The Good, Bad and the Ugly...Oh and the Artichoke Dip too!

The Good:

Saturday I had some girlfriends over to celebrate my 31st b-day. We iniciated a new rule this year, we'd throw in $20 each and buy the person one bigger gift instead of 5 smaller gifts. We'd also go out for dinner and do something fun like we've always been doing. So for my b-day I asked for a karaoke machine...kinda half kidding and half serious. I had asked Brian for one but he wouldn't cave, and now I understand why (I've been singing to him non stop since Saturday night.)

They got me pretty good though. Brian started out this week by saying the girls weren't getting me a karaoke machine and he'd buy one for me. I wasn't totally convinced of this. Then on Thursday he said the one I wanted was too much money and they couldn't swing it. I think at one point I suggested he give them some money to help defray the costs, but I digress. Lots of expensive things are going on with my friends - closing on houses, upcoming weddings, etc. so the money thing made sense.

Fast forward to Saturday night. My spirits were already down (wait until you read "the Bad") but I knew my time with the girls was going to be the pick me up I needed (still not believing what Brian was saying). So then Cicco walks in the pizza and a box. A smaller box. Definitely not a box that a karaoke machine would come in. I guess, from what my friends say, my face dropped (and this doesn't surprise me because I have a hard time faking emotions) because I was like...CRAP Brian was right, oh no I already pretty much announced on the blog that my friends were giving me a great present, etc. Then during dinner Rocco says "did we tell her yet that she's not getting her present?" I cut her off right there and announce that Brian had already told me the news, no big deal, I understand yadda yadda yadda. They tell me I got something, just on a smaller scale. I was thinking okay, maybe it's just a microphone or a gift certificate. So anyways, we go on with eating and chatting and finally, present time comes. I start opening the smaller present. Everyone is looking at me saying,"what do you think it is?" I open the box and it's empty! Nothing but tissue paper! Then behind the door DC and Brock roll out this HUGE box and I realize I've been punk'd! Finally, my karaoke machine. From there the fun began.

The Bad:

So rewind to Saturday day. I woke up around 9:30 and start dusting, sweeping, laundry, etc. to prepare for my guests. Around 3:30, I hop in the shower. After, I ask Brian to go down and get the laundry. He opens the basement door and yells some four letter words. There's water in the basement. There's actually a small kiddie pool in our basement. So we get the towels and mop out and start cleaning it up. Brian decides to wash the towels that we just used to wipe up the water. We go on about our business, I guess thinking it was a fluke and it wouldn't happen again. About 2 minutes left on the spin cycle, Brian opens the door to the basement and yells some four letter words. There's water in the basement...AGAIN. I still had to go to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for my artichoke dip so he said he'd clean it up. So I leave for the grocery store. When I get back, the shower is running, and I assumed Brian was in there taking a shower so I start talking to him but there's no answer. From the basement, Brian yells, SHUT OFF THE WATER. So you're probably asking yourself,"how long is it going to take them to figure out they've got a problem?" The answer - a couple times. So Brian HAS to take a shower. So I stay down in the basement while he takes the fastest shower in his life (Brian's usually in the shower for a good 20 minutes.) Sure enough...more water. For shits and giggles, I ask him to flush the toilet. Then the mother load....it's like a fountain of water spewing from the pipe. Thank goodness we had a really BIG bucket. We stop...and think...we've got a problem.

Brian then goes on to tell me I'll have to cancel my party. Fat chance mister...I'm getting this karaoke machine come hell or high water (literally)! So we call the town to see if they can make an emergency house call. I call and leave a message for someone to call me back. Well no one ever does until noon the next day when we figured out the answering service took down the wrong number! I could kill her. We called a couple times and she blamed the town, saying "they must have turned off their pagers." So needless to say, everyone still came over, no one peed and we used paper plates. IMO, the party was still a success.

The Ugly:

What the heck happened to the Patriots? You know - that team that was supposed to go undefeated, 19-0? They did not play on Sunday. I don't know who those men in tight pants were out there but that sure wasn't our beloved Brady. I won't act like I know (or give) to hoots about football. I like the Superbowl for the commercials, half time performances and most of all the food. But I have to say this game kept my attention, I was on the edge of my seat, and could not believe what I was seeing. When the Giants scored the final touchdown, our house went silent, for what seemed like hours. A house filled with about 10 people and you could hear a pin drop. We were, and still are, in disbelief.

and the Artichoke Dip:

And if you are still with me - on to the reason why I blog, the food! I've tasted a lot of artichoke dips in my day and I have to say this is probably the best - well besides the one at Cottonwoods. But it's definitely a close second. Try it and let me know if you like it as much as I do!

The Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

pepper to taste

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach (do not squeeze all of the water out of spinach and artichokes or else the dip will be dry.) Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

And some pictures for those who are interested.

Barefoot's Pan Fried Onion Dip

This dip is damn good - so good you could eat it with a spoon. If you love onion dip I think you'll enjoy this home made pan fried onion dip by Barefoot Contessa. I love a lot of her recipes but watching her show puts me to sleep. She's monotone and doesn't often get excited about what she's cooking, unlike Paula or Giada.

I put this in a bread bowl, but a dish and sliced french bread would do. It's also very good with plain kettle cooked chips.

Even Brian, who hates onions, ate it. Nuff said.

Ingredients:

2 large yellow onions

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup good mayonnaise

Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

Place the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Man, it's ass biting cold here in Boston! For all my fans in other states I envy you right now. Sure it might be cold but I can guarantee you that it's not 10 below with the wind chill. Yes, you heard me right, 10 flippin' below zero! My Nana is coming home from California this weekend and it looks like she's bringing the warm weather with her. On Sunday, it's supposed to be close to 60 degrees. I'm not getting too excited because it's only the beginning of January and we have another 4-5 months before we can hang up our winter jackets. I often ask myself, why the hell I live up here!

But in the mean time, I'll make some of this hot buffalo chicken dip to warm up my insides. This recipe was given to me by a friend of the SSCC (South Shore Cooking Club) and every time I've made it at least 2 people ask me for the recipe. It doesn't look great but it sure does taste good.

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breast - boneless skinless
1 8 oz. block cream cheese softened
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup ranch dressing
1/2 bottle of Franks Red hot (approx. use to taste)

Cook chicken either by baking or boiling and let cool. Shred by hand. Mix in remaining ingredients together. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Yes, it's that simple. I serve with the Tostitos Gold chips which are strong enough to dual with this dip.