Spinach and Artichoke Dip

My nieces’s birthday is coming up.  Just about every year around this time, I ask my brother what size she is, and every year, he is stumped for an answer.

“I think she might be an 8?  maybe a 7?  Or a small.  Or extra-small. Medium?”

I blame myself.  I should know better by now.  But it reminds me of when I used to work at Sears while I was in collage.

Every December 23rd  and 24th,  there would be a parade of men through the department looking to buy clothing for their wives/girlfriends/woman in their life.

“What size do you need?” we would all ask the guys, who looked like they’d rather be anywhere on the planet except where they were at the moment.  You could almost see the longing in their eyes as they gazed  across the aisle to the records and videos and stereo systems and TVs  (this was an era long, long ago and far, far away  when you had to leave your house, get in the car, go to an actual store, pick out something that was actually on a shelf or rack, pay in cash or maybe a credit card, and you couldn’t text, call or google to figure out if you were getting the right thing or not– and it was uphill, both ways…and snowing…6 feet…at least)  Sometimes, a single tear escaped, running down their cheek in a sad, little trail.

“Um, she’s about your size,” they’d mumble and, grabbing the bag at checkout, make a dash for the door like they were trying to set the world record for fastest land mammal.

And then every December 26th, 27th and 28th, the wives/girlfriends/women in their lives  who were all “my size” appeared in the store to make returns and exchanges.  They ranged in size from probably 4’11” to 5’9″ and weighed anywhere from 80lbs to 180lbs.

So, yeah.  Basically I will not be taking my brother’s word with regard to size and I will be calling my SIL.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup water
• 3-4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 5 oz package of baby spinach
• 1 (11 oz) can of artichoke hearts, packed in water
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan, plus more for topping
• 1-2 Tablespoons almond milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  In a large pan, sauté the onions in the water with a sprinkle of salt till softened, stirring frequently.
2. Add the spinach and garlic and stir constantly till the spinach is cooked and the garlic is fragrant (about 1-2 minutes). Make sure all the garlic doesn’t go to the bottom and burn.
3. Set aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, drain the artichoke hearts and squeeze out all of the water.
5. Place the artichokes, sour cream, and parmesan in a blender and blend till smooth and creamy, adding the almond milk 1 Tablespoon at a time if needed to keep the mixture from being too thick.
6. Add the artichokes to the spinach and stir to combine.  Place the mixture in an oven-proof dish and top with a sprinkle of additional parmesan. Bake 20-30 minutes till the parmesan is golden and the mixture is bubbling around the edges.

Enjoy!