Healthful and versatile, olive mixes stay in the fridge for months, ready to grab and serve with beer, red and white wine, and martinis and other cocktails.

You can also use the olives as part of an antipasto, add them to salads and omelets, and spoon them onto dishes of pasta, slices of pizza and whatever else inspires you.

To turn your mix into a gift, just create a label from a free template, or use pinking shears to cut a circle from a scrap of cloth and tie it with a ribbon or string over the top of a recycled plastic or glass container.

A mix of cured olives and almonds with lemon zest. Photo courtesy A.G. Ferrari.

OLIVE MIX RECIPE

Follow these simple steps to create a great olive mix:

 
HOW TO SERVE YOUR OLIVE MIX

A bowl of olives is fine by itself, but olives are also a popular part of an antipasto, served with:

December 16th is National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day.

Here’s a treat few people can resist: chocolate-drizzled (or chocolate-covered, if you prefer) popcorn.

Some popcorn companies won’t ship it until October, when the weather cools down.

But that’s O.K., because it’s easy to make this chocolate popcorn recipe, using a base of home-popped or store-bought popcorn, in fewer than five minutes.

If you like things sweet and salty, sprinkle some sea salt in the final mix.

A GREAT GIFT: If you’re going somewhere this weekend, you can quickly make a batch as a gift for your host. Hopefully, like us, you’ve kept all the cookie gift tins you’ve received, just waiting for an occasion like this. It’s so much easier and faster than baking.

While the chocolate coating isn’t on the nutritionist’s checklist, popcorn is a whole grain, good-for-you snack. And you can always convince yourself that chocolate has “healthy antioxidants.”*
 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE COVERED (CHOCOLATE DRIZZLED)
POPCORN

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. LINE two baking sheets with waxed paper. Pop the corn and place in a large bowl; you need enough space to toss so the popcorn doesn’t spill out of the bowl. Remove any unpopped kernels.

2. MELT the chocolate, preferably in a Pyrex measuring cup with a lip, and pour it over the still-warm popcorn. Toss thoroughly, using two very large spoons. Sprinkle with salt or spices as desired.

4. USE the spoons to spread the coated popcorn onto the waxed paper. Let cool until the chocolate has set (you can place the pans in the fridge for a few minutes).

5. USE a fork or other implement to break apart any large clumps. Place the popcorn in a serving bowl and serve.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF POPCORN

Thanks to the Aztecs and other Mesoamericans for discovering and developing popcorn.

Here’s the history of popcorn.

[2] It’s fun to pop your own; but if you’re time-strapped, you can use microwave or store-bought popcorn (photo © King Of Pop).

Melt chocolate chips or chop up some chocolate bars (photo © King Arthur Flour).

___________________
 
*While it’s true that chocolate contains some antioxidants, after the sugar is added, it’s no health food. Plus, the antioxidant value is found in cacao beans that are roasted in a particular way to preserve the antioxidants. Companies that roast cacao beans for chocolate seldom worry about preserving the antioxidants.
  

This recipe was developed by New York City chef and restaurateur Donatalla Arpaia, who makes the cocktail with Martini Bianco vermouth and Grey Goose vodka. Prosecco is the perfect summer sparkler, light and crisp with notes of apple, peach, apricot, pear and white peach.

We like that this drink includes summery ingredients like basil and cherry tomatoes. We prefer the recipe without the simple syrup; but then, we prefer savory drinks. That said, you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon agave nectar for the simple syrup (More about agave nectar).

THE DONATELLA COCKTAIL

Ingredients Per Cocktail

*Campari is a variety of tomato noted for its juiciness, high sugar level and low acidity. They are larger than a cherry tomato but smaller and rounder than a plum tomato.

†Shaking or vigorously stirring sparkling wine breaks the bubbles.
  

Easy designer burger topped with red
caramelized onions and lettuce and tomato
lightly dressed with vinaigrette. Photo
courtesy Built Burger.

No matter how good your ground meat and buns are, they’re just a starting point to creating a memorable signature burger.

A signature burger adds special condiments and toppings—and perhaps a special bread—to the basic burger. There are as many variations as there are ingredients on the shelf.

We’ve made it easy to create your own special burger. Take a look at almost 50 recipe ideas for hamburgers, turkey burgers and veggie burgers. There are separate checklists to build your own, from:

 
If you’re inspired to create more than one type of burger, consider making smaller sliders, so guests can taste one of each.

Just don’t read the article when you’re hungry: It will make your mouth water.

If you’ve never had creme honey before, it’s a real treat. In many countries around the world, creme honey is preferred to the liquid/syrup form and is used instead of jelly or jam.

Creme honey (also known as churned honey, cremed honey, honey fondant, sugared honey, spun honey and whipped honey) is brought to market in a finely crystallized state.

While all honey will crystallize over time, creme honey is intentionally crystallized via a controlled process so that, at room temperature, the honey can be spread like butter.

Honey, a natural product, is better for you than refined sugar-laden jam. And honey has a lower glycemic index than sugar.

Use creme honey:

 
Treat yourself to our favorite creme honey, from Honey Ridge Farms:

 
The line is certified kosher parve by Oregon Kosher.

More About Honey

 
FOOD TRIVIA
What’s the difference between creme and cream? Why is it creme honey instead of cream honey?

Crème, pronounced KREHM, is the French word for cream. In America, French recipes were served at the tables of the wealthy, many of whom knew how to pronounce crème de légumes (mixed cream of vegetable soup).

As these recipes entered the mainstream, people who did not know French began to pronounce crème as cream. Some people dispensed with the accent mark, and now we have a mashup of French and English. If you were to write “cream honey,” you would not be incorrect; however, the industry has adopted crème or creme.

The word for honey in French is “miel” (pronounced mee-EL).