The Lovable Olive

I love olives, whether it's eating them before dinner or adding them to a dish I am making. The Italian deli 15 minutes north uses real calamata olives on pizzas (if you order one "with olives"). Absolutely marvelous.

I found this website, Ode to Olives, created by someone who shares my affinity for olives. And I also stumbled on this web page with lots of info about olives, including the many varieties of olives that are out there.

Did you know why green olives are green? According to this web page, it's because they are deliberately picked before they're ripe.

I love picholine olives. They have a slight bitterness and a briny flavor that is really nice. I have one disagreement with the web page, which says that Moroccan oil-cured olives are "best used for cooking rather than snacking." I think they are equally yummy.

Orange BBQ Chicken

We're hanging out with family this weekend, and the dinner I've planned will be built around Orange BBQ Chicken.

I guess it would help if I could find that recipe I once used. I think it's from my Southern Living cookbook, but who knows? First, you brine the chicken so that the breasts don't dry out on the grill. As I recall, there weren't many ingredients besides the chicken.

If I had to improvise, I suspect that I could. Let's see -- a container of good barbecue sauce, frozen orange juice concentrate, zest from 1 orange and some dried or fresh ginger. Maybe a tablespoon of bourbon?

That should work. But if anyone out there in cyberspace should happen to have such a recipe, don't be shy. Please share it with me.