O Olive Oil Recipe Review

eRecipeCards has given me an opportunity to compete in a contest from O Olive Oil. Dave, creator of eRecipeCards, designed a website where you can upload recipes, share, like other recipes, and keep it organized just like you would on your own recipe book. I'm a "blue ribbon" contributor from being there from almost the beginning, and consistently adding my recipes. The photos do not have to be professional or magazine quality either! Check them out:

I also want to thank O Olive Oil for the contest! There were so many submissions, they are going to have a hard time deciding the winners. They are giving away almost $1000 in prizes, and I'm really crossing my fingers that I would be one of them.

Here is a run-down on the recipes I've posted for O Olive Oil and their competition. Click on image to see the full recipe!

  

 

  

 

  

I hope you have enjoyed these recipes as much as I enjoyed making them! O Olive Oil now has a permanent place in my pantry. You can find them in Whole Foods, which I will be visiting next time I'm in a big city. 

O Olive Oil Products and Review

eRecipeCards has provided a wonderful opportunity to explore the flavors the O Olive Oil company provides through their wide variety of products. Thanks to Dave at eRecipeCards for selecting me and my blog for this experience!

O Olive Oil is a company that prides themselves in the industry with their citrus pressed olive oils and wine vinegars since 1995. O Olive Oil uses the finest ingredients like fresh California Mission olives and organic citruses to create their signature line. The wine vinegars are made with a different technique than most other brands. O Olive Oil is one of the few remaining companys that ages the vinegars in wood barrels instead of force-aging them mechanically. The results are clear, and the quality and company is set apart from the rest.

O Olive Oils and Vinegars now come in a variety of flavors and combinations. The citrus oils come in flavors like meyer lemon, blood orange, clementine, jalapeno lime, ruby grapefruit and tahitian lime as well as other oils like extra virgin and roasted garlic.  The wine vinegars have a wide variety which include: champagne, cabernet, pinot noir, zinfandel, sherry and many more. The rice vinegar comes in ginger, yuzu and sudachi. O Olive Oil also creates hand-crafted, and aged in oak wood, balsamic vinegars including: white, port and even the newest addition of fig balsalmic.

I have the pleasure to enjoy the combination of my choice to share with all my readers and fans. I choose the Clementine Olive Oil and the White Balsalmic Vinegar. I have used a few ideas and flavor combinations that O Olive Oil suggests on their web page, as well as adding my own creativeness to create a personal take on the amazing flavors.

O Clementine Olive Oil
The O Clementine Olive Oil has been combine with the flavors of mandarins crushed together with Mission olives to create a sweet,smooth and richly unique flavor. As suggested by O Olive Oil, it is perfectly paired the the white balsalmic vinegar.

O California White Balsalmic Vinegar

The white balsalmic vinegar has a flavor that combines almonds, pears and green apples. The flavor is light and crisp and absolutely delightful for your taste buds, especially over Spring-time dishes. 

O Olive Oil suggest splashing over fresh fruit, or combining it with the clementine olive to make a dressing for a Spring mix salad.

 

Asian Pear and Baby Greens Salad with Blue Cheese and O Clementine Oil and I California White Balsalmic

A recipe suggested by O Olive Oil that lets the flavors of the Oils shine in the perfectly blended combination.

Click here for their recipe.

Watermelon and Feta Salad

Another recipe suggested by O Olive Oil is this perfect-for-summer dish that will touch every taste bud in your mouth! The unusual combination of watermelon, basil, feta, salt and the signature oils will definitely surprise anyone your serving.

Click here for the recipe. 

This has got to be one of my favorite dishes in this whole experiment!

Watermelon and Feta Bruschetta
Since I loved the recipe above, I took it a little further. I toasted the bread using extra virgin olive oil and then topping it with the watermelon salad (chopped).  This added a wonderful crunch to the scrumptious salad and it would be a perfect appetizer to any meal or BBQ.






You can find out more information about O Olive Oil on their website or on Facebook.
Find eRecipeCards on FaceBook or their webpage.

Please see disclaimer for more details on a sponsored post.

Pork Tonkatsu with Watermelon-Tomato Salad

Put your aprons on--this one is a doosie! Actually, the process is very simple...the FLAVOR is what will blow your mind!

~This is Japan's take on schnitzel~

PORK TONKATSU

w/ WATERMELON-TOMATO SALAD

2 cups 1/2-inch cubed watermelon [I used a melon-baller and cut them in half]
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups baby arugula
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves [mine were fresh from my garden!]
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tblsp Dijon mustard, divided
1 tblsp fresh lemon juice plus 4 lemon wedges
1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper plus more
2 large eggs
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
4 4-oz boneless center-cut pork chops, pounded to 1/8-inch thickness [mine weren't that thin, and I wish I made them even thinner! When in doubt--pound some more]
6 tblsp vegetable oil, divided

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk olive oil, 1 tblsp mustard, and juice in a small bowl. Season  dressing with salt and pepper. Set salad and dressing aside. [I had more salad than watermelon and tomatoes, but that is our preference. The first bite of this salad with dressing and watermelon and tomatoes...you won't ever forget it!]

Whisk eggs and 1 tblsp mustard in a medium bowl. Combine panko, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper on a large plate. Season pork lightly with salt and pepper. Dip in egg mixture, then in panko, pressing to adhere. [I skipped putting the s&p in the panko crumbs, and just put a little more on the chops themselves]

Working in 2 batches, heat 2 tblsp veg oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook pork until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Toss salad with dressing; season to taste with s & p. Serve pork with salad and lemon wedges for squeezing over. [I also served with mashed potatoes, and it was perfect!]

recipe adapted from Bon Appetit magazine, July 2011 edition

PMM #4 & Watermelon Shark

Its good to be back home after a week of vacation with the family in Branson, MO. I'll put up several review on my other blog about some great places we were at.

On the other hand, I feel so out of the loop in the blogging world! I had posts up all week, so I bet hardly anyone noticed. If I haven't replied back on anything, I'll get to them today. Now back to a normal week!

WATERMELON SHARK

 

This was a fun treat for my kids while camping out. My son loves sharks and got the biggest kick out of this! I found this idea on the Sun Scholars Blog. There is detailed directions there as well as to how to make it. It was quite a bit of work, but wonderful to see everyone's reactions.

Personally, I think it looks more like a monster than a shark. Or maybe one of the dragons from "How to train your Dragon" movie. I'll make sure I get the angles and cuts more accurate next time! I also didn't get fancy with the fin and gills like others have. My kids were begging to eat it, so I "had" to hurry and finish. =) This would be perfect for a birthday party with a theme like pirates, underwater, ect..

Make sure you eat it before it eats you!

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Now for my Penny Meal Monday recipe....

SPAGHETTI NIGHT

Not only is this a penny-meal, its also a favorite among my kids. They beg for it every week! I cave in only once or twice....a month... =)

ground turkey: $1.79; sauce: $0.89 (sale); spaghetti noodles: $0.30 (case sale). TOTAL: $3.00
We usually serve it with a salad on the side, but when in a pinch, it gets left off. We love pigging out on just a plate full of spaghetti. This batch also makes a huge leftover dinner for us.
~Cook the meat until fulled browned, drain. Add sauce and mix until heated through. Cook noodles according to directions, drain. Mix the sauce and noodles together and serve. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.

SPAGHETTI LEFTOVER CASSEROLE
Leftover spaghetti: FREE, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese:$1.25; TOTAL: $1.25
~Grease casserole dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix together leftover spaghetti and cheese. Put into the casserole dish. Sprinkle a little cheese on top. Cook in oven at 375 degrees F for 30 to 45 minutes.

Wordless Wednesday

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Mmmmmmmmmmm Sprinnnnnng!
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