The Best Spinach Artichoke Dip

I found this recipe on Mels Kitchen Café and made it and it was absolutely yummy, easy to make, and delicious!  You can find her instructions here:

The Best Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or half and half
2 Tblsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt (I use coarse kosher salt)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp black pepper
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 (15 oz) cans artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 to 1 tsp hot sauce (like Tapatio brand) optional but does add lots of great flavor
1 cup (4 oz) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 to 1 1/2 cups freshly grated mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
16 oz frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch or similar sized baking dish
In a large microwave safe bowl, whisk together the cream, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  microwave the mixture in 1 minute intervals, whisking fully after each minute, until the mixture is thickened to the consistency of warm pudding (about 4 to 5 minutes)  (mine was done in 3 min)
Stir in the cream cheese and mix until well combined (it's ok if there are a few lumps, but try to whisk it until as smooth as possible)  Add the remaining ingredients; I like to add the spinach last, crumbling it in with my fingers to avoid large clumps.  Mix well, spread the dip into the prepared pan
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbling and golden on top.  Serve warm with bread or tortilla chips.

Mel does a tutorial on her page so you can actually watch her make it!
so yummy and worth all the ingredients, it is easy to make!

This spinach Dip recipe is from a ward cookbook it is called TGI FRIDAYS SPINACH DIP , I have  not tried it but want to:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cp mozzarella cheese, grated
1-2 tsp minced garlic
1 pck grozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 jar (14 oz) of artichoke hearts, chopped

Combine all ingredients  Place in a shallow casserole dish and bake at 325 for 20 minutes


Thought for the soul:

When you're in a dark place, you sometimes tend to think you've been buried.  Perhaps you have been planted.
BLOOM!

Sarah's Pecan Pie from Christy

Christy's friend Sarah is a great cook and shared this recipe with her, and Christy made it and said it was easy to make and yummy!
I love pecan pie, so here is the recipe:  (says from Grandma Joyce Watson's Amish cookbook):

Pecan Pie
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter melted
1 cup pecans (I chop mine, the flavor is better and pie is easier to cut)
1 tsp vanilla

Beat eggs, beat in sugar, corn syrup, vanilla & butter
Add the pecans.  Pour into unbaked pie shell.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 min, or until filling is set in the center.

The original "Never Fail" pie crust

For a 2 crust pie:

1 stick of Buttery Crisco1/4 cup boiling water
1 Tblsp milk (I use buttermilk)
whip with a fork to the consistency of whipped cream
Add 2 cups flour and 1/2 tsp salt and mix together until you can mold with your hands 2 balls (if it's too sticky add just a pinch of flour so you can form the balls)
With a rolling pin, roll out 1 ball between flour dusted plastic wrap or wax paper. 
 Peel off top layer of plastic wrap and place your pie plate over the crust, flip over, remove the plastic wrap, and mold the pie crust into the pie plate and pour in your filling.

If you are only making one pie, you can freeze the other ball in a plastic freezer bag, it freezes well.


I can't wait to try this, but Christy has and said it was so so good.

For the nourishing of your soul:

"Hope is not a feeling -- it's not a tidal wave of joy in the middle of a problem.  Hope is not the magic wand that makes the problem disappear.  Hope is the lifeline that can keep you from being overwhelmed by the storms in your life.
When you place your hope in Jesus, you place your confidence in His promises that He will never leave you or forsake you--that He will do what is best for you.  Even though you may be in  the middle of a huge problem, hope enables you to be at peace, knowing that Jesus is with you every step of the way"  David Batty

Sarah's Sugar Cookies from Christy

My daughter Christy has a friend named Sarah who is an excellent cook and has shared with her some recipes.  Christy said she made these sugar cookies this Christmas and these were very yummy and easy to make!  so I asked for the recipe so I could post it here:

Sarah's Sugar Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix well and chill.  Roll on floured surface and cut with cookie cutters.  Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes.  makes about 60 medium cookies.
*Note from Christy (From what I learned and what Sarah said:  the secret is making sure the dough is chilled the right amount so the dough is hard enough to roll but not too hard.  Also you don't want to over cook, so it is okay if after 8 minutes the cookies look a *little* doughy, once they set they will be soft and white!

If Christy was happy with this and said it was easy and fun to make, then I am sold! ha ha. I will make these next time I make sugar cookies!

Thought for the day: "We sometimes think we are doing marvelous things and God's helping us, but it's the other way around.  He is doing marvelous things and we are helping Him"  D Todd Christofferson