Hot Corn Dip

I like dips.
I like to eat dips.
I like to make dips.
I like to dip fruits in dips.
I like to dip chips in dips.
I like to dip veggies in dips.
And if its really good...
I like to eat dips with a spoon.

This is one of those 'eat with just a spoon' type of dips. :)

not the prettiest picture, but I failed to get a good one before people had started to dig into it!

Hot Corn Dip
Adapted from GinaMariesKitchen.com
   (feel free to check on her version of it- its a cute food blog)


Ingredients:

* 2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
* 1 cup shredded Italian Cheese blend (original recipe calls for monterey jack, but I can never find that stuff at the store)
* 1 can rotel (original calls for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and diced green chilies and diced tomato- this just seemed easier)
* 1/2 cup mayo
* 1/4 tsp garlic powder
* 1- 11oz can of corn (I used mexi-corn to add some extra pepper flavor and spice)
* 1 small can creamed corn (original doesn't call for this, that was my addition to make it a little more creamy and corn-y)
* 2 tbs cilantro and 2 tbs green onion are in original recipe, I omitted due to lack of good selection at store

To Make:

* Preheat oven to 350
* Mix all ingredients (except tomato if using fresh, and cilantro and green onion if using) in a bowl and pour into oven safe casserole dish
* Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly
* If using the fresh veggies and herbs- add as a garnish to top of dish- serve with tortilla chips

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

There are 1,000 recipes for spinach and arthicoke dip online. I found a really great one the other day and vowed to make it. Did I write it down or save it in any way? Of course not.

Yesterday, we had a dinner get-together at our friends house and I told her how bad I wanted to make this dip. She agreed it sounded delicious- perfect for a stormy day. I fought the storm and the horrible drivers to Walmart (where you would have thought people were stocking up for the apocolypse since the shelves were empty- come on people- its just a little rain!). I got there and went to my phone to try and find the recipe so I could get the ingredients, but thanks to the storm, I had no internet. Dang.

I tried to remember as much of the ingredients as I could and pushed my way through the crowds, through the self-checkout, and back out into the rain. I got soaked by cars driving by, got into my car, and carefully made my way to the highway. Halfway home I remembered I forgot a few things, but wasn't going back since the weather was getting worse. I figured I'd alter the recipe and make due with what I had. Back home, I was *thrilled* to find we had no internet at our place either. I guess I'm winging this dip!

At the get-together later that night, both girls asked me for my recipe because it was so tasty! :) Woo! I told them it was literally just a random piling of whatever I had around, but I'd still like to chalk some of the success up to my mad cooker skillz!

I can happily say this recipe is all mine! How about that?!

Ingredients:

* 1 bag frozen spinach (thawed)
* 2 cans artichoke hearts
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1 cup mayo
* 4 oz cream cheese
* 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
* 1/4 cup gorgonzolla cheese
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* dashes of onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste

To Make:

* Combine all ingredients into a bowl. Mix well.
* If you'd like to serve it warm, heat oven to 350 degrees and cook for around 30 minutes
* Serve with pita chips