Game Day Eats: Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip

I so enjoyed having the day off yesterday. I'm still working on my quilted table runner, and I spent the day with my mom getting it done! Of course I'm feeling sleepy and overall not ready to tackle work today. I get so spoiled when I have a day off! I must have snoozed my alarm like 5 times this morning. Are you a snoozer?

Moving on to something happy. Like this:

There are like...1 billion spinach and artichoke dip recipes out there. Seriously, I've counted.

I came across a Martha Stewart recipe a while back and had saved it in my recipe binder. When we were at a loss as to what to make for this past football Sunday, I pulled out the binder, came across this recipe and decided to give it a go. I'm sooooo happy I did. I made a few changes and added artichokes. I think it adds a little more texture and flavor. Artichokes rule!

Once I pulled the browned and bubbly dip from the oven, Shaun and I settled in with the Giants and Jets. Since both games were so bad that it felt like we completely wasted a large chunk of our lives, I was psyched that at least we had this delicious dip to make the day a bit better :)

Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip
*Adapted from Martha Stewart
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained very well
1 can artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup milk
1 8oz pkg reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
3 dashes Frank's Red Hot
1 C shredded mozzarella, divided
kosher salt
ground pepper
cooking spray
tortilla chips, crackers or baguette slices, for dipping

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and sautee the onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sautee 1 minute more. Mix in the spinach & artichokes and heat through. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, add milk to the saucepan and warm over low heat (don't boil). Whisk in the cream cheese. Mix the spinach mixture back into the milk mixture. Add 1/2 C mozzarella, Worcestershire, Red Hot, salt and pepper. Mix well and pour into a baking dish lightly greased with cooking spray (I used a pie plate). Top with 1/2 C mozzarella cheese and bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, baguette slices, pita chips or your left arm. This dip is delicious on anything!

So there you have it. An easy and delicious dip, perfect for football Sunday or any day!

Questions of the Day:

Do you have a go to dip recipe?

Are you a snoozer in the morning?

50 Days of The Little Things + Pepper Jack & Pimento Dip

Hi friends! Thanks for sharing your blogging stories with me yesterday :)

I'm super sad this morning over the news of Steve Jobs passing last night. He was a revolutionary, a visionary, and who knows what else he might have changed in our world in the future. I shout the praises of my Macbook non-stop (especially to Shaun, who's a PC), use my iPod every single day, and am currently coveting an iPhone (rather than my horrible Blackberry) and an iPad. What a horrible day for the world :(

Ok now I'm crying. I do that a lot.

It's strange that his death falls yesterday and my plans for today were to tell you all about The Little Things Challenge, a small way to appreciate all the tiny bits happiness in life - something that I fear many of us do not do enough. Julie @ Savvy Eats started this challenge last November. She encouraged her readers to keep a tally of a Little Thing each day in November (until Thanksgiving) that made you smile. This year, she's upping The Little Things Challenge to 50 days, ending on Thanksgiving. That means that the challenge starts today!

Thanksgiving, 2009. The dress I'm wearing from Anthropologie makes me happy!

Last year, I kept a list of little things in my notebook. I filled it with everything from being excited about a new nail polish color or enjoying a pumpkin spice latte to Shaun packing my lunch for me or my building concierge holding the shuttle bus for me one morning. You can see my entire list of Little Things here. It was so fun to look back on these on Thanksgiving morning and to share them on the blog.

It's amazing what a mood changer this was for me. Simply picking out something that made me smile, even on a morning when I was unhappy over work, the weather, an argument, etc...searching for one bit of happiness was a total 180 degree turn for my mood. It makes me wonder why I wouldn't just do this every day? Maybe I will.

So I'm super excited to join in this challenge, and I hope you will too! I plan to make a Little Things jar this year to collect my pieces of happiness over the next 50 days (and beyond?). Since I dropped the ball and didn't get it set up yet, I'll start today in my notebook and make my jar this weekend. I can't wait to share it with all of you. Make sure to head over to Savvy Eats to see Julie's full write up about the challenge. I hope you'll join! Maybe we could link up and share them each week or something. What do you think?

I can't wait to tell you about what's making me happy this week. I made a new dip for the last 2 football Sundays that is seriously so easy and sooooo tasty. It was Shaun's idea to make a pimento dip. I honestly didn't know what pimentos were (it turns out that they are cured roasted peppers!), but I was willing to give it a go. I adapted a recipe from a very old issue of Food Network Magazine and it's quickly become a staple in my appetizer recipe arsenal.

Pepper Jack & Pimento Dip
1 C pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ C reduced fat mayonnaise
¼ C reduced fat sour cream
3 Tbsp diced pimentos
1 Tbsp Worceshire sauce
kosher salt, for seasoning
black pepper, for seasoning.
cooking spray
tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Spray a small baking dish or ramekin with cooking spray. Pour mixture into dish and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the dip is melty and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.

Could that be easier? Cheesy, slightly tangy and a little kick from the pepper jack cheese. Yum!

So that's what's going on with me today!

Questions of the Day:

Will you participate in 50 Days of The Little Things? You know I am!

Are you a crier? I am a born & bred crier!

Game Day Eats: Greek Layer Dip + Pita Chips

Happy Monday morning! I spent the weekend hanging out with family, watching football and taking a DSLR workshop yesterday morning. Last night I stayed up to watch the Emmy's. Did you watch? I usually love award shows but lately I've found them pretty dull and extremely self-serving (which I know that's the point of them anyway...but it's just sooo obvious), this one included. Modern Family is great...but that was the whole show. I do love watching the fashion though! And I smiled like a freak when Jesse from Breaking Bad make a cameo in The Office skit. Love.

Since yesterday was football, that meant game day eats!

Though the Giants are playing tonight, Shaun and I whipped up a few things to eat throughout the day for the Jets (and the other 10 games he switched between for the rest of the day). I had seen this Greek layer dip in an issue of Food Network Magazine a while back and saved it in my trusty recipe binder, keeping it on file for football season. I'm soooooooo happy that I didn't forget about this one.

It's so fresh and so flavorful. No thick, overly creamy cheese that sit like a brick in your stomach here. Shaun and I devoured most of this dip for lunch with some homemade whole wheat pita wedges. The ground turkey gives the dip some meatiness, the hummus, tzatziki, feta and olives give a seriously flavorful bite, and the tomatoes and lettuce bring a bright freshness that makes this dip guilt-free.

Yup, I said it.

Greek Layer Dip + Pita Chips
*Adapted from Food Network Magazine
1 pkg pitas or pita pockets, cut into chip-like wedges
1 lb ground turkey*
1 C hummus
1/2 C tzatziki dip
1/4 C red onion, finely diced
1 small tomato, diced
1/3 C feta crumbles
1/2 C kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 C lettuce, chopped
1/4 tsp oregano
kosher salt
black pepper
cooking spray

To make the pita chips, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Layer the pita wedges on a foil-lined baking sheet, or on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. Spritz with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 7 minutes or until crispy.

Brown the ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat. While cooking, season with salt, pepper and oregano. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, chop up the onion, tomato, olives and lettuce.

Spread the hummus in the bottom of a glass pie plate. Next, layer the cooled ground turkey. Carefully spread the tzatziki over the turkey. Layer the onions, tomatoes, lettuce, feta and olives over top. 

*Note: the original recipe called for ground lamb, but I don't get down like that. Sub it for the turkey if ya like!

Serve with pita chips and a big spoon. You're going to need it for this hearty dip.

Shaun took one bite, turned to me with chip still in mouth and said... "This is going in your permanent collection." I'm not arguing with that one!

So there you have it. A super easy Greek layer dip that will have you (and your guests) loving every flavor-laden bite!

Questions of the Day:

Did you watch the Emmy's? What did you think?

Did you eat any new dishes this weekend (that you cooked, someone cooked for you, or at a restaurant)?

psst...I'm working on my bedroom makeover and starting with a mood board to kick it all off. Head over to The Peach & The Pit to see my ideas and weigh in!