MMM... OLIVE OIL

Olive Oil is the nectar of the gods.

At least in my book it is. I have never looked at a bottle of Wesson or Crisco oil and wanted to take a shot of it. Did you know you can do that? Lots of olive oil producers offer Oil tasting, just like wine tasting! It's delicious! I stop at one shot though, it's kinda weird drinking oil like that.

Olive is good for your heart and your liver. It is cleansing and just what the body needs to have everything run smoothly.

There are many applications for Olive Oil. Some of my Papa's favorites applications were used when I was a child. When I was 2 and up, my Papa never wanted me to be treated with Penicillin and such for ear ache. He was old school.

He cut a tiny sliver of garlic and put some Olive Oil on a cotton ball and put it in my ear, every 4 hours we changed it, viola! No more infection!

Have a cut? He put Olive Oil on it after the scab fell off, to prevent scarring. It worked.

Have dry skin? No problem, he used a tiny bit of Olive Oil on his elbows and knees and hands after a hard days work. Not before bed, of course. Yuck. I'll tell you some other time how he helped me get through teething or sleeping through the night when I had a cold!!!! ha ahahaha!!

Nowadays, those things aren't as prevalent, but I do still use some of the Old Papa's ways.

Olive Oil has always been for eating. It makes salad sing! It make Bruschetta crunchy and tasty, it makes foccacia delicious.

Here are a few "rules" for Olive Oil.

Extra Virgin, First Pressing, tends to be the most expensive, and should be used on food that aren't cooked, such as Salad, dipping bread, topping things. It burns quickly and easily.

Light Olive Oil is good for cooking, but not at high temperatures, just some light braising or quick frying.

Regular Olive oil is good for all applications.

Always keep Olive Oil out of direct sunlight, always keep it covered and away from heat so it doesn't go rancid. The greener the color, the purer the product.

Of course, Olive Oils from Italy or Spain are always the best.

Choosing Olive over other oils is always the best choice. It has so many beneficial properties that unless you have an allergy to nuts or nutmeats, it will do your body good.

Enjoy your Olive Oil!

Here's to Good Health!

Vive Bene!

Live well!

Ciao!