Artichoke cheese dip and a little pink dress

Before we start talking about the goodness of cheesy artichoke dip, I have an announcement to make. Ya'll remember my friend Libby, don't you?




My dear, sweet, favorite buddy Libby who loves sweets and barbecue as much as I do? Well, Libby has a blog now!



And this isn't any blog. It's a blog about a pink dress, a ladies' bet and heading down the road to fabulousness. It's really fun, I promise. I know you'll love her as much as I do!

So go visit her at www.fabulouslittlepinkdress.blogspot.com !

Now, let's talk artichokes. And cheese.



Normally I'm not a fan of artichokes. The whole ripping leaves and dipping in butter to scrape stuff off on your teeth just doesn't appeal to me. If I'm going to go to all that work ripping and scraping, you can bet it will be a barbecued beef rib.

However, I do like artichoke hearts when they are mixed into tasty dishes like this one. I wouldn't eat them straight out of the can, but I love them in a dip.



I know what you're thinking. "Excuse me, Blond Duck, this looks like a big pile of yellow goo. It looks like paste for the side of the house or something."

Looks can be deceiving. This dip is so tasty that I'll use it as a spread on sandwiches or toast. It's dangerously delicious. I ate so much of it on Saturday I thought artichokes would dangle from my ears.

The original recipe is different than the one I used (of course), so I'll add my modifications in pink. It contains spinach and Libby was bringing spinach dip, so I didn't want to double up. The original also includes Romano cheese, which I was too lazy to figure out how to get it out of it's little packaging and grate without a greater.

I never said I was a culinary artist. I just like food.

Without further ado....



Hot artichoke cheese (and spinach) dip

1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese
1/4 cup of mayo (I dumped in probably half a cup of fat free mayo.)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Shredded and 1/2 of a Kraft bag of it.)
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese (No grater + lazy Blond Duck+ complicated packaging= no Romano cheese)
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced (I used garlic powder.)
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (Since I wasn't using spinach, I added an additional 7 oz. can. I might do this even if you use the spinach. I also swirled these up in a blender.)
1/2 cup of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I probably used half a bag of the shredded Kraft stuff. I love cheese.)

1)Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a small baking dish.

2) In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, mozzarella cheese, garlic salt, pepper. Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.

3) Top mixture with more mozzarella cheese after transferring to baking dish. (I forgot to top it.) Bake for 25 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.

(Original recipe from allrecipes.com.)


Enjoy ya'll. And go see Libby!

Tomorrow--a new Land of the Flowered Bed!