Bite Me The Show About Edibles
Create your own tasty, healthy cannabis edibles and take control of your high life! Bite Me is a weekly show that helps home cooks make fun, safe and effective cannabis edibles. Listen as host Margaret walks you through an marijuana infused recipe that she has tested in her home kitchen or interviews with expert guests. New episodes every Thursday.
Bite Me The Show About Edibles
Olive Tapenade Triumph
Ever wondered how to infuse your culinary creations with a touch of cannabis in a safe and delectable way? On this episode of Bite Me, I walk you through the art of making a savory almond olive tapenade that's perfect for olive lovers and those following a Whole30 diet. But first, you'll hear a hilarious recount of my recent bat encounter and how my 93-year-old dad became an unexpected hero. There's also a heartwarming listener review that underscores the podcast as a delightful escape from the more serious aspects of life. Get ready to learn why proper labeling on your edibles is absolutely crucial for safety.
As we turn our focus to the thoughtful nature of gifting, you'll discover tips on creating handmade cannabis-infused goodies that are both personal and safe. This episode offers a treasure trove of advice on ingredient substitutions and food safety, while highlighting the challenges of marking savory dishes like our featured tapenade. Plus, don't miss our revisited conversation with Jackie McGaskill, who shares insights from transitioning from the alcohol industry to crafting cannabis beverages. Whether you're looking to make a unique salad dressing or a flavorful chicken filling, this episode promises practical tips to elevate your cooking game, infused with a touch of cannabis.
Visit the website for full show notes, free dosing calculator, recipes and more.
Welcome to episode 265. Today we are doing an almond olive tapenade. Welcome to Bite Me, the show about edibles, where I help you take control of your high life. I'm your host and certified Gange Marge, and I love helping cooks make safe and effective edibles at home. I'm so glad you're here and thank you for joining me today. Greetings, friends and welcome back to an episode of Bite Me. If you're just tuning in for the first time, I'm glad you're here. We're doing a nice savory recipe to switch things up a little bit. But if you are so inclined, let me know how you discovered the show. I would love to hear it. You can send me a fan mail text message right within your own podcast platform wherever you're listening, unless you're listening on my website, in which case you're right there, leave a comment or something. But if you've been around listening for a while, my heartfelt appreciation goes out to you as well, because if it wasn't for those folks who come back week after week, I wouldn't be sitting here in my office gazing out at the front lawn with the large trees and sometimes the turkeys running around and an occasional bat in the house.
Speaker 1:Yes, I had a bat in my house recently. It was as horrifying as it sounds. And did I make my 93-year-old father catch the bat and release it while I hid behind a throw pillow? I might have, and I was going to say I have no shame in that, but actually I have a lot of shame in that and, lucky for me, my dad is spry enough to do such things, all the while laughing at me as he did them. So it was about half an hour of this bat flying around the house and me screaming and him laughing and the poor thing probably shitting itself.
Speaker 1:Whatever, however, that happened, it works with bats, I don't know, but we did get it out. Well, I shouldn't say we. He got it out of the house safely. I did provide support when needed, such as what he requested, an oven mitt or something, so that he could pick up the bat. He had a towel in his hand as well, or a towel, but pick up the bat without getting bitten, of course, because we don't want that. But now the bat is flying free out in the wilderness eating bugs and doing whatever bats should be doing, which is not flying around in my house. So that was a little bit of excitement.
Speaker 1:But anyway, we're not here to talk about bats. We're here to talk about edibles and cannabis and all those things, and I'm glad you're here for the ride. And today we're doing an almond olive tapenade and we'll get into that in a few minutes, but before we do, I just wanted to read you a review that I got recently and it really got me in the feels. It really meant a lot and I love getting reviews like this. So if you're ever feeling like you want to leave a review, please do. I had this review aggregator service that I use because essentially, if I didn't have this service, I would have to go into Apple and Spotify and like all the 15 different podcast platforms out there available and find the reviews manually, and I just don't even think about it most of the time. And I got this message in my inbox saying, hey, you got a new review and I love getting those. Those are like the best kinds of emails to get. It's like when you get like a beautiful thank you card in the mail, because most of the time in your mail, email or snail mail, you're expecting bill statements and junk mail and things you don't really want. So when something like this comes through, you're like, oh, like it's a nice bright spot in your day.
Speaker 1:Skskelton04. From the US of A, they say. I clean houses for a living and binge many different podcasts while working. This one has become a new favorite. Margaret is an excellent host and the topic is a great escape from the heavier topics I've often gravitated to. I can listen to Margaret, be inspired, learn and feel good before having an edible. I will, but this podcast is a treat all by itself. Thanks, margaret.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you for that review, because that was a treat for me and I thought you wrapped it up really beautifully, because I'll be having an edible with you this evening, if that's what you're going to be doing, because I eat edibles probably most nights Not every night, but many nights Tend to enjoy them more later in the day, although I will do lighter doses, micro doses, cbd throughout the day as well, depending. It depends on it. All depends. It always depends, doesn't it? Context is everything. So thank you for sharing that review and, if you feel so inclined to leave one for yourself. It really does help more people find the show.
Speaker 1:Another thing I wanted to mention is that someone shared with me a humorous story about a friend of theirs that had consumed a larger than normal dose of edibles of theirs, that had consumed a larger than normal dose of edibles, because, if I understood it correctly, they discovered these edibles and, though they were labeled, I think they may have been out of the package, I can't quite remember but this person ate more than what was usually their, more than their usual typical dose, and they got very, very, very high. And so this is just a reminder that it's really important to label your edibles, but when appropriate and when possible, because I know this doesn't always work. But if you can, if you can make a cookie shaped in a pot leaf, or use molds that have like a pot motif in them some way, or stamp a cannabis leaf into the top of whatever you're making, so that there's another way to indicate, possibly, that your treats or whatever you're making is infused, beyond just the label that you've put on the container or or whatever, then do so, because that's just another way to indicate to people that you're this, this food that they could be eating, is infused, and maybe we'll give them pause enough to ask some questions before they ingest it, because we all know, once you're on that ride, you're on it until you get off, and that's going to be several hours, unlike when you vaporize or combust cannabis. This ride is going to last quite a bit longer, and so we all want the people who are enjoying our edibles that we're making to have a good time, who are enjoying our edibles that we're making to have a good time.
Speaker 1:Naturally, it makes sense because oftentimes, when we're gifting them, we are gifting them with love, because we want to share something special, and I think personally, handmade homemade gifts show a lot of thought behind them, and not that a store-bought gift can't, because obviously you had to go to the store, you had to leave your house for one, get in a car, battle a parking lot, which is often chaotic, deal with the general public and try and find something that is thoughtful. There is. No, I don't want to diminish that, because finding a thoughtful gift for somebody to store is is beautiful as well, because it just shows that you were thinking about them and you made the time to go out and spend money on them for something that you think that they would appreciate. But when you're gifting something that you made with your own two hands and with love, I feel like that gift whether it's infused with just love or love and cannabis. Depending on what it is that you're making, then that's super thoughtful too. So if there's a way that you can indicate that it is infused, if it is indeed infused with cannabis, then I think that's just another step of protection to make sure that somebody doesn't consume something inadvertently.
Speaker 1:Do you have any other suggestions for that? Because if you do, I would love to hear them and that's something I could share on the show as well with other people, because we always think in terms of sweets, it's a lot easier to do a cookie in a pot leaf shape, or to use a mold for a candy or a gummy that has some kind of cannabis motif. It's a lot harder to do that with, say, an almond olive tapenade, because naturally, of course, you're probably having to take it right out of a well-labeled jar, I would hope, but so maybe it doesn't apply the same way. But again, if you have any ideas or suggestions or tricks that you've used, let me know and I would love to share them. So let's get into today's recipe. So I have actually I actually picked out this recipe quite a while ago to do, because I do like to sort of plan three months out when I'm organized, and I usually do stick to that plan for the most part, although often it can change and fluctuate depending on who I end up having on as a guest or perhaps my mood or seasons or whatever. But I had this recipe picked out for a while because I personally love olives and if you are somebody who also loves olives, you're going to really like this recipe because it has olives, because it's healthy, because you can infuse it and because also it's like really easy to make. So it checks a lot of those boxes and if you don't like olives you may want to skip this one.
Speaker 1:And might I suggest you check out the episode that I did last week with Jackie McGaskill, if you haven't heard that one yet, because she was phenomenal. I loved talking with Jackie. She was a wine and alcohol industry expert who had really seen some success in that industry and then discovered the power of edibles and launched her own cannabis beverage with a partner, sheesh Hashkula, and that was a great conversation. And she's a fellow Canadian as well. So unfortunately her beverages aren't available in the US, but if you're Canadian, check them out because they are delicious and she's doing things right and I know you folks in the US and some states have a lot of options when it comes to great drinks too, but I really enjoyed her perspective. So even if you want to hear a perspective on on going from the alcohol industry to the cannabis industry and all the things that that entails, then you'll want to listen to that conversation. So just a little advertisement for last week's episode if you haven't heard it yet because you don't like olives, and if you do love olives but also haven't heard last week's episode, do go back and listen to it, because I think you would enjoy it.
Speaker 1:There's a few reasons, like I said, that I picked out this recipe, one which I already mentioned. But another reason that I chose this recipe now is because I'm doing a Whole30 diet, and if you're unfamiliar with that, I'll link to it in the show notes. I've done them before. Basically, it's an elimination diet where you eliminate anything that tastes good and I'm actually kidding, but almost not. You eliminate all the things that typically trigger issues in people and you eliminate them for 30 days and the rat, and then you reintroduce them slowly, and the rationale is that it often takes two weeks for a lot of the foods that we're eating to sort of clear the system, and then you have that other two weeks to really notice how you feel without them and then you start to reintroduce them to see if you notice a big difference.
Speaker 1:And for me, sometimes I deal with fatigue and, like you know, I remind myself well, margaret, you are a woman in your 40s and maybe that's just natural aging, but I say, fuck, natural aging. I like to try and find other solutions because, you're right, it could very well be natural aging and that is just a sad reminder that I am going to die someday, as if I need any more reminders. I've got wrinkles enough. But also I deal with a lot of sinus issues. I'm allergic to everything, people. I'm allergic to dogs and cats, which really stinks, because my kids have been acquiring very cute pets that I want to pet and I do anyway, but sometimes to my detriment. Cats, I feel like I'm particularly allergic to.
Speaker 1:I'm allergic to horses and hay and I always knew that my parents had horses when I was a teenager and my one of my daughters rode for a little while and I couldn't even be in the barn when they were tacking up the horses, because the combination of all, before you tack up a horse, one of the things you do is you groom the horse and that would just put a whole bunch of horse hair into the air and then, combined with all the smells and the hay in the barn like it was, I just couldn't be in there. I would, my throat would be closing up, I'd be itching, my eyes would be watering, I'd be wheezing. It was pretty awful. I'm allergic to all kinds of pollen Lucky me, because that seems to be growing in quantity. I've been popping allergy pills every day this summer and of course, I look out the back window at the property that I'm at and I can just see a lovely, huge row of well-developed goldenrod. Am I allergic to that too? Yes, I am quite allergic. I'm allergic to several other grasses as well.
Speaker 1:So dust I'm allergic to, and I've been dealing with sinus problems for most of my life. And now that I've been living with my dad for a little while, I see also where I got it from, because at his advanced stage he is often still dealing with a lot of sinus issues as well. And somebody mentioned to me once recently that they cut out dairy and noticed a big difference in their allergies, and I was just like you know. Maybe this is something I need to revisit and take it more seriously. I've done the whole 30 before to eliminate certain foods from my diet, probably for other purposes, but this is what I'm doing it for to see if I feel better and have more energy, and also to see if it makes a difference with my sinus issues and like I blow my nose, like it feels like, 50 times a day, it's kind of crazy. See if that makes a difference with the allergies as well, because sometimes cutting out a simple food group might be the solution and at the end of the day, that's a pretty easy solution.
Speaker 1:Now, what do you cut out in the Whole30? You cut out alcohol, so I'll be alcohol-free this month as well. Sugar of all kinds, even healthy sweeteners like stevia or honey. Anything with added sugar in it is a no-go. Soy I think it was. Nitrates, all grains and legumes and don't forget that peanuts are a legume.
Speaker 1:Dairy, that's obvious. I'm trying to remember if there's. I think that's everything. And then you're like well, what do you eat? Well, a lot of eggs. I am an omnivore, so I can eat meat, of course, all the herbs and spices I desire, vegetables and fruit and, honestly, meat and vegetables like you can, and that, of course, includes the lauded potato. So I will be just fine if I can eat potatoes, because that's where I can get a lot of my carbs, and a lot of vegetables do have a lot of carbs. Now that we're in September, we're getting into squash season and I love a good squash and they are actually pretty sweet themselves. Let's not forget the sweet potato. Let's not forget the sweet potato.
Speaker 1:I also have to say that the person who said that they cut out a food group and it helped with their allergies, that they were referring to someone who cut out dairy. So I really hope dairy isn't the culprit, but maybe it is, and I do know my dad eats a lot of dairy, drinks a lot of milk. I don't drink milk, but I'm hoping I won't find that. But I'm also looking for solutions. So, anyway, I've gone on and on enough about that. I'll link to it in the show notes because it is interesting as an experiment to see if it can help you overcome some health challenges that you might be dealing with, because, let's face it, we eat food every single day and that can have a profound effect on our body and each one of us has a very unique biology. So I'm just doing some experimentation. It's kind of fun and I've been eating really good too, so no complaints.
Speaker 1:This almond olive tapenade happens to be Whole30 compliant, yay, and I got the recipe from a book called Gourmet Nutrition and I actually, for a short time in my life, used to be a precision nutrition coach, nutrition coach and I didn't really do it for that long, but I have maintained my certification. So, because I feel like it's valuable knowledge to have, I still have a real personal interest in nutrition. I mean, when you're cooking all the time because you need to live and you're doing a show like this where you're infusing all kinds of food. As much as I love the sweets, I'm going to go off the sweets for a bit. The sweet tooth was getting a little out of control, but I do tend to eat a lot of sweet edibles and sometimes I've had many people request that I do something or focus on more savory recipes as well. So this is for you folks too.
Speaker 1:But, margaret, what is a tapenade? And the answer to that is I don't really know, but they suggest you compare it nicely with chicken, and I haven't actually tried that yet. There is a variation option at the end, which I'll be sure to include in the recipe when I put it up on the website but to use it as a salad dressing whisk one part tapenade with one part olive oil and one part lemon juice, and then you have an almond olive dressing, which would make it more saucy. And then it says you can also use it as a filling for stuffed chicken breast or on top of a roast chicken breast, and that also sounds delicious. I have to admit, I ate mine mostly with eggs. I find eggs are a perfect backdrop for a lot of sauces and dips and tapenades and what have you, and they're really good with eggs. So I ate them a lot with that.
Speaker 1:And what are you going to need? You're going to need Kalamata olives, pitted whole or sliced, it doesn't really matter. I bought mine pitted, if you do give them a bit of a squeeze, maybe before you put them in the blender, because a lot of the times, even though they are pitted, you have to watch for like shards of pits that have remained even after the depitting process, and I did find one when I was eating, enjoying some of this tamponade. You're going to use almonds, crushed shallots, shallots I guess I always say shallots, but I think it's shallots, fresh garlic capers, dijon mustard, fresh parsley, pepper and olive oil. And if you're wondering where you infuse it, the olive oil. If you guessed olive oil, ding, ding, ding, you were correct. You're going to use infused olive oil and because this particular recipe uses two tablespoons, it's the perfect recipe to infuse with a.
Speaker 1:You could use a relatively potent olive oil and and, uh, get pretty lit off of this stuff. Or you could do more of a microdose or use CBD. You know how I am you work with what you've got, what your tolerance is. Who's going to be enjoying it? All those factors? Now, I didn't have crushed almonds because I wasn't going to go out and buy crushed almonds when I had a whole Costco-sized bag of almonds sitting in a cupboard. So basically, you take all those ingredients I just listed and you put them in a blender. You blend done. That's how easy this is and how fast, which is why I loved it. I'm going to be making it again, because I did buy a jar of organic Kalamata pitted olive oils or olives, and I only needed about half the jar. So I have enough to make it again, and I will be, because what else am I going to eat this month, right, and because I didn't have crushed almonds, I just threw those into the blender first and turned it on and then I added everything else after. So no need to like make it complicated, just throw it into the blender first and there you go, you've got crushed olives or crushed almonds.
Speaker 1:I didn't have shallots, I just used a small summer onion white onion that I got. It's like a small summer onion. I got from the food market or food market, from the farmer's market, and it did have a pretty at first almost I wouldn't say overwhelming onion taste, but it was relatively strong. It did tone down a little bit. So, depending on the size of the onion, you might want to cut it in half and make it a little bit smaller, pretty small. A lot of the times they're pretty small. So maybe I just had too much, but it didn't really bother me.
Speaker 1:I didn't have actually I shouldn't say I did have capers, but I didn't have actually I shouldn't say I did have capers, but I pulled them out of the fridge and I have to admit I don't remember buying them, so I couldn't remember if they were capers are brought with me when I moved in, if I bought them afterwards or if they belonged to my dad. Now the one clue that I had that maybe I had purchased them was that they were organic, because when I can, I do like to buy organic doesn't always make sense, not always affordable, but I can. But it looked like they might have. I don't know if they had some mold in the container, even though it was almost full, so I was really hesitant to use them, so I did not. I also have to remember that, living with my dad, I have found things in the fridge and in the cupboards that have been very old, so it's possible. My dad bought them who knows 10 years ago and forgot about them in the cupboards that have been very old. So it's possible. My dad bought them who knows 10 years ago and forgot about them in the fridge. I know there is stuff in the fridge door that I probably still need to clear out, and when I moved in I don't know if I already mentioned this story on the podcast before, I think I did about the raisins, my dad and his raisins, all of which were pretty much all expired as well.
Speaker 1:So I was hesitant to use the capers, so I used a generous pinch of salt in its place, because, even though the capers would probably add a little more texture to the tapenade, another thing they add is salt. So I just added a pinch of salt in lieu of these capers, fresh parsley, rough chopped pepper and all and your olive oil. And again, because it's all going into the blender, like you don't really have to chop this stuff, like the shallots or the onion that I use, I just rough chopped it and threw them in, you put it in the blender and you puree until combined and it should have a coarse texture and that's it. And if you try it, let me know what you think If you did any variations to it. And if you try it, let me know what you think. If you did any variations to it, made any variations added, subtracted, I would love to hear it. I always love to hear that stuff because I can also share with the fine folks who are listening to this show, because we all have something in common. One, we're all incredibly smart and good looking. And two, we all love edibles and we enjoy cannabis. So in all its various forms. But we all have that in common People have like suggestions of how they use their own tapenade.
Speaker 1:Then that's also great. This could be nice on a charcuterie board. You could put it on crackers, maybe some little pita slices with eggs, like I did with chicken, like they suggest in the cookbook. There's lots of ways you can use this. And be forewarned it makes a fair amount. I filled a little mason jar with it, but also it doesn't last long because it tastes good and you're going to eat it. You're going to eat up relatively quickly. So that's the recipe for this week. I hope you enjoyed it.
Speaker 1:And, of course, if you know someone who loves olives as much as I do, share this recipe with them. I might have to send this one to my daughter, because one of my daughters loves, loves olives, and when she was living at home as a teenager, she would want me to buy cans of olives and she would pop the top and eat them like she was eating Pringles. It was kind of crazy. I've never seen another kid do something like that. But maybe you have an olive lover in your life. Share this episode with them. And, of course, you can stay up to date with all the things going on with the Bite Me newsletter. Consider using the products and services on the Margaret Recommends page, because it also helps to support the show at no extra charge to you, and I am your host, margaret. Until next time, my dear friends, stay high.
