I Sing the Praises of Popeye's Girlfriend

I just finished reading some interesting information (in one of my favorite journals I follow) about the differences between butter and margarine.  I'm inclined to think neither one is very good for us.

In response to the middle-aged demands of a more heart-friendly diet, we have turned to olive oil as a replacement for most uses of butter and margarine in our household.  It's a radical change and takes some getting used to but after a while, you wonder how you ever existed without it.  We are bread lovers in my family and over the course of the last couple of years, my husband and I have adopted the Italian habit of dipping nice, crusty bread into a mixture of oilive oil, herbs and crushed garlic.  Once mixed together and warmed a bit in the microwave, it holds up well to all sorts of bread.

I never use commercial salad dressings on salads any more.  Two tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of rice vinegar are all that's needed.  Guess what?  You can actually taste the vegetables instead of just the salad dressing.  Quite a new experience!

Yes, there are lots of calories and fats in olive oil but they are good fats (very little saturated fat!) and, used in moderation, they are good for our bodies.  Olive oil seems to be very good for the skin as well.  I take pretty good care of my skin anyway but I swear that it's softer and in better shape in general since I began regular ingestion of the stuff.  Why,  I expect to wake up looking like Sophia Loren any morning now!

Garlic features largely in our diet too.  We add it to just about anything that doesn't move!  Other than the corkscrew, I think our handy-dandy garlic press is the most used piece of equipment in the house.  I sincerely believe garlic is very good for us.  I am seldom sick and my husband who always used to come down with every cold that looked his way, rarely gets sick any more.  Of course, let's be realistic; stopping smoking four years ago, drinking much less hard alcohol and lightening our diet down to a reduced-fat level certainly didn't hurt any either.  I know one thing's for sure; I'll never die from a vampire's bite!

Here's our recipe:

Garlic Herb Bread Dip

3 large cloves of garlic put through garlic press; use all of it.

5 to 6 sprigs of fresh marjoram; strip off leaves, should have 1 to 2 Tbs. leaves

2 large fresh basil leaves, torn up small

A few shakes of red pepper flakes

Few grinds of coarse black pepper

Shake of salt

3/4 to 1 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in microwavable bowl.  Heat in microwave on High for 1 minutes, 20 seconds.  Allow to cool.

Before serving, heat again on High approximately 30 seconds.

This dip may be used several times and it's okay to add an additional 1/2 cup of olive oil once when the mixture gets low.

Try this.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.