It’s been a bit of a crazy holiday season in my house, so I apologize for the lack of new recipes. At the end of December, I came down with a horrible cold. Usually a cold doesn’t slow me down much, but this one completely knocked me out. This night owl was sound asleep by 8 each night. Despite the cold, I worked on a few recipes but never had the energy to edit the pictures and write about them. Now that I’ve gotten most of my strength back, I’ll be able to start the New Year with lots of great recipes!

This olive tapenade would have been a great addition to any New Year’s Eve appetizer spread (you’ll have to save the recipe for the next holiday!). I have to admit, an olive tapenade is not the most beautiful thing to photograph, but the flavors are amazing. I used a mix of black olives and kalamata olives with garlic, capers, and anchovies.

If you’re grossed out by anchovies, you can leave them out. However, I love the salty flavor that they add.

You can serve this olive tapenade on crostini, brioche toast, or crackers with a little goat or cream cheese. I like adding a little cheese to help balance out the strong flavors of the tapenade.

I have several different bottles of olive oil that I use in my recipes. I’ll use a cheaper oil when sautéing and a really nice olive oil in my vinaigrettes and uncooked dishes. I promise that you’ll notice a difference.