BBQ Food!

We had a BBQ/Wii party last night and it was a great opportunity for me to really test my skills. I made a few mistakes but it all turned out fabulously anyway! Everyone said they really enjoyed the food and one person, who says he hates cheesecake, said it was the best cheesecake he ever had (and had two pieces!) lol!

Unfortunately I got too busy and forgot to take pictures off all the wonderful creations.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip
from Good Things Catered

This is the dish I screwed up...but it ended up being so freakin' amazing I will make it again with the new recipe!
Ingredients:
2 (14 oz) cans of premium artichoke hearts
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and ground black pepper
16 oz. baby spinach leaves
1 medium onion, minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 c. mayonnaise
8 oz. cream cheese (1 block), at room temperature
*original recipe calls for 4oz of cream cheese
1 1/2 c. assorted cheeses, grated
(I used parmesan, asiago, and mozzarella because they came pre-shredded and I'm lazy.)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp thyme (the dried/ground kind)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line baking sheet with foil.
-Toss drained artichokes with 1 Tbsp oil, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper.
-Spread out over the baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally. Until browned at the edges, about 25 minutes.
-Let the artichoke cool and chop coarse.
-Meanwhile heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat until just shimmering.
-Sauté spinach until wilted and drain thoroughly and transfer to a bowl.
-Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil to pan and add the onion.
-Cook for until softened, about 5 -7 mins.
-Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds..
-Transfer to bowl with spinach.
-Stir in mayo, cream cheese, cheeses, lemon juice, thyme, and cayenne until uniform.
-Add more cheese as needed! (oink! oink!)
-Gently fold in artichokes
-Transfer mixture to large baking dish and sprinkle with parmesan.
(Here you can cover and refrigerate up to three days if needed)
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Bake dip uncovered until hot throughout and top is golden brown, about 20-25 mins.
-Let cool at least 5 mins before serving.
-Prepare to be exercising all week...you'll want to eat the whole thing!

You can serve this with cut up pieces of sourdough bread, crackers, tortilla chips or (my own invention) Panini chips.

To make the Panini chips, buy a package of panini bread, cut it up into triangles, brush the pieces with olive oil then sprinkle some Kraft parmesan cheese on top. Broil it at about 350 for a few minutes, until the bread starts turning a nice golden brown. I like easy stuff.