Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

• 4 garlic cloves
• 10 ounces frozen spinach
• 14 ounces artichoke hearts
• 10 ounces Alfredo sauce
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 package cream cheese

Instructions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Peel the garlic cloves and put them in the oven for 10 minutes to roast.

2.  Defrost the spinach (I buy the block of spinach and put it in the microwave for 6 minutes).

3.  Mix the Alfredo sauce, cream cheese, and Mozzarella and Parmesan in the food processor with some pepper until they're blended, and then throw in the artichoke hearts and garlic for a few pulses.

4.  Squeeze out the extra water from the spinach and put it in the food processor until it's mixed in (a few more pulses).

5.  Bake covered for 30 minutes.

6.  Serve with chips or bread.

I got this recipe so long ago, I don't remember where I got it!  I'm sure I looked it up online years ago.  I do not make anything up myself!  I wish I could remember where I got it so I could link the website.

How it tasted:  I think it's pretty good.  People have asked me for the recipe.  I've made this dozens of times for work treats days and family potlucks.  I'm pretty sure some people think spinach dip is the only thing I can cook (other than macaroni and cheese), but I promise, there is much more in my repertoire!

Somen Salad

Somen Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 package somen noodles (4 bundles)- You can get these at any Asian market.
• 1/2 head shredded lettuce
• 1 block extra firm tofu
• 2 eggs and 1-2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 stalks green onions
• sesame seeds (as desired)

 Dressing:

• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons cider vinegar (I only had white vinegar, and it tasted fine)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 cup oil (I used olive oil)
• 1 teaspoon shoyu (soy sauce)

Instructions:

1.  Steam the tofu for 2 minutes in the microwave for a minute and then cut it into matchsticks.  Put the pieces onto a paper towel to dry (otherwise, they will break up and the salad will get soggy).

2.  Whisk the eggs and sugar together.  Fry like an omelet and cool.  Pat the eggs dry and cut them into matchsticks.

3.  Cook the somen noodles according to the directions (they cook much faster than spaghetti) and cool.

4.  Chop the lettuce and green onions (but keep them separate).

5.  Layer the ingredients in a 9x13 pan in this order:  somen noodles, lettuce, tofu, green onions, egg, sesame seeds.

6.  Mix the dressing ingredients and drizzle it on top.

I got this recipe from Zakka Life, but modified it.  I left out the kamaboko ( fish cake) and char siu, but added tofu and sesame seeds.  You can see the original recipe for more details.  (Side note:  I love finding recipes online and modifying them, but this one was an especially good find!  She did a great job of adding pictures for each step so you can see if you're doing it right.  This is a really neat website for cooking and crafting, two of my favorite things!)

How it tasted:  Yum!  I'll definitely be making this again.  It is a little tedious cutting everything, but totally worth it.  I can see shredding a little carrot for some color.  Mine lost the color when I removed the kamaboko and char siu.  If you like bell pepper (which I do NOT), that might be colorful, too.  John had seconds, and he doesn't always like trying new things!

Tonight, I served my somen salad with teriyaki tofu and zucchini over rice with edamame on the side.  Yum!  I don't make my own teriyaki sauce, though.  This is so easy and yummy to make, we eat it at least once a week (usually without the zucchini mixed in).  I added this to make sure Audrey had something to eat!