Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip!

A little bit of warm creamy heaven on a cold winter's day....

1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed
2 pkg 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1 1/2 teas minced garlic
1 can artichokes, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup mayo
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in bowl and spread in a greased baking dish. Bake until top is bubbly and golden brown. Eat with toasted baguette, pita chips, or tortilla chips.

*This recipe makes a good amount for a gathering. Or else, it also tastes just as great reheated!

When Life Gives You Broken Candy Canes..... (Original Post: 12-8-11)

It's that time of year again! For overindulging and sugar highs. Grandma bought the kids three (3!) boxes of candy canes, of which about 1/2 were broken. Of course, I took this as a sign that I must use these in baking, since they were useless for hanging on the tree. I searched high and low and eventually found this wonderful recipe on pinterest, from a site called Your Homebased Mom, modified just a titch. I took Miss G and Jackie along for the ride while our Cash baby slumbered away. All around verdict: we will be making these again.

Candy Cane Cookies:

1 cup butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
6 or 7 drops red food coloring
3 tsp. baking powder
3 1/2 cups flour
semi-sweet choc. chips
crushed candy canes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheet (candy canes will stick otherwise).

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla, and food coloring. Stir in baking powder and flour. Hand stir in desired amount of chocolate chips and crushed candy canes. Roll dough into balls, flatten and press into remaining crushed candy canes. Bake 9 minutes. Enjoy with fresh coffee. Or milk for the littles.