In case you didn't read my previous post, I have been busy, busy, busy which is why I haven't been posting recently. I'm alive and well I promise just busy with life. I have still been cooking and baking though so now I'm finally catching up and telling y'all about what I've been up to. In my previous post, I talked about how I made cake batter blondies because we were going to have a bunch of people over. I didn't want to stop there though because when entertaining you have to make something savory and sweet. I have always wanted to make spinach and artichoke dip so this was the perfect opportunity to do it. I got the recipe from my recipes again because when all else fails, I go there to find a recipe. The recipe is actually from Cooking Light which is also my go-to for recipes. This recipe was very easy, delicious, and much healthier for you than regular spinach and artichoke dip and those are my 3 favorite descriptions of food when it comes to cooking an baking. Here's what went into my spinach and artichoke dip...
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fat-free cour cream
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese (original calls for fresh but I'm in college and on a budget to I used shake Parmesan cheese)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tbsp garlic
1 (12-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (8 ounce) block 1/3 less-fat cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) bloack fat-free cream cheese
1 (10 ounce) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
Here's something that I've learned these past couple months from cooking and just life in general...things always take longer than you expect. With that being said, I thought that I would have plenty of time to make this dip before everyone came over that night but sadly that was not the case. I had to leave to go to a meeting at like 5:30ish that night and I got home around 5:00 to start the dip...I was working like a mad woman to finish this thing. I had just bought the cream cheese at thr grocery store so it wasn't exactly softened but you got to work with what you're given when on a time crunch. I made a total mess of the kitchen but the end product was worth it and don't worry I finished it in time thank goodness!
First thing I did when I rushed in the door was preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven was heating up, I took out the frozen spinach from the package and ran it under water to help it thaw...it was not thawing very quickly. So what do you do in a time when you literally have no time? Throw it in the microwave and hope it doesn't ruin it. I heated the spinach for about a minute and then I put it aside in another bowl. I then tried to drain it as best as I could but I didn't have to to sit there for like 15 minutes draining it so I just did it as much as I thought it needed.
Doesn't that look appetizing haha
I then drained and rinsed the artichoke hearts so that I could begin to chop them up. I chopped the whole can up as quickly as possible and tried to chop them in as small of pieces as possible. Here's my results...
After frantically chopping the artichoke hearts, I then added 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella, the sour cream, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, and the next 6 ingredients to the artichoke hearts and spinach in a large bowl. I then stirred them all together until they were well blended.
All mixed together
Once everything was evenly mixed together, I scooped the dip into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. I sprinkled the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 more tablespoons of Parmesan to the dip and then put it in the oven.
Mmmm cheese
At this point, I had about 15 minutes until I had to leave. I let it cook for 15 minutes and then turned off the oven and rushed out the door. Once I came back from my meeting, I turned the oven back on while the dish was still in it. I cooked it for about another 20 minutes and then took it out to cool and serve. Once I put it out, everyone could not stop eating it and let me tell you I know why. I was SO good! I love spinach and artichoke dip and it tasted the same to me as any other I've tried but it is so much better for you. Everyone loved it and by the time the last person left our house, it was completely gone. If that doesn't say that the dip was good then I don't know what else would. I served it with tortilla chips and wheat crackers but you could also serve it with veggies like celery or carrots but it really just depends on what you like. I would definitely suggest making this for a party but give yourself enough time to actually make it haha. Next time, I'll allot enough time to cook it all at once but I definitely want to try it again!
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