Spinach Artichoke Dip -- A Pinterest I made it!

Last week, my dear husband took us to Outback.  We don't make it a habit to order appetizers, because after you finish them, you are usually too full to eat your dinner, but we made an exception this time since we were famished.  Blooming Onions are just gross and oily, cheese fries you can get anywhere.  We narrowed it down to flatbread pizza or Spinach Artichoke Dip.  Since we're cheap, we opted for the dip.  Not only did we enjoy it, the kids did too!  So, I went on the hunt for the recipe. 

I can generally find what I'm looking for on the internet.  In fact I have had people contact me to find something for them.  But, alas, I could not locate a recipe for Outback's version of the spinach artichoke dip.  I did however locate one for Houston's version here.

Source: copykat.com via Paulette on Pinterest

If you read my blog and look at any of the recipes, you know that I'm not one for adhering exactly to the recipe, so of course I made some substitutions.  I also did not measure anything, and just eyeballed it.

I made it roughly like this.

• 1 can artichokes (drained)
• 1 (12 ounce) package fresh spinach, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 block softened cream cheese
• 1/3 cup freshly grated sharp provolone cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 small can water chestnuts, chopped

This is what it looked like before I baked it.  I did top it off with some more parmesan before putting it in to cook.  Sorry its not a better picture.  I took it with my cell phone.

I'll have to post the after picture later, since I'm taking this to my parents for dinner tonight. Hubby made pulled pork on the smoker, and we're having all kinds of yummy stuff.  I'm going to see my Godmother who I haven't seen in 15 years!

After baking and tasting, I thought that this needed a bit more garlic.  I only baked a portion of the full recipe, so this is about 1/3 of what it makes.  Here's the picture:

Exercising with Wii

I picked up this game NFL Training Camp for the Wii for $10 at Wal-Mart.   

Developed in collaboration with NFL strength and conditioning coaches, users will experience the thrill of competition while challenging friends and family in authentic NFL football drills with real NFL players. EA SPORTS Active NFL Training Camp with Total Body Tracking uses the included heart rate monitor and wireless motion tracking to provide a challenging workout and help deliver measurable results. It will link to the EA SPORTS Active online hub where users can share training results and challenge others to beat their personal best, as well as track progress toward specific fitness goals. EA SPORTS Active NFL Training Camp brings the real NFL training camp experience right into the living room.

 Since I don't have the time or money to visit the gym on a regular basis, I figured that this would be a great alternative.  I've done the workouts a few times on the easy setting, and it was quite enough!    The online tracker gives some nice information, and I especially like that it keeps track of my heart rate with the tracking system.

Here's a little shot of just one of the online reports.

I love this and it really does get me exercising, which is a huge deal because I've always hated exercising.  It was definitely worth the $10 investment!