Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Tasty Tuesdays: the 28th edition

Okay, so it's not technically Tuesday, but better late than never, right? I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and are looking forward to bringing the new year in with a bang. I have hundreds of pictures from all the Christmas festivities including looking at Christmas lights, Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas morning, Christmas at Grandma's, Christmas dinner and two post-Christmas baby showers in Austin. Hopefully, I will be able to get those posts up within the next couple weeks...I make no promises.

Since New Years Eve is just a day away and you will most likely be attending or hosting some sort of celebratory gathering where you will need sustenance, this week's edition features one of my favorite (and most well-received) appetizer recipes: hot spinach and artichoke dip. I can pretty much guarantee you will be the hit of the party if you bring a batch (or double-batch) of this addictive dip.

Per usual, the original recipe comes from Cooking Light, but I've tweaked it just a bit. The recipe is really easy to follow and takes just minutes to prep. Once you mix the ingredients, you can throw it in the fridge and bake it right before your guests arrive.

Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip


Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 garlic cloves, crushed (I use approx. 1 Tbsp. minced garlic in the jar)
1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine 1 cup mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, pepper, garlic, artichokes, spinach and cream cheese in a bowl and stir until well blended.

3. Transfer the mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray.

4. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan.

5. Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve immediately.

I like to serve mine with whole wheat pita chips, broccoli, cucumber and small slices of French bread.

I hope you try out this recipe for your New Year's party and I hope you have a Happy New Year. Cheers to 2010!!!

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