The Pioneer Woman Cooks (10 page)

Country kids are tough kids. Don’t mess with them, or they’ll crush you.

Aww…just kidding. They’re nothin’ but a bunch of fun-loving teddy bears! (Unless they’re hungry. Then LOOK OUT.)

HOT ARTICHOKE DIP

Makes 4 cups

Mmmm. When you arrive, ravenous and cranky, at someone’s house for dinner, there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a nice, inviting dish of hot artichoke dip. It really does a hungry—and cranky—body good.

I like to whip up a somewhat smooth base of mayonnaise, cream cheese, cayenne pepper, green onions, Parmesan, and artichokes, then go back and add larger chunks of artichokes at the end. This results in a hearty, textured, and more interesting dip. While some versions call for adding eggs to the mix, I find this interferes with the creamy quality and can sometimes result in a poufy soufflé-type texture. Who needs that?

Two 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts, drainedOne 8-ounce block cream cheese1 cup real mayonnaise Cayenne pepper2 green onions, chopped1 cup grated Parmesan cheeseDash of saltFreshly ground black pepper

1. To begin, preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Add one can of the artichokes, the cream cheese, and the mayonnaise to the bowl of a food processor. (If you don’t have a food processor, do smaller batches in the blender, or simply chop and stir together.)

2. Sprinkle in cayenne pepper to taste. I like my artichoke dip spicy, but consider the tongues of your guests. Add the green onions to the bowl as well.

3. Pulse the mixture 6 or 7 times. You don’t want to liquefy it; just get the artichokes all chopped up and mixed with the other ingredients.

Mix in the Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.

4. Now, roughly chop the artichokes from the remaining can. Get them down to bite-size pieces so Artie won’t choke.

5. Add the artichoke pieces to the dip and stir together gently.

6. Pour the mixture into an oven-safe dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until heated through and bubbly. Serve with blue tortilla chips, crackers, or white button mushrooms. Or a spoon.

HELPFUL HINT: If you have any artichoke dip left the next day, use it as a sandwich or panini spread. Delicious!

OUR COWGIRL

Her default state is serious.

She’s always analytical and deliberate.

But she enjoys her work.

And more than anything, she loves being a cowgirl.