Because I love my house, I love entertaining friends in it. And part of being a good entertainer is having on hand lots fun serving pieces. Presentation can be everything and is always fun to visualize and create new ways to serve up some yummy appetizers.

One thing I like to serve a lot is an assortment of olives, usually along with other appetizers. It’s purely selfish, if the truth be told, because I adore olives! I have a few different dishes for serving them – some really funky, and some unexpected classics. I love my long and narrow white porcelain olive boat (above) — it makes a sleek display of mixed olives and other small savories. From Sur la Table these look quite modern (and only $5!). i like their minature olive tree (above top), used as a centerpiece as well. Or if things are a little more casual, I like to bring out my hand-painted large olive bowl and its sidekick ‘the pits’.

I’m so fond of olives, I’m even going to share with you my friend Eszter’s delicious recipe for herb marinated olives:

1 1/4lb brine cured olives (use an unflavored Italian brand)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
2 1/2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

they’re really yummy if you warm them up just a bit, too!

These are so good, you might start your own olive obsession. Get inspired and creative with your serving dishes, like these two pieces (above) I mixed and matched from flea market finds. Two totally separate pieces, but I love the colors together. And the prettier the food looks the better it tastes.