Olive spread crack-stupid easy

My mom makes an olive spread that is super easy and addictive. Yesterday my son and I ate almost the whole bowl and smelled like a garlic factory. Take a large package of philly cream cheese softened, three garlic cloves put through a garlic press into the cheese, and twenty small pimento stuffed olives chopped (I iike the Lindsay brand). Mix and mash all this together and put in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill. Before serving take out of refrigerator a half hour or so to soften and serve with crackers or chips of some sort. I think you could serve immediately after making but I like to let the flavors mingle. This is not a dip but a spread. Really easy really good. Must love olives and garlic.

When I was in college eons ago, the college snack bar sold cream cheese and olive sandwiches, exactly what you describe but without the garlic, and I have been addicted ever since.

I'll have to try this, adding a bit of anchovy paste, for the umami.

Yes you can tone it down if you do not like garlic or glitz it up by adding other things. I think nuts would be good too. Its so easy but so good.

I love the idea of making the olive cream cheese without garlic, adding chopped walnuts and serving it on boston brown bread. Making little tea sandwiches.

When I was a kid, nearly a thousand years ago, my mom figured out to mix a can of chopped California ripe olives into a bar of Philly cream cheese. I loved it.

She was about 25 years ahead of her time.

Geo

I think I would used roasted garlic...less of a sharp garlic taste.

Yes geo your mom was a genius ahead of her times. But sometimes simple things can be good. Roasted garlic would work too.

This seems to have been a popular combo several decades ago. My mother's preferred combination was cream cheese, chopped green olives, and chopped walnuts. Awful damn good for tea sandwiches.

Yes and they still sell B and M brown bread in the can at the vermont country store. I bet they might have it at woodmans too. Or you can make your own. Despite the fact this might be from a few decades ago, I was not familar with it. I came late to the party for this. I suspect if it was around I did not like it then preferring more mundane chip dips.

Wow toria, B and M in the can! Haven't thought abt that in YEARS! Mom served that with a hard sauce. Yum!

Geo

I have been making this for years. A family fixture at Thanksgiving and Christmas plus I have to make a triple batch for my partner's office Christmas party. My only addition is a few shots of Tabasco. My mom made this 40+ years ago but with tiny cocktail shrimp.

I bought a couple of cans of it so it will be delivered soon. they also have date nut bread that is similar. I got some royal riviera pears from harry and david and some cheese too. I was busy on cyber monday.