Sunday Cook: Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip

I had a very hard time deciding on my Sunday Cook recipe today. I have a house full of groceries - thanks to our shopping trip to Chilliwack earlier in the week - and I have a TON of things I want to make.

Finally, back from our rounds this morning, I had it down to two choices.

First, the Florida Orange Meringue Pie that Derek has been pining for OR the Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip that I have been trying to get around to for weeks now.

With the cool and wet weather we've been having these last few days, the Dip seemed like the better choice. A cozy comfort food.

So, here we go......

Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip

I've made my own version based on a few that I found on pinterest.


Below is the full recipe - I only made half today because for the 3 of us we usually get tired of eating it before it's finished. We are not big fans of wasting food.


2 cups parmesan cheese (this is a bit much because PC is pretty high priced - I'd feel free to use less)
1 (10 ounce) box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (14 ounce) can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2/3 cups sour cream (or yogurt)
1 cup cream cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup shallots (no shallots here - I just grabbed a small onion from our garden)
2 cloves garlic
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil


Preheat oven to 375ºF.

I defrost the frozen spinach by heating in a small amount of water in a pot and cooking until soft. I'm always trying to figure out the best way to get the water out. Today I used my handy strainer but first placed a piece of paper towel so that the spinach wouldn't get stuck in the strainer. (And by the way - I KNOW that I have said we don't buy paper towel - and we don't - Derek's mom brought us a roll when she came to visit - so may as well put it too good use!)

LOVE artichoke hearts!

Chopped - with garlic.

Combine all ingredients (except the mozz cheese and olive oil) in a large bowl. 

We almost always have parmesan cheese in the fridge. It is one of our splurges and well worth it because it is so versatile. I usually chop the long strains to make it go further. I find it interesting that the grated is cheaper then the ungraded. So happy that the store we purchase groceries from gives the price per unit on the price tags.

One of the recipes called for Greek yogurt. We've yet to get on the Greek yogurt bandwagon. Is it worth the price? We went to buy it once thinking that with all the hoopla over it we must be missing out. However, the sodium levels caused us to put the container right back from whence it came. 

Plain Balkan yogurt is another one of our staples. As I've mentioned, we don't buy sugar flavoured yogurt. We buy plain - use it for everything under the sun and as a substitute for sour cream, and sweeten with our own fruit and honey. The Balkan style is very thick and creamy and I can buy it for a very good price usually $2.59 compared to the $3.99 for half the size for Greek.

I buy the Olive Oil mayo....

Everything in - a few turns - and mixed.

Place in an oven proof dish and spread with the mozzarella cheese - I used a pie plate coated with olive oil.

Bake at 375ºF for 20 mins, until hot and cheese is melted. 

The only way I can get things down around here is to multi task in the kitchen. I usually have a few things going at once. Today, I also made pita chips AND had our lunch - homemade beef barely soup - heating on the stove top.

Hmmmm - yummmmm - prefect for a rainy day.

Serve right away. Can be made one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator before baking. 

Spinach & Artichoke Dip was always one of those items I ordered back in my 20's when out to dinner with friends. It never occurred to me until a few years ago to actually make it at home - for some reason it seemed too challenging - or too many ingredients - I'm not quite sure what. 

So, glad I figured it out! It is a one of those SO EASY and SO FAST but SO GOOD recipes.

I LOVE having dips around because they are easy afternoon or evening snacks. Kinda like cheese and crackers but a step up.

Enjoy!

Teresa

Today's Interesting Link: If you are a foodie like me you are ALWAYS happy to learn about a new food related blog. How about giving Jennifer from NYC and Bake or Break a try!

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