To the third holiday party
I brought along with me
chile-rosemary infused olives,
homemade Bloody Mary mixer,
and a flavored olive oil with a fabulous loaf of crusty bread

Chile-rosemary infused olives

1¼ c olives, preferably a mixture of black and green
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T lemon juice
1 thin-skinned orange, scrubbed but not peeled, cut into small chunks
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 fresh green chile, deseeded and thinly sliced

Place the olives in a large bowl and add the olive oil, lemon juice, chunks of orange, rosemary sprigs and chile. Stir together, then cover (or transfer to a jar and seal). Place in the refrigerator.

For the next 2 days take the olive mixture from the refrigerator, uncover and stir gently, every 12 hours or so. Cover again and return to the refrigerator to continue marinating.

After 2 days of marinating in the refrigerator, remove orange pieces and place in canning jars according to manufacturer’s instructions. Tie with a ribbon, and voila, a gift!