With, or without?
Vodka, that is.
That was the choice I faced when I put this tasty little appetizer spread together a gathering. I had searched on da Google for guidance, and found recipes for both options. The one with vodka felt more accurate, but could be an issue offering it to pregnant ladies and folk who don’t partake. The one without looked pretty darned interesting, too. What to do?
Why, make both, of course!
In truth, I went through several recipes, made some notes, and came up with my own ‘master’ recipe, which I could then divide and blend into two different cheese spreads, both (I hoped) equally good, but one suited for cocktails and t’other for a church pitch-in.
INGREDIENTS
Master Ingredients:
•8 oz cream cheese
•1 tbsp mayonnaise
•1/4 chopped green olives
•2 tbsp olive juice
•1/4 tsp black pepper
•1/4 tsp garlic powder
•1/8 tsp celery salt
Vodka Version:
2 tbsp vodka
1/4 tsp olive juice
1/2 tsp additional olives
Church Pitch-In Version:
•Scallion
•1 tbsp olive juice
Add the mayonnaise, olives, olive juice, garlic powder, black pepper, and celery salt to the cream cheese, and mix thoroughly.
If you want to make just one spread, double the Version chosen’s amount and stir into the mixture, then stash in the fridge for at least three hours to allow the flavors to blend; if you want to try both, read on:
Divide the cream cheese mixture into two separate bowls.
For the Vodka Version, stir in the vodka, olive juice, and additional olives. Cover and chill for at least three hours.
For the Church Pitch-In (CPI) Version, stir in the sliced scallion and olive juice. Cover and chill for at least three hours. Garnish with additional sliced scallion when you serve (easier to tell the two versions apart).
A note on the CPI Version: When I first blended mine, I added that one tablespoon of olive juice and thought it good. Then I went back and added another tablespoon of olive juice. Too much. Don’t get me wrong, it was still good, just not as good as just the one tablespoon. Sometimes, it would seem, less really is more.
Try either, try both, it’s all good.