Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Yum! We ate this during the OSU/Cal football game, let's just say this dip helped to improve our moods.

This has always been a yummy dip to order as an appetizer but I know that it is not the healthiest; my version isn’t much better. It does have cream cheese and not butter so I think it’s a bit better than most J I made this for the trip up to the mountain that Ian and I made last weekend. We went to visit my Godparents, they live in a mansion cabin in Welches J They just moved into a bigger cabin right on the Salmon River and we had a great time catching up. Cathie made us a delicious mascarpone cheese pasta with an Asian pear/pine nut/poppy seed dressing salad. Mike kept us well boozed. We talked about asphalt paving, Bailey, fishing, government, grad school and snow! Here is the recipe for the dip:

Ingredients

·         1 box (10 ox), chopped frozen spinach

·         1 can artichoke hearts

·         6 ounces cream cheese

·         1/4 cup sour cream

·         1/4 cup mayonnaise

·         1/3 cup grated Parmesan (I used more)

·         1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

 

Directions for dip

1.       Boil spinach in water until tender and drain. Discard and press out the liquid.

2.       Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients.

3.       Mix everything in a small baking dish and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Directions for crostini

1.       I  used artisan bread slices that were on day old bakery shelf but I recommend sourdough!

2.       Break bread into palm-size pieces and brush both sides with an olive oil/salt/paper mixture.

3.       Bake on a baking pan and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Put in the oven 5-10 minutes before the dip for great timing J

Consensus

We all enjoyed this dip! We were a little full from breakfast and our beer and coffee nudges but we made room for most of the dip. Next time I will add mince garlic, more parmesan and a more pungent cheese such as fontina or extra sharp.

Cathie cooking in her outdoor covered kitchen! Jealous? Yes!