Crazy Cooking Confession: Drinking the O Juice

Last time I shared a secret with you guys, you totally ripped me a new one, yet for some reason I still feel compelled to keep on sharing every weird thing I do.

I know Edouble has already told ya’ll about the great pickletini, but I think you still may not quite understand how much we love drinking salty, briny water. Back in the day, when I finished a jar of pickles or olives, I used to simply pour the excess liquid down the drain before washing the jar out and recycling it. But then when I lived with Edouble, I was sharply reprimanded for this wasteful action. Why? Girl likes to take the jar and drink the leftover juice like it’s lemonade. This is an action that has caused more than one observer to gasp in horror and/or keel over in laughter.

I’ve since tried it myself, and while I can’t down an entire jar of the stuff as quickly as Edouble can, I have to admit I have become a full-fledged fan, and will never again throw away leftover olive juice.

So recently I was throwing together some kind of tortellini explosion style dish, emptying my fridge and throwing all kinds of randoms in with the pasta.

I finished it off with some garlic-stuffed green olives (greatest invention ever btw), and then on a whim I poured the leftover olive juice over my pasta. It was amazing! Mixed in with butter and garlic and olive oil, it wasn’t that strong of a flavor; it just gave the pasta an extra salty-briny kick. I loved it.

So I was just wondering, does anyone else cook with olive juice (aka delicious salt water)? And what other weirdo things does everyone throw into their cooking? Don’t be afraid to share…