Ladies reunited!

   Yes, yes, yes... all the ladies are back, at least for a few hours! After so many months of separation we had the whole crew back together last night for our "ladies-night-in". We actually gained one more girl for the evening, maybe not a "real girl" in a physiological sense, but he fit right in!  What a fun night! As one of the appetizers we had a warm artichoke and turkey bacon dip, with lots of different cheeses, chunks of artichoke and pieces of crispy bacon. Served with toasted baguette slices... the perfect appetizer.

Ingredients:

*  16oz cream cheese, room temp.
*  1 cup sour cream
*  1/2 cup mayonaise
*  1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
*  10 slices of turkey bacon
*  1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
*  2 cups mixed shredded cheese (mozzarella, Asiago, Parmesan)
*  salt and pepper

*  French baguette, sliced and toasted

Directions:

1. Chop turkey bacon into small pieces and saute in a pan for 6-7 minutes until crisp, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, reserving 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
3. Mix everything until combined making sure that there are no lumps of cream cheese. Add bacon, mix together and transfer into a greased baking dish.
4. Top everything with remaining shredded cheese and bake at 360F for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.
5. Serve with toasted baguette slices. 

   I think the dip was a huge success. Creamy, gooey, with chunks of artichoke and bacon. If you are looking for a vegetarian version, you could always skip the bacon, but I do have to admit... it might not be as delicious!

Enjoy,
Magda.