Bread, Olive Oil and Grapes

Ah, the memories of summer. When I was a child, my mother used to often interrupt our play to bring us snacks. She made bread once a week and on that day, she would slice a fresh loaf, spread it with a light brushing of olive oil and a tiny bit of salt. Then she would either slice grapes on top of it or bring the grapes to us in a small side dish.

I can't tell you what it is about this snack, but the three ingredients together are outstanding. It is a marriage of taste that explodes on your tastebuds.

To this day, I make myself this snack, even though it's never as good as my mom used to make.

But it's healthy and simple and quick. It's a wonderful taste of Italy that is sure to impress!

Garpey's Crab Dip

My brother-in-law, Gary, is a fantastic cook. If there's someone in this world who knows good food, it's Gary. Just this weekend, he made an awesome dip and everyone at the party was raving about it. Needless to say, he got many requests for the recipe, including one from me. Fair warning - it's very garlicky, so if you're not a garlic fanatic like me, then you might want to reduce the number of cloves. But this is worth a try and was a great hit!

Ingredients:

1 Package cream cheese
½ Cup of sour cream
¼ Cup of Mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Can of artichoke hearts chopped fine
1 Can of crab meat
½ to ¾ Cup of parmesan cheese
Dash of salt
Pinch of white pepper (I tend to add a bit more than a pinch!)
6-8 Cloves of pressed garlic
Slivered almonds-on top

Directions:

Mix cream cheese and sour cream well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well
Cover the top of the dip with slivered almonds
Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Enjoy!