This last weekend Drew's side of the family had a reunion, and instead of bringing a full meal or going to a restaurant, the family decided to do appetizer-type foods.  Since I like to try different or new recipes at these opportunities, I decided on something I had seen long ago in a Kraft Food and Family magazine.  The Hot Parmesan Artichoke Dip had been marked with a post-it for just such an occasion.  This was actually the second time I made this dip, but the first time there were no pictures, so I made it to share with you too!



This dip is a great party food (so easy to prepare and such good results), and even those who aren't normally crazy about artichokes don't mind this one.  Serve with crackers or baguette slices.  I personally love the cheesy-ness the parmesan brings that contrasts and complements the artichokes.  The creaminess of the mayonaise binds it all together well.  I could probably eat the whole thing by myself.  The only negative I have for this dip is that it gets kind of greasy in the way that pizza with too much cheese does.  The next time I'll make this, I'll experiment by adding less mayo or less cheese.  I will definitely cut the mayo first as my love for cheese exceeds that of mayonaise.  I am posting my version below, which omits the original garnish ingredients.  To see the original recipe. click the link above.

Hot Parmesan Artichoke Dip
adapted from Kraft Foods

1-14 oz jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonaise
1 clove garlic, minced

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together and pour into a shallow baking dish (a 9 inch pie plate is recommended).  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until browned and bubbly. 


Notes

• This is so easy!  I mixed the ingredients up in the same dish in which I baked it.  Prep time is around 5 mintues.
• I served this with herbed crackers, but I imagine baguette slices, plain or toasted would shoot this up another level
• The original recipe calls for green onion and tomato to be chopped up and placed over the dip.  Probably a good idea.