Marinated Olives

So the holidays are coming...very soon! These olives are simple to make and you can customize them according to your tastes. They make a very nice "thank you" gift for the teacher/employer/person you appreciate, and are the perfect snack to put out for guests. Here, I have a recipe for both citrusy green and herbed black olives.

Lemon-Garlic Green Olives:
1 1/2 cups green Greek olives in brine, liquid drained
Juice of 1 lemon
Lemon rind strips, white bitter pith removed
1/3 cup garlic infused olive oil

Citrus Herbed Olives:
1 1/2 cup good quality black olives, liquid drained
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4 strips of orange rind, white pith removed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Combine ingredients for each olive mixture in a mason jar. Seal tightly and wrap a decorative ribbon around lid. Make a fun holiday label for your jar. Refrigerate overnight before enjoying the olives!

Tomato Sauce

This recipe is a modification of my mom's traditional Sicilian red sauce. I was in a vegetarian phase, and studying in Cuba, and I could buy most of the ingredients at the local agromercado (minus glorious Parmesan cheese, Cuba has no good cheese-I nearly died of sadness).

Ingredients:
3 14oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 onions
1 head garlic
1 green pepper
2 tablespoons parsley
1/4 cup basil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (if you prefer a spicy tomato sauce)
Optional: salt, if necessary

Dice onions and green pepper. Peel garlic cloves and mince garlic (as much as your patience allows-this recipe is forgiving, some big chunks are ok).

Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, green pepper and onion. Turn heat down to medium/medium-low. Saute about 10 minutes, stirring and adjusting temperature if need to make sure that garlic does not burn/brown. Add tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and black pepper. If mixture starts to boil, turn down so that the sauce simmers but doesn't boil, as this can burn the sauce. Let cook 1 1/4 hour.

Add red wine, parsley and basil. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add parmesan cheese and cook 15-30 minutes. Remove from heat. Salt to taste and let cool.

Pour into mason jars and wrap green ribbon around lid. Affix tag to jar instructing: The sauce keeps 1 week in the fridge. Freeze to keep longer. OR: Make and feed to your loved ones. They will love you for it.