Little Taste of Italy, Part 3

For an appetizer for our Sunday meal, I made a killer Spinach Artichoke Dip. Now, there are about a million Spinach dips out there, but this one is my favorite out of all of the ones I've tried. I'm guessing this is the case because mine doesn't have mayonnaise in it, only cream cheese. I'm of the opinion that most things, if not everything is better with cream cheese! This is super easy to make, and can be reheated throughout the evening (if it lasts that long)!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 cup chopped artichoke hearts, not marinated
½ cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
8 oz. cream cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
Pepper
Sliced, toasted bread and celery sticks

Boil spinach and artichoke hearts in water in a small saucepan over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander when done. Heat the cream cheese in a small bowl in the microwave set on high for one minute. Add the spinach and artichoke hearts to the cream cheese and stir well. Add the remaining ingredients to the cream cheese and combine. Serve hot with bread.

Results: This is always a winner. We eat it with sliced baguettes and usually we eat so much that we aren't hungry for the meal! So creamy and cheesy (I usually double the Parmesan that it calls for!)

Touchdown!!!

Since we just finished watching the Super Bowl for another year, I thought I would include one of my family's favorite game day snack. We call it Touchdown Bean Dip. It is a Pampered Chef recipe, and we have been making it for years. What makes this layered bean dip so much better than others is the fact that it has lots of cream cheese in it, and that it's served hot! YUM!

Touchdown Bean Dip

1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 T. taco seasoning mix
2 T. garlic cloves, finely minced
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup sliced olives
1 medium tomato, diced
¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
2 T. fresh cilantro
Tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350˚. Spread refried beans over bottom of baking dish. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning. Finely chop garlic and add to bowl. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over beans. Spread grated cheese over cream cheese mixture. Bake 15-18 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle olives, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro over hot dip. Serve hot with tortilla chips.

Results: My family loves this dip. The kids, maybe not so much, but my siblings don't like me to come to a family event without this. I think they like the dip better than me!