spinach and artichoke cups

Howdy y’all!

In honor of the beginning of football season {cue the feet-up-on-the-sofa restful extravaganza of worthlessness on Saturdays} we wanted to share a little foodie love with you guys for one of our very favorite treats: Spinach and Artichoke dip… in a cup.

Dip in a {bread} cup is the equivalent to meat on a stick. It’s just better that way.

And it’s slap yo mama good, y’all.

We made some recently to try out the recipe, and nearly ate ourselves into an oblivion decided to up the ante, by making them super easy for others to enjoy. From baby and bridal showers to Sunday night football… this is your new go to dish.

No. Really. Trust us.

First things first: we took our idea and decided to try it two ways. Please note: if you’re traveling to a tailgating kind of event, you could even use little mini muffin cups, for easier bite sized treats.

Choose the ingredients of your choice- Option 1: Freezer dumplings layered in a muffin cup: This gave it a crispier, tear-the-cup-apart-and-dip-in-as-you-eat-it tastiness… or Option 2: Canned croissants {we love the Pillsbury brand for our element of choice – and this one is our favorite. See: You will die of food happiness.}. Just mash both neatly into the bottom, and cook them on 350 for about seven minutes. {Watch these carefully because they spread thin, and will cook fast}

While those are baking, here’s what the fun dip recipe calls for:

• 1 cup chopped spinach • 1 1/2 cups artichoke hearts • 6 ounces cream cheese • 1/4 cup sour cream • 1/4 cup mayo {you could do greek yogurt here as well} • 1/3 cup parmesan • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Boil the spinach and artichokes in 1 cup of water until tender and drain. Discard the liquid.  Heat cream cheese for one minute or until hot and soft, and stir in the rest of the ingredients, and serve hot.

When these were done, we simply filled them with the spinach and artichoke mixture…

And then topped them off with a little mozzarella.

And toasted them to melt the cheese for no more than a minute. {This will depend on your oven so keep an eye out!}

Garnish with a tomato, and wah lah!

No really. I think I gained five pounds today. I mean, someone needed to be the taste tester, right? Occupational hazards and other various whatnots.

Serve it up to all your friends, and then enjoy their reaction. You are the food god of saturday tailgating, and they are putty in your hands. Wait until they taste it to ask for big favors. Like helping you move and/or watching your kids while you go to tahiti on a much needed three-month stint. {Can you tell we started school this week?}

Have an inspired day, y’all… and as always, let us know if you try it!