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

Pumpkin Seeds

Some people (cough cough Mom cough cough) hate carving pumpkins for one reason- the innards. Oooey, goooey, and squishy are just not some people's forte. Call me gross, whatever, but I LOVE scooping out pumpkins- probably more than I love actually carving them. I have no artistic talent, or enough patience, to sit and carve out a beautiful or truly scary pumpkin. One year I tried to make Chris a Texas Longhorns pumpkin- it just looked like a fat peanut with two bugles coming out to the top of it. He laughed at me. So did all his friends. I digress....

I wasn't really a huge fan of pumpkin seeds until Kristin Lynn made them for me. Every year she makes the most delicious seeds, in so many flavor combos, and she gets me hooked on them to the point where I feel I should enter a rehab center. I wish she could have been here with us today as I was making mine!

Ok, so instead of harassing Kristin for her recipes, I resorted to Food Network Magazine's newest fall issue. They have a whole middle insert on making them.

Basic instructions:

* Clean out pumpkin. Put pumpkin guts into bowl. Sort through the guts and extract as many seeds as you can from the goo. Place seeds in colander and rinse seeds well to clean them. Do not dry with paper towel (FN Mag suggestion).

* Place seeds on oiled cookie sheet and place in 300 oven for 30 minutes to dry the seeds unseasoned.

* Place dried (and slightly oily) seeds in a bowl to season. I made three different varieties today. I have them listed below with the seasonings I used. To start all three, I drizzled a small amount of olive oil over the dried seeds...

Variety #1: Basic Salt

After drizzling with olive oil, sprinkle seeds with salt. I didn't have sea salt (I wish I had) but the basic table kind worked just fine!

Variety #2: Sweet

After drizzling with olive oil, sprinkle with cinnamon and granulated sugar. Do not salt (FN Mag stressed this)

Variety #3: Italian

Drizzle with olive oil. Toss seeds with grated parmesan and dried oregano.



Once you have seasoned your seeds, they will need to go back onto the cookie sheet and into the oven for another 20 minutes. Be sure to have a few right out of the oven- nothing better than a nice and toasty pumpkin seed... its a perfect fall snack!

Banana Bread

My son eats everything.

Everything.

Except avocado. And italian dressing for pasta salad.

With a boy who eats everything, who knew I'd find his absolute all-time favorite food ?!

Well, I've found it. Banana bread. Good thing I could eat an entire loaf a day if I wanted to because I plan on having some on-hand at all times. Although, I won't eat an entire load a day- I have a son to share with now (shoot).

Banana Bread Recipe
Source: My little red recipe box in my dining room

Ingredients:

* 1 cup granulate sugar
* 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 large eggs
* 3-4 ripe bananas (I always use 4)
* 1 tablespoon milk
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt

To Do:

* Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter loaf pan.
* cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy
* add eggs one at a time, beat well after each addition
* mash bananas with fork in bowl. Mix in milk and cinnamon
* mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in another bowl
* add banana mixture to creamed sugar/butter mixture. then add dry mixture 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition
* Bake for 1 hour, then remove from loaf pan and cool on baking rack for 15 mins

Serve warm with butter... Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm