Crave Wednesday: Artichoke, Spinach, and White Bean Dip

June is over, and things are mellowing out a bit.  Which if you know me, know that means very little.

June rolled right into July, and the Fourth of July.   We actually started the celebration a little early.  Because the 4th was on a Tuesday, we thought that maybe the annual backyard campout would be better served on Monday night.  Thatboy wasn't as keen about waking up in a tent on a morning he had to go to work.

So on July 3, he set the tent up in the backyard.  Thatbaby was instantly enthralled.  He hasn't slept in the tent since he was 10 months old.  It's been a while.  And he was convinced it was another bounce house.

Now that he's older, Thatbaby could join in the sleep-out.  And I could too.  Less excited about that last part.  We called it an early night and piled in together to sleep.

We woke up early on the morning of July 4th.  Unsurprising when you have four people sharing a small space, especially when two of them love to rise with the sun.

The boys got dressed in their patriotic best.

And then quickly stripped them off so they could spend the day in the pool.

Thatboy set the pool up under the playset, and hooked the hose to the top of the slide, giving us our very own waterpark.

There was plenty of food throughout the day.  Including a giant bowl of watermelon.

Because it wouldn't be the 4th of July without watermelon.

We always let Thatdog in on the watermelon action.

No sugar cookie White House this year, but they did decorate sugar cookies.  It's fun to watch their different styles.  Thatkid just dumps the sprinkles on.  Thatbaby meticulously places the sprinkles with his fingers.

I grilled some pollo asada and carne asada for dinner, along with some hot dogs for the boys.  And after dinner, we lit the firepit and made s'mores.  We got creative this year.  Thatkid enjoyed his on chocolate chip cookies instead of graham crackers.

And I stuck in a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup in place of a chocolate bar.

And after that, it was time for pajamas and glow sticks so we could head over to the neighbors and watch the town fireworks.

This was Thatbaby's first experience with fireworks and I think it got mixed reviews.  He spent the first part facing me in my lap, holding me.  He spent the rest, still in my lap, but watching the fireworks.  After they were over he said he liked them, but they were "too wowed."  He continued to repeat "fireworks over" and "fireworks all done" which carried over to the next morning.

The next morning it was clear that the fireworks were not the only thing that was over.  The 4th of July came on the end of some serious eating and drinking indulgences and continued through the day. I'm not one that believes in waiting for the first of the year, month, or even week to start anew, so Wednesday the 5th marked the return of better eating.  But I ease myself back.  By allowing myself some "healthy" snacking.  Healthy in the sense that it is high in protein.  As much as I love chips and salsa.  And as much as I ate my weight in chips in salsa over the holiday, it's lacking in a lot of nutrients.  Some whole wheat crackers, paired with bean dip is a better alternative.  The creaminess of the beans means less cheese is necessary, it's terribly filling, and it keeps you full for a lot longer than low/no protein snacks.  I also love the addition of spinach, which always makes me feel like my indulgence isn't that indulgent.

Artichoke, Spinach, and White Bean Dip (From Cooking Light)

1/4 cup grated fresh Pecorino Romano cheese

1/4 cup canola mayonnaise

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained

1 can baby artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

cooking spray

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Place cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, cayenne, garlic cloves, and white beans in a food processor, and process until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Spoon into a bowl and stir in artichokes and spinach.
3. Spoon into a 1 qt glass dish coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with mozzarella.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Chip n' Dip

We're heading on a mini vacay this weekend. Details to come next week. I'm both looking forward to it, and not looking forward to it. I know - I'm crazycakes. Tonight, as you read this, Thatboy and I are probably stuck in AWFUL traffic, and starving, and cranky. And with luck, it's probably raining. Because nice weather only lasts here for a couple days before we start getting hail and monsoons.

Over our years and years of car trips, I have learned a very important lesson. Pack snacks for the car. We vary what we bring. I'm a big fan of bite size fruits - clementines, berries, grapes. Thatboy like Doritos. We both love gummy sharks. For this trip, we've got chips and dip! Easy to pack, easy to eat in a car, and obviously fun. There are few things in life more fun than dip.

If you're not new here, you won't be surprised by my use of yogurt as the dip base. Creamy, tangy, and fat free!!!!! Which means you can snack on this VIRTUALLY guilt free. I also am trying to encourage Thatboy to eat more yogurt. It's good for your stomach, filled with loads of the good kind of bacteria. Since the yogurt base is so "healthy" I feel justified in adding some cheese to the dip. I'm a big fan of cheese in dips. Aren't you? Add in some veggies and you're good to go. As a side thought - this also makes a great base to toss in more veggies, like broccoli and tomatoes, or even pasta for a nice summer salad.

Italian Dip
16 oz Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp basil, chiffonade

1. Combine yogurt, cheese, onion, garlic, and salt. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Stir in basil.

How I spent my Thanksgiving Vacation

Most of us grownups work year-round. There are no Christmas vacations. There are no summer vacations. There are no "ski weeks." So Thanksgiving is truly a treat because we get not one, but two days off work in which to accomplish everything that has been piling up for weeks. And it couldn't come at a better time, since the holiday season is running at us full force this year. We're already on the fifth night of Chanukkah!

Wednesday: Inspired by a post on Hostess with the Mostess, I made pumpkin mojito cupcakes to bring in to our coworkers.

Both Thatboy and I got off work early so we could sit in horrendous traffic earlier in the day instead of late at night.

Thursday: Thursday was all about tradition. I got up and watched the Macy's Day Parade in my pajamas. Am I the only one who felt it wasn't as good as it usually was? Even the Broadway numbers, which I usually love, were uninspiring. And I honestly didn't recognize about 90% of the singers, which makes me feel incredibly old. After the parade, Thatdad and I would usually hit up the movies, but since he's no longer here to go with I went on a nice long run instead. Then the whole family showed up for drinking, eating, and general good times.

Friday: One of those days with way too many plans. It began with a "high school reunion" brunch. The quotes are because the only person there I went to high school with was the one throwing the brunch. The rest of the people were just his friends. Then Thatboy and I began our holiday shopping. As usual. We don't hit up black Friday like crazy people at dawn. Instead we go in the afternoon, when there are still sales, and the stores are practically empty. I got some new pj bottoms, a coat, and a new camera. You're going to love seeing the fancy new pictures!

We also saw the new Harry Potter movie. The movie was, in general, all that could be expected, but I do thank that it's difficult splitting the book into two movies. And there was about 30 minutes of "rock sitting" that could have been cut from the movie. Thatboy points out there was a lot of rock sitting in the book too, but I don't think the movie would have lost anything by removing it. Heck, I don't think the book would have lost anything either, and I really liked the book

After the movie I met Prez and Fish for shopping, girl talk, and dinner. Fish had just arrived home from India with loads of good stories. We stayed at the restaurant far past Prez and my bedtimes.

Saturday and Sunday was more shopping - but Thatboy and I have officially finished all our holiday shopping. Which is good, since we exchanged presents for Chanukkah with Thatmom, Thatbrother, and UDubb this weekend. We also set up our tree, which means the holiday season is officially upon us.

In honor of the Holiday season, I thought I would share with you a sure fire party pleaser. Because this is the season of holiday parties and "what do I bring-itis." (Almost as contagious as the flu). Next party you're invited to, bring some of this bean dip and watch how quickly you make it on to everyone's "nice" list. You may even find a few extra presents under the tree.

Bacon Bean Dip
4 slices bacon, cooked, cooled, and crumbled
1 can refried beans
4 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Combine beans, cream cheese, and salsa in skillet. Heat until cream cheese melts, stirring occasionally.
2. Pour mixture into bowl and top with cheese and bacon.

Dip-ity Doo Dah

Sunday nights are hard in Thathouse. When we first started spending weekends with Thatmom, we'd head home after dinner on Sunday nights. Which left Thatboy and I up late, trying to get everything together for the upcoming week, and we'd be exhausted on Monday, not fully catching up till mid-week. So we came up with a solution, we'd leave before dinner on Sunday nights.

Of course, this leaves us with a small problem when we get home...what are we going to have for dinner that can be thrown together quickly, and allow us to unpack and get ready for the next day? Which is when having some quick defrost freezer meals comes in handy. Sometimes it's that pizza dough which takes 30 minutes to defrost. Sometimes it's shrimp which can be defrosted in minutes under running water. Sometimes it's the bison burgers which can be cooked from frozen. And sometimes it's some local taquitos which freezer almost as well as that other fabulous Mexican dish - enchiladas.

The frozen taquitos get thrown in the oven to warm up, while I start fishing around for something to dip them in. Last week, we had dinner with Mertile and created a veritable south of the border feast. She made a gorgeous pork with chile verde and I jumped in with a black bean and corn salad. This dip is an easy twist on the black bean and corn salad - which tends not to stick so well to taquitos. But add a little greek yogurt, and voila! Equally as fabulous with chips or veggies.

Mexican Yogurt Dip

1 cup nonfat greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp seasoned salt

1/4 red pepper, diced

1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed

1/4 cup black beans

1 cherry tomato, chopped

1/2 Tbsp diced jalapeno

1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend

1. Combine yogurt, garlic, coriander and seasoned salt.

2. Fold in red pepper, corn, beans, tomato, jalapenos, and cheese.

3. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top.