Oil Painting Lesson: Dick's Art World!

Lipton Recipe Secrets, Golden Onion Recipe, 2-Count 2.6-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12) $19.59 A subtle onion taste to bring out the flavor in chicken, pork or veggies…

Party Dip Recipes : Add Mayo & Sour Cream to Spinach Artichoke Dip

Quick and Easy Recipes for Party Foods and Appetizers

Even the shiest of individuals can be drawn into the group by good food.  Get your party off to a great start by serving a good selection of appetizers and beverages while your friends get acquainted.  Here are three quick and easy recipes for some tasty party foods.  Artichoke Pepper Spread is a delicious spread that is served warm with assorted party breads or crackers.  The Quick and Easy Cracker Appetizers offer two different types of crackers for two different types of taste.  Yet they are about as quick and easy as you can get!  The Spinach Parmesan Dip is great with crackers or fresh veggies.  To get more veggies into the mix, I would suggest serving this dip with a tray of fresh vegetables.

ARTICHOKE PEPPER SPREAD
 
1 can (14-oz) artichoke hearts, drained
1 jar (6-oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (4-oz) diced green chili peppers, drained

Place all the drained artichoke hearts in a blender container or food processor. Cover and process until finely chopped. Stop machine and scrape down sides of bowl when necessary. Transfer artichokes to a medium saucepan; stir in the cheese and chili peppers. Cook, stirring, over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until heated through and the cheese has melted. Serve warm with party breads and/or assorted crackers.

QUICK AND EASY CRACKER APPETIZERS
 
Graham crackers
Whole-Grain crackers
1 tub cream cheese
orange marmalade
jalapeno jelly

Spread the crackers with the soft-style cream cheese. Top the cream cheese on the Graham crackers with the orange marmalade. Top the whole-grain cream cheese crackers with the jalapeno jelly. With this one quick and easy recipe, you have appetizers for two very different tastes to serve your guests. 

EASY SPINACH-PARMESAN DIP

1 pkg (10-oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup mayonnaise style salad dressing
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 can (8-oz) water chestnuts, drained & chopped
1/8 tsp ground red pepper

In a medium bowl, blend the salad dressing and sour cream together. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and red pepper. Add the spinach and water chestnuts, stir to blend well. Cover and chill. Serve with assorted crackers and/or fresh vegetables.

Yield: 4 cups

Enjoy!

About the Author

For more of Linda’s quick and easy recipes visit her blog at http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com

Healthy & Flavorful Dishes With Leeks & Artichokes?

OK, I’ve had artichokes in artichoke dip and spinach dip, and pickled artichokes, but they are usually mixed with cheese, cream, sour cream and definitely not that healthy. I made leek soup once, an old world recipe…gag. I find that it doesn’t add that much flavor to anything, so why bother? What is the best way that you know of to use these ingredients in a tasty and healthy manner?
Is there anything (non-fattening) like a particular herb that really enhances the flavor of either one? Does anyone have a recipe with either of the two ingredients combined with tomato of some sort?

A leek is a big onion with a milder flavor, how about potato leek soup:

Boil some chopped up potatoes in salted water, when tender add in chopped up leek, let the water reduce a bit, if you use too much water, drain a little out and then thicken with instant mashed potatoes, add in a can of low fat evaporated milk, and a little butter. Season with basil and oregano and rosemary if you want. Rosemary is great on potatoes. Add in some garlic, pepper and an onion chopped up. Let simmer for a while. Taste to check the seasoning.

Steam the artichoke and serve with a spicy hummus dip as a side along with crusty rolls. Oregano and Basil are the best seasonings for artichoke – if you can find it in your area, Tone’s makes a killer Italian seasoning blend that has Rosemary, and garlic. If you plan on eating artichokes often, you might invest in this and some balsamic vinegar glaze/dipping sauce.

PS You could also slice up some roma tomatoes and and sweet red italian onions to go with the steamed artichoke and toss with olives (I prefer Spanish Queen size green olives stuffed with pimiento or salad olives) and a little balsamic vinaigrette, the juice from the tomatoes, brine from the olives and vinaigrette blend very well together, to go with the soup, hummus and rolls, for a complete meal – healthy and yummy.