Friday afternoon was fairly busy with kid events:  a Girl Scout meeting and playdate for our 10 year old, a middle school dance and sleepover for our almost 12 year old.  Between all of the drop-offs and pick-ups, we decided to wait until after the dance drop-off for our dinner.  With only the adults eating at that point, we decided to indulge in some red wine and finger foods.

To create our dinner menu we focused on ingredients that don’t appeal to the children.  However, we didn’t need to make a lot of food, as we were cooking only for two.  We made sausage-stuffed mushrooms, which were good but will need some tinkering before I share the recipe.  Our other appetizer was Artichoke-Spinach Dip, a recipe given to me by my longtime friend Kerryann.

The dip is quite simple to make but has been vastly popular with family and friends.

Artichoke-Spinach Dip

1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 12 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and chopped

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Place in an 8 x 8 baking pan.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Serve warm with crackers or tortilla chips.