Hot Spinach Dip

I'm very lucky because my best friend not only takes me to amazing concerts, she also makes insanely good cakes.

Case in point: my birthday cake this year!

A red velvet Chanel purse.

Might even be better than the real thing!

This cake is deeeeelicious and it's slowly being devoured in an effort to make it last longer.

Since I love parties and party planning, I came up with some ideas for appetizers.

One is pretty simple and for it you need only 3 ingredients.

Pear & Camembert on Puff Pastry.

The picture doesn't do it enough justice.

I also made a small desert table, knowing there would be a cake and not wanting to have a ton of stuff left over.

Earl Grey tea cookies, banana chocolate chip mini-muffins, and smores-pops.

I also made a hot spinach dip. I had found the recipe while I was lookig for something to serve as an appetizer at the fam-jam but we had so much food we decided to skip it.

Hot Spinach Dip
(Courtesy of Martha Stewart)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large pot heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add in 1 medium onion, diced, 2 cloves of garlic, minced, and cook for about 5-8 minutes until lightly browned.

2. Add 2 pounds of spinach (I used 1 frozen package) and cook until completely wilted (or no longer frozen), about 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a collander and press to release extra water.

3. In the same pot, warm 1/2 cup milk over high heat. Add in 1 pkg cream cheese and whisk until melted, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach back in, along with 3 dashes each of worcestershire sauce and hot sauce, 1/4 cup shredded mozarella (I used marble cheddar), and salt and pepper. Pour into a lightly oiled baking dish and sprinkle the top with 1/2 cup shredder mozarella cheese.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese on top is bubbly and golden brown. Serve with whatever you plan to dip into it.