What a novel concept!
Jumping right in...
Spinach and Artichoke Dip.
Last week I got rocked with a craving for two of my favorite things: spinach and artichoke dip and homemade salsa. I decided to make the spinach and artichoke dip first.
When it comes to artichokes, I like bigger chunks. The spinach I just forgot to chop. Keepin' it real...
Chop part of a white onion and some garlic, and cook them in EVOO until the onions are transluscent. Add the spinach until it's wilted. Drain it, squeeze it, do whatever it is that YOU like to do to get the moisture out. Add a little milk to a pan and heat it up. Melt in a block of fat-free cream cheese. It doesn't have to be fat-free, of course, but using fat-free made me feel a little less guilty about the seventeen different kinds of cheese I bought and plan to use these next two weeks. Grate up some parmesan and toss that in as well. Add in whatever you feel like to spice it up. I used a few shakes of Franks Red Hot, a few shakes of Worcestershire, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Mix it all together, and throw in the artichokes. Finally, add the spinach/garlic/onion mixture back in and stir it around to combine.
It was...decent. Chopping the spinach would have helped me some, and I would also add in more salt than I did and something else to give it a bit more of a kick. Luckily though, I do not discriminate when it comes to spinach and artichoke dip.
Three-Cheese Four-Cheese Pasta.
Confused yet? Not to worry. The crazy title is due to my limited options at the deli counter. This is the recipe I used as my inspiration.
Believe it or not, I chose to make this because I've gotten a little tired of Fettuccine Alfredo. (Insert gasp here.) I followed PW's instructions almost to a "T", except for the fact that I don't measure things, I used three cheeses - not four (hence the title), I didn't need to add in any of the pasta water, and I didn't rub the plate with garlic before serving because I forgot. (To quote Ron White: "Do you ever forget? It happens to me.") The cheeses I used were Parmesan, Romano, and Gouda. I think I used equal amounts of each. It was delicious. Any better for me than Alfredo? Meh. It was good enough that I honestly don't care. I do want to mention that while my serving was amazing, before I tossed the rest out I snuck a bite from the bottom (cheese sauce drenched) portion of the bowl, and it was the closest thing I have had to a religious experience in a long time. So, so good.
