Artichoke Dip

Excuse the poor picture.  This was a little hard to capture the goodness of the dip.  It really is delicious!

 Joe and I LOVE artichoke dip.  I made it for our Valentines Dinner.  We could did eat it all up ourselves!  We found the best one at the restaurant, The Garden.  The recipe I am going to share is a great comparison.  I got it from a trainer at work and I just can't get enough of it!

Ingredients:

1 8-oz package cream cheese

1 package shredded Parmesan cheese

1-2 cans of artichoke hearts (non-marinated)

Red pepper flakes

Garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop up artichoke hearts very finely.  I like to use a food processor.  Put the artichoke hearts and cream cheese in a glass bowl and microwave for 3-5 minutes.  You don't need to mix it together before putting it in the microwave.  Add cheese and spices.  When I add the spices, I basically just sprinkle each one of the spices on top, but you can season it to your own tasting.  Cook another 3-5 minutes, or bake in the oven for 15 mintues at 350 degrees for a crunchy texture.  Serve hot with Frito scoops, or tortilla chips. YUM!  YUM!

Enjoy!