Olive Celery Salad Plus

It's hard to believe that it's been a week since my last post.

Last Thursday I left the 'farm' and headed to New York to attend my great-nephews wedding.  That really makes me sound old!  But, I'm really not... see, I was five when my nephew was born so it makes perfect sense that my great-nephew could be getting married while I'm still fairly young.  (At least that's what I'm telling myself!)

Poor Country Boy wasn't able to go because of work *sad face*.  But, I guess someone has to keep working to pay the bills and for trips back home! 

It was a beautiful wedding.  The reception was held in a pavilion at Hamlin Beach State Park where he proposed to his bride to be.  (He's had a crush on her since grade school *smile*!)

If I had to label the style of the wedding I would say it was Rustic Elegance....

Simple yet lovely.  This photo was taken before the candles were lit but there are tons of candles on the fireplace mantel and the lace covered mason jars each had a candle in them.

I won't be posting anymore about the wedding as I did not get prior permission from the lovely couple.  (I try not to post photos of people or about people unless I have their permission.)

So, on to the title of this post... the food was delicious!  Baked Ziti, sliced roast beef, Chicken Parmesian, green beans, roasted potatoes, rolls and an olive celery salad all catered by a couple from their church.  How awesome is that?!

Now, I love olives.  Black olives, green olives, kalamata olives, you name it, if it's an olive I like it!  So, needless to say, I was looking forward to trying this salad.  (sorry, it's a little blurry)

I was not disappointed.  As you can see, there's a lot going on in this salad.  Olives, celery, onions, jalapeno peppers, roasted red peppers, banana peppers, spices and a light dressing.  It was a tad on the spicy side for me because of the jalapenos and banana peppers but it was still good.   We brought some home with us and I added some cubed cheddar cheese to it and it was good.  Still spicy but good.

When I got back home, I decided to make my own version of the olive celery salad.  Here's what I came up with...

Olive Celery Salad Plus (if you have a better name, I'm open to suggestions, lol!)

1 jar jalapeno stuffed olives

1 large rib of sliced celery (including leaves)

1 roasted red bell pepper sliced or chopped (I did a little of both to end up with bite size pieces)

1/4 of small onion, chopped (can add more or less to taste)

2-4 oz. of cubed pepperjack cheese (or your favorite cheese)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons garlic-flavored red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Fresh oregano, chopped, to taste ( I used approximately 2 tablespoons)

In a medium size bowl add all ingredients and stir until well combined.

Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours or as long as overnight before serving.

As you can see, there's a lot of room for making this recipe according to your taste.  If you're not a big fan of garlic then leave the garlic powder out and use a plain red or white wine vinegar.  If you like lots of spicy heat then add some sliced jalapenos and/or banana peppers to it.

Here's my olive celery salad...

It has just the right amount of spicy heat for me!  I ate it with some homemade mac-n-cheese, yum!

Do you love olives?

If you do, try this salad.  I'd love to hear your variations on it.

Till next time,