Last night we were planning a pasta dish with shrimp and pesto. Unfortunately the pesto didn’t work out so we were looking for a quick fix when I thought about the pili pili oil I wrote about in January.

To make this oil, I used a recipe that I found in the Herb Gardens calendar I got for Christmas and I loved the herbal oil that resulted. It has just a kick of heat (warning, I love heat so if you don’t often eat hot foods you might want to try a little bit just to start) and it made our very simple pasta with shrimp, oil and cheese oh so good. If you’re interested in creating some pili pili oil either for gifts or for your own use, here’s a link to a New York Times recipe for the oil. The ingredients are the same as the ones I used but the amounts are slightly different. However this looks good as well and I may pair it with the Herb Gardens recipe next batch as I mix up some for gifts.

I was especially glad to have the pili pili oil on hand as we ran out of olive oil and we’re self-isolating for a couple weeks because of the coronavirus and Covid 19. So I went online to see what supplies I could order in the interim and found some that I’m ordering today. Below you’ll find links to the olive oil and - for those of you who live in areas where spicy dried peppers are hard to get chili de arbol. If you choose to order either of these items, know at as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Stay warm (or cool if you’re in a hot climate), stay safe and stay healthy.