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Friday, December 16, 2005

Fake it, don't make it

(Yes, I'm being spammy today. So sue me.)

So, this weekend we have our second pot-luck event of the season, and I'm planning on taking the same thing I took to the first: spinach artichoke dip. It's AWESOME. The recipe calls for baking it in the oven, but for the first party, I cooked it in our mini crock pot and it came out beautifully and stayed warm for the whole party.

So, for my mom who asked for the recipe:


Spinach-Artichoke Dip


From Real Simple


1 10-ounce box frozen cut or chopped spinach, thawed
1 12-ounce jar artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup grated Cheddar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pita chips, tortilla chips, or sliced French bread
1 lemon, cut into wedges (optional)

Heat oven to 400° F.

Squeeze the spinach between paper towels to remove excess moisture. In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, sour cream, and Cheddar. Season with the salt and pepper. Scrape the mixture into a small oven-safe baking dish. Bake until lightly golden and heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve warm with the chips or bread and the lemon wedges, if desired.

Yield: Makes 4 servings


From Lacy: This is NOT low fat, but would probably be really easy to lighten up by using reduced fat dairy products -- cream cheese, sour cream, and cheddar -- and by using artichoke hearts packed in water instead of marinated in oil. Also, I doubled the recipe for the party and it was gone well before the end (about 35-40 people).

To make in the crock pot: assemble all the ingredients and put into the crock pot on low for at least two hours, stirring occasionally.

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