I'm Back! (with a festive dip)

I feel a need to offer an explanation for my absence this past month. We bought a house. A real one with walls and floors, porch and yard, and, of course, a kitchen! It is a mess and we have no idea where we are going to put everything, but it is ours, and that feels damn good.

Saturday night was our first get-together in the house. We opened the doors to friends and family to warm the house, stock the bar and eat yummy food. I came upon a recipe for spinach artichoke dip and ended up changing it around to suit my tastes. I have made it a few times now and it has been a hit every time. To take a little pressure off the new homeowners, my mother made this recipe and brought it Saturday night.

Stay tuned for the adventures of my new kitchen, hang tight while I wait for my internet to be re-connected, and in the mean time, enjoy the holiday season, lights, and spirit!


Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sour cream*
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 t. salt
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese*
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1/2 cup mozzarella, sour cream, 2 T of the Parmesan cheese and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and combine well. Spoon mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Mozzarella and 2T Parmesan cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes until brown. Yield: 5 1/2 cups

*I used fat free sour cream and one fat free cream cheese and one 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese. It turned out great and was a lot lighter on the hips!