Holiday Hours 2015

Christmas Eve, Dec 24th
11am-2pm

Christmas Day, Dec 25th
CLOSED



New Years Eve, Dec 31st
11am-2pm

New Years Day, Jan 1st
CLOSED

Open regular hours the rest of the days. Have a happy holiday everyone!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope to get back to regular recipes and things after the holidays. Have a great time and enjoy the nice weather while it lasts!

Halloween!

It's Halloween! It is! Really! ... Okay, soon. Really soon. I've got a coupon for it and everything. So it has to be soon.

And a recipe. Because I owe you one. It's been a while. These cookies are sweet and fluffy. The season's most popular latte dished up on a plate!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup Blood Orange Olive Oil

1 large egg

1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree*

1/2 cup cold coffee

1/2 cup butterscotch chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. In very large bowl, mix the oil, sugar, pumpkin and egg. 

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Combine well. fold in the butterscotch chips now, if using.

Bake 15-18 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Cool on the baking sheets before moving to racks.

*If you only have pumpkin pie filling, you can use that, but don't put in any cinnamon or nutmeg.

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Customer Recipe: Christopher

This week saw a visit from a long time customer back to restock. He mentioned that he had sent in a recipe long ago and I missed it! Just found it. Sorry! (It was buried in with the reviews.)

So thank you to Christopher for making this and sending us the photo. It looks amazing!

Christopher:
So tonight? Some tarragon mustard chicken and roasted brussels sprouts with garlic, lemon and your amazing balsamic. YUM!!!!

Orange Chicken Fried Rice

Soooo busy! This was a quick throw together and made a lot. Great for leftovers!

Orange Chicken Fried Rice

2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup White Balsamic, or White Honey Ginger
2-3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
2 tbsp Blood Orange or Persian Lime Olive Oil
1 tsp Sesame Oil with Garlic and Ginger
1 bag (16oz) frozen Asian stir fry veggies
1/2 small white onion, diced
2 cups cooked white rice

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan or wok to medium high heat. Dice the chicken and add to the pan with the onion.

Saute, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the orange juice and half the soy sauce. Simmer 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through.

Spread the chicken in a single layer over the pan, sprinkle with the sesame oil. Distribute the frozen veggies over that and top with a layer of rice. The veggies will steam as they that, going through the rice. Let cook about 3 minutes.

Toss to combine. Add the remaining soy sauce and white balsamic.

Customer Recipe

These pictures come from our friend Tracy. She makes a really yummy BBQ sauce that we've just started selling. Come in for a sample of the mild or spicy BBQ sauce and enjoy her recipes!

Tracy writes:
These are both with balsamic.  The first is my granola made with the Espresso Balsamic.  I use it during the boiling process for added flavor to the honey and apple juice.  It really brings out the flavor of the dried fruit once the oats are baked. 

 And the second is the Espresso Balsamic used as part of the spice rub for the steak.  Absolutely awesome! So hot you can still see the steam.  I let the balsamic sit on the steak with the spices for about four hours before grilling.   With fresh corn on the cob baked in the oven with Kale simmered for about two hours seasoned with portabello mushrooms and cherrywood bacon.

Happy Birthday Store!

I made us a couple cakes! Come in and try some. 

Gluten-Free Vegan and Nut-Free.

Strawberry Basil Cake

Gluten-Free Vegan Nut-Free

1 box Wegmans brand gluten free vanilla cake mix

¼ cup Basil Olive Oil

1 egg / egg replacement*

2/3 cup non-dairy milk of choice

1/3 cup crushed freeze-dried strawberries**

2-3 tbsp minced fresh basil

Preheat oven to 350°.

Blend everything except the strawberries. If you can’t get freeze-dried, use diced fresh. (dried has too much sugar!)

Fold in the strawberries and turn into a greased pan. 8 in round or 8x8 works best.

Bake according to package directions, 35-38 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

*I used Neategg. It’s a chia/garbanzo mix. Not bad, next time I’ll try something else.

**I get my strawberries from Nuts.com

Rosemary Cherry Brownies

Gluten-Free Vegan Nut–Free

1 box Wegmans Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Brownie Mix

5 tbsp Rosemary Olive Oil

2 egg replacers*

¼ cup cherry juice

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and blend well.

Grease an 8x8 pan. Spread the batter evenly over the pan and bake 28-35 minutes. The tops should be a little crinkly and the edges should be just starting to pull away from the pan.

*I used Neategg egg replacers. They don’t add much moisture, so the cherry juice really is crucial. 

If you don't have any allergies, feel free to use whatever mixes you have on hand. Just sub in the oil for the butter or vegetable oil. Go to town!

White Pineapple Cake

Super easy and delicious. This recipe is all about the finish.

This is a variation on a Pineapple Upside Down Cake, so it should be a yellow cake, but my dad has cholesterol problems and the only cake he's really allowed to eat is Angel Food. Which I am terrible at making. So this is a topping for a bought cake. You could use this over top any cake you make at home as well.

(Or any other cake you buy, I won't tell)

White Pineapple Cake

1 small Angel Food Cake
2-4 slices pineapple in juice
a small handful of maraschino cherries
2 tbsp juice from the pineapples
1/4 cup White Pineapple Balsamic
     plus a little more for drizzling

Lay the cake on a nice plate. Mix the pineapple juice with the balsamic and spread over the cake. Let soak for at least 10 minutes.

Top with pineapple rings and the cherries. Drizzle a little more balsamic over top.

That's pretty much that.

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July everyone! We will be open until around 4pm on Saturday. See you then!

And now the news you've been waiting for. The second store is open! That's right. Down in Smithville NJ, near to Atlantic City. Check out the town's website for more info!

Hooray! Maybe I can get back to regular food blogging sometime soon, but it's still going to be busy. Have a safe and happy weekend all!

Get ready for Father's Day!

Because Dads are awesome. That's why.

Make dad a good lunch, or let him grill his own. Balsamic makes a great marinade for all kinds of meat, so get cooking!

Espresso Balsamic Sauce

Fun and Easy Tacos

Cherry Bourbon Flank Steak

Cheese Steak and Hummus

Sorry if you signed up for the newsletter and haven't gotten on. The confirmation emails seem to go straight to spam folders. You can sign up using the direct link here: Newsletter. Sorry guys.

Hunter's Tomatoes

Tomatoes. If you don't like them, you might as well go on to another post. Sorry.

I had some little tomatoes left over from a curry I made last week. That recipe will go up soon. I lost my notepaper that had all my ingredients on it. I'm working on it.

Hunter's Tomatoes

5-6 small tomatoes
1 tbsp Hunter's Blend seasonings
1 tbsp Piqual Olive Oil
1 tbsp Lavender Balsamic

Heat the oil in a saute pan to medium heat/ Slice the tomatoes into medium slices. Sprinkle with the seasonings. Add to the pan and spread out evenly.

Cook about 2 1/2 - 3 minutes per side. They should be breaking down, but not completely dissolved. Plate and drizzle with the Lavender Balsamic.

Che Amigo Chimichurri Chicken

Hello folks! I'm sorry I've been away so long. I've come back to post this nice little chicken, but will probably go back into the black hole again soon. Don't worry, things are good, just busy!

This dish was made with a new product of ours. Che Amigo Chimuchurri Sauce. It's an Argentinian recipe, and it's just fantastic. It's really lovely, fresh and green with a moderate hint of spice. I'd recommend it even if we weren't carrying it! Go visit their website, the make amazing grills too!

I used the Coratina Olive Oil in this because it is a light flavored oil that I find pairs well with green herbs, so it's perfect for this. But if you have something else, go ahead and use it. I don't advise a flavored oil, you want to let the herb flavors of the chimichurri to shine.

Che Amigo Chimichurri Chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup chopped green, orange and yellow peppers
1 cup chopped broccoli
2 tbsp Coratinia Olive Oil
2-4 tbsp Che Amigo Chimichurri
Salt and Pepper to taste

Chop the chicken into medium chunks. Heat a saute pan to medium heat and add the Coratina Oil. Let the oil warm for about half a minute before adding the chicken. Spread the chicken out in the pan and saute 5-6 minutes or until almost cooked through. Stir occasionally.

Add the broccoli, peppers and the chimichurri sauce. Give it all a good stir and cover. Let cook another 7-8 minutes or until the broccoli is crisp-tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Happy Memorial Day!

I know its been light on recipes. But I hope to have a big announcement at the end of the month!

Coupon!

Veterans and those currently in the armed forces, don't forget to show your military IDs for 10% off everyday! We thank you for your service!

Mother's Day

Stop by this week to get the mom in your life something sweet!

Or think about bringing her to town on Mother's Day to taste for herself. Maybe you can make mom something nice to eat!


Try the Red Velvet Cake with Chocolate Olive Oil, or maybe the Walnut Pesto Pasta, or go with another easy cake; Meyer Lemon Peach Cake.

(Sorry pet-moms, no puppies allowed in the store.)

Help Needed!

Help Wanted! Looking for motivated and happy people. Weekends a must. Looking for 2-3 people for the New Hope store, if you can work through the Christmas season, even better. Also: looking for a Manager and 2 employees for our NEW location in Smithville NJ! Come in for an application or email us at Info@olivengrape.com

Gluten-Free with Heide

Hello all, hoping your week is starting off right.

If you've been coming to the store for awhile, you may have met our associate Heide. She recently moved away and we miss her.

She's very much gluten free and decided to start her own blog! She began with a bang, and our Smoked Applewood Salt!

Go see it here: Gluten Free with Heide

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet is one of the oddest recipes I've ever encountered. It's not chocolate, not vanilla, and has much more food coloring than seems safe. But it is really, really good.

I intend to someday make this with some kind of natural food colorings, like beets and cherries, but for now, a box mix will do you.

Red Velvet Double Chocolate

1 box red velvet cake mix
Chocolate Olive Oil
Cream cheese frosting
3-4 cups fresh or frozen berries(thawed), mix cherries, raspberries and blackberries
1/4 cup Cherry Balsamic, or Chocolate Raspberry Balsamic

Follow the instructions on your cake mix. Sub in the Chocolate Olive Oil where it calls for vegetable oil or butter.

In a large bowl, mix the berries and balsamic together. Let sit, they are done when the cake is.

Bake the cake. Let cool and top with the cream cheese frosting and berries.

I made about half in single graham cracker crusts, because it felt fancy. The other half was baked in a round cake pan. However you like it, it's just a fun time.

Easter Sales!

Happy Easter! Happy Passover!

We have a bunny of a sale for you. Coupon!

Salmon with Basil Olive Tapenade

1 Large Salmon Fillet (for 4 people)

1/4 cup Basil Olive Oil

2 cups olives, green and kalamata

1 anchovy fillets

1 clove garlic

pinch fresh thyme

pinch oregano

pinch dried laurel

small bunch of fresh basil

1 tbsp capers (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425°. Lay the salmon on a baking sheet. Dice all the rest of the ingredients together and spread out over the salmon in an even layer.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Balsamic Fruit Fool

Happy April Fool!

Like many of the things I post, this is a simple recipe. I'm all for things that can be done in a few minutes and still look and taste great.

This could be dressed up any number of ways, but I went with the easiest.

Balsamic Fruit Fool

Shortcake shells
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt per shell
mixed berries in balsamic
glazed walnuts

Set each shell in a small bowl. Layer in 1/2 cup yogurt and about 2 tbsp of the fruit on each. I put about the same amount of nuts as well. Serve!

Berries in Balsamic

3 cups mixed berries
     strawberries, blackberries and blueberries
1/4 cup Chocolate Raspberry Balsamic

Chop the strawberries into small bits. Toss fruit and balsamic together in a large bowl and let sit for about half an hour.

Serve on anything.


Glazed Sesame Walnuts

1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup Cherry Balsamic
2 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp Sesame Oil
2 tbsp Sesame Seeds, garnish

Heat a pan to medium heat and add the nuts and Sesame Oil. Toast, stirring occasionally about 2 minutes. Nuts should be fragrant but not burnt.

Add in the Balsamic and sugar and stir quickly to coat. Cook about 30 seconds.

Turn out onto a platter and spread in a single layer to cool. Sprinkle with sesame seeds immediately.

Stores up to a week in the refrigerator.

Customer Recipe: Cherry Balsamic

Thanks to our Facebook friend Nickkii for this recipe! Looks fantastic!

NickKii: Put it in steak and Portobello mushrooms filled with mozzarella and cherry balsamic glaze

 

Thai Stir Fry (Pad See Ew)

I really wanted Chinese food...but I really didn't want to eat out either. So.... Here we are.

Lots of people think Thai food is always spicy, and that's simply not true. I adapted this recipe from an old Thai cookbook I found at a thrift store.

Thai Stir Fry (Pad See Ew)

4 tbsp Traditional Balsamic
4 tbsp Oyster Sauce
4 tsp soy sauce
4 tbsp chicken or vegetable stock
     or, dry white wine
2 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
1 bunch basil leaves, torn
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1lb chicken breasts, very thinly sliced
1 pkg wide noodles
4 cups leafy greens, Chinese broccoli, bok choy, or spinach

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Flat rice sticks are traditional, I used wide egg noodles. Rinse and keep warm.

Stir together the first 4 ingredients and set aside.

In a wok or large shallow skillet heat the olive oil to a high heat. Add the ginger paste and the chicken. Cook, stirring constantly. When cooked through, add the basil and greens. Stir to wilt and reduce the heat to a medium.

Dump in the noodles and stir to combine. Then add the sauce and let simmer for 3-4 minutes. Toss the ingredients to make sure everything is well coated with sauce.

Serve.

Happy Pi Day!

Happy Pi Day everyone!

Apple Raisin Honey Pi(e)

1 refrigerated pie crust
3 large apples, diced
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup Honey flavored whiskey
1 tbsp Honey Date Balsamic
1 tsp Chocolate Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 425°. Brig the pie crust to room temperature and set aside.

Mix the Honey Whiskey with the Balsamic and soak the raisins for at least 10 minutes. Dust the apples with the confectioners sugar and toss the apples and raisins together.

Roll the crust into a 9-10 inch pie plate. Pour the filling into it and drizzle with the Olive Oil.

Bake 35-40 minutes. Since this is a one crust pie, the filling may start to over-brown. Keep an eye on it and tent with foil if it gets too toasty.

(I however really like crispy bits on my pie and just leave it alone)

Big Oil Sale!

Big sale on Oils!

We have a great selection of oils on sale right now. Come in or go online to get the deals.

20-30% off Selected!

Hope to see you soon, but be careful in the snow!

Turkey Tacos

I hope everyone is recovering from the cold. Yes, I know it's still cold...but it's just spring-ier. No, I don't know how to explain that. It just is.

I wanted to make something themed for the Oscars, but all I could think of was Golden Beets for the golden Oscar and something with chicken for Birdman. This year's movies weren't exactly lending themselves to recipes.

So I went with this instead. It's not themed or season-appropriate. Except that every season is the season for tacos and all themes could be taco if you like.

And I do. This recipe has more steps than most of the ones I post. And as I look over the steps, well, huh, that's not a lot. You guys have been getting off easy with one or two step meals. We may have to change that! So be prepared to dirty more than one pan for this one!

Turkey Tacos

2 lbs ground turkey
2 tbsp Taco Blend Seasoning
2 tsp Garlic Pate
1 tbsp Chipotle Olive Oil
1 tbsp Traditional Balsamic
1 tsp Cumin Olive Oil
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
2 tbsp Persian Lime Olive Oil
Pepper Citrus Sea Salt
Avocados
Sour Cream
Tortillas

Put the tomatoes and chilies into a bowl, draining, but saving about half the liquid out. Set aside.

Heat a large saute pan to medium heat with the Chipotle and Cumin olive oils and the liquid reserved from the tomatoes and chilies. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring often to break up into small crumbles. Cook through and stir in the Taco Seasoning. Set aside.

In a smaller pan, heat the Lime Olive Oil and Garlic Pate. Cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Rinse and drain the black beans and add them gently. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Top with the Pepper and Citrus Salt and Traditional Balsamic and remove from the heat. Mash lightly with a spoon, muddler or fork.

Fill your taco how you like, but don't forget the creamy avocados!

If you want it spicier, please feel free to sub in the Citrus Habanero Olive Oil. I also chose a pretty medium can of tomatoes. When tomatoes are back in season, I'll give you my recipe for diced tomatoes and chilies that will knock this out of the park! 

Or, I'll work on a roasted tomato one....

Okay. Now I have ideas.

Red Apple Pork Salad

As promised, here is the salad made with the leftovers of the Red Apple Pork. They were fun as chops, but this was even better. Next time I make pork chops, I'm making extra just for salad!

Red Apple Pork Salad

2 pork chops, cooked
1 red apple
1/2 medium head of cabbage
1 orange pepper
1 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
sesame seeds
3 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
2 tbsp Red Apple Balsamic

Slice everything into thin strips. You can substitute a bag of coleslaw mix for the cabbage. Put the whole thing in a large bowl and drizzle with the oil and balsamic. Toss to coat and give it a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds.

I think it's even better a little warm. Just pop your serving in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.

Red Apple Pork Chops

I enjoyed this recipe very much. Another quick and easy one for you. The leftovers made a great salad. I'll have that for you in a couple days.

Stay warm everyone and Happy Valentine's Day!

Red Apple Pork Chops

4-8 pork chops
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp Rosemary Olive Oil
2 tbsp Red Apple Balsamic + 1 tbsp for finishing

Preheat the oven to 350°. Rub the chops down with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle lightly with the salt and pepper.

Bake. Thicker chops up to 40 minutes, thinner maybe 20. I cooked mine about 30 minutes.

Drizzle with the extra balsamic and serve.

Beef Stoganoff

My last post about the steak was fun. I've really missed posting food. It stinks that the weather keeps so many people away from town, but it does give me time to catch up here. So hello!

This is actually a leftovers recipe. That steak was fun, but I made a couple too many. So, I had to do something fun with the leftovers. And this sure was fun!

It's not a traditional stroganoff, but with the sour cream sauce, it's the closest thing. I enjoyed it anyway.

Beef Stroganoff

1 cup precooked beef strips
1 lb pappardelle pasta
2 cups mixed mushrooms, shitake, portobello, button
1/3 cup beef or vegetable broth
black pepper
1 tsp cumin
8 oz sour cream
1/4 cup cream or milk
2 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
Himalayan Pink Salt
1 tsp Espresso Balsamic

Toss the mushrooms with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and cumin. Saute in a very large pan over medium low heat until they are reduced by at least half. Increase the heat to medium high and add the beef strips, Balsamic, black pepper to taste and the broth.

Cook the pasta to al dente, rinse and drain. Slowly pour into the pan with the beef and mushrooms.

Stir in the sour cream adding the cream if it is too thick.

Chocolate Espresso Steak

This February, I'd love to say I'll only do things related to Chocolate and Desserts, but why limit myself? You know I'd never be able to stick to it anyway.

I did however decide to play with our lovely New Chocolate Olive Oil this week. Some mediocre cuts of steak plus a bit of oil, a little balsamic and it's just a mouthful of YAY!

Chocolate Espresso Steak
(recipe is per 1 steak)

1 Steak
1 Tbsp Chocolate Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Espresso Balsamic
Himalayan Pink Salt, or Espresso Sea Salt
black pepper

This recipe works best with a nicely fatted cut of steak. I love a rib eye or a strip streak, but the center cut sirloin is usually the cheapest thing at my grocery store. Rub the steak with the olive oil and a pinch of the salt.

Turn on your broiler and lay the steak out a little bit away from the heat. Almost the middle of the oven. 5 minutes on each side should get you a steak that's about medium done. Adjust up or down for your preference.

Top with the Espresso Balsamic and a twist of fresh black pepper.

It's time!

It's time to get back to recipes. But first, a coupon!

Look to the main website for the web only coupon.

Welcome Winter and a Change of Hours

Welcome to Winter!

Please note that our hours have changed. We are open now every day from 11am to 6pm. Beginning February 1st, we will be closed on Thursdays. On Thursdays, we will be at the New Hope Farmers Market, 4-7pm.

See you there! Stay Warm!

Indoor Farmer's Market This Thursday

Hello again. No, still no new recipes. Sorry. Still busy.

Wanted to let you know that we'll be at the Indoor Farmer’s Market at the Event Center By Cornerstone Located at the New Hope Eagle Firehouse this coming Thursday and for the next few to come. We will have a small selection of our products available. As always, more at the store.

It's a new market and we look forward to making it a weekly tradition. Come on out and see us!

Indoor Farmer's Market