Mean Green Spinach Dip

Tidbit about me - I'm in a book club that meets once a month on the 2nd Friday of each month. 

We've named it "Reading Between the Wines" for the wine & cheese that we serve. It's sort of turned into more than just cheese the last couple months, and this month had a dip theme for our munchies. I decided to make a spinach dip, even though I've never made one and didn't really have a good recipe for one. After gathering up a recipe from a friend and some others from searching online, here's the recipe I came up with myself, and I have to say it's the best I've ever had: 

Spinach Dip

1/4 cup butter

2 T. minced garlic

1 block of cream cheese - softened at room temp

1 16 oz. container of sour cream

2 10 oz. packages of frozen chopped spinach - thawed

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (can use less if needed)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (can use less if needed)

Salt and pepper to taste

Few sprinkles of chili powder - to taste

Few sprinkles of garlic salt -to taste

First - melt the butter in a saucepan on med/high heat. Add in the garlic and cook for just a couple minutes on med/high heat. 

Add in the thawed spinach and stir all together on med heat. 

Next, add in the cream cheese and stir until all the chunks are melted. Then stir in the sour cream. 

Stir till smooth, then add in both cheeses. 

Last, I added the spices to taste and stirred till smooth. 

I then dumped everything into a little dip crockpot so I could take it to my book club. If you have more time that I did, you could probably just dump everything in a crockpot to start and let it heat together on low. This recipe does set up quickly if it's not on heat, so either serve right away, or keep in a crockpot on LOW. High heat is too much for this and will make it turn dark and nasty looking. 

I also recommend serving this with Tostitos Extra Thin chips. Those are my fave right now and taste like you're in a restaurant. 

ENJOY!

Firmer Body Please

With the new year comes resolutions, and with resolutions usually comes something to do with losing weight. So far I've kept my resolution of working out on a regular schedule each week. Although I'm noticing a slight (and I mean slight....I hate working out!) change in my body, I still feel the need for some artificial help in the jiggle department.
So that brings me to my first product recommendation: Jergens Skin Firming Lotion. I've used it for about 3 days now and I think I might actually notice a difference. I use it twice a day (right after a shower, when pores are open) and I do feel slightly firmer in some areas. I have yet to find out how long term the effects are, but I hope with regular exercise it will stick. I say for about $5-6 a bottle, it's definitely worth a try if you need a little extra help in that area. It has a nice clean smell and absorbs well. I feel like it moisturizes all day long too - I can feel the sliminess of it when I shower the next time. And as I will probably point out my cheapness a million times on this blog, I almost always go to a manufacturer's website in search of coupons when I know ahead of time I'm going to purchase something. Sounds petty, but when you buy as much crap as I do, it's nice to know I'm saving a little money in the long run. I can't remember the last time I shopped without some sort of coupon!

I'm a Newbie

So, this is actually my 2nd attempt at starting a blog. I'll admit it - I'm terrible at keeping up with things. It's always new and exciting at first, then just becomes something else to do during a busy day. I follow several blogs myself, and always love the idea of being able to share things with other people. I am always trying out new products, recipes, or DIY projects and I figured it's about time I start sharing these things with others. I'll warn you now though, I'm terrible at creative writing and try to just get straight to the point. So if you can look past my monotonous writing skills, you will hopefully see something on here you like.