Saturday, January 24, 2009

That Football Thingy

















Ya know that upcoming Football Thingy? What is it? The Uber Bowl? The Pooper Bowl? AH! THE SUPER BOWL! That's it. Just super.


Well the thing is, the REAL thing of it - is that the Super Bowl always falls on my birthday weekend! How rude is that? Does the NFL just not care about the day I was born? I feel so insignificant - like a pea without a pod, a grain of sand without an hourglass, a pickle without a pregnancy, a Viagra email without a spam destination, a fax minus its cover sheet, a bank with no bailout money, a Cheney with no one to shoot at. STOP ME. Shut up self. Wow that was fun.

Anyway, LAST YEAR for my birthday we were thinking where-oh-where shall we go for this VERY significant day of my birth? Well, nowhere, Miss Coversheetless Fax, because the Super Bowl was right here in Phoenix. That's right! You want a flight in or out of Phoenix? Well good luck with your inner-private-jet because that's as close to the jet stream you're going to get! Uh huh. And noooo you can't go to Vegas because everyone there is there for the Superbowl too - so just forget it!

So THIS YEAR, we were again talking about where to go, what to do, and again, Vegas comes up because it's so very close - an hour's flight away. But alas, it seems there are no deals in Sin City over the BIG weekend. Do you now see my suffering? It's a first-world problem, I know, but still.

All I have to say is, it's a good thing I'm not big on celebrations - that I'm actually really low key about my birthday. You didn't pick up on that? Oh yeah. In reality, I'm just ho-hum about almost all traditional celebrations, but especially ones that are focused on me. I think it's others who feel like they have to make the day special. But really, a simple card will do. I'm easy that way.

This year, however, there will be a little twist to the weekend - Arizona is IN the Super Bowl! For the first time in, like, a thousand years! I think the last time they went, pterodactyls were still roaming the Mother Ship. This is what I hear. I'm not a big sportician, but I actually saw the playoff game and enjoyed it! What le heck? Who am I? It was a roller coaster though - a few times I thought I was going to blow a capillary and it was touch and go.

So I don't know...I'm kind of looking forward to the game next weekend. Who said that? I said that. If I was already in a grave - I'd be rolling over in it right now. But I'm not, so I can't. And that's a good thing actually because I don't like eating dirt. Instead, I'd rather eat this dip....

It is a real departure for this blog, but I'm going to post a NON-DESSERT recipe. I know, right! My grains of sugar are organizing a mutiny as we speak - the flour is going to throw itself at my faux-fur. It's a shocker. But for this upcoming chip-and-dip weekend...I give you this anomaly....


















Mexican Artichoke Dip


I used to make this dip about 10 years ago, but had forgotten all about it until my sister recently asked me for the recipe. Since December, I've been making it again and - WOW - why did I ever stop making it? We like it with tortilla chips; and honestly, we've been "liking it" about every single weekend since I rediscovered it. So, I should actually say we love it. We can't get enough of it right now. It's a rather healthy little dip, and it's low fat and all - but with the quantities we're consuming, I'm just not sure it's healthy at all, but there you have it. Even better? It could not be easier to throw together.

1 c. light mayo (or, fat free)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 c. soft breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 cans (14 oz. each) artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine mayo, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire, hot pepper sauce and garlic powder. Gently fold in artichokes and green chilies. Spoon mixture into a casserole dish (or any oven-proof dish) coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, pita wedges, melba rounds, or veggies. Makes about 4 cups. ENJOY!

36 comments:

  1. Yeah, forget the football thingy, but I'm all over the artichoke dip! Yummers! And who knows, I might even watch the game now that I know AZ is in it. (thanks for le heads-up from a fellow non-sportician!)

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  2. Yeah, now that you've got Kurt Warner out there. (He DID take St. Louis to the 'Bowl a coupla times.)

    I have hated the Cardinals since they left St. Louis (after rooting for them a good chunk of my life) but I hate even more the bum deal Kurt got from the Rams. Go PHOENIX!

    And this damn dip seals the deal. Gotta have some.

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  3. Girl, you totally crack me up! Where does all that sassy humor come from? Too funny! And thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this recipe. Now I know what I'm making for my husband's relatives when they come to HIS Super Bowl party. I, on the other hand, will be watching The Story of India on PBS, and if you want to see my eyes glaze over and drool coming out of the sides of my mouth, try to talk to me about sports.

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  4. A non-dessert recipe! You're right, a shocker.

    This killed me: "a Cheney with no one to shoot at". Spit my coffee out.

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  5. ok we need to get in touch with the NFL, AFL, ABC, whatever and change the date. I would not be happy either with my b-day then.
    I must be spoiled on my b-day and hubby would be so conflicted if it happened on superbowl weekend. I hate football, on that I would rather be tanning or something that involves spoiling me.
    I think you are so funny!

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  6. I am sooooooo cheering for the Cards! Larry Fitzgerald is a god, AND he's from my home town of Richfield, MN. Well, sort of.

    Plus, Kurt Warner is HOT.

    Happy B-day, fellow Aquarian!

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  7. Wow, is it really next weekend? I always have to work and we don't really watch sports so I lose track. Hope you have a nice low-key birthday!

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  8. I love spincach artichoke dip, so this is a must try.

    Thank you for this morning entertainment, Miss Coversheetless Fax. You crack me up.

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  9. In trying to show my deep appreciation for ...cajoling *cough, cough*begging*cougb* you to post something Super Bowly that *I* could make, I thought it would be nice to post my thanks in French. So I went to Babelfish and typed in "Thank you very much Ann!" which translated to "Merci vraiment Ann!", which translated BACK, read, "Thank you really Anarchist!"

    I'm not using Babelfish anymore.

    Now goes raise some hell on your birthday...anarchist. ; ))

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  10. Oh, that really is bull that your birthday falls on the same weekend. Maybe you can unplug the TV and pretend there's a black-out!

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  11. I am SO making that dip. Yum.

    I watched the playoff game last weekend, too - the whole thing, and thought it was great. And Kurt Warner? I have such a crush on him . Also yum.

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  12. enjoy the game, enjoy your birthday, and devour some dip for me. after all, football is only worth watching if food is involved. :)

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  13. So, so nice to hear your voice again on the intertube wilderness. Read your words. You know what I mean.

    I recently discovered Trader Joe's Organic White Corn Tortilla Chips... they are PERFECT, just the right amount of salt, good flavor, inexpensive, organic, no hydrogeinteresifiedhighfructosebrominated oil stuff. I cannot wait to pair these perfect chips with your perfect dip. Your perfect dip. Tee-hee, that sounds naughty!

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  14. Oh man this looks absolutely delicious! I will be making this soon

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  15. Hey, happy birthday! If my birthday coincided with a major sporting event thus rendering all celebrations I'd be throwing things but you are being very cool. The dip sounds delicious...very American. And of course it's healthy - it has vegetables *and* lite mayo in it.

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  16. I see the words Mexican and artichoke in the same recipe. This must be heaven!

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  17. You should come and celebrate your b'day in Portugal. Nobody really cares about the Super Bowl here!

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  18. gosh i love artichokes so much, you don't understand how painful it is to look at that dip and not be able to taste it! loving it. :) my blog was supposed to be focused on just baked sweeties initially but i find branching out into savoury foods and dishes pretty exciting as well - and also, it helps me stay away from sugar. I don't wanna be
    OD-ing on sugar, getting too way too chirpy from it and piling on the pounds. eeek! xx

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  19. Girl, you could make a bowl of pretzels look good! Will you PLEASE come cook for me...forever?


    :)

    You rock. That's that.

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  20. I feel your pain. Since when did football become more important than your birthday - and who wants to be in Vegas with a bunch of football fans - they're nuts anyways. BUT...since you must share your special day, you might as well eat your way through it and throw in some champagne for a real celebration.
    Happy Happy!!!

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  21. Happy Birthday ANN! I am so making this dip on Sunday! Enjoy the Superbowl!

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  22. Many Happy Returns for your birthday Ann!
    Your dips looks delicious, hope you have a fabulous day. We're rootin' for Az too and will stay up till the early hours watching it (even though I don't get it, it's more complex than cricket which is ghastly.)

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  23. Did a trial run of this last night with the intention of making it again Sunday if it was a hit. It was gone in twenty minutes. Made it again today for a basketball brunch and again, gone before I knew it. Making a double batch for the big game tomm (Go Kurt). Thanks for the fantastic recipe.

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  24. Happy Birthday Chicky!

    That dip looks great. I'm making it now even though the game is over. And it is late. And I'm full.

    Birthdays are overrated. All I ever ask for is to be left alone so I can
    a) take a crap w/out interruption
    b) take a shower longer than 2 min
    c) eat w/out sharing
    d) enjoy any drugs I may have squirreled away over the year (what?! LEGAL of course)

    But that is just me. Little ole me sitting out here on the edge enjoying this wonderful dip I just found on a kick-ass blog.

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  25. Happy birthday!

    Sorry they lost : (

    Seahawks were in the SB a few years back for like the first time evAr and lost too.
    I don't follow football at all really, but it still stings a teensy bit.

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  26. Where did my comment go? Did the comment gods come by and snatch up my finest work yet? Inquiring minds want to know.

    Anyway, darling -- happy birthday! I share my birthday with Thanksgiving. Okay, so not Thursday every year -- but close enough to it that no one can come over, the airports are a nightmare, and the only thing anyone ever wants to eat is turkey. Why oh why must we share our birthdays with "events"?

    Blessings, hugs, and love,
    Lacy

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  27. What a DELIGHTFUL looking recipe, I will definately have to try this one out, thank-you!!

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  28. That Mexican Artichoke Dip sure sounds good. I’ll have to try it.

    I love fish tacos. Maybe they’d be good together?

    Taco Fish La Paz in Guadalajara, Mexico has a stand on Avenida La Paz in Guadalajara sounds like ‘Taco Nirvana’.

    My experience in Mexico is that some of the best places to eat are those that are off the beaten path that the locals frequent.

    I’ve been looking for good places to eat in Guadalajara and Taco Fish La Paz in Guadalajara sounds like just the place.

    Fortunately, I live in Ajijic, Jalisco so the trip is a short one.

    My mouth is watering,

    Gracias!

    Joe Chapala
    Casa Preciosa Ajijic, Mexico

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