Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Fresh spinach, marinated artichoke hearts and low-fat cream cheese combine for a tasty spinach and artichoke dip | suzerspace.com

Do you subscribe to the New York Times Cooking newsletter? You might consider it (not an affiliate link). It’s free, and I really like how the editor works current affairs into the weekly pattern of recipes.

I especially liked a recent edition where the subject of Spinach Artichoke dip was reviewed – I had no idea that some foodies consider it a controversial subject.

I am not a foodie. I like tasty, easy to make food that’s easy on the budget and fits my health plan.

The recipe from the New York Times site didn’t actually fit those requirements, but I skimmed it for a basic jumping off point and then slimmed it down literally and figuratively.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip


Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 oz Lowfat Cream Cheese at room temperature
  • 1 Tsp Mayonnaise
  • 1/8 cup Feta Cheese crumbled
  • 4 oz fresh baby spinach rinsed and patted dry
  • 1 stalk Green Onion
  • 2 cloves Garlic peeled
  • 1/2 jar Marinated Artichoke Hearts (Jar was 7.5 oz)

Instructions

  1. Finely chop the garlic, spinach and green onion.

  2. In a small saute pan, heat olive oil and once it begins to shimmer, add garlic, spinach and green onion. Saute until spinach is fully cooked and very wilty.

  3. While the garlic/onion/spinach mixture is cooking, combine the mayo, cream cheese and feta in a large, heat safe bowl.

  4. Roughly chop the marinated artichoke hearts and add to the mayo/cream cheese mixture.

  5. When the garlic/onion/spinach mixture is done, remove from heat add to  the mayo/cream cheese mixture.

  6. Stir thoroughly to combine. 

Recipe Notes

The heat of the cooked vegetables will melt the cream cheese/mayo mixture. At this point, the dip can be enjoyed warm.

Leftovers should be refrigerated.

The dip will solidify, and can either be enjoyed as a chilled spread, or reheated in the microwave if you wish for a hot dip.

Web Wednesday: June 14, 2017

  • Every time we have a change of staff at work I have to look this up to remember how to stop Mac OS Mail from using an old auto-complete entry in email. It occurs to me I might not be the only one who needs a refresher course.
  • Seems to me that the mainstream weather websites  are more panic and hype (not to mention pop-up ads) than actual weather. This one just gives you the data and you get to play weatherman.
  • A super nerdy thing we enjoy at SuzerSpace is watching the skies for the International Space Station. It’s a tiny, really really fast moving speck of light in the sky. Check here for a date and time near you.

None of the links in this post are affiliate; they are all just interesting things that caught my eye.

Teeny Tiny Tip: Marker Storage

Storing markers tip side down might help them last longer | suzerspace.com

With absolutely no scientific proof to back up my claims, this week’s tip is about marker storage.

I keep my markers in a glass jar, tip side down. The glass jar part isn’t important, we just generate a lot of them from pickles/mayo/hot peppers.

The tip-side-down part is the key here. My theory is this keeps the tip in contact with the ink and lets it last longer.

The Interwebs appear to be split into the “tip down” and “horizontal” camps among the marker fanatics.

Horizontal doesn’t work for me because I don’t have enough drawer space in my craft area.

Does anyone have enough drawer space in their craft area?

 

Show and Tell: Paperclip Feet Birds

Paperclip feet birds | suzerspace

These little cuties came to me via my Pinterest feed.

Charcoal and Crayons’ post even featured a downloadable template (yay! I love templates!) that was easily traced into a Silhouette cutting file.

And I have had these super cute black and white paperclips for quite some time.

They were a little tricky to assemble as directed – trying to fit the two “legs” between the two bird halves was very fiddly, even with hot glue.

If you cut a third body piece, and then sandwich that between the other two body parts, you then have a more stable center for the legs to be glued.

Grilled Mushrooms

We grill year round at SuzerSpace, but like most people I really enjoy the summer months the best.

It’s the vegetables – grilling them is a super easy way to boost the flavor and create a side dish that tastes restaurant quality.

There isn’t much of a recipe here – the main goal is to keep the veggies moving so they get roasted but not burned.

Grilled Mushrooms on the grill

 

Grilled Mushrooms

Whole button mushrooms are transformed when they are cooked on high heat with just a bit of balsamic vinegar.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 8 oz Button Mushrooms Whole - not sliced
  • splash Olive Oil
  • splash Balsamic Vinegar

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat grill with a cast iron grill pan on grates.

  2. While the grill heats, clean mushrooms under running water to remove dirt. I like the stems, but if you don't, remove them.

  3. In a bowl, toss mushrooms in olive oil and balsamic vinegar - make sure they are evenly coated.

  4. Add mushrooms to grill pan (be careful to avoid oil splatters). Turn as needed to get them heavily charred but not burned.

  5. Remove from grill (I recommend using long handled tongs to keep from losing them into the grill grates) and serve as a side dish with dinner.

Recipe Notes

The prep time is deceptive - I've included the time needed to bring the grill and the pan up to roasting temperature. Actually hands on time is something under 3 minutes to wash and set the mushrooms into the marinade.