New Favorite

Our favorite appetizer at Olive Garden is the hot artichoke dip. We had some friends over recently and my husband (who is an amazing cook and you will see more of in the future) made some artichoke dip and broiled slices of baguette. MMMMM. This is my new favorite! He made it again today...

Want the recipe? I know you do!

Hot Artichoke Dip
(given to me by D. Allen - her source unknown)
(DH's edits are italicized)

Ingredients:
2 jars (6.5oz each) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 10oz pkg frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, pressed or heaping tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
3tbsp ricotta cheese
enough Mozzarella cheese to top your baking dish

Mix everything together and put in a baking dish. Top with plenty of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 375*F for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Then broil no more than 2 minutes to brown cheese topping.
Serve with fresh vegetables, chunks of french bread or chips

Our favorite is the baguettes, sliced, brushed with olive oil and baked about 10 minutes. And you can see in the picture he topped it with fresh salsa from our local grocery store.
mmmmmmm!!

Feel like Chicken tonight?

Menu:
     Fried Chicken
     Baked Potatoes - butter, salt, pepper, grated cheddar cheese
     Mixed Vegetables - frozen mix of carrots, green beans and corn
     Milk

Today I actually planned a head. Busy night meant little cook time. So in the afternoon I prepped enough baked potatoes for my family and pulled some frozen chicken breasts out to thaw (in a plastic baggie, in a bowl, in the fridge). In between running around I managed to stick the potatoes in at 400*. I got them out almost exactly an hour later!

Now to the chicken. It had thawed through so I cut them into strips/chunks. I find its easier to completely cook when working with a smaller piece. I mixed regular AP flour with Montreal chicken seasoning in a sandwich baggie and 'breaded' the chicken one piece at a time. Then I fried it in the cast iron skillet in perhaps too much oil...but it also cooked faster so that's ok, right?

I serve a lot of vegetables with dinner. Usually that means dumping some frozen selection in a large bowl with at least twice as much water, then sticking it in the microwave for 3-5 minutes. I then drain off the water and add a bit of butter/margarine.

And dinner was served!