Hot Spinach Dip

First, so sorry there was not a Feature Friday this past friday! The one planned for last week has been moved to this coming Friday. I'm not sure what happened to last week. One moment it was Monday and I had all kinds of time,  and the next, the week was already over! So, this coming Friday, Jan. 14th, Dee from http://www.deedeesdelights.blogspot.com/ will be sharing a great squash recipe with us, so please come back by for that!

So for this week, do you love that hot spinach and cheese dip you order at your favorite restaurant? Here is a great home version.  I serve mine with organic pita chips from our favorite grocer and a platter of fresh veggies, but you can also serve it with pretzel sticks or bread!

This particular recipe comes from a new cookbook I received called Everyday Food: From the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living--left side bar above-- I like this particular recipe because it uses less cheese than others, making it healthier, yet still tasting absolutely delicious.

HOT SPINACH DIP

Makes 3 cups/prep time 30 minutes/ total time 1 hour

ingredients:

2 tsps olive oil, plus more for baking dish

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 pounds spinach, washed well and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup milk (I use skim)

6 ouces cream chees, cut into pieces, softened (I use light cream cheese)

3 dashes worcestershire sauce

3 dashes hot-[pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

3/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese (3 ounces)

coarse salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a dutch oven, or large pot over medium heat. and onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned, 5-8 min.

2.  Add spinach in two additions, letting the first batch wilt before adding the next; cook until completely wilted, tossing frequently, 5-8 min. Transfer mixture to a colander; drain, pressing to release all excess liquid.

3.  In the same pot, bring milk just to a simmer. Add cream cheese and cook, whisking, until melted about 3 minutes.  Add spinach, Worcestershire sauce, hot-pepper sauce, and 1/4 cup mozarella; stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a lightly oiled 1 1/2 quart baking dish; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup mozarella.

4.  bake until bubbly and cheese is golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Serve hot.

**You can make this recipe--up to step 2, a day or two ahead. let spinach mixture cool, then refrigerate it in an airtight container before proceeding.