Holiday memories: Roasted red pepper olive tapenade recipe plus a giveaway

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Thanks to Mezzetta for sponsoring today’s recipe and post. Be sure to enter the Daily Gift Basket Giveaway with Mezzetta.

I am 100% in the holiday spirit right now. Our halls are decked. Really really decked. Many gifts are bought and now it’s time to enjoy traditions with family and friends. We start our holiday season off this Saturday with our Very Merry Cocktail Party with friends. It’s a great way for us to catch up with friends, old and new, since many people stay inside all winter long. I also can’t wait to host our families for the holidays.

With the holiday season in full swing, I love to have ingredients around for quick and easy appetizers that I can whip up on short notice, whether it’s for a more formal party or a quick last-minute get-together with friends or neighbors. Today I’m sharing the easiest appetizer recipe and it is delicious. This olive tapenade with roasted red peppers is salty and fantastic with whipped cream cheese spread on a crusty baguette. The best part is that with the exception of having a lemon around, everything else is a non-perishable that you can have on hand.

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As a kid, I loved the more casual feeling of Christmas Eve. Our family, still to this day, does a meal of appetizers on Christmas Eve and a larger main dish meal on Christmas Day. Delicious french bread or a baguette is always a great base for a hearty appetizer and is sort of a comfort food even when it’s finished with something a bit more interesting such as this delicious tapenade. Having appetizers, decorating a Gingerbread house and opening a few gifts by the Christmas tree is our typical Christmas Eve tradition. Appetizers make it fun to enjoy the evening without a formal sit-down meal.

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While we already have our menu set for our Very Merry Cocktail Party on Saturday, this appetizer would be such a great option. It’s easy, can be made ahead of time and is a perfect single serve item that people can grab off a tray and enjoy. 

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Ingredients

• Mezzetta Kalamata Olives (20-30 olives)
• Mezzetta Spanish Queen Olives (6-7)
• 1/2 Lemon
• Mezzetta Roasted Red Peppers (1 large piece)
• Capers (5-10)-optional
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• One large baguette
• Small container of whipped cream cheese spread

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Directions

1. Put all of the olives and the red pepper in a food processor.

2. Add 1 capful of olive oil.

3. Squeeze the juice of the lemon directly into the food processor.

4. Add capers if you have them on hand.

5. Pulse in the food processor until you reach the desired consistency.

6. Spread whipped cream cheese on the slices of baguette.

7. Add the tapenade.

8. Finish it off with a few thin slices of red pepper or just serve as is. Enjoy!

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Mezzetta’s ingredients are the perfect way to create or update appetizers for the holidays. It’s so easy to keep the olives and red peppers in the pantry or refrigerator and whip this up in 5-10 minutes. You can enter to win the Daily Gift Basket giveaway where each day one lucky winner will receive a basket full of tasty Mezzetta products.

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If you’re looking for the perfect foods for holiday parties or any hosting opportunity, recreate and try this recipe using a $.50 off coupon on all Mezzetta products.