So truth be told I actually offered to do the appetizers for my friends 40th birthday, but as I was making them, I got to thinking (yes, scary, I know). And I realized that these appetizers were also potentially a trial run for Super Bowl. Did you know that Super Bowl is the 2nd largest food consumption day in the US? Thanksgiving is #1...no big surprise, right? Anyway we are a mere 2 weeks away from the big game and the even bigger eating fest. So here are two appetizers that are easy to make, really tasty and they were a huge hit at the party.




The first one-Olive Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade is by far the easiest appetizer on the face of the planet and it can be made ahead of time, which is always nice when you are entertaining. If you have a food processor or blender, this appetizer will make you happy! It also has great flavor, it is salty from the olives, smooth from the olive oil and has an earthy charred flavor from the sun dried tomatoes. Yum! The recipe is from Giada and it is to be served with endive and radicchio, however I did a combination of endive and baguettes to make it more user friendly.






So in a food processor, combine 24 oz of pitted kalamata olives, that are drained, 3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes that are packed in olive oil and 5T of olive oil.


Process until the mixture is blended but still slightly chunky! Yup that is it! It looks like you spent hours chopping olives, but truth be told, I just didn't.

So moving on to the Spinach Artichoke Dip. This recipe screams Super Bowl and seriously everyone loves gobs of cheese (yes, that is totally a technical kitchen term), artichokes and spinach, especially when it is baked together into a creamy mass of goodness and served with bread! Heaven! This recipe is awesome! It is cheesy, has a hint of spice and well there is green stuff in it, so it has to be good for you, right?

So first of all, cook the spinach and garlic in butter, until it is welted. I swear, every time I cook spinach, it feels like a magic trick, as you go from a large bag of fluffy green leaves, to a handful of green stuff. Wacky! Remove the spinach from the pan and cook the artichoke hearts, removing them after 2 minutes.

Make a roux, so melt 5T of butter and sprinkle in 3T of flour, whisking it continuously until it becomes a paste and then cooking for another minute. Add in the milk and continue to whisk until its smooth. As a side note, I never cook with whole milk, but since this recipe called for it, well I bought it. And I had a glass of leftover milk this morning with my pancakes, it was so good, what a treat!!



Next add the cream cheese, feta, Parmesan and half of the pepper jack cheese. Continue to stir until it is melted. Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.


Fold in the spinach and artichoke, if there is liquid in the veggies you can add that as well, actually helps to thin out the mixture a little bit.


Pour the mixture into a baking dish, sprinkle with remaining pepper jack cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Voila!


Here is the actual recipe:

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons Butter
4 Tablespoons Garlic, Minced
1 bag Spinach
Salt And Pepper, to taste
2 cans Artichoke Hearts, Rinsed And Drained
3 Tablespoons Butter (additional)
3 Tablespoons Flour
1-1/2 cup Whole Milk (more If Needed)
1 package (8 Ounce) Softened Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Crumbled Feta
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
3/4 cups Grated Pepper Jack Cheese
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
Extra Grated Pepper Jack
Pita Wedges, Tortilla Chips, Crackers

Preparation Instructions
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Crank up the heat a bit and throw in the spinach. Stir around and cook for a couple of minutes until the spinach wilts. Remove the spinach from the skillet and put it in a small strainer. Squeeze the excess juice back into the skillet. Set the spinach aside.
Throw in the artichokes and cook over medium high heat for several minutes, until liquid is cooked off and artichokes start to get a little color. Remove the artichokes.
In the same skillet or a different pot, melt 3 additional tablespoons of butter and whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour until it makes a paste. Cook over medium-low heat for a minute or two, then pour in milk. Stir and cook until slightly thickened; splash in more milk if needed.
Add cream cheese, feta, Parmesan, pepper jack, and cayenne and stir until cheese are melted and sauce is smooth. Chop artichokes and spinach and add to the sauce. Stir to combine.
Pour into buttered baking dish. Top with extra grated pepper jack and bake at 375 for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve with pita wedges, chips, or crackers!

And because today is MLK, thought you would all love to know that Martin Luther King had a few favorite foods, including but not limited to fried chicken, cornbread, collard greens and black eyed peas.  Hmmm, this sounds like a good excuse to cook...heading to the grocery store...cheers!!