Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Recently I found some heavy whipping cream on clearance for $.45 a pint. I bought all that they had. It's been so fun to find things to do with it. About half of it was turned into butter. Yes, butter. (All you have to do is pour the cream into a jar with a tight fitting lid, add about 1/4 tsp salt and shake and shake and shake until cream is solid. Woila! Butter!) The rest I experimented with. The following dip was served at our little family New Year's Eve party along with some home-made crusty bread. Yum!

Although Holiday parties are over, save this recipe for football parties. It would go great with some Superbowl!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 large clove minced garlic (about 1/2 tsp)
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained*
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x13-in baking dish (or 2 qt. casserole dish). In a blender or food processor, place artichoke hearts, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese and garlic. Pulse until chopped, but not ground. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix spinach, heavy cream, sour cream and mozzarella cheese. Stir in artichoke mixture. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

*I actually used spinach from the garden! I had a bunch last Spring so froze a few bags for such occasions as this. Love it!

Crusty 12-hour Bread

Answer: Easy. Cheap. Delicious.
Question: What are three words that best describe Crusty 12-Hour Bread?

This recipe is a modified version of this bread. This has been a staple in my house for the past year since my friend Becca introduced it to me. (thanks!) The only thing difficult about this bread is planning ahead, so... plan ahead and enjoy!

Crusty 12-hour Bread

6 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
3 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp vinegar (I've used white, apple cider, and rice all with good results)

1. Mix dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Really, make sure it is a LARGE bowl. The first time I made this recipe, I didn't use a big enough bowl and ended up cleaning bread dough off of my counter after dough had risen. Add water and mix until blended. The dough will be wet, sticky and rough looking. Cover bowl with saran wrap and let it sit 8-10 hours or until dough surface is dotted with bubbles. During the Summer when my house is warmer (about 78 degrees) this only takes about 8 hours. In the Winter it usually takes closer to 10 hours.


2. Spray two large loaf pans (three medium, four small) with cooking spray then dust with cornmeal. (Important! I've never been able to get this bread out of the pan without ripping it when I've skipped the cornmeal. Plus, it just makes it tastier.) Spoon half of dough into each loaf pan. Re-cover with saran wrap and let rise for about 2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.

3. Preheat oven to 400. Bake loaves for 30 minutes. For best results, remove loaves from pans to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.

This bread is DELICIOUS as garlic toast, dipped into oil and balsamic vinegar, as an egg sandwich, or with spinach and artichoke dip.

Everybody Loves Mike (stuffed Bacon Rolls)

The reason I LOVE this show? Every married couple can relate... even if they won't admit it. Our "suitcase" changes from time to time, but we usually have one. Most recently our "suitcase" was the turkey fryer. Mike loves to fry a turkey for Thanksgiving... I usually resist as much as possible for two reasons:
1. I like traditional roasted turkey. Fried turkey, while delicious, just isn't the traditional taste I crave.
2. EVERY time we fry a turkey... guess who gets to clean the nasty mess... I'll give you a hint. It's not Mike!

I'm sure we both have our reasons for feeling like the other should clean the mess. My reasons? Well, obviously- he's the one who wanted fried turkey, right? His reasons I assume are somewhere along the lines of- he cooked it, I clean it.
Weekends and evenings come and go. We both see it every day. Of course it's hard not to, it's been sitting in our garage for nearly a month! I step over it and around it but I don't clean it... yet. I wait for Mike to yield until he is finally "the one to take care of it."
Of course it's usually me who finally does it, but not silently. The deed is accompanied by grand statements of "look what I did today! See how I'm so amazing?" when what I really mean is "I couldn't take it anymore! You win this year, but game on for next year. mwahaha!"
But really... what finally ended the game this year was this: New Year's Eve! We are planning to have our first ever New Year's Eve family party (nothing big- just our family) and Mike has been stewing over all the junk he wants to eat. He's been bringing up fried foods a LOT.... and hinting that he'd use the oil that's already sitting in the fryer. Why waste it, right? I mean, how often do restaurants actually change the oil. It would probably just add flavor to whatever we cook. Mmmmm... AAAAaa!
So I like to think that he was just bluffing, but that's not a bluff I'm willing to call.
Today I cleaned the turkey fryer. *Sigh* Game on for next year...

For now, enjoy these Bacon Rolls, one of our favorite treats for New Year's Eve parties. And notice... they are NOT fried. :)

Stuffed Bacon Rolls
(from Mike's mom, Annette)

2 c. soft bread crumbs (about 3 slices bread)
1 c. finely chopped baking apple
1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp snipped parsley
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 c. milk
1 beaten egg
10-12 slices bacon

1. In a mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs, apple, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Add milk and beaten egg and mix well.
2. Cut each slice of bacon in half crosswise. Shape crumb mixture into balls, using one rounded tablespoon for each. Wrap each ball with half bacon slice; seure with a toothpick. Place on wire rack set on a 15x10 cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees F. or until bacon is brown. Serve immediately.