Olives smell like...

The Husband passed through the kitchen while I was chopping green olives.  Making something à la muffuletta, no doubt.

I didn't turn around.  Didn't stop chopping when I said:

"Olives smell like New Year's Eve."

He didn't say a word.  Didn't stop walking.

At my back I felt the unspoken why do you have to be so dang weird?

But you, my foodie friends, know that certain foods make you think of and remember certain things.

Every year before heading to a family New Year's Eve party, we stopped next door to visit our elderly neighbors. Sometimes Ms. Hilda would set out a few snacks.  Like pickled cocktail onions that went untouched.  And olives.  Which I'd stuff myself stupid with while waiting for the adults to finish jabbering so I could move on to more important things. Like meeting up with my Texan cousins to shoot garage pool and blow up crap with fireworks.

By this logic...and I never said I had any, shrimp mold should smell like New Year's Eve too since it was often part of the spread.  But I fixate on the olives because as a kid I wouldn't touch the shrimp mold. The name gave me pause.

I've matured.
(Somewhat.)
Hearing "shrimp mold" no longer makes me think of fuzzy green shellfish.

But I'll save that for another time. The good shrimp mold.  Not the green fuzzy kind. I'm sure you can figure out how to make your own moldy shrimp.

In the meantime, make these Hot Olive Cheese Puffs so you can get a whiff of New Year's Eve.

They're addictive.  Cheesy.  Salty.  Good thing they're so cute because they're kind of a pain in the butt to make.  A bit tedious to form the dough around the olives.  They freeze well, though.  Make a double or triple (they go fast) batch when you have time to kill and keep them in the freezer for when company drops by.

This is an old school recipe I found in my cookbook From Woodstoves to Microwaves...Cooking with Entergy.

This post was featured @  The Chicken Chick's Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Printer Friendly

Hot Olive Cheese Puffs
slightly adapted from From Woodstoves to Microwaves...Cooking with Entergy

1 cup grated sharp cheddar
3 tbsp softened butter
1/2 cup sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
pinch cayenne (optional)
about 26 small stuffed olives, well drained and patted dry

With an electric mixer, cream the cheese and butter.  Stir in the sifted dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Wrap 1 tsp dough around each olive, completely covering.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 F for 10-15 minutes, or until golden.  Serve warm.

If freezing: place olives on a cookie sheet and place the pan in the freezer.  Once frozen, remove from the cookie sheet and place in a freezer bag.  Baking from frozen  Remove the desired amount and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.  Serve warm.

More party food:

Muffuletta Pinwheels

Mom's Cheeseball

Individual Crawfish Pies

Bourbon Milk Punch

Linking with these parties:

Food on Friday
 

Thursday's Treasures @ Food Done Light