You may see a proliferation of infused olive oils at the market. But you might want to infuse your own:

 
Here’s a tip from Sunbasket, a West Coast service that delivers the best foods from the best farms along with personalized, easy recipes.

Speaking of easy: Infused oils are easy to make. The technique we describe below takes only minutes, not weeks of infusing.

WHEN TO USE INFUSED OILS

Infused oils can add a rich, complex boost of flavor and aroma to nearly anything you prepare. We use them to:

Drizzle flavored olive oil on pasta, meat or fish. Photo courtesy Flavor-Your-Life.com.

WHAT FLAVORS TO INFUSE

Most of the oils in the market are infused with herbs, citrus or garlic. Basil and rosemary are the most popular herbs, but also consider using cilantro, dill, oregano, parsley or thyme.

For citrus: blood orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mandarin or exotics (calamondin, kaffir lime).

For spices, just look on the spice shelf and find what piques your interest. How about chile, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, nutmeg or star anise?

For aromatics: garlic, ginger, lemongrass or scallions.

How about nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios or walnuts?

While many infused oils are made by soaking herbs in oil for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, a quick and easy infused oil can be make on the stove top in minutes.

Since you’re adding flavor, there’s no need to splurge on an expensive oil. If you’re infusing olive oil, use one that has mild flavor—not too peppery or fruity (unless you want those flavors in the final product). Or, pick a neutral cooking oil like canola (the different types of cooking oils).

 
Preparation
1. HEAT 1 cup of your favorite oil over very low heat in a sauté pan, skillet or nonstick pan.

2a. FOR HERBS: Add three sprigs of fresh herbs and a lightly smashed clove of garlic. Let the herbs cook in the pan until they’re just starting to brown, but not burn.

2c. FOR NUTS: Use nuts that are raw and unsalted. Cook until they’re just starting to brown.

Cooking any of these on the lowest heat possible will give the oil time to pull out the flavors while not burning.

3. COOL and strain the oil with a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Then funnel the oil into a glass bottle with a tight-fitting cap. Store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

4. REMOVE the oil from the fridge 20 minutes before using, to bring it to room temperature. Or, use it as soon as it’s made.
  

Americans get a different version than the one unveiled in Canada and the U.K. There, a long, continuous hot dog wrapped in crust surrounded the entire pizza (photo).

The hot dog was hidden in the crust, lessening the visual impact that America gets: a pizza perimeter of pigs in blankets.

The American hot dog pizza features an edge crust of 28 individual hot dog bites. It may be the first pizza ever to be served with a side of French’s mustard (the other versions had a mustard drizzle).

The company says it’s available “while supplies last,” for $11.99.

If you don’t know the location of the nearest Pizza Hut, check the store locator on the company website.

So: What’s for lunch tomorrow?

If Dad’s drink is a Bloody Mary, try something exciting for Father’s Day. You can use different spirits and mixes, but the easiest way to wow everyone is with a Bloody Mary cart or table, that lets each guest customize the garnishes. You need a bartender, but with everything set up, a college student can be a cost-effective solution.
 
SPIRITS

Vodka is traditional, but these days Bloody Marys are being crafted with spicy vodkas, botanical-forward gins, whiskey, tequila and even aquavit. Sochu, a neutral grain spirt like vodka, has half the proof of American spirits and is a great solution to keep the crowd sober, longer.
 
BLOODY MARY MIX

Everybody has a Bloody Mary mix solution, but could yours be better? For prepared mixes, we like Demetri’s and Master Of Mixes, Freshies, Mixerz and a few others. Look at the ingredients label and avoid anything with corn syrup or other sweetener.

Our own homemade mix has lots of horseradish, Worstershire sauce and fresh-squeezed lime juice; and for the hot sauce we use smoky chipotle from Cholula or Tabasco.

You can also add favorite and trending ingredients to a mix. Stonewall Kitchen has Cucumber Dill and Peppadew Sriracha.

We’d rather use the cucumber, dill and peppadew as a garnish.

The easiest way to make a Bloody Mary stand out with a memorable garnish. You may have seen photos of everything from charcuterie skewers and pepperoni straws to hot wings and an entire slice of pizza (hmmm). You don’t have to go that far, but you still need to do better than the venerable 20th century celery stick. You can use celery, but as of three garnish items.

Here’s a list of options for your Bloody Mary cart. Use at least two, and preferably three.

For skewers, get a supply of inexpensive picks like these four-inch bamboo knot picks.
 
START YOUR GARNISH LIST HERE!

PROTEINS

 
CONDIMENTS

 
SKEWER IDEAS

Here are some of the garnishes we’ve skewered together:

 
BLOODY MARY CART TIPS

Have your Bloody Mary mix pre-mixed with extra in the fridge. Keep it in a bucket of ice on the cart, and have lots of ice for drinks.

Consider offering two spirits, such as vodka and the lower-proof sochu, or vodka and gin. A Bloody Mary with gin is called a Red Snapper.

Place all the garnishes in bowls, grouped as we have above.

It’s a nice idea to rent highball glasses if you don’t have enough. Glass is so much nicer for this concept than plastic party tumblers. BUT check out these reusable plastic highball glasses.

Make it easy for the bartender and the guest by creating a large sign that lists the garnishes. It makes it quicker for guests to decide what they want from each group.

Enjoy the party!

The all natural caramels come in more flavors than most:

Our favorites: Original, Cappuccino, Chocolate and Sea Salt.

Original is a buttery caramel, and Cappuccino adds strong coffee flavor. Chocolate has a mild chocolate flavor.

Sea Salt is unlike any other salted caramel we’ve had. It’s made with large crystals of coarse sea salt, delivering lots of salt in every bite.

It was too much salt for us, but it might become the favorite flavor of salt lovers.

Options include bags of 10 and 16 pieces, gift boxes and bulk boxes.

The bags are just $5.00 each: great for party favors and stocking stuffers (you can never plan too far in advance!). Nautical-themed gift boxes are currently 20% off and there’s free shipping on orders over $49.00.

Get yours at AnnieBsCandy.com.
 
  

Our friend Terry commented yesterday that on weekend mornings, she goes to a neighborhood café for a dish of shakshouka (shah-SHOOK-ah). “That’s the NIBBLE tip of the day for Tuesday,” we exclaimed.

So here’s the scoop, something to consider for Father’s Day or any day you have the extra time to make the spicy sauce.

Shakshouka is a breakfast dish of eggs baked or poached or both, in a spicy tomato sauce that incorporates crushed tomatoes, garlic, hot chiles, olive oil, onions, paprika and/or cumin and salt.

Some variations include artichoke hearts, beans, potatoes and salty cheese.

Shakshouka means “a mixture” in Tunisian Arabic. The dish is believed to have a Tunisian origin, but it’s also a staple of Algerian, Egyptian, Moroccan and Libyan cuisines and is popular in Israel, where it’s served for dinner as well.
 
The dish is traditionally served in a cast iron pan or in a tagine*, with bread to mop up the sauce. The recipe is similar to Mexican huevos rancheros, Spanish pisto manchego and the Turkish dish menemen.
 
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*A tagine or tajine (tah-ZHEEN) is a North African earthenware that comprises a shallow pan covered with a dome. Here’s a photo, recipe and more about tagines.
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An American approach to shakshouka: Served it for lunch with a salad. Photo courtesy GoodEggs.com.

RECIPE: SHAKSHOUKA

This recipe, from Good Eggs chef Audrey Snyder, is first poached, then baked. But you can poach only if you prefer. Chef Audrey adds both beans (more protein!) and cheese, which add flavor and texture. You can omit them if you prefer.

You can serve shakshouka with warm bread or toast for dipping, can serve it over polenta, or both. To serve it for lunch or dinner, add a salad and cooked vegetables, as in the photo above.

If making the sauce is too time-consuming for you, you can substitute a prepared puttanesca sauce along with the fresh herbs and optional cheese. The flavors won’t be the same (anchovy paste, capers and olives instead of cumin, onions and paprika), but they’ll be close enough to enjoy spicy eggs.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

1. PREHEAT the oven to 425°F.

2. HEAT the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeños. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes.

3. ADD the beans, paprika, oregano and fresh herbs and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a light boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.

4. SEASON to taste with salt and pepper. Crack the eggs into the sauce one at a time, spacing evenly. Top with the cheese.

5. TRANSFER the skillet to the oven and bake until the egg whites are set but yolks are still runny, 5 to 8 minutes. Garnish with parsley and basil or cilantro. Serve with warm bread for dipping, or serve over polenta.
 
Yum!