Mallory's Tasty Spinach-Artichoke Dip in a Cinch

So my husband called me from work one day, and the conversation went something like this:

Him: "So, D and G invited us over to watch the game tonight."

Me: "Oh, cool!"

Him: "So I told them we'd bring chips and dip--or ya know, some kind of appetizer."

Me: "Oh..."

Him: "Is that cool?"

Me: "Yeah, I'm sure we have something."

Let me make it clear that if there are two things you probably wont find in our apartment, they're chips and dip. But I knew I must--must--have something for making a dip. I jumped online and searched around and then I remembered those marinated artichokes I had bought for a pizza that we never made last week. Then I remembered the spinach-artichoke dip we had the last time we visited some of my husband's family--one of his cousins had just gotten a job working at a local market (he's in high school) and he was the salsa boy! (No bright costumes required. He made salsa and dips, etc.) And I thought, "Hmmmmm...I bet I can recreate that!" So I dug into my fridge and thus was born Mallory's Tasty Spinach-Artichoke Dip in a Cinch!

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, slightly softened

2 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped

1 green onion (including white), chopped fine

1 (6.5 oz) jar marinated artichokes, chopped coarse

some of the marinade

1/4 c. parmesan cheese 

2 cloves garlic

Directions:

1. With a hand beater, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add all other ingredients and beat until well mixed. Adjust as needed. Serve with crackers.

Grammy Haskins' Blue Cheese Dip

Another dip from Gram Haskins. You could dip chips or (better yet) buffalo wings in this!

1 tub sour cream

1 tub cottage cheese

1 pkg. blue cheese crumbles

Mix. Dip. Done.

Grammy Haskins' Onion Dip

Really easy and really good for ruffled chips (or any chips really!)

1 pkg. onion soup mix

1 tub of sour cream

Mix. Dip. Done.

Chilean Pevre

This makes A TON! My mum, who still has five kids at home, cuts it in half when she makes it for our family, so you can adjust it accordingly. This is really a party-sized amount, but it's the recipe Vero gave us.

NOTE: Pevre is kind of like a salsa, which means you can chop the ingredients as big or as small as you want. Vero keeps them fairly small, but they're still definitely chunks.

Ingredients:
2 white onions, chopped
10 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (again, adjust according to your family)
fresh cilantro - rinse in cold water; twist off stems; twist to tear in half; chop
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. salt - I know it's a lot. You'll really use it to taste
Mexican style tomato sauce, to taste (typically between 1/4 and 1/2 cup

Directions:
1. Combine onions with salt (to taste). Mix and let set for 10 minutes.
2. Peel tomatoes, chop cilantro, mix together.
3. Squeeze out excess moisture in onions. Mix with tomatoes and cilantro.
4. Add rest of ingredients and mix together.

It's really good on chips, french bread, or you could even toast the bread a little to make a sort of bruschetta. Tasty!

Sauteed Vegetables

Mike loves it when I've got fresh vegetables and nothing to do with them 'cause then I'm forced to saute them. (Sometimes I just do it anyway, just 'cause they're so good!)

The amounts of course vary a lot, depending on how much you're cooking, so there's not too much of a point to putting amounts at all. I never measure them out anyway when it comes to sauteing. Here are the ingredients though:

Olive oil (some people like to mix this with butter, but I only do that for asparagus)
Minced garlic, or garlic powder
Vegetable (our favorites are summer squash, zucchini, asparagus, and tomatoes) - cut in discs, (just snap the asparagus)
Salt & Pepper

Heat the oil and start to saute the garlic. (If you're using garlic powder, wait until the vegetables are added, then dust it over them.) Add the desired vegetable and saute until they've browned just slightly on either side. Watch them carefully so they don't burn. Pull them out and place on a paper towel to absorb some of the excess oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

I often serve this as a little appetizer when our friends come over for dinner. They take almost no time, and let me finish getting dinner on the table. It honestly amazes me how much everyone loves them every time.

Baked Brie

This is one of my favorite things from the Jordan Pond House! It's so easy to make, too.

Ingredients:
Phyllo dough (If you buy it frozen, make sure it's thawed enough so that it wont break too much.
     Phyllo is very delicate, so be careful with it.)
Brie (If you buy it in a wheel, cut it into triangles.)
Butter, melted
Directions:

1. For every triangle, you'll need two sheets of phyllo dough. Lay them out, and place the brie near one corner of the sheets, but still have the entire piece on the dough.
2. Carefully take the corner and wrap it over the top of the dough. Wrap the rest of the dough around the brie until the entire triangle is wrapped. Brush butter over parts what will overlap, so that the top piece will stick to the bottom one.
3. Brush the top and sides with butter. Not too much or it will make the cheese greasy. Place in a small pan, put in 450 degree oven until golden brown and flakey. The inside should be gooey.

JPH serves it with crackers and grapes.