When I dip, you dip, we dip...
When I dip, you dip, we dip...
...and the best baked spinach-artichoke dip
Team Dips or Team Sandwiches? Team Football or Team Commercials? Team Red and Yellow or Team Red and…Yellow? (It’s probably officially gold, but close enough.)
I’m team all-of-the-above. I’ll eat all the food you food put out, equally enjoy the game and the commercials, and since I have no dog in this fight, yay football! (Although, do I want to see Patrick Mahomes lose just as much as I want to see Taylor Swift’s boyfriend win? Yep.)
And lest the halftime show feel left out - I can’t wait to sing and dance along with Usher and friends and embarrass the heck out of the Kiddo. Sorry dude, that’s pretty much why we have kids.
But I digress, back to the snacking situation at hand!
If you were to think about the most popular Super Bowl foods, various chips and dips would be at the top of most lists. In fact, the people who do this kind of snacking related research have found that the most significant sales spikes during Super Bowl week were in the categories of corn chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, and potato chips.
So let’s dive into dips to go with all those chips! Here are a few of my favorites -
My favorite queso - I haven’t officially typed it up or even taken a picture because we eat it too quickly, but all you do is melt together 8 ounces of White American Cheese (you can get it at the deli counter of your grocery store), a 4 ounce can of Diced Green Chiles, 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin, 1/2 cup Milk, and a pinch of Salt. I stir it together in a pot over medium heat and then keep it warm and melty in one of those mini crock pots.
I pretty much make the Caramelized Onion and Asiago Chip Dip posted back in December any chance I get. This one always gets rave reviews and is a great make-ahead choice.
I’ve been making a warm bacon cheddar dip for years. My original recipe came from my best friend’s mom. The paper is so stained and well-loved that I had to move it over to a page-protector sleeve thing to keep it safe. You mix together cream cheese, mayo, cheddar, and green onions, then top it with chopped bacon and a mango chutney before baking it in the oven. This recipe here is the same as my recipe for the base, but then you’ll want to spread a thin layer of a mango chutney over the top before baking.
And finally, my baked spinach artichoke dip (recipe below). This is a recipe that started as one of my mom’s, but then I played with it a little bit. I’ve always liked that it didn’t have cream cheese in it, because it keeps it lighter and doesn’t mask the actual spinach and artichoke flavors. I made it extra creamy (and more dippable) with a splash of heavy cream and gave it the tiniest kick with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. (Please add more if your heart desires; I’m just a wimp.) And for the final sprinkling of extra cheese, I waited until the dip was done baking to keep the topping soft and fluffy. (Because I hate it when my chip breaks off while trying to get through that top layer!)
Hope you all have a great weekend! Happy snacking and go team!
MONDAY - Meatloaf, Spaetzle with Cheese Sauce, and Braised Cabbage
I wanted meatloaf, but was tired of potatoes, so I’m going to try making a light parmesan sauce for a package of Spaetzle (a german egg noodle/dumpling) I have in the pantry.
TUESDAY - Maple Dijon Pork Chops with Apples and Red Onions
Sheet pan dinner in 30 minutes! I’ll spread the boneless pork chops with a sauce made from maple syrup, dijon mustard, and herbs (it’s so good!) and scatter sliced apples and red onion around them on the pan to all bake together. Rice on the side.
WEDNESDAY - Dinner out tonight!
My Aunt and Uncle are coming in from Montana today as they pass through to go visit more family in Kentucky, so we’ll take them out to dinner tonight!
THURSDAY - Turkey Meatball and Orzo Pasta Skillet
It feels like I have seen orzo pasta skillets everywhere these days, and I had to try one of my own. I’ll do a light tomato cream sauce for the orzo and nestle the meatballs right down in there. I have the meatballs already done and in the freezer from a big batch I made a couple of weeks ago.
FRIDAY - Friday night pick-up!
SATURDAY - Dinner at Yaya’s (the in-laws!)
Grilled cheeseburgers and oven baked tater tots.
SUNDAY - Superbowl Party!
We usually go over to a friend’s house for the Superbowl, and this year we decided to do a “Soup-er Bowl” Party with different soups and toppings! She’s making a jambalaya, I’m planning on a chicken noodle, and I’m sure we’ll have plenty of dips on the side! I’m excited to see what everyone else brings!
LUNCHES for this week - Quinoa Salad with Craisins and Apples
The sun has appeared and given us our first taste of fake spring here in Tennessee, so I want something fresh and crunchy for my lunches. I’ll make a big batch of a quinoa salad and eat on it all week.
EXTRAS for this week
I’m turning to an old stand-by this week for some sweet treats. I always keep marshmallows and rice krispies on hand just so I can make these brown butter crispy treats from Smitten Kitchen whenever the mood strikes.
Baked Spinach-Artichoke Dip
Makes about 3 cups.
· 2 tablespoons Butter
· ½ of one large Onion, chopped
· 2 cloves Garlic, minced
· 1 can (14oz) quartered Artichoke Hearts, drained
· 1 package (10oz) frozen chopped Spinach, thawed and drained
· ½ cup Mayonnaise
· ¼ cup Sour Cream
· ¼ cup Heavy Cream
· ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· 1/8 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (more if desired)
· 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
· ½ cup freshly grated Asiago Cheese
Coat a medium size (about 1 quart) baking dish with non-stick spray.
Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add onion and cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute more.
Add in artichoke hearts and spinach. Cook several minutes stirring and breaking up artichoke pieces with your spoon or potato masher.
Remove from heat and stir in mayonnaise, sour cream, heavy cream, salt, pepper flakes, ½ cup of the parmesan cheese, and all of the asiago cheese. Spread into prepared baking dish.
Bake now or cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
To bake now - Preheat oven to 350⁰ and arrange a rack in the upper third. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned on top and bubbly around the edges. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of parmesan cheese.
To bake later - Uncover and bake for about 30 minutes until lightly browned on top and bubbly around the edges. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of parmesan cheese.
Serve warm with tortilla chips or crackers.
NOTE – Sometimes I just use whatever cheeses I have on hand. I prefer the hard Italian cheeses (parmesan, asiago, romano, etc), but a little white cheddar is good too.
