Olive, Manchego, Artichoke bites

I am always thinking of new appetizers to bring to parties or to have for my own guests.  A few months ago, we went to a wine tasting that paired 7 wines with 7 different types of foods.  It was such a great time and we really did learn a lot of pairing food and wine.  One of the dishes they served was an appetizer of artichoke, manchego cheese, and green olive on a toothpick.  I haven’t figured out the sauce they used, but it tastes fantastic on its own!  I first had Manchego cheese, which is a Spanish cheese, in California while visiting my brother, Mike, and his girlfriend, Melissa.  It is now a favorite of ours and we get it all the time!  You can find it at your local Whole Foods.

Ingredients:

·         1 (14 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts

·         1 can sliced green olives

·         8 oz. manchego cheese

Directions:

1.       Chop each of the quartered artichokes in half.

2.       Cut Manchego into bite size pieces.

3.       Layer an olive slice, manchego, artichoke, then olive slice onto a toothpick. 

4.       Repeat! (This really is the easiest appetizer)