What Do You Know About the Different Olive Oils on the Market?

How adventurous a cook are you? Do you enjoy experimenting with new recipes and methods? Are you the first of your friends to try new crock pot recipes or to use an interesting oil? Wanting to learn more about olive oils?

Cooking with olive oil is very popular. Olive oil tastes good and is healthy for you as well. However, some folks are terrified of the large amount of oils they see at the market. I know the feeling well. Standing in front of the many different shelves containing everything from pure to refined to extra virgin and plain old everyday virgin...who knows what to buy! This does not have to be the case however. It is possible to learn the basic elements of olive oils so you can choose the right one from the oil department.

Seriously, there are a ton of different flavors, colors and brands of olive oil available. Why so many anyway? Olive oils come from different places around the world, and depending on the area and climate of where the olives were grown, the oil will have its own characteristics.

Before you go shopping, let's look at some of the different basic types of olive oil:

Easy and Delicious German Recipes

This post is especially for one of my subscribers, Herb, who has graciously requested some German recipes. I have some great recipes I acquired while living in Landstuhl Germany in the early 1990's that I made for my family.  They were very easy to make.

Here are a couple, and I'll post more later.  I hope these are helpful! Thanks :0)

Beef Rouladen

4 thin steak slices, cut from the top round steak
salt and pepper to taste
mustard
1 onion, sliced
4 thin ham slices or bacon slices
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup beef broth

Pound steak and sprinkle salt/pepper on both sides. Spread mustard sparingly on one side. On top of mustard, add ham and onion. Roll from end to end and secure with toothpicks. Dip in flour. Heat butter and brown rouladen. Add broth; cover and simmer over low heat for 1 to 1.5 hours.

Remove rouladen; add flour or cornstarch to thicken meat juices. If desired, 1 Tbsp sour cream may be used in gravy mixture. Serve with rice, noodles or potato dumplings. Serves 4.

Potato Dumplings

1 1/2 lbs. cooked potatoes, cold
1/2 cup flour
milk
1 egg
salt

Mash the cold potatoes. Combine with potatoes, the flour, egg, and just enough milk to cause the dough to hold together when formed into dumplings. Form dumplings, approx. 2 inches in wide. Drop carefully into pot of boiling, salted water. Simmer, uncovered, about 15 - 20 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove from water and serve immediately.