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Life-Altering Spinach Artichoke Dip

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This Life-Altering Spinach Artichoke Dip is heaven on a cracker, baguette, or by the spoonful. With just seven simple ingredients, you can make this cheesy, creamy, spinach-y, artichoke-y, restaurant-style dip at home!

This Life-Altering Spinach Artichoke Dip is heaven on a cracker, baguette, or by the spoonful. With just seven simple ingredients, you can make this cheesy, creamy, spinach-y, artichoke-y, restaurant-style dip at home!

I tend to have a flair for the dramatic. I don’t hide that fact and I kind of really love it. My life, my stories, my everything is just a little more fun because of my love for dramatic tales. However, when I tell you that this Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe is life altering, believe you me, I’m not being dramatic…at all! It’s just that good!

Life-Altering Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe

You know that fancy-pants restaurant spinach artichoke dip you get when you go out? Yea, that’s got nothing on this. NOTHING! OK, maybe something, but this is so much better. Plus, you only need seven ingredients and a little bit of time to make this version…so there’s that too. I’m calling this a win and I want you to join my team. Stay home, save money, wear your jammies while you gorge eat your restaurant-style dip at home. No judging here!

This Life-Altering Spinach Artichoke Dip is heaven on a cracker, baguette, or by the spoonful. With just seven simple ingredients, you can make this cheesy, creamy, spinach-y, artichoke-y, restaurant-style dip at home!

Whether you’re tailgating, just enjoying a day of appetizers and small bites instead of a big meal, or headed to a pot luck, this recipe is for you! All of this cheesy, creamy, spinach-y, artichoke-y goodness dipped on a cracker or smeared on a baguette is simply irresistible. Plus, spinach + artichokes = healthy snacking, no? Maybe not, but it’s OK to treat yourself from time to time and this is the treat I choose!

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Life-Altering Spinach Artichoke Dip
Author: 
Recipe type: Dip / Party Food
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 1 10-oz box/bag frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and liquid removed
  • 8 oz (one block) cream cheese, softened
  • ⅔ cup sour cream
  • 2 tbsp light mayo
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, artichokes, and spinach. Stir to combine making sure to break up the spinach to avoid clumps.
  3. Add softened cream cheese and stir to combine completely.
  4. Stir in sour cream, mayo, and garlic.
  5. Transfer to an 8x8" or round clear baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the top is starting to brown.
  6. Serve with your favorite crackers, pita chips, or baguettes.

That simple, that good, and no need to get dressed up or spend a lot of money. Enjoy this dip for all of the special (or not so special) occasions in your life. When you serve this Life-Altering Spinach Artichoke Dip, every day’s a party. Enjoy!

Fall #HarvestFun for Island Dwellers: M&M’s Bark and Mott’s Apple Cider

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I should tell you that I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. As always, all opinions, ideas, and photos are entirely my own.
Can you believe it’s almost fall? Football season is here. Soon the leaves will be turning and the weather will be getting cooler. Oh wait. That doesn’t happen here until late December. 

And the leaves never change colors. Sometimes I miss that. 

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t miss the cold temps at all. I hate them for the brief time they visit the island each year. But I miss the seasons that I knew as a child. I remember raking leaves, jumping in piles to mess them up, only to rake them up again. I remember brisk Halloweens bundling up under my costume to Trick or Treat. I remember football games during high school, cheering while I shivered. And I remember hot apple cider and warm baked fall treats. 

But I live in Southeast Texas. We don’t see the leaves change, palms stay green all year. We don’t do a lot of “hot” treats. My kids really don’t know what seasons are other than hot, and cold for a couple of months. There’s no in between. So I wanted to bring some colors of fall to our home and I wanted to do it Texas style. 

In Texas, fall is all about football and fun. It is what it is. Hook ’em Horns. Go Texans. So this weekend, I brought fall home since it doesn’t technically visit us.
When I was shopping at Walmart, I found the elusive M&M’s White Chocolate Candy Corn Candies I’ve been searching for. THEY DO EXIST! I had a fun treat in mind to keep the kids happy with the colors of fall and their favorite candy. These little guys were the star of the show. And the beauty? Since it’s hot here in the fall, I didn’t have to bake to make this sweet treat.
I found a recipe card in a magazine and revised it quite a bit to suit our tastes. The kids and adults alike loved this Fall Harvest Fun Bark and it was so simple to make it’s ridiculous!

What You’ll Need:
  • 2 tspn no salt butter
  • 1 1/2 lbs white candy coating
  • 1/2 cup pretzels, coarsely chopped
  • 10 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup M&M’s White Chocolate Candy Corn Candies
  • 1 cup peanut M&M’s
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate M&M’s
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter M&M’s
Line a 15x10x1 inch baking dish with foil. Grease the foil with butter. Melt the white candy coating in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir until smooth and spread in lined pan. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients and press into candy coating. Let stand for an hour. Break into pieces and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator (if everyone doesn’t gobble it up immediately). 

Now let’s get back to this hot apple cider from my childhood I told you about earlier. That cider was great when I was a kid. It was really cold in the fall in Upstate New York. But I’m grown. And it’s not cold. So here’s my take on fall not-so-hot (in temperature but pretty hot in the taste arena) apple cider.
First, let me explain, good cider starts with good apple juice and there is none better than Mott’s 100% Apple Juice. So let’s start there.

Fall Apple Cider – Texas Style:

What you’ll need:
  • 1 gallon Mott’s Apple Juice
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 8 cinnamon sticks
Mix all of the ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. We do it on the grill because, well, that’s what you do in Texas. Everything tastes better on the grill. Once you have a good boil, remove and let it stand until cool, funnel into bottles, and chill. This makes 3 full bottles which should last you a good, long time. Enjoy. 

And there you have it folks. A true Texas fall (with an upstate NY twist). Happy fall y’all!
How do you enjoy the seasons? Do you have any favorite fall recipes you’d care to share? What are your family traditions? What’s football season without some snacks and a little cider, right?

For more awesome ideas for fall entertaining, head over to Pinterest to check these out.

Tyson, Football, and Mardi Gras…Typical Weekend on the Island

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We’re back on the island! Of course you are highly aware of that if you follow along here at all. I love this island and every day is pretty much a reason to celebrate. But this past weekend, we had even more to celebrate than usual. We’re in our new home, Mardi Gras kicked off, the babies and I got to meet a football legend, the biggest football game of the year was on, and B was actually home on Sunday to spend some time with the family. I wanted to make it all special, but simple as always.
On Saturday, the babies and I headed to Sam’s Club to pick up some party supplies. We traveled just a bit farther than normal towards Houston because I found out that the folks at Tyson were hosting a meet and greet with Houston Oiler’s legend, Ray Childress, and I wanted Bubby to meet him. When we arrived at the store, it was pretty easy to find the demo for more reasons than one: 1) Bug immediately smelled the chicken, 2) I spotted the crowd, and 3) Ray Childress is quite honestly taller than most people when he’s sitting down. 
He’s a very impressive man, and I suppose we should have felt intimidated. He was a 5-time All Pro Lineman with a football career spanning 12 years, his work in philanthropy and dedication to children is admirable, and he’s a very successful business man. So yes, we could have been intimidated by his size and by his success. But how could we be? This man was so incredibly nice and he took the time to autograph his photo for anyone and everyone who asked. And all the while, he smiled and chatted with his fans as if he’d known them for years. 
Oh and he was tall. Did I mention he was tall? After hob knobbing with this football great, we moved right along to what Bug had been looking forward to since we walked in…the food!
Just beyond the meet and greet was a demo, hosted by Tina and Judy, serving up yummy Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips paired with KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce, and Coke Zero. These women were so efficient, friendly, and funny. We hung out here for quite some time while I ran my mouth and the babies pretty much ate lunch. I’m serious, this was an all you can eat demo, at least it was for the babies. We finally left these women alone to do their jobs and we moved on about the club to pick up our party supplies.
I was inspired by the demo, so of course I picked up the Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips, KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce, Diet Coke, and a few other items for our own festivities. Time to head home and get this party started!
Because it was the big game day and Mardi Gras, I decided to combine the two to make it fun and festive. I kept it as easy as possible with simple foods and simple decorations. I enjoy my family time way too much to be tied up in the kitchen all day!
We already had the decorations at home. Believe me, you cannot live on this island and not celebrate Mardi Gras. We have one of the largest Mardi Gras Celebrations in the United States. There are beads and coins in every store and they are thrown out in bunches at all of the parades. I just tossed those around a bit and started preparing the food. 
Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips with KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce and Ketchup for dipping.
We had chicken and bacon Bruschetta that I picked up at Sam’s Club.
Ike’s Famous Guac, as well as cheese dip and bean dip, with chips for all day snacking.
And you absolutely can’t have a Mardi Gras Party without King Cake!
That was it! The whole spread only took me about an hour which included prep, cooking, and set up. The secret to any quick meal lies in the meat preparation. I love the Tyson line because they offer so many precooked items that all you have to do is heat and serve and it only takes minutes. Oh and it should be noted that I didn’t bake the cake, I don’t bake, so I bought it. 
B fixed his plate and sat down to enjoy the big game.
The babies sat down to enjoy their chicken and Coke. Yes my babies are sitting on the kitchen floor at coolers eating their meals. Shush, we just moved and we got rid of our old table. The new one is on order and should be here this week. We have to improvise until then. Just let them enjoy their chicken!
It was a fun-filled weekend and we are looking forward to many more of these in our new home. We’ll be entertaining more again and I’ll be including Tyson products at all of my parties.
Be sure to check out Tyson to see all of the awesome products that they offer. They seriously could save you a lot of time in your party planning and every day meals. You’ll want to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for great recipe ideas, to enter fun contests, and to find out if they are hosting any events in your own area.  

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Tyson. All opinions, ideas, and photos are entirely my own. #cbias #SocialFabric #MealsTogether