Super Bowl XLII

One thing that I LOVE about big sporting events--like the Super Bowl, or the Final Four--is that it gives me the chance to throw a party and plan a fun menu full of sports-fare! Michael and I had a Super Bowl party at his house yesterday and we had quite the spread! Michael is fast becoming the king of Brats--he loves any excuse to throw some on the bar-b-que. Apparently, he is not alone because all the guys that have come over to watch football games in the last few months have also been big fans of the "glorified hot dog", as I sometimes call them. So, while Michael plans his parties around Brats and Bauernwurst, I work on rounding out the menu with lots of chips and dips, finger foods, and desserts. On yesterday's menu were the following:

Brats and Bauernwursts
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Mississippi Sin dip in a bread bowl
Spinach Artichoke dip
Seven Layer Dip (compliments of Lindsey N.)
A wide assortment of chips, pita chips, and crackers
A beautful veggie tray with yummy dip (compliments of Jessica)
Brownies (supplied by Lindsey S. and Jessica)
Peanut Butter Balls

I made my mom's Mississippi Sin dip, and as it always the case, it was a hit and the bread bowl was picked clean! (I'll ask her for permission to publish her recipe.) I also tried a Spinach Artichoke dip for the first time (my normal go-to is Chicken Artichoke dip, but I thought I should mix it up a little bit), and I made Heidi's Peanut Butter Balls. It was a miracle that any of the peanut butter balls actually made it to the party because I had so many little hands sneaking tastes all afternoon! (You know who you are.) I found about a zillion recipes for Spinach Artichoke dip in my search, but the one that I picked was definitely a winner--so much, in fact, that I thought I would share the recipe with all of you.

Here's what you'll need:

1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded mozzarella
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, plus more as needed
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Thaw spinach and squeeze all excess liquid. Place in a food processor with sour cream, Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, the cream cheese, garlic, pepper and hot sauce. (My food processor is boxed up in storage, and you really don't need one for this recipe.) Mix until just blended but still slightly lumpy. Add artichokes and pulse to form a chunky mixture. Place in a 1-quart baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Serve with carrot sticks, celery sticks or tortilla strips.

Note: You can take shortcuts with low fat sour cream, reduced fat cream cheese, etc. I probably wouldn't go for fat-free, though, especially if you plan to serve it to others. ;)

Enjoy!