Food I Love: Spinach Artichoke Dip

This might become a new feature here on my blog because I love food and I love cooking!

I hosted Thanksgiving this year (I know, it's past Christmas and here I am talking about Thanksgiving!) and had everything prepared, but I wanted something for an appetizer. I then thought about all the times I had had spinach artichoke dip with my family and how much we all enjoyed it. So I searched for a recipe and found a great one! (Sorry it's the mobile version of the page...I found it while I was on my cell phone).

My husband then had a company potluck and needed something to bring. My first thought was this artichoke dip! It was quick and easy to make and he could easily bring it to work and heat it up in the smaller crock pot we have!

I started making the dip, but it wasn't till after I was done that I thought of sharing this. So I don't have many process photos, but I thought I'd share the ones I did get!



It all started with this photo. I know I'm weird, but I thought the empty food processor looked really pretty (cool?) with the swirls of white speckled with green!

One of the great things about this recipe is that it is so easy to make! The ingredients are very easy to find as well. You mix in all of the ingredients except for the artichoke hearts in the food processor. After you get that mixed together, you add the artichoke hearts and mix it just enough so that the dip is just slightly chunky. The recipe says to heat the dip in the oven, but we use our smaller crock pot and that works just as well!



The only thing I changed from the first time I made it was to skip the top layer of mozzarella. It might taste different if you bake it in the oven, but when we heated it in the crock pot, I think it took away the flavor of the dip. I'm so glad I made that change because it tasted so much better the second time around!



Oh man...after writing about this, I'm craving it! I might have to make it again real soon! I highly recommend this recipe and I know it'll be a big hit with whoever you make it for!

My Minnesota Story

AKA: My Minnesnowta Story!

First of all, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while...I just haven't had anything that I've really wanted to write a post about. That all changed yesterday!

If you haven't heard already, the Twin Cities area got up to 21.5 inches of snow this past weekend (December 10th and 11th)! My family and I were not in the cities for this event as we were celebrating an early Christmas at my parent's home in Northern Wisconsin. We only got around 1-4 inches of snow up north and didn't really expect to have any troubles getting home. The snow had ended Saturday night and we knew the MNDOT crews would be working hard to keep the interstates relatively clean.



The drive went very well. We only saw one car in the ditch and one site where a car smashed into some guardrails between my parent's home and where Interstate 35 splits into 35E and 35W. It was south of that split on 35E that we started to notice a real increase of snow on the ground. Then we saw a pickup truck buried in the ditch. Then we saw a semi-truck that had gone off the road as they were exiting. It was very odd to see! We were almost home when we saw two cars buried up to their roofs in the ditch!

We exited the highway and as expected, the city streets were plowed, but not that well. It was very understandable...it was a big storm with a lot of streets to plow! As we pulled into our neighborhood, we saw that they were working on plowing our driveways, but they were pretty far from our house! We got to our driveway and it was no where near plowed! We were debating about going to see a movie when we got home so decided to go out to lunch and a movie to give them time to plow our driveway. We didn't even try to pull into our driveway with the Jeep and were even worried if the Jeep would be able to make it! We wanted to unload the car before we went to our movie so we went about tromping through the snow (which was up to our knees!) from our Jeep on the street to our garage.



We had a wonderful lunch at our local Majors (where we saw the amazing footage of the Metrodome (Mall of America Field) roof collapsing!) and headed right next door to see our movie. With maybe 30 minutes left in the movie, the film stopped and the emergency lights went on! Somehow, our movie theater lost power! Thankfully, they gave us re-admit passes so we can go back to watch the rest of the movie soon.

By that time, we just really wanted to be home, but were doubtful that they had gotten around to plowing our driveway. Sadly, we were right...they hadn't plowed our driveway yet. We then debated about what we wanted to do. I thought we could shovel a bit of the snow to give the Jeep a bit more clearance and then drive right into the garage. I think my husband could tell how bound and determined I was to get home, so he decided to go with my plan. We started shoveling, but know it was going to take a while (and the windchill was bitterly cold!). So my husband decided to give it a go with the Jeep to see if we could flatten the snow a bit so we could get the car into the garage. Well, it took a few tries, but the Jeep plowed right through the snow and we were officially home!

I'm sure there were many more harrowing tales from this great storm, but I thought I'd share my story since it surely turned into much more of an eventful day than we expected! Now I'm looking forward to playing in all of this new snow!!!

P.S. I put together a set of my early Christmas on Flickr.

Seeing New Sights: Minnehaha Falls

I count myself very, VERY lucky that I grew up with a parent who worked for the airlines. Because of that, I have been to many wonderful locations all around the world! However, when I think about some of the great sites here in Minnesota, I realize that I haven't seen some of the big ones. Not that I'm complaining because I have seen so many great things in my life!

One of those sites is the Minnehaha Falls. A few weekends ago, I actually had some time off and the weather was beautiful so I wanted to get out and explore something! We were going to go to Interstate State Park, but didn't want to drive that far (I know...it's not THAT far, but we wanted to stay just a bit closer to home). My brother-in-law then told my husband that they had just gone to see the Minnehaha Falls and enjoyed it. So that's where we decided to go!

We got there earlier in the morning and found a parking spot. Neither my husband or I had ever been to the falls, so we didn't know where to park or where the falls were! So we asked someone and told us that it was a couple of miles to our north! Well instead of getting into the car and driving to a closer parking spot, we decided to walk. It was nice to see all the fall colors and to enjoy the beautiful weather, but our legs were sore by the end of the trip!



Along our way, we were able to see one of the first few locks in the lock and dam system on the Mississippi. This one is Lock and Dam No. 1, or the Ford Dam (there's some pretty interesting information on Wikipedia if you're interested).



We also passed by the entrance to the Minnesota Veterans Home. They have a beautiful entrance with a bridge over the Mississippi River!

We finally got to the entrance to the falls!



You then take a staircase down to the river which zigzags down to the bottom of the falls. This picture



is the first sight of the falls we got. You then get to a little bridge which gives you another great sight of the falls like this one:



We then walked up the other side of the falls which brings you to another portion of the park that has a restaurant (we didn't try it this time, but it sounds great!) and a wide open public space (where lots of kids were playing in the leaves!). We decided to check that out some other time and walked over to a bridge at the very top of the falls. It lead to even more interesting view of the falls like this



We were running out of time on the meter so we headed back to our car. On the way, we found the John H. Stevens house. It was closed when we were there, so we didn't get a chance to explore it.



I hope to go back during the winter. I've seen some amazing pictures of the falls during the winter and would love to get some shots of the falls partly frozen (if possible!). So bring on the cold/snow! Also, make sure to check out my Minnehaha Falls set on my Flickr page for a few more shots I took while at the falls.

Fall Means: Sever's Corn Maze!

I was thinking about how much I do really love Fall, but then I got to thinking, I just really love all the seasons! Every season has something that I absolutely love! When Fall comes around, I love the cooler weather that we start to get here in Minnesota! No more 90 degree days with 70 degree dewpoints! We can turn off the air conditioner and open the windows! I also love the changing of the leaves and all the fresh apples!

Another thing I love about Fall is a relatively new tradition for my sister and me: the Sever's Corn Maze!





My sister and I first went to the corn maze in 2006 and had a great time! I think we meant to go again the year after that, but time and/or other situations got in the way. The one day, my sister brought up the idea of going again! I had such a fun time the last time I was there, so I was very excited to go again!

There's a new theme to the corn maze every year and this year the theme was the Minnesota Vikings!





There's a lot of stuff to see and do at the Sever's Corn Maze. Not only is there the corn maze itself, but they have a smaller maze made of hay bales. They also have a pet zoo, a good amount of food, and a pit filled with corn kernels! It feels so good to walk on the corn kernels and to lay down in it! There are also a bunch of other activities listed on their website.

When you're ready for the maze, you pick up a pencil and a map. There are signs posted through the maze and if you locate certain signs, you can be entered into a drawing for some prizes.





It was a lot harder this year than my sister and I remember! But we finally got the hang of things and did pretty well. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time left, so we didn't get through the whole maze.





I had an absolute blast with my sister at the corn maze and highly recommend it! There were a lot of families with young children so it is a fun time for all ages! One group that we seemed to keep running into had the cutest kids! They would get so excited when they found the signs they were looking for! I guess I never really realized how good of an activity it is for kids especially. I think it's a fun way for them to learn not only the alphabet, but directions and decision making. The maze is located in Shakopee, MN and is open every Saturday and Sunday through October 31st (make sure to check out their website for directions and a $1 off admission discount). If you go, I hope you have as much fun as my sister and I did!





..and Skol Vikings!

Who wants brownies!?!? :D

Beyond the reasons I listed in my Getting to know me post, this was another reason for starting a blog: my review of the gluten-free Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies from the new cookbook Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef!

I've only been reading the blog Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef for a few months, but I have enjoyed every single post since I started reading it!  When I heard that the author Shauna was giving out free recipes from her new cookbook, I jumped at the chance!  The only thing was she wanted us to share our experience in making the recipes, and I didn't really have a good medium to share my experience in.  I have Flickr, but I wanted to write a bunch, so I started this blog.

But again, I digress.  I made the gluten-free Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies and my review is this: they are wonderful!!!  Now I could end there, but that wouldn't make a very good post now would it?

What I liked first and foremost about this recipe is that most of the ingredients are easy to find.  I only had to go to my gluten-free store for three items.  Then I started the actual process of making the batter, and it turned out to be easier than I expected!



After mixing all the ingredients, I tasted the batter.  It was amazing!  It was rich, but not overly so.  I could have eaten just the batter alone!  But it didn't have the peanut butter in it yet and that was what I was most excited for!

The smells that came from these brownies while they were in the oven were great!  I couldn't wait for them to finish!  They came out of the oven looking amazing and I just couldn't wait for them to cool to try them!  I had my eye on one particular piece that had a big swirl of peanut butter in the corner!

I cut them up and noticed how light and fluffy they were, which is a big deal for gluten free items!  I took a bite and just as I suspected, they were wonderful!  Think of a Reese's peanut butter cup in brownie form.  I had a few of my non gluten-free friends try them and they agreed that they were very good.  They did say that it was missing something that "normal" brownies have, but it wouldn't stop them from eating them again.  I, on the other hand, couldn't tell a difference at all!



So, in a nutshell, the recipe is very easy to make and the brownies are delicious!  If you are interested in the cookbook, which looks to have plenty more awesome gluten-free recipes, you can find it here on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Girl-Shauna-James-Ahern/dp/0470419717

or here on Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Gluten-Free-Girl-and-the-Chef/Shauna-James-Ahern/e/9780470419717

Ode to Chili

When I was editing the pictures you see in this post, my husband called me a nerd!  It's true...I am a nerd...and proud of it!  So here is my first "nerd" post I guess!

It has been getting pretty chilly in Minnesota lately!  Of course, what I call chilly now will be down right warm in a few months!  But I digress.  Since it is getting chilly around here, that means a few different things: Fall is coming, football season has begun, and it's time for chili!!!  Chili has been a staple dish in my family for as long as I can remember and we would usually have it on Sunday nights while we watched the Vikings play football.  I have a lot of good memories of fun times with friends and family with chili as the meal.

So we bought a few pounds of hamburger one day and were trying to figure out what different meals we could make with it.  I remembered seeing a coworker having some homemade chili at work one night and I knew that I wanted to make some chili as well.  So we decided to start the chili the morning after one of my overnight shifts.  It was perfect since I could throw all the ingredients together and let it cook while I slept.  So I started out by browning the beef with the onion and green and orange peppers.



Once the beef was cooked, I drained the fat and tossed it all in the crock pot.  I then added kidney and black beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and a packet of chili seasoning.



I stirred it all together, put the top on, and went up to bed!  I swear, within about 15 minutes of cook time, the wonderful smell of chili was filling the house!  I woke up a couple of times during the day and the smell of chili greeted me every time!  If I wasn't so tired, I probably would've eaten right then and there!  I finally woke up for good, but there was one more thing to make before I could have my chili: rice!  It seems like every one has a different way they eat chili.  One of my friends eats chili with a piece of bread with grape jelly on it!  My family eats chili with rice mixed in and it is amazing!

Once the rice was cooked, I piled some chili on top of my bed of rice, sprinkled on some cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and some tortilla chips (for just a bit of crunch).



It was delicious!  I know chili is a simple meal, but it's one I really enjoy making and enjoy eating even more!

Getting to know me...

I'm guessing that most of the people currently reading this blog are my friends and family, but for those of you who don't know me, I thought I'd introduce myself.

As the title of this blog site says, I am Janet Archibald and I live in the beautiful state of Minnesota in the Twin Cities area.  I've lived here all my life and love every minute of it (especially right now as I'm writing this.  It's currently 59 degrees Fahrenheit with a slight, crisp breeze!)!  I am a meteorologist so I may talk about weather from time to time here.  I am married, but no kids as of yet.  I have really gotten into photography lately, but I have loved it from a young age.  My Papa (Grandfather) was a wonderful photographer and would always have a camera with him.  I guess his interest has passed onto me.  Unfortunately, he has passed away.  I always wonder what he would think about all these digital cameras and Photoshop!  I would've loved to have talked to him about photography and any tips or tricks he might have for me.  Growing up, my family and I would always take pictures of different events and vacations.  My dad's favorite line recently has been that he has to "document this"!  I have gotten some great tips and advice (and equipment!) from my friends and family so I want to say a big thank you to them for helping me evolve my photography skills!  I also love to travel, but with the way the economy and finances are, I tend not to take many big trips like I used to with my family.  I'm also a big fan of television and movies so I may talk about those on this blog as well.

My vision for this blog is to keep in touch with my friends and family and to showcase my interests, mainly through photography.  I have thought about turning my interest in photography into a side business, so I plan to post any photo shoots I may do in the future here as well.  Of course my vision may change as time goes on.  I'm sure the look of this blog will also change over time, but I have to teach myself the coding language so it may take some time!

I think that is about it for now.  I have a few blog posts already planned, but I have to wait for specific dates to do them.  They should be coming within the next few days though!  So thank you for visiting, I hope you enjoyed this little blog, and please come back again!

Hello world!

Gotta love the "Hello World" first posting.  Well, hello and welcome to my little blog.  I figured it was time I start taking this blogging thing seriously for a few different reasons that will become obvious here soon.  Bear with me as I learn how to edit and customize this thing.  Thanks for visiting and enjoy!