We are in the painstaking process of remodeling our kitchen.  Last night we had the task of using up some frozen steaks, tater tots (not my choice!) and some really good martini olives from the fridge as the new fridge is due to be installed this week…possibly a day or two after the old one is removed.  (Thank you Bobbi for helping us store what we couldn’t eat in time!)

We didn’t use the martini olives in our martinis though.  (We finished a bottle of wine and shared some Limoncello, the latter was also found in the deep recesses of our old Subzero refrigerator.)

All we had to cook with was our old oven as our new stove is in but not hooked up yet.  But we did have our new granite in and really wanted to eat at our kitchen island.

Now, if you remember, awhile back I wrote about baked cheese-encrusted olives.  It gave Eddie the idea that baking olives would bring out their oil, and use some of the flavors found in the jarred olive juice.  (The martini olives were pimento-stuffed, oily and had that tartness that most jarred olive juices have – is it from pickling or a brining?)

Anyway, he sliced them up and topped our steaks with them.  The only other ingredient he used was a Dean and Deluca BBQ rub.  

They were excellent!  He was right about the baking – the olive oil burst from the olives, and, mixing with the rub, was just perfect.  We will certainly be making these again, but next time, I HOPE, the kitchen will be done.