TGIF

Fridays are my favorite for “treats”. We tend to relax at the end of the work week and munchies and cocktails are usually our game 😉 Happy Hour with friends, cheese and crackers/bread, dips, pinwheels (get ready for that recipe soon), Trader Joe’s goodies, etc. and Tasty and BuzzFeed videos tend to be my inspiration if I’m creating something from scratch.

Tonight as I thought about what was in my fridge, I decided Spinach and Artichoke Dip because I had fresh spinach from my work week lunches that still needed to be used, artichokes in my pantry, sour cream, and cream cheese.

As I lightly wilted spinach I realized I needed to add something more to this dip because the small batch of spinach wasn’t going to be enough for the can of artichokes. I looked in my fridge and found roasted red pepper, voila spinach and artichoke meet pimento cheese ❤️

Once the spinach wilted I added some fresh garlic and cooked it a bit before adding it to a rice strainer to remove the excess liquid. I then did the same for the artichokes and roasted red peppers because removing excess liquid is key to a creamy cheese dip. As I removed the artichokes from the strainer, I separated the hearts before adding them to the bowl (this will prevent chunks of artichoke). I then added cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, Louisiana hot sauce, lemon juice, and a little salt and pepper. I mixed those ingredients completely (a fork works well with cream cheese mixes) before adding them to a small-ish baking pan. Sorry for missing the photo of the mixing bowl (I need to remember to take photos throughout the prep 😉).

I placed the dip in a 375 degree oven for about an hour (you’ll know when it’s ready because it will be brown around the edges and on top).

Once the dip is ready, prepare your dippers because the dip will be HOT (I love toasted or fresh bread).

I hope you enjoy and feel free to share your add-ins and dippers in the comment section because I ❤️ new inspirations 👍