"olive" news and stories

These cream cheese penguins are clearly taking a death march to someone's mouth. They are so cute that there is no way that that they wouldn't be the hit of any party. They were made by blogger Sweet & Sticky who proudly says that they were the only dish that everyone completely finished off at her family get-together.

To further raise the level of cuteness of these little guys, commenter Karly said that she made these penguins with a cheeseball igloo!

These would be a perfect way to cool down on one of the remaining hot days of summer or to complete a winter scene during the holidays.

For complete instructions on how to make the penguins, visit Sweet & Sticky.

Rachael Ray will never again have to explain to her viewers what "EVOO" stands for because it is the name of her very own brand of extra virgin olive oil. The olive oil is being "specially produced in Italy for Rachael" and is almost guaranteed to turn "dish from so-so to 'Yum-o' in no time," so not only can you use in all of Rachael's recipes, but you can look at her smiling face on the bottle's label. Rachael's site notes that the oil is a certified Product of Italy, made from only Italian olives (just in case you were wondering if they imported theirs before processing for some reason). It is sold in 17-oz. ($8.95) and 34-oz. ($17.95) bottles.

Of course, she may not have to spell out "extra virgin olive oil" every time she mentions EVOO anymore, but don't be surprised if she starts including the web address of her online store in its place.

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This is the perfect drink for a Halloween party (or if you just feel like scaring some friends a little bit). It is called a Bloody Eyeball Martini and starts out as a straight martini, with gin and vermouth. The "bloody eyeball" accent is made by carving most of the red peel from a radish, leaving a few strips of color to look like veins. Once it is peeled, a small hole should be carved at the top and stuffed with a pimento olive, which represents the iris. After your eyeballs are ready, just store them in the freezer until you're ready to use them. If you don't mind watering down your drink a bit, you can actually freeze the eyeballs in an ice cube tray filled with water, which would be a great way to prep them for use in punch, where you don't necessarily want radishes and olives floating around on their own.

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The New York Times recently featured a story about the tastings and tours offered by several California olive farms. Located mostly around Napa, many of these olive-growing, olive-oil-producing farms allow visitors to check out their facilities and sample what they produce. The article also gives some insight into the blend of old and new technology involved in harvesting olives and creating a variety of nuanced oils. There's also talk of the proper way to taste olive oil, which, if done correctly involves lots of slurping and coughing.

[Photo: Peter DaSilva/NYT]