February snuck up on me.  The week started out as January, and then, hello, here comes another month.  The first Friday means another recipe for Cook the Book Fridays.  I am so glad that the selected recipe is one that couldn’t be easier.  Black Olive Tapenade can be prepared in just minutes from ingredients that I always have on hand.

Pulse together pitted Kalamata olives, capers, anchovies, garlic, fresh thyme leaves, and Dijon mustard in the food processor.  Then add olive oil and whir until the mixture is somewhere between chunky and smooth.  That’s it.  Mine was already on the salty side so no additional salt was needed.  The salt flavor also mellowed overnight.  Served on fresh baguette slices with a glass of red wine, tapenade was the perfect Friday night pre-dinner appetizer.

I think I make a different tapenade recipe each time the mood strikes, but this one, from David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen is a keeper.  See what my friends thought of this recipe by following their links here.

I look forward to enjoying the leftovers, maybe on Super Bowl Sunday, along with other snacks.  I hate football, but I love food holidays.  Even though the local team is playing, I won’t watch the game (but I will watch the commercials).  And, per our tradition (and much of America’s), we’ll make a chili dinner.

Happy Groundhog Day all!  Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, so maybe six more weeks of winter.  Apparently, he’s not the only predictor.  I heard of other groundhogs in New York and Canada that variously agreed or disagreed with Phil’s prediction.  It’ll be what it’s going to be.  I also heard that this year marks the 25^th anniversary of the Bill Murray movie “Groundhog Day”.  Time does fly.