Poor man's caviar (but it's not caviar, and it's not what you think it is) - a family favorite

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Danabw

Smoke Blower
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
May 29, 2020
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This can be used as an appetizer, tide-me-over-to-dinner snack, munchie during the big game, or for those midnight moments when you just have to have a quick bite.

My mom always called it "Poor man's caviar" becuase you can put it on crackers and it's a salty bite. She can't remember where she first saw/ate it. Commonly known as cream cheese and olive spread. :) Nothing fancy or special about it, but there are times when I just have to have it, particularly when the weather gets really warm, I love the cold, straight from the fridge cream cheese with tangy salty olives on a triscuit.

It's not really a recipe...just chop up your favorite spanish olive w/pimento into small pieces and mix up with some room temperature cream cheese. I can't keep myself from eating it immediately, but on a hot day I really like to refrigerate it and have it later when it's had time to cool down in the fridge. My favorite cracker to have it on is the Hint Of Salt triscuits (don't need the cracker to add a lot of salt to this spread.) :)

The main variables are the cream cheese to olive ratio, and how finely you like your olives chopped. My mom taught me to be a lover of the finely chopped olive and a very high ratio of olives to cream cheese. My son and I enjoy adding some chopped pickled jalapenos to the mix, but the wife likes it just cheese and olives. There are heretical elements whispering in dark alleys of low-fat cream cheese, or adding Mayo, yogurt, dill, and other abominations. Do not listen to them! ;-)

B-roll moments below. ;-) The first time I told my wife I was going to make this she was, shall we say, highly skeptical. Quickly she became a convert and I kinda wish she didn't like it so much, since it disappears faster!

C'mon, you know you want some. :D
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I know, right?! Hope you like it.
 
In the 60's, Mom could buy Pullman Bread in different colors. It was sliced long ways. Mom spread Cream Cheese and Olive, Egg Salad and/or a spread made of Minced Shrimp Cocktail and Cream Cheese. The long slices were rolled up and cut into Pinwheel Finger Sandwiches.
I don't think the bread is made any more and I have not had Cream Cheese and Olives in years. Thanks for posting...JJ
 
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Thank to all for the memories back at me. Glad to hear others have enjoyed this as well.
Wow! I forgot all about this. My aunt use to make this. And spread it on stalks of celery. I haven't seen this in over 40 years. Thanks for the memory!
Doh! I totally forgot putting it on celery - my mom did the same exact thing, that was her favorite way to eat this. I'm going over to her house to take her to lunch today, and was going to take some to her. I happen to have some celery around so I'll bring some of that too. Now I'm going to get beaucoup "good son" points today! Thanks for the memory back.

There are no less than 4 bricks of cream cheese on our fridge at all times... Will try. Our standard is salami cream cheese rollups.
You sound like you're stocked up appropriately. I usually make this a brick at a time so that I don't run out too quickly.

In the 60's, Mom could buy Pullman Bread in different colors. It was sliced long ways. Mom spread Cream Cheese and Olive, Egg Salad and/or a spread made of Minced Shrimp Cocktail and Cream Cheese. The long slices were rolled up and cut into Pinwheel Finger Sandwiches.
I don't think the bread is made any more and I have not had Cream Cheese and Olives in years. Thanks for posting...JJ
I hadn't heard of Pullman Bread before, interesting history. Sounds like a perfect bread to put this on.
Pullman Bread is so Called because of its former use on long-distance Pullman trains in the United States. In France it is known as pain de mie, or “bread of crumb,” since it is characterized by having comparatively little crust. It lends itself well to regular toast, French toast, and canapés. The bread is normally baked in rectangular straight-sided pullman pans. Any covered loaf pans can be used, however, for example round cylindrical pans and fluted loaf pans. The powdered milk and the butter give a soft crumb texture to the loaf, and an easygoing eating quality.
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Wife mixes up cream cheese and olives to put on our bagels. Stuffs delicious
Another way we eat this as well. We finished our last bagels yesterday so put them back on our list for this week. :)
 
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Looks good . Will have to get some olives and try it out .
Our standard is salami cream cheese rollups.
Same here , but I spread it on 1 piece of salami , then put another piece on top . Cut in 1/4's .
 
Sounds Outstanding to Me, Dan!!!
Thanks for the idea!!
Like.
I wonder if I add some olive pieces to My Roll-ups (below):
Dried Beef Roll-ups

Bear
Oh yesss...those sound great, love horseradish. I can definitely see trying those w/some olive/pimento added in.
 
Yea 2 of my Favorite things!
I’ll be making that soon.
Maybe even stuff an ABT with it!
Al
I wish I had thought of that. My son and I are going to make some poppers - our jalapeno shrub is going crazy so we're going to have a bumper crop. We will definitely be stuffing a few w/the "caviar." :)

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Another favorite. Chopped Dry Beef and Scallions in Cream Cheese. I don't know how far West it's available but, it ain't a party in PA, without Sweet Lebanon Bologna and Cream Cheese Roll ups...JJ
 
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Made up a batch. 2 Bricks Philly Cream Cheese, some garlic stuffed olives, some pimento stuffed olives, and chopped up some roasted red bell peppers , for good measure.

I like it pretty good. Club crackers are what I had on hand. (Buddy's treats, there on the right).

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one eyed jack one eyed jack - Wow, that sounds like a great combination. I could live on garlic alone, if needed. Will try that the next time. Funny, ate this all my life and for some reason I've hardly ever modified the mix. I'm such a boring traditionalist...

I grew up eating club crackers (and their cousins, Waverly Wafers). My dad and I used to eat sardines on them by the can. I remember one of my friends coming over to our house in elementary school, and him watching in horror as my dad and I "Ate little fish whole, bones and all!" as he regaled my classmates the next day. :D I grew up around sardines and had no sense of them being any more exotic than peanut butter. :)
 
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Hey Dan,
I'm a big fan of sardines, too. As the main ingredient of a sandwich, or on crackers, makes no difference to me.

I keep the Club crackers around because they work so well with smoked cheeses.

Thanks again for the thread, and inspiration, about your cream cheese and olive spread. It's a winner. :emoji_thumbsup: :emoji_thumbsup:
 
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