I make this recipe. It is very similar to my Marinated Goat Cheese recipe (on site), with the exception being that I always have feta in the house. (No duh!) Whereas I must make a special trip to a grocery store to pick up goat cheese. Regardless of which cheese I use; I can always count on my dear husband to gobble it up!

So, if you too are a lover of feta cheese, give this recipe a try. It makes for just a perfect appetizer, and it is so very easy to prepare. (Great in or on salads too.)

Now, if you have never tasted feta, do yourself a favor and buy some at your earliest convenience. Or if you might wonder how to use it besides in this recipe, I have listed some of my other recipes that include this delightful ingredient.

Corn and Black Bean Salad with Feta

Mediterranean Quinoa, Fresh Vegetable, and Feta Cheese Salad

Roasted Beets, Candied Pecans, and Feta Cheese Salad with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

Crumbled Feta Cheese Topped Vegetarian Lentil Soup

Creamy Feta Cheese Dip

Honey, Thyme, and Balsamic Glaze Dressed Beets with Feta Cheese

Spinach Salad with Walnuts, Feta Cheese, and Dried Cranberries

Spinach with Almonds and Feta Cheese

Cucumbers with a Yogurt, Feta, and Dill Dressing

Crispy Zucchini Fritters

Mediterranean Brown Basmati Rice Salad

Pearl (Israeli) Couscous Tabbouleh Salad

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Well, that’s all I have to offer today. It’s drizzling outside, so there goes any hope of my getting more pruning done in the yard today. I was able to hack a few bushes back into submission yesterday, but there are still plenty awaiting my ministration.

One of my regrets about getting older is not being able to work in the yard like I could when I was younger. I miss getting down on my knees and digging up the earth in preparation for planting something lovely for us to enjoy. I even miss my ongoing and frustrating battle with weeds. There is just something that used to bring me such delight when I could eliminate a dandelion or other obnoxious weed from the yard. I wonder if Freud would have had something worrisome to say about my gusto for the kill. But luckily, he’s gone to his maker, and my knees have reminded me on numerous occasions that my time of weeding in the garden is long gone.

Perhaps in the long run, it’s for the best that my enjoyment of our yard is confined to views from a window or our deck. Seems mentally healthier to appreciate the beauty in our yard and not dwell on the desire to kill. Even if the kill instinct only involved the extinguishment of weeds!

May you too enjoy and appreciate all the majesty and beauty that Mother Nature provides on a daily basis.  

Peace and love to all.

½ c. extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced  

1 T. fresh basil chiffonade 

¾ tsp. dried thyme

1½ tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper 

8 oz. feta cheese, cut into ¼- inch sized pieces

In a flat covered container, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, basil, thyme, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add feta cubes to oil. Gently turn cheese a couple of times to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 days before serving at room temperature with crackers or baguette slices.

There are just certain foods that bring back pleasant memories. And this is one of those special foods.

Somewhere along the line years and years ago, I was introduced to this mixture of softened cream cheese and olives used as a filling for sandwiches. Where and when that was is (I’m sure) firmly nestled in the archive’s region of my brain and therefore only able to be accessed at certain times. And my brain’s archive visitor hours appear to be getting shorter and further apart as I continue to pile on the years. So, unfortunately, today does not seem to be one of the times when my brain archive access is available! (Much to my displeasure!)

Anyway, suffice it to say I have been making this spread for decades. And why I am only getting around to sharing this treasure with you now is anyone’s guess. Although, hosting a 1950’s themed birthday party for our dear friend Mark was the impetus for digging up recipes from that era. And cream cheese balls seemed to have been all the rage at the time. And frankly, they still should be all the rage, because they are fabulous. At least this one is!

Now, I hope you understand that I didn’t actually attend cocktail parties in the 50’s. Even I’m not THAT old! (Mark didn’t attend in the 50’s either. He just happened to be born in the 50’s.) But I did start making several of the appetizers that were popular in the 50’s when I was hosting cocktail parties in the 60’s and 70’s. So, it was fairly easy to come up with a menu for the party. So, my next post will be entitled – 1950’s COCKTAIL PARTY RECIPES. (In case you too get a wild hair to throw a 1950’s theme party. This could save you a bunch of time.) But, back to this recipe.

Not only is this spread delicious; it is also very easy to prepare. Simple, everyday ingredients, and a creamy texture that is irresistible.

Well, that’s it for today. It’s sunny and bright outside and Mt. Baker and several other of the peaks along the Cascade Crest are showing off their new snow. It’s just a glorious day to be alive.

Peace and love to all.

And sorry about no picture of the spread. I have a picture on my camera, but for some reason I can’t transfer it to my computer. User error, I’m sure. But if and when I can make the transfer work, I will edit this post to include the work of art. (Don’t hold your breath!)

1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temp.

1 T. sour cream

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp. granulated garlic

scant 1/8 tsp. granulated onion

freshly ground black pepper (not too much)

1 (4.25 oz.) can chopped black olives

¼ c. minced pimento stuffed green olives, plus a few slices for garnish

Using a fork, combine the cream cheese and sour cream in a mixing bowl until no lumps remain. Then stir in the W sauce, granulated garlic, granulated onion, black pepper, chopped black olives, and minced green olives. Form mixture into a mound on a pretty plate. Decorate with a few slices of stuffed green olives. Cover loosely, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until firm, but better overnight.

Bring to room temperature before serving with crackers or stuffing into celery. Or spread liberally on toasted bagels. Now that’s a tasty treat!  

OK, I’ll just say this once. I am an olive lover. And have been ever since as a 7- or 8-year-old, I ate most of a can of black olives and drank some of the juice while “helping” my mother prepare a relish tray for Thanksgiving dinner. Granted I didn’t feel real swell after drinking the olive brine, but it didn’t leave me hating olives either.

And oh, how I loved those relish trays. Cut up carrots and celery, black olives, and home-made dill pickle spears. I can still see myself gently setting my mother’s rectangular cut glass dish full of tasty treats on the table just before company arrived.

After black olives, the next kind of olive I fell in love with were those salty, briny pimento stuffed Spanish olives. (A must for use in a perfect Tanqueray martini.) And then I found kalamata olives. OMG. How did I ever exist before kalamata olives!?!?

But then during our last visit to Italy, we spent a few days at a small hotel in Rome. When I asked for a pre-dinner martini in the hotel’s very small bar, the owner/bartender had to ask me how to build a martini, to which of course I dutifully acquiesced. I gave him my recipe and asked for the requisite number of olives. Now please note, I don’t speak Italian and our dear bartender only spoke limited English. He appeared very puzzled when I asked for olives in my drink. When the drink arrived, it was huge. And as for the olives, he brought us a whole bowl of olives. But olives the likes of which we had never tasted. They were Castelvetrano olives. And oh my, they were the best tasting olives we had ever encountered. So, you might ask, Patti, which is now your favorite kind of olive. And my response would have to be – whichever is in front of me at the time.

But, enough about me and back to the real reason for this post – this delicious and easy to prepare spread recipe. I found it on the sweetcaramelsunday.com. site. And I can’t begin to praise this spread enough. And the ease of preparation makes it every busy cook’s dream come true. Just blitz all the ingredients together in your food processor, scoop into a pretty bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Serve with crackers and stand back.

So, if you too are an olive lover and like to prepare dishes ahead of time, this is the appetizer spread for you. And as for me, I couldn’t be more delighted that there is still some left in our refrigerator.  

As always, peace and love to all.

1½ c. pitted kalamata olives

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature

1 T. olive brine

1 T. dehydrated onion

1 tsp. granulated garlic

freshly ground black pepper

Roughly chop the kalamata olives in your food processor. Add the cream cheese, olive brine, dehydrated onion, granulated garlic, and black pepper and whirl until well combined.

Scoop into a pretty bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving. Remove from fridge at least an hour before serving with crackers.