Do You Love Olives Bento, and a Giveaway

Do you love olives?  Are they just an awesome part of your lunches in any way?  Keep this question in mind, there's a quiz later (well, not really, but a giveaway, and guess what the question is).

The team at California Olives contacted us and asked if we'd like to share a lunch, showing how olives can be a great part of the meal.  They sent us an awesome kit with olives, a fancy can opener, cutting board, pizza cutter, fruit/veggie cutters, a Laptop Lunch kit, and a gift card to facilitate making a fun lunch, including California Olives.

They also sent us some great recipes and a few fun facts. Did you know that since California Ripe Olives are fruits, they have no cholesterol. And each large olive has only 7 calories. That’s a lot of flavor per calorie!

 

So what did we make?  With a little help from Miss Faith, we had pitas stuffed with salsa chicken and topped with sour cream and olives, along with strawberries, mini oranges, carrots & ranch, a fig bar and a couple of vanilla crisps.

For the salsa chicken, place a few chicken breasts in the crockpot.  Combine 1 cup salsa, 1 packet taco seasoning, and 1 can cream of chicken soup, then pour over the chicken.  Cook of low all day.  Before serving, add a half cup of sour cream and cook a little bit longer.  Shred the chicken and serve in tacos, burritos, over rice, etc.

For the leftovers, we warmed a pita slightly, then sliced it in half and stuffed it with the chicken.  We add a dollop of sour cream and several sliced olives on top .  The verdict from Faith?  Sooooooo good!

Now that giveaway I mentioned.  California Olives is sending one reader a prize pack similar to the one we got, including California Olives and a Laptop Lunch!  To enter, leave me a comment telling me:

What is your favorite way to include olives in lunch or dinner?

Make sure I have a way to contact you to, please, either an email or your profile.  The contest is open till next Friday, September 7th, and I'll use Random.Org to draw a winner! :)

Comments

  1. We love eating olives in salads, especially Greek salads. Another way is to just eat them straight :). Great giveaway!

    kmoniz05@hotmail.com

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  2. I love black olives in potato salad!

    mami2jcn at gmail dot com

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  3. Black olives on mini pita pizzas for lunch or dinner:)

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  4. I love stuffed olives to eat plain or chopped up on top of a salad. Yum!!!

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  5. My family loves olives except for my son. We like olives in 7 layer dip. Sometimes we use them as decorations on the pizza to make faces.

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  6. My son and I love olives! He can eat them just out of a can! I love to put them on homemade pizzas, and I also use them in my pasta sauces! A great way to use olives for lunches is making a pasta salad with them. My son loves this!

    joyj76@aol.com

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  7. Kate will eat pizza with nothing but bread, sauce, cheese and olives. They're actually one of her favorite foods.

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  8. My kids just put them on their fingers to make "olive hands" and chow down. I like them on pizza or tacos.

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  9. I sadly have never tried olives :(

    But now I feel I'm missing out haha I may have to go buy some to try!

    Are there different types? If so what would you recommend?

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  10. Olives on salads, and on pizzas and chopped up inside meatloaf and stuffings are delish! Never tried them on tacos! I need to!

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  11. Mmmm....olives. LOVE LOVE LOVE them. I like them on pizza, in pasta salads, on tacos, plain, etc. My favorite way to eat them is on turkey scoops (ground turkey cooked with hot sauce and salt/pepper, then put into baked scoops chips with cheese and olives).

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  12. Greek salad is one of the obvious favourites, although mixed with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes is also a great way to enjoy olives...

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  13. Im not a huge olive eater unless it's on pizza but my 2 year old loves to wear them on his fingers :)

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  14. I love Greek salad and I also use olives for eyes when making bentos for the kiddos

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  15. Ha, I could eat olives as just a side! I typically include them in sandwiches with banana peppers...heaven!

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  16. I LOVE black olives! We eat them plain (straight off the fingers...LOL), on pizza, on sandwiches and on enchiladas. Yum! I also found a cute idea on Pinterest for olive penguins I want to put in the kids' lunches!

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  17. I cut a large cucumber in half then scoop out the seeds. Into that I add tuna salad and top it with a good amount of sliced black olives.
    I also like cream cheese with olives. Just soften some cream cheese and add chopped green olives with pimento and a little juice. Mix well and serve on soft bread.

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  18. We love to eat them just as is or in a salad or pita pocket. They are great when you are doing Weight Watchers because they barely count and are a very satisfying snack!

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  19. my favorite way is with salads, olives are great with any type of salads

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  20. I love to put sliced olives in Tex-Mex dishes, like enchiladas. There's always a bowl of them on the table when we have tacos and burritos, too.

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  21. Mmmm, I love olives. Black olives straight out of the can. So good.
    shugarysweets at yahoo dot com

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  22. I love to eat olives by the handful. They also make great eyes on some of my bento-ish lunches.

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  23. My favorite way to eat olives is as a PIZZA TOPPING... everything tastes better on a whole grain crust with some fat free cheese (soy/rice for my little miss), tomato sauce, and healthy toppings!

    kpmonkeymommy at gmail dot com

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  24. I LOVE olives, but don't care for them in dishes. I just love to eat them out of the jar or can! Yum yum!

    sarah_mae_ at hotmail dot com

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  25. My favourite way to eat olives is in a tapenade with fresh bread that has a great crust!

    lmidyette at gmail dot com

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  26. My son loves olives straight. Honestly, he loves any food he can wear on his fingers...

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  27. I love eating olives straight out of the can or jar as long as they're cold. I also love using calamata olives in the "bonefish grill- saucy shrimp" recipe.

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  28. I love olives on top of 7 layer dip!!

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  29. We love olives as a side dish. Sliced olives also make great details such as eyes or mouths in a fun bento meal.
    -Jen-

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  30. We love olives on pizza and/or stuck on each finger.

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  31. The first and foremost way we love black sliced olives is on homemade pizza. The kiddo will remind me every time we're set to make pizza to buy olives. The second way we like olives is to make our own tapenade to spread on toasted bread like bruschetta. We also use this tapenade to put over grilled chicken breasts/thighs for dinner. Take that and put in a pita for lunch the next day -soooo tasty.

    you can reach me at: willgoh2 (at) gmail (dot) com
    cg

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  32. I love olives for "picnic dinners:" eating them alongside fresh mozzarella, crackers, sweet peppers, and other yummy finger foods! Washing them down with sparkling apple cider? The best!

    Best,
    Danielle
    loveandlookpretty@gmail.com

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  33. We love eating olives right out of the can or jar!
    Usnthem39@yahoo.com


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  34. Straight into the gob!
    Actually, I don't particularly like olives, but my wee one L-O-V-E-S them. We keep several cans of whole and sliced olives on-hand, because we go through them pretty fast!
    She likes them on pizza (funny story - she used to love anything on her pizza, but I like plain cheese, so one time I was feeling too cheap to pay $2/topping to add to only half of our $20 Crap E Cheese pizza, so I compromised and picked olives, since I was WILLING to eat them. So now she wants it like that every time!)
    But she likes them best one stuck onto each finger, do a little "Arg! Olive Monster! Rawr!" And then eat them one-by-one!

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  35. I LOVE olives!!! I like to eat them straight out of the can!!!

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  36. We love eating olives in salads, especially Greek/Italian salads and and tiella (Italian kind of pizza with spinach, raisins and olives -as one of variants)
    galyettina at yahoo dot com

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  37. I love olives in cold pasta salads!! Yum!

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  38. Well, they are normally on top of our home-made bean tacos, but my kids either eat them with a spoon or put whole ones on their fingers for snack time. This is why I love to read blogs - to find out more ways to use olives...
    Cathy

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  39. We like to add them to salads or pasta salad. Yum!
    mommastaci33 at yahoo dot com

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  40. Have you seen olive spiders, cute!

    kerridawson at yahoo dot com

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  41. My hubby and daughter love olives in arroz con pollo! :)

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  42. We love to just eat them right out of the jar!!!

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  43. We really only ever eat them plain, but I've seen a lot of great ideas here I need to try. :)

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  44. pizza, Greek salad, tossed salad, sandwiches, meat loaf, spaghetti, lasagna, Mexican meals,

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  45. we love making olive dip and dipping bread in it! Thanks for a super giveaway!
    My email: anashct1 [at] yahoo [dot] com

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  46. My daughter loves olives. She eats them Any way they are presented. They are a staple in her lunches! Email averyslunchesatagmaildotcom

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  47. My daughter just adores olives, so all I have to do is open the can :) We also love to use them in our pasta salad and in spagetti sauces and on pizza's. E-mail is jessica.e.mcmullen@gmail.com :)

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  48. Olives in everything! Pasta salad, pizza, lasagne!

    amberdominguez@gmail.com

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  49. We love olives on pizza and thanks to all of the other comments I've got lots of great new ideas, too! ;)

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  50. My son has half a dozen black olives in his lunch every day. I put them on anything - salad, pizza, chicken, fish. My favorite is making olivada.

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  51. Olives on french bread pizzas... YUM!!!

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  52. My husband and I LOVE olives. Whenever we pick some up, a few always end up eaten before we get around to making whatever it was we were going to make. But our favourite way to eat olives (asides from straight out of the container, lol) is to mix them into our spaghetti sauce. YUM!

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  53. Olives in a salad or on anything Mexican is my favorite way to eat them!!
    shamarie@hotmail.com

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  54. I love olives! I recently added jalapeno-stuffed olives to "what's in my pantry?" potato salad (I make the vinegar-topped kind) and wow! what a happy accident! After reading all the comments, I definitely need to try olives in more food! Thanks for the great give-away! mnethia at yahoo dot com (different than my ID, I know...)

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  55. My kids like to eat them on past or on kabobs with grape tomatoes and cheese cubes

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  56. I like black - the kiddo likes green - but we both LOVE them! We make mini pizzas - and they always have olives! I also love to include them in 7 layer Mexican dip...yumm!

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  57. We LOVE olives! Natural green olives disappear as soon as the can is opened, unless they're guarded closely. Black olives are best eaten off of all ten fingers by all the children (of any age) at extended family holiday gatherings. ;) We like olives in potato salad, marinated olives of all kinds on green salads, black olives on taco salad or in tamale pie, in a big bowl to serve on the dinner plate or to sneak out in surreptitious and innocent passes before dinner is served...mmmmm!!

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  58. We love olives on pizza and tacos!

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  59. When we ate dairy, pizza just wasn't pizza without olives!! Now we love it in our greek salad and in wraps! Or just eating plain for a snack! :)
    iles_sarah at hotmail dot com

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  60. Black Olives (Small Dices) In Homemade Mac & Cheese! :) Mm...

    dawnendres@verizon.net

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  61. I have one that eats olive pizza and we love cream cheese with olive sandwiches. Mmmm.....

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  62. Olives are awesome! Love stuffed olives for the lunchbox and no special occasion Is complete without black olives! So many options! Mix with mozarella cheese balls and tomatoes and olives and italian dressing is yummy too!
    Msmileo@yahoo.com
    Anne v.

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  63. I love olives and eat them in bean salads, on taco nachos, and just plain dipped in hummus. Oh, and always on pizza!

    wren06@yahoo.com

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  64. OLIVE POPPERS! We take big black olives and cut a zigzag pattern out of the top to make them pretty. Then we pipe in softened cream cheese. They make great snacks to pack in lunches. :)

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  65. OLIVE BREAD IS THE BEST OF BOTH BLACK AND GREEN OLIVES ♥ THEM :o)

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  66. I guess we are pretty boring with our olives, mostly on sandwiches and salads, or the hubby and I can eat a whole jar or can plain :D... but I have just gotten a bunch of great ideas to try!

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  67. Black and green olive pizza.
    lkoss119@gmail.com

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  68. I love pizza with black and green olives, olives in my big salad and right out of the can!

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  69. We love them on salads.
    Karen.Skinkis@hotmail.com

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  70. My family loves olives. The easiest recipe is to crack fresh green olives slightly with a mallet and marinate with crushed garlic, lemon juice, freshly grinded coriander seeds and salt and pepper to taste. If we want we add crushed chilli flakes for a kick. Great with sourdough bread.

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  71. We love olives in salads. :)
    family74014 at gmail dot com

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  72. I make pizza pasta with whole wheat noodles, fresh or canned tomatoes, garlic, black olives, whatever veggies I have on hand and pepperoni.

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  73. We love to add olives to our pita sandwhiches. A little marina, mozzerla, olives, and sometimes sausage. Heat it in the microwave or oven so that the cheezy melts. Quick, yummy, and easy!:)

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  74. My daughter takes olives all of the time in her lunches!! Mostly in salads... today, for her first day of school, she has olives in her pasta salad!

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  75. We always do olives on pizza and love them on a taco salad too!
    hungrymonkey09 at gmail dot com

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  76. Most frequent use is probably on their own with some marcona almonds as a quick and easy appetizer, then on salads - Greek or Tostada. My fave, though, may be in a fresh tomato pasta sauce - combo. of black and green and so good!

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  77. We actually love to eat them straight out of the can, but we also like them on nachos. sunshine8264@gmail.com

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  78. Green olives in a salad and black olives on pizza.

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  79. Spanish olives are a long-time snack favorite of mine and now my girl's. Just straight from the jar or alongside a sandwich. Black olives, though, we love on pizzas or anything Mexican. Personally I really love to get the varieties of olives that you can find at places like Whole Foods and just snack away, but I don't get to do that too much.

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  80. I like them plain or with cheese. But for my kids, I'll dice them up and sprinkle on dips, spreads, etc.

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  81. My family isn't big on olives but I will use them in Greek Salads, potato salads, condiment trays during the holidays and I also use the black sliced ones as the eyes on my kidlet bentos. rachelally at gmail dot com.

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  82. My family isn't big on olives but I will use them in Greek Salads, potato salads, condiment trays during the holidays and I also use the black sliced ones as the eyes on my kidlet bentos. rachelally at gmail dot com.

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  83. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  84. I put them in a taco salad on top of the beans. I Aldo use them with pepperoni & cheese my son loves it.
    marnel09 @ yahoo dot com.

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  85. I love them on a taco salad....and right out of the can! squeakandus at msn dot com

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  86. There are 101 ways my family and I enjoy eating olives, but I have to say our hands-down favorite is just eating them plain, one stuck on every finger. YUM.

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  87. Woo Hoo, great giveaway, thanks for the chance to win :) I love Olives since they do add so much flavor, my favorite place for them is on english muffin or pita pizzas or in a salad <3
    missavene at gmail dot com

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  88. Hi, thanks for the giveaway I would love to win :) :) I am not the biggest fan of olives but i like them in a greek salad with feta cheese. Thanks

    viviana
    chivi552 at hotmail dot com

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  89. I love olives in salad, on pizza with mushrooms and sausage, in tacos. My kindergartener loves them packed in his lunch plain. He likes to put the jumbo ones on his fingers and then eat them one by one.

    Jamie
    jamie101378@gmail.com

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  90. I love olives in salad, on pizza with mushrooms and sausage, in tacos. My kindergartener loves them packed in his lunch plain. He likes to put the jumbo ones on his fingers and then eat them one by one.

    Jamie
    jamie101378@gmail.com

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  91. I put them in toasted cheese sandwiches!

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  92. Both of my boys LOVE black olives. I give them a little bowl in their lunches, and we also enjoy them on pizza too!

    Thanks,
    Wendy
    wendy@mrearly.com

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  93. We love them straight from the can! Or on pizza or in quesodillas, or enchiladas or in salads or any number of ways! Always have several cans available at our home. Sadly, my children are two big now to appreciate running around with the olives stuck on their finger tips!

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  94. We use olives in sandwiches, salads, pizza and 7 layer dip.


    Gracec dot girl at gmail dot com

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  95. I love to stuff olives with garlic, olives on my pizza, in my spaghetti sauce, on salads, in my cocktails (lol) or straight out of the jar!

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  96. Of course, I love them on pizza (typical, I know). But I love adding them to my hummus for variation! They are little flavor bombs that spruce up most any dish. I'd loooove to win!! charitygirl at hot mail dot com. Thanks for sharing ideas, I love your newsletters!

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  97. I made a new pasta dish the other night -- slow cooker artichoke pasta with a cup of green olives in the sauce. My husband and kids ADORED it.

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  98. I love olives in a warm Greek pasta salad. I like the mild flavor of California olives over Greek olives. I also love olives on pizza and in enchiladas.

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  99. My kids love them on all 10 fingers, and I love them on taco salads!

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  100. We like black olives topping layered bean dip! thanks for the chance! enchantedtree@hotmail.com

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  101. My husband likes black olives on pizza and subs, my daughter likes them in bean dip and tacos. Thing two isn't old enough for olives yet!

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