Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ok this is by far my favorite appetizer and tastes excellent with rosemary bread . I have searched far and wide for an easy to follow recipe that is also delicious   If you are wanting to make a healthier version of this you can substitute fat free cream cheese as well as fat free sour cream.  I adapted the recipe from gimemesomeoven.  They used a slightly healthier version than I made (the fat free stuff).

Recipe

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (13.75 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts, chopped and drained
1 cup sour cream
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz. (about 1 cup) shredded Mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until blended. You can also blend all the ingredients in a food processor if you like it more blended (thing artichokes and spinach in every bite!!!). Transfer to an oven-proof dish, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately with rosemary bread, pita chips, or tortilla chips.

Cheesy goodness right there!

Rosemary Bread

Rosemary Bread

My recipe was adapted from a hint of honey. I changed some things to more of my liking.  This recipe is also for one round loaf (I just doubled the recipe below since there were a lot of people for my McNair class potluck).

Ingredients you will need:

1 cup warm water (100-110 F)
1 Tbsp.  sugar
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (or pinch of each ground garlic, dried oregano, and dried basil)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (or regular olive oil works fine too)
1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup better for bread flour + extra for kneading
1 egg, whisked + 1 Tbsp. water, for egg wash --> you can also top it with olive oil if you want to make it vegetarian
dried rosemary, for sprinkling

Directions 

1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 10 minutes to proof.

2. Stir in the salt, rosemary, seasonings, olive oil, whole wheat flour, and better for bread flour. Stir until the dough forms a ball. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking, until smooth.

3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.            

4. Punch down the dough and form it into a round loaf. Place it on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel or parchment paper; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 F. Once the dough has risen, gently brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with dried rosemary.

6. Bake on  baking sheet or pizza crisper (I love my pizza crisper) for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

This is what the loaves look like before being put in the oven

 I had to run to class and I didn't have time to take pictures after they came out of the oven.  But I cut an X across the top to make it look like an artisan bread before I placed them in the oven.

Pizza Pizza Pizza!!!

Ok I love love love pizza.  I know it can be incredibly unhealthy, but it is delicious.  One of the things I miss most about NY is the white pizza sauce.  I have been searching far and wide and have found a sauce that I enjoy a lot.  I found it at corkandspoon. I usually just make a third of that recipe since it makes three servings and I do not have enough room in my freezer to store any extra sauce.

The next and arguably the most important part about a pizza is the base, which is of course the pizza dough!  The best recipe I have found is the 18 hour rising dough recipe.  I found it here at i am a food blog.  Very delicious and very easy.  It is definitely worth those several hours

Now onto the goodies.

On my pizza I love a variety of flavors so I use a lot of delicious things.

Pizza toppings:

1 cup fresh spinach (cook and rinse it, you could just put the fresh stuff on there too, but I prefer it this way)
thinly sliced eggplant (however much you want!)
1 can of quartered artichoke hearts
1/2 cup of feta cheese
2 cup mozzarella cheese

While you are chopping up all these yummies, preheat the oven to 425 F

So after you have your pizza dough and sauce ready to go, it's time to get cooking.  The best thing I have ever bought to make pizza is a pizza crisper.  I found one at Walmart for $6 and it makes a medium-ish sized pizza.  A pizza stone might even be a better choice, but come on, I am a poor college student!

Spread out your pizza dough and for this part I would recommend using some corn meal on the bottom of it so it doesn't stick to whatever you are cooking (probably at most a tablespoon).  Then spread out the delicious garlic-y white pizza sauce.  Top with the two cheeses as well as the other yummy ingredients.  Put in oven at 425 F for 10-12 min until the cheese is nice and melted and the crust looks delicious.  Your yummy pizza may look like this :D