Monarch Post

thrifting, stitching... and staring contests

Last week while I was at the thrift store hunting for fabric and wools I found these four little charmers.

Mini dutch ovens.

Aren't they the cutest things ever?

75 cents each and RED!

Score : )

And here they are topless. Ha.

So I washed them up and made dinner for four with them.

Shrimp, crab and broccoli alfredo.

It was a hit.

I think it was part recipe and part novelty with the kids.

I boiled the noodles and fresh, chopped broccoli together.

I used cooked, tail-on, medium sized shrimp that I broke in half after removing the tails.

And a can of crab meat.

Two chopped green onions.

I used a packet of dry alfredo sauce mix and followed the directions- (the cheapie mix packet.)

Mixed everything together, sprayed the dutch ovens, filled them and then sprinkled the tops with a three cheese blend of  Italian cheeses, Parmesan cheese, and paprika... in that order.

Baked them at 350 for twenty five minutes.

And while they were baking I chopped up a few avocados and a mango.

This is what happens when you go to San Diego on vacation...

still craving the seafood, avocados, and mangos.

I had never tried diced avocados with mangos before our trip, but they are wonderful!

And if you've never put them together, well, you just should.

The flavors are so complementary together... I swear I heard them telling each other how much they liked each other before I ate them.  Ha.

******************************************************

Anyway,  there's my fancy schmancy dinner recipe of  the week for you.

(Call Paula and Martha and tell them to move over ; D )

The breakfst scene goes like this every morning at our house.

Jesse likes to eat breakfast in the recliner while he watches Sportscenter... and I let him.

Winston sits in front of him and gives him the big staredown for some of his breakfast.

He never takes his eyes off of him the whole time Jesse is eating.

It's too funny to watch.

Sometimes Winston has success with his puppy dog eyes...

and sometimes he doesn't.

This wasn't his morning for leftover success.

Bummer.

I worked all Wednesday on Etsy items ( yes, I'm still stockpiling for a re-opening someday...)

I started crocheting teensy little primroses and then couldn't stop, because that's what happens when I crochet. My brain apparently likes endless repetition when it comes to winding thread around a tiny needle. (Too bad it doesn't like endless laundry repetition-wouldn't that be awesomeness?)

But they'll all eventually get used... they'll get used as decorations for different crafting projects- baby balls, children's totes, barrettes, and stuff.

I also designed a nd crocheted patterns for a little girl's drawstring purse and a sock monkey purse in red. They are finished except for some trimmings, so no photos yet.

I have so many things almost finished- I seem to work better that way... jumping from one project to the next gives me more ideas and energy than working on one thing at a time...

Aren't they sweet and springy?

I stumbled on my first real sight of spring last week... I saw swiss snowdrops peeking out from under brown dead grass while driving through town the other day... what a sight for winter-weary eyes. I blurred up a little and  I think I even exhaled when I spotted them.

The first signs of spring always surprise me...  it's surprise, delight, and relief for me to see that just when I've decided that maybe God forgot to do spring this year, God has decided to prove me wrong- again.

And I am really okay with being perennially proved wrong :D

I felt that same surprised-by-snowdrop-happiness-thing this morning when Sophey pulled this artwork out of her bookbag...

Isn't that just the sweetest piece of construction paper art?!

Love it.

 ********************************

Okay, I'm off to finish the last  Christmas, er, birthday shopping trip of the Henderson March Madness birthday season.

Three birthdays in one month feels like like a mini-Christmas season around here... crazy.

(And I say that every year here. Sorry.)

Saturday is Jesse's birthday and he's having a party with friends at Boondock's- the local fun center, followed by pizza and a sleepover at our house.

We also have two Cinderella ballet recitals for Sophey this weekend- one tonight and one on Saturday.

Corbyn's band is on the radio tonight with an interview and a live sperformance.

(90.0 KRCL if you are in Utah...)

Oh, and a wedding reception to go to on Saturday. Whew.

I gotta run...

See you next week and have a great weekend everyone!

XOK

 

 

 

 

 

sweet sunday

Wow, it's Wednesday night already...

this Christmas week is moving TOO fast!

I meant to post on Monday.

I teach Sunday school once a month to the grade-school kids at church.

I create a lesson and a craft.

(I know, perfect for me... kids and a craft!)

Every month we study a different virtue or topic.

For December, the topic has been LIGHT.

I planned a lesson based on Matthew 5:16 and shining your light

and not hiding it under a bowl...

I used the candle and the bowl above to show the kids the story.

They were into it...

I discovered that fire is a great attention-getting teaching tool ;)

We read THE FIRST CHRISTMAS while we worked.

The Amazon reviews are right:

It's message is not preachy

and the illustrations are just stunningly beautiful...

The kids did such a good job making the craft.

I gathered up a bunch of old jars I'd saved

and they made "stained glass" candle holders

with Modge Podge, tissue paper, and another Bible verse.

They went in the living room when we got home...

(We still need to make a new baby Jesus

for the little nativity the kids made

years ago...

Winston stole him last year, and he is still MIA...

Bad dog, really bad dog).

But anyway,

before we went home, we participated in a cookie walk.

Two really long tables loaded with all sorts of cookies.

(I had never done this before).

Everyone brings their favorite cookies

and then you go home with a really great assortment of cookies.

There are cookie artists here... delish.

**********************

 

I think this will have to be my post for today... 

I wanted to get to bed early tonight- haha.

But I'll post one more time before Christmas.

I think (?!)

 

Are you getting there...? I'm almost done.

I still need to grocery shop and buy a couple of things

and bake on Friday...

I'm trying really hard not to stress out and have my usual Christmas freak-out moment.

So far, so good.

But I still have three more days to go ;)

+++++++++++++++++

So tonight we went carolling with our church to a hospital pediatric wing...

that put everything I could stress over in sharp perspective for me.

I wish I could always keep my perspective,

about what's really important... and what's not... 

It's so easy to get caught up in the trivial stuff, isn't it?

XOK

 

 

sweet sparkles

Well that big ol' second storm fizzled right out last night-- and I'm very glad it did. Today was all blue sky kinda happy. It's my birthday today. I goofed off... ignored a giant pile of laundry... ran errands... took myself out to lunch... and shopped for a few Christmas decorations.

We'll officially celebrate next weekend when Mike gets home.

I think I generally like being in my forties now.

The only thing that would make the forty-decade better would be a sixteen-year olds' metabolism... and skin.

Dream on...

The weekend was hectic, getting Mike ready to go, cleaning up from the storm, and we also did a heighborhood food pantry drive.

But Saturday night we stopped and made time for the kids to make their gingerbread house

Jesse said, "how does Buddy do it and make it look so easy?".

They are big fans of  the tv show, cake boss.

And this is your expression when you think your sister is hogging the decorating...

 

 

She's serious about this stuff... she wants to be a baker when she grow up.

And a ballerina :)

Rudolph under the back eaves.

So cute... didn't they do a good job?

Sophey decorated her room this weekend too.

(Apparently, cleaning it was not on the Christmas to do list).

And decorated her cupcake tree.

She was so excited to put up her tree... sweet girl.

I've just started decorating.

The santa collection is out. 

We have an artificial tree in the living room up but not decorated

and a real tree to buy this weekend.

I'm kinda slow this year... but it will get done.

I refuse to panic :)

Tonight we are going to Frank's house for dinner ;)

It's fun to have grown-up kids (and their pets) too.

 

Have you decorated yet?

 

 

all over the place

Nice opening photo, huh? The kitchen counter has looked like a pharmacy for awhile.

The Hendersons have been very busy sharing the gifts of the season... colds, and strep.

We are all so darn thoughtful that way...

Lots of prescriptions, coughing, couch-laying, going on here the last three weeks...

I think we're all about over it.

I hate seeing everyone miserable, including myself.

One day when I felt too bad to do anything but sit on the couch and read, I read some Bible devotionals.

I ran across this verse from Romans 8:28 and the devotional by author Ann Kiemel Anderson.

This is the part that struck me:

"In ALL things God works for the good" (caps mine) the rejection in one's childhood, alcoholic parents. the birth of a handicapped child. a husband leaving home for another woman. illness. no matter what life may have in store.. absolutely ANYTHING ... will turn into blessing if we love God.

It's sticking with me, that verse...

If I hadn't gotten sick,

I wouldn't have sat there reading that day,

and I wouldn't have learned just what I needed to learn...

that in ALL things God works for the good!

I think it's my new favorite verse...

I'm going to hang onto it

and remember it

and be mindful of the power

of those words.

We had a break in the germs during Thanksgiving.

We stayed home. I cooked.

Mike cleaned and hung Xmas lights outside.

I always forget to take photos...

(took a photo of the cute new sign we hung in the dining room though).

too busy making sure all the food gets put on the table

and too busy getting everyone there while it's hot.

 

But I remembered just in time to catch this after-

"THE FLANNEL BRIGADE"!

All those good guys of mine (new son-in-law included), manhandling the dirty dishes.

YAY!!

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Sunday afternoon we went to JoAnns to buy fleece to make xmas stockings for the local food pantry.

It was a ZOO.

I spent 1 1/2 hrs waiting to get fabric cut and another 40 minutes in the checkout line.

TWO CHECKOUT CLERKS WERE WORKING... !!

TWO!!!

I don't do black Friday- ever.

But this wasn't Friday, and it was still bad.

But I got fleece for $2.99 a yard. 

And that will make lots of stockings for kids who need one.

Sophey bought the fleece in the photos above to make pj pants.

She hasn't made a project that big before.

Right now it's a good blankie.

(And I'm learning to take photos at night without a flash).

(Um, really just beginning to learn...)

We spend more time in the living room in the winter.

I like candles at night... and the stereo.

Except for Winston.

He has learned to ride the family room couch like a true cowboy.

COWDOG?

I took the first photo above and then said, "SMILE GUYS"!

They did!

This dog kills me... kiiills me.

In other big news, the accessorizing fashionista here cleaned her bedroom....

and discovered her long lost pink Vans...

We have so many more accessorizing options now.

 

I've been serging

and sewing more heart ornaments for my shop.

I'm liking the white ones.

 I designed a child's apron pattern too and made the first one.

You know, I hate to iron...

why don't I hate it when I sew?

 

 

 

'60s vintage fabric on the bottom ruffle.

LOVE IT. And I DIG IT too :)

I've been busy making all sorts of things in RED.

I still have plans to finally have an Etsy shop again...

I just don't want to jinx myself anymore by saying when it will be stocked!

Everytime I do, there is some big crisis

and then it never happens.

But it will be gorgeous and RED and for a great CAUSE... when I get there!!

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

Oh, and if you like and still want to make a really great pecan

pie for the holidays, I found an A+ recipe.

I made it for Thanksgiving.

Yummy.

It really beats the Karo syrup versions.

(In my opinion).

GO HERE !

 

 

 

 

 

the wedding march

 
 
 
It's almost here! The cutest sweetest couple. And the prettiest wedding invitations I've ever seen! (Can you tell I'm partial to the couple here ;)

 
And the wedding... oh, it's going to be gorgeous!

 
The girlfriends shower seems like ages ago already; it's the post I've been trying to sit down and compose for forever now... on a dead run here for the last month putting together the shower and wedding details. I've decided on posting craft projects made for the wedding after the wedding... no more time left for anything else! Doing good to get this up today.

Company is in town and now it's down to the last little details, wedding rehearsal dinner, and the Big Day.

 
 
Our shower gift. If you are ever in the market for a wonderful all-purpose tote, Papaya! online is the store to order from. I've had a Papaya! tote bag for a few years now, and it's been used at the beach, the pool, as an airplane carry on, and as a craft bag. I think it's just the thing for a honeymoon trip to Hawaii. (Ainsley's girlfriends teased her about her crocheting projects winding up at the bottom of the bag, but hey, that's how the Henderson girls roll :)

 

 
I made Hawaiian barbecue sauce over shredded chicken for the main course. And of course, if it's a Hawaii beach theme party, paper umbrellas are very necessary ;)

 

 

 
When it was dusk, we lit Tiki torches around the yard. It was a sweltering summer night (we have so few of them here, they always come as a surprise) and the flowers on the cake melted before I could snap a photo.

 
But it still ate good...

 I fussed around forever to make this double fudge espresso cake for my coffee-loving girl. Two fallen cakes later, I bought a double fudge mix, added extra chocolate chips, a little cinnamon, and two teaspoons of instant espresso.

It worked.

So much for my Cake Boss fantasies...

 
We played a few games after dinner. I won the who knew the bride-to-be best game. Good thing, since I'm her mom. Kinda felt like cheating when I won the prize for first place.

This was my favorite shower idea though. Ainsley's friend, Alicia, the game maven, came up with this one too. Ribbon to wrap the stems of the bridal bouquet (with another layer of wide ribbon over the top of the printed ribbon to cover the writing) with all sorts of advice for staying happily married. Everyone wrote a few bits of advice.

My fav: laugh with each other and not at each other!

(Still can't quite believe my little girl is getting married!)

Be back mid-week next week, after the wedding is over and I've had a day or two to recover.

Wishing you a wonderful week.

XoKelly

(Crossing our fingers and praying for good weather for this outdoor wedding!)

 

 

 

 

spring gifts

 
Mike brought home a tulip bouquet for me on Tuesday.

 
I put them in the living room in a "new" thrifted vase. Yesterday they started to open.

 
Last night around six o'clock the sun was hitting the tulips just so... perfectly.

 
And apparently you can take lots of tulip photos when the sunlight is just so... perfect.

 

 
See what I mean. I tell ya... a perfect spot of sunshine in every way. (And I have a keeper for a hubby.)

  

Last Saturday Ainsley stopped over with a just-finished present for Sophey. She made her an afghan. And made her own pattern. Isn't it gorgeous? It looks like the tulips to me: swaying stripes of reds, yellow, and green. I think my grandma and mom would be proud.

 
And last but not least, dessert!( I've cut way back on the baking around here-- there are wedding clothes to fit into this fall. But on Sundays, we usually indulge a day.) 

I've made this cake twice now, and it's about foolproof.  Grandma Mettie's oatmeal cake-- gotta love the name. The recipe is here for you at family fun magazine. It's buttery, and nutty, and not too sweet, and just so... perfect ;)

I'm working on some new designs/ideas at the moment. We're finally having nice spring weather here; which means I have the attention span of a termite lately. It always happens in spring... But, I did put together my flickr favorites awhile ago, so there's some crafty lovely inspiration for you there. Just click on my flickr badge on the side bar and look under favorites.

Thanks for stopping by,

XO

Kelly

                                                           

                                                                  

                                                              

little surprises

One of the (many) wonderful things I received at The Creative Connection event last month was this charming tote bag from French General. The bags were draped across our dinner chairs one evening, and they were filled with goodies. I had to laugh because at what other women's seminar would you find a swag bag filled with glue sticks, acrylic paints, and Mod Podge? And at what other women's seminar would that assortment of goodies elicit ooohs and aaahhs from the recipients?!

There was so much stuff to go through that I really just got to sorting it all out last week. And I have to show you my very favorite thing...

When I first pulled this gift out I assumed it was a sweetly packaged but ordinary little dish towel. But au contraire!

 
It was also (drumroll, please) an apron! Genius. Just genius. With a little hook to hang it by on the end. And red to boot.... French General... I am all yours.

I went to their site to check out the rest of their goods; they have such a beautiful assortment of things for the home. But no luck finding any more of the dishtowel/aprons to buy. I'm wondering if they were made especially for TCC? I was thinking of what a great gift this would make for Christmas.  

And then I thought how sweet a little redwork embroidery would look in the corner of the apron...

I lightly penciled in a heart, stitched it, and then had fun doodling in a variety of other stitches. I don't know what it is exactly, but I like it :)

 
I did see very similiar red-striped dishtowels in JoAnn's a couple of weeks ago. I think they came in a three-pack for 12.99(?) The ribbon is about 12" of grosgrain stitched onto both sides. Cinchy project.

 

 I just noticed this advertisemt for daisy egg makers from Williams-Sonoma this morning. ($15.00 for a set of four.)

OH. MY. GOSH!

Must buy, must buy, must buy.   

Happy Wednesday, XO. 

shopping around

For the past few years I've signed up to help with school holiday parties at Jesse's and Sophey's back to school night. But this year all the fill in slots for help were pretty full by the time I got to the sheet. The "provide school supplies" line sounded like a great (ie., easy) idea this year-- and I've always liked being a supply kinda person. Then last week I spotted the black totes at my local craft store... Aha! finally had an idea for a craft project. Yay! (my idea well has been running dry lately), so I bought the totes and hit my studio; thinking pretty, but practical thoughts. 

  

*(This is also counting as my end-of-the-year-teacher-appreciation-gift, since I stink at ever getting anything more than a quick thank you card signed. I have two birthdays that last week of school, so all my good intentions for doing something really nice for our teachers just never quite happen.)*

Anyway, the fabric sewn to the front of the bags is a big pocket. I cut the paisley fabric into a rectangle that fit the bag well and then cut a strip of the brown and black print and the checkered fabric to fit vertically along the side of the bag. I zig-zag stitched the brown fabric onto the paisley fabric first and then zig-zagged the checkered fabric. The vintage lace got stitched on last. I ironed the top of the fabric down about an inch, and ironed the three side edges under about a 1/2".

At this point every extra idea I had to make it look like a teachers bag seemed like a big cliche. Apples? No. Pencils? Nah. Well, what then? So I put the project aside for a few hours (I always think of it like cooking-- on the back-burner and slow simmering..) until this idea came to me: If the kids did the artwork, those pencils or apples would be fabulous, AND they would be involved in the project. Perfect. I handed Jesse and Sophey a box of fabric crayons and fabric pastels with the instructions: draw something school-ish for your teachers, pretty please (followed by please please please).

And they did! Way better than anything I could have ever come up with... kids are so cool.

Jesse's pencil art: 

 

Sophey's schoolhouse art:

The drawings are done on a piece of torn canvas. Sophey used fabric crayons and Jesse used fabric pastels. I sprayed both pieces of canvas art with clear matte spray polyurethane sealer, and then allowed it to dry very well (a few hours) to protect the artwork before sewing the canvas onto the other fabric piece. I added a few big buttons for interest. And then I sewed the whole piece onto the black canvas tote bag. I pinned the fabric in place securely before sewing to make sure the pocket wound up even. It worked. A little tricky and bulky, but still easier than I thought it would be.

Can't wait to hear the tote report after school today :)

In other news around here, I went with my girls to SLC to our big outdoor shopping center, Gateway, over the weekend. We went on a clothes hunt. Didn't find much. It seems the palette for winter this year is black, grey, creme, and black, grey, creme, and dusty rose.... ugh. Not a fan of dusty rose. I think I O.D.ed on it in the '80s. I had a dusty rose bedspread, chair, and waaay too many dusty rose clothes back in the day.

Anyway, a stop by good old bright and happy Anthropologie saved the day. I am always totally inspired by the colors, the displays. SO creative.

 

Dog tea towels?! Man. Eighteen dollars each?! No mon :(

 

So I came home with one little tea cup and a few more bowls. But I'd say my new/old church rummage sale tea towel (compare at 25 pennies, people) is looking pretty darn Anthro cool with the cup, now isn't it?

Sweetness...

 
with a flowery handle. It really is the little things, isn't it? 

And while we're in the kitchen, and I'm writing another catch-up marathon post, here's what got baked last week too. Very yummy. And less sinful than those Oreo cupcakes ;O

 

Here you go:

LOW-FAT PUMPKIN COOKIES:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup brown sugar (I used 3/4 cup- it worked)
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 3 cups oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the pumpkin, sugar, and applesauce.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, then add to the pumpkin, mixing well.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until done. Recipe found at About.com

Oh, and I almost forgot. I added my own drizzly frosting made with a pkg of low-fat softened cream cheese and about 2 cups of powdered sugar and a little vanilla. Mix in mixing bowl till smooth, adding a few tsps of milk till its drizzable. (You know what I mean.)

ENJOY!

P.S. I'm gettting ready for the CREATIVE CONNECTION EVENT this Thursday - Sunday in Minneapolis. It's going to be three days filled with arts and crafts and estrogen galore, I'm sure. AND I'm going with Mike, so three days alone with my husband. Wow. Gotta million things to do though. I'll be back with a report on all the wonderfulness early next week.

Have a lovely week, my friends. xxKelly 

 

september time

I'm still here, adjusting, sort of. Last week felt like one huge up-in-the-air readjustment phase. School for two half days, one sick day for a child already. And Mike, well he was away in Costa Rica on a business trip and got seriously sick with a really bad case of food poisoning. That was a week ago last Wednesday. What a helpless feeling to be so far away and unable to do anything but pray for him. His company has a private jet to retrieve sick employees who are doing business in foreign countries, but luckily things didn't get quite that bad. He made it home very late last Friday night. I think he coulda kissed the asphalt at the airport. I was so glad to have him home, safe and recovering.

Pulling weeds would have been good therapy last week, now that I think about it. (I see one in the photo). This week, better, much better. I feel settled in again. Glad for school routines, a well husband at home, and this time of year.

The black-eyed susans in the back yard are wowing me right now... Why do I always forget how nice it is in September?

I forget about the shadows too, and how the light changes. Almost imperceptibly, but then one day you see it, and you know summer is starting to wane. But it's really okay-- I've had my fill of summer this year. (That's a first, btw).

 
I'm missing the neighborhood ballgames in the backyard everyday though. Maybe there'll be a few more when the kids get used to school schedules.

 
Winston misses them too. Last week he walked into the kitchen and dropped a baseball on the floor and looked up at me. I told the kids what he did, so they took him out to play catch. He came in after a couple of throws and sat and stared out the front door. (We have a glass storm door.) I knew what he wanted... another neighborhood ballgame in our backyard. He likes loves to watch the kids play ball while he sits on the hillside by the trees. Perfect stadium seating. Not crowded either.

 
He sits there looking like my china terrier on the kitchen window sill-- only with his tongue hanging out and his eyes glued to a flying baseball. (Smiling too, I'm pretty sure.)

 
So this week I got back to sewing. Sometimes it's just the biggest hurdle for me to get back to making something. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I get stuck after a long break. Monkeys seemed like the safest place to get going again, so that's what I did... in the kitchen, with a cup of tea and the tv for a few days. It felt like a total luxury, since I haven't watched a thing on tv all summer. (Hannah Montana does not count).

I am so smitten with the Dena Designs fabric in the photo. I don't think fabric for sock monkey clothes can get any more perfect than a red rose cheetah stripe!

 
 
I'm also pretty smitten with my favorite summer yard sale find right now too ($2.50! Unbelievable). Admiring it all week over on the couch while I've stitched. (I've wanted one like this with the black edging for a really long time.) It's perfect for the evenings now. 

 
Looks like my naked sock monkeys on the kitchen counter could use that blanket. Well, it's time to sew clothes next.

In the meantime until I get back to better blogging and projects I've got the best cupcake frosting recipe for you. I made two dozen last Sunday and they were gone in two days. The cupcake is a mix; I just wanted to deal with the fosting recipe.

So anyway, here it is:

OREO COOKIE FROSTING

1 16 oz box powdered sugar

1 8 oz container Cool Whip

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

15 Oreo cookies, crushed

With a mixer, mix together the cream cheese, vanilla and Cool Whip. Gradually add in the powdered sugar. Stir in crushed cookies by hand. (If I had really thought about how simple this was, I probably could have handled some homemade cupcakes. Duh. Oh well.) This stuff is like clouds... clouds filled with Oreos and a choir of singing cherub angels. 

You'd like it :)

Happy Labor Day weekend!! xoKelly  

 

finishing and starting

 
Last week was Jesse's baseball tournament week-- his team played every night, and came in a very respectable third place for the town league. Last week also, Jess started practicing for All Stars. He made the town All Star team for eleven year olds this year. Jesse also just recovered from catching a baseball with his face (luckily, the doctor declared his nose not broken), a lost filling (the dentist didn't charge us, this was good), and two episodes of broken braces (the ortho didn't charge us extra either, this was also good), so probably needless to say; I have been doing LOTS of running lately.... and I just planted the rest of the flowers. It has finally stopped raining every day here-- Yippee!

Sorry for the lack of creative projects around this blog lately, but this afternoon I'm cleaning my studio, and that usually means a burst of something creative is about to happen.... don't give up on me yet...

Last night was my Hot Mamas group's summer barbeque and brandy slush get together. We had a great time. (I should do a post just about the brandy slush sometime. Oiye-- it is to die for.) Everyone brought a favorite recipe. I brought my spinach artichoke dip with a veggie tray.

I guess spinach artichoke dip will have to qualify for my creative effort this week...

So here ya go:

SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

I pkg. light cream cheese.

I C. light Best Foods mayo.

I small package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained.

1 medium size jar marinated artichoke hearts (they need to be marinated, and you'll need to chop them upfairly well). So about 1 1/2 C. worth after you've chopped the artichokes.  

1/2 C. Parmesan cheese-- the Kraft kind.

1 5 oz. package of Italian shredded cheese. I like to buy the Kroger brand here: it's a mixture of Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano cheese. It's sooo good.

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Blend together the cream cheese and mayo with a fork, until lump free. Add the chopped spinach and artichoke hearts. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and the Italian blend cheese, reserve about 1 ounce of this cheese to sprinkle on top after. Add pepper to taste. Pour into an oven safe bowl. (It helps if you spray the bowl with Pam first.) Sprinke remaining Italian cheese blend on top and sprinke a little paprika on top-- if you're feeling fancy today. :) Bake at 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes. When the cheese on top is light golden brown and the dip is bubbling, it's done. It takes only about 15 minutes to prepare this appetizer; I like that part.

Serve with crackers, pita bread, and/or sliced raw veggies. I really like thick-sliced, raw zucchini with this dip. It's a winner. And you can't screw it up, unless you completely forget about being in the oven and burn it-- so just remember to set your oven timer, and you willl be a hero at your next potluck social :) Trust me.

Stop by tomorrow-- I will be posting a new "FAIR TRADE FRIDAY GIVEAWAY" ! xoxoKelly