OK, so it's my wife's birthday _and_ our youngest got his first college
acceptance a few days ago, so we went out to eat at our usual restaurant
of celebration, Houston's in River Edge, NJ. Everything there is
invariably good - we've never had anything bad, and just about
everything is really exceptional.. Expensive, yes, and probably a little
over-priced but you go in knowing everything you're going to order is
going to be a home run, and that's worth something, and worth going to a
few times a year.

Our boys, now ages 18 and 22, gave my wife and I grief as we discussed
everything being put in front of us and say, "We could make that at
home." They say we never do make any of it at home, so my wife and I
decided we'd start - tomorrow.

Warm spinach dip appetizer. I assume frozen spinach, some cream, and
some cheese. I'd appreciate anyone's favorite recipes for this - it
need to be "wow" good. We couldn't figure out the cheeses - maybe
fontina, maybe gruyere, we thought. A bit of nutmeg, perhaps. Maybe
fresh spinach ...

Recipes appreciated (links are fine) and we will try one or maybe even
two of them tomorrow as part of dinner.

Thanks much in advance.

-S-

"Steve Freides" > wrote in message
...
> OK, so it's my wife's birthday _and_ our youngest got his first college
> acceptance a few days ago, so we went out to eat at our usual restaurant
> of celebration, Houston's in River Edge, NJ. Everything there is
> invariably good - we've never had anything bad, and just about everything
> is really exceptional.. Expensive, yes, and probably a little over-priced
> but you go in knowing everything you're going to order is going to be a
> home run, and that's worth something, and worth going to a few times a
> year.
>
> Our boys, now ages 18 and 22, gave my wife and I grief as we discussed
> everything being put in front of us and say, "We could make that at home."
> They say we never do make any of it at home, so my wife and I decided we'd
> start - tomorrow.
>
> Warm spinach dip appetizer. I assume frozen spinach, some cream, and some
> cheese. I'd appreciate anyone's favorite recipes for this - it need to be
> "wow" good. We couldn't figure out the cheeses - maybe fontina, maybe
> gruyere, we thought. A bit of nutmeg, perhaps. Maybe fresh spinach ...
>
> Recipes appreciated (links are fine) and we will try one or maybe even two
> of them tomorrow as part of dinner.
>
> Thanks much in advance.
>
> -S-

I make Espinaca Con Queso which is a Mexican dip. I use a mix of Velveeta
and Cream cheeses. I don't really measure anything. About half and half.
Melt over low heat then add enough of your favorite salsa to thin it down a
bit. Then just keep adding spinach until you get the right consistency.
You want quite a lot of it. You can use thawed out and drained, frozen, or
finely chopped fresh that has been cooked down in a skillet to get the
excess liquid out.

That is the basic recipe but I will often add hot peppers, onions, chilies,
chopped tomatoes, cilantro, whatever else I have around. People always love
it! I serve with tortilla chips and raw veggies. It keeps well in a
Crock-Pot too.

"Steve Freides" > wrote in message
...
> OK, so it's my wife's birthday _and_ our youngest got his first college
> acceptance a few days ago, so we went out to eat at our usual restaurant
> of celebration, Houston's in River Edge, NJ. Everything there is
> invariably good - we've never had anything bad, and just about everything
> is really exceptional.. Expensive, yes, and probably a little over-priced
> but you go in knowing everything you're going to order is going to be a
> home run, and that's worth something, and worth going to a few times a
> year.

I don't make spinach dip, so can't help there, but congratulations to your
son! Sounds like you had a good meal.

Cheri

Cheri wrote:
> "Steve Freides" > wrote in message
> ...
>> OK, so it's my wife's birthday _and_ our youngest got his first
>> college acceptance a few days ago, so we went out to eat at our
>> usual restaurant of celebration, Houston's in River Edge, NJ.
>> Everything there is invariably good - we've never had anything bad,
>> and just about everything is really exceptional.. Expensive, yes,
>> and probably a little over-priced but you go in knowing everything
>> you're going to order is going to be a home run, and that's worth
>> something, and worth going to a few times a year.
>
> I don't make spinach dip, so can't help there, but congratulations to
> your son! Sounds like you had a good meal.
>
> Cheri

Because we get a couple of appetizers, I usually have a salad for my
entree, but it's Thai style salad with generous amounts of medium-rare
fillet mignon in it. My wife, who has watched me happily order it the
last few times we've been there, gave in and also ordered the same thing
last night.

And thanks - he got into Fordham, which is a pretty good school, but
he's applying to a something like 10 or 12 different schools so we'll
wait to see who else will have him and about the almight dollar as well
before making a final decision.

-S-

Julie Bove wrote:
> "Steve Freides" > wrote in message
> ...
>> OK, so it's my wife's birthday _and_ our youngest got his first
>> college acceptance a few days ago, so we went out to eat at our
>> usual restaurant of celebration, Houston's in River Edge, NJ.
>> Everything there is invariably good - we've never had anything bad,
>> and just about everything is really exceptional.. Expensive, yes,
>> and probably a little over-priced but you go in knowing everything
>> you're going to order is going to be a home run, and that's worth
>> something, and worth going to a few times a year.
>>
>> Our boys, now ages 18 and 22, gave my wife and I grief as we
>> discussed everything being put in front of us and say, "We could
>> make that at home." They say we never do make any of it at home, so
>> my wife and I decided we'd start - tomorrow.
>>
>> Warm spinach dip appetizer. I assume frozen spinach, some cream,
>> and some cheese. I'd appreciate anyone's favorite recipes for this
>> - it need to be "wow" good. We couldn't figure out the cheeses -
>> maybe fontina, maybe gruyere, we thought. A bit of nutmeg, perhaps.
>> Maybe fresh spinach ... Recipes appreciated (links are fine) and we
>> will try one or maybe
>> even two of them tomorrow as part of dinner.
>>
>> Thanks much in advance.
>>
>> -S-
>
> I make Espinaca Con Queso which is a Mexican dip. I use a mix of
> Velveeta and Cream cheeses. I don't really measure anything. About
> half and half. Melt over low heat then add enough of your favorite
> salsa to thin it down a bit. Then just keep adding spinach until you
> get the right consistency. You want quite a lot of it. You can use
> thawed out and drained, frozen, or finely chopped fresh that has been
> cooked down in a skillet to get the excess liquid out.
>
> That is the basic recipe but I will often add hot peppers, onions,
> chilies, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, whatever else I have around.
> People always love it! I serve with tortilla chips and raw veggies.
> It keeps well in a Crock-Pot too.

That sounds good, but it sounds like a different thing than what I'm
trying to replicate here. This particular spinach dip bears a
resemblance to warm artichoke (sp?) dips I've had, not particularly
rich, just the right balance, and you still taste the spinach.

-S-

On 12/21/2014 10:25 PM, Steve Freides wrote:
> OK, so it's my wife's birthday _and_ our youngest got his first college
> acceptance a few days ago, so we went out to eat at our usual restaurant
> of celebration, Houston's in River Edge, NJ. Everything there is
> invariably good - we've never had anything bad, and just about
> everything is really exceptional.. Expensive, yes, and probably a little
> over-priced but you go in knowing everything you're going to order is
> going to be a home run, and that's worth something, and worth going to a
> few times a year.
>
> Warm spinach dip appetizer. I assume frozen spinach, some cream, and
> some cheese. I'd appreciate anyone's favorite recipes for this - it
> need to be "wow" good. We couldn't figure out the cheeses - maybe
> fontina, maybe gruyere, we thought. A bit of nutmeg, perhaps. Maybe
> fresh spinach ...
>
> -S-
>
>
Very basic, not sure how "wow" it is.

10 oz. pkg. spinach, thawed
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
2 cloves garlic, minced (I use more)
3/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
1 tomato, diced
chopped green onion

Combine spinach, mayonnaise, sour cream garlic and 1/2 c. grated cheese.
Pour mixture in a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake at 350F for 20
minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and return to oven until
cheese melts. Sprinkle tomato and green onion on top.

Jill

On Mon, 22 Dec 2014 09:51:06 -0500, jmcquown >
wrote:

> On 12/21/2014 10:25 PM, Steve Freides wrote:
> > OK, so it's my wife's birthday _and_ our youngest got his first college
> > acceptance a few days ago, so we went out to eat at our usual restaurant
> > of celebration, Houston's in River Edge, NJ. Everything there is
> > invariably good - we've never had anything bad, and just about
> > everything is really exceptional.. Expensive, yes, and probably a little
> > over-priced but you go in knowing everything you're going to order is
> > going to be a home run, and that's worth something, and worth going to a
> > few times a year.
> >
> > Warm spinach dip appetizer. I assume frozen spinach, some cream, and
> > some cheese. I'd appreciate anyone's favorite recipes for this - it
> > need to be "wow" good. We couldn't figure out the cheeses - maybe
> > fontina, maybe gruyere, we thought. A bit of nutmeg, perhaps. Maybe
> > fresh spinach ...
> >
> > -S-
> >
> >
> Very basic, not sure how "wow" it is.
>
> 10 oz. pkg. spinach, thawed
> 1 c. mayonnaise
> 1/2 c. sour cream
> 2 cloves garlic, minced (I use more)
> 3/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
> 1 tomato, diced
> chopped green onion
>
> Combine spinach, mayonnaise, sour cream garlic and 1/2 c. grated cheese.
> Pour mixture in a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake at 350F for 20
> minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and return to oven until
> cheese melts. Sprinkle tomato and green onion on top.
>

I'd find a (hot) artichoke and spinach dip recipe I liked and leave
out the artichoke. That one looks pretty much standard, except for
the tomato. Some recipes I have also call for a small amount of cream
cheese. In any case, Martha Stewart is usually spot on.
http://www.marthastewart.com/338357/hot-spinach-dip


--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

sf wrote:
> On Mon, 22 Dec 2014 09:51:06 -0500, jmcquown >
> wrote:
>
>> On 12/21/2014 10:25 PM, Steve Freides wrote:
>>> OK, so it's my wife's birthday _and_ our youngest got his first
>>> college acceptance a few days ago, so we went out to eat at our
>>> usual restaurant of celebration, Houston's in River Edge, NJ.
>>> Everything there is invariably good - we've never had anything bad,
>>> and just about everything is really exceptional.. Expensive, yes,
>>> and probably a little over-priced but you go in knowing everything
>>> you're going to order is going to be a home run, and that's worth
>>> something, and worth going to a few times a year.
>>>
>>> Warm spinach dip appetizer. I assume frozen spinach, some cream,
>>> and some cheese. I'd appreciate anyone's favorite recipes for this
>>> - it need to be "wow" good. We couldn't figure out the cheeses -
>>> maybe fontina, maybe gruyere, we thought. A bit of nutmeg,
>>> perhaps. Maybe fresh spinach ...
>>>
>>> -S-
>>>
>>>
>> Very basic, not sure how "wow" it is.
>>
>> 10 oz. pkg. spinach, thawed
>> 1 c. mayonnaise
>> 1/2 c. sour cream
>> 2 cloves garlic, minced (I use more)
>> 3/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
>> 1 tomato, diced
>> chopped green onion
>>
>> Combine spinach, mayonnaise, sour cream garlic and 1/2 c. grated
>> cheese. Pour mixture in a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake at
>> 350F for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and return to
>> oven until cheese melts. Sprinkle tomato and green onion on top.
>>
>
> I'd find a (hot) artichoke and spinach dip recipe I liked and leave
> out the artichoke. That one looks pretty much standard, except for
> the tomato. Some recipes I have also call for a small amount of cream
> cheese. In any case, Martha Stewart is usually spot on.
> http://www.marthastewart.com/338357/hot-spinach-dip

I don't mind the artichoke. That looks like a nice recipe. Interesting
that there are lots of different cheese combinations. My inclination at
this point is to go w/ Grueyere and/or Fontina cheese - some interesting
recipes out there with those, too.

-S-

On 12/22/2014 9:51 AM, sf wrote:
> On Mon, 22 Dec 2014 09:51:06 -0500, jmcquown >
> wrote:
>
>> On 12/21/2014 10:25 PM, Steve Freides wrote:
>>> OK, so it's my wife's birthday _and_ our youngest got his first college
>>> acceptance a few days ago, so we went out to eat at our usual restaurant
>>> of celebration, Houston's in River Edge, NJ. Everything there is
>>> invariably good - we've never had anything bad, and just about
>>> everything is really exceptional.. Expensive, yes, and probably a little
>>> over-priced but you go in knowing everything you're going to order is
>>> going to be a home run, and that's worth something, and worth going to a
>>> few times a year.
>>>
>>> Warm spinach dip appetizer. I assume frozen spinach, some cream, and
>>> some cheese. I'd appreciate anyone's favorite recipes for this - it
>>> need to be "wow" good. We couldn't figure out the cheeses - maybe
>>> fontina, maybe gruyere, we thought. A bit of nutmeg, perhaps. Maybe
>>> fresh spinach ...
>>>
>>> -S-
>>>
>>>
>> Very basic, not sure how "wow" it is.
>>
>> 10 oz. pkg. spinach, thawed
>> 1 c. mayonnaise
>> 1/2 c. sour cream
>> 2 cloves garlic, minced (I use more)
>> 3/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
>> 1 tomato, diced
>> chopped green onion
>>
>> Combine spinach, mayonnaise, sour cream garlic and 1/2 c. grated cheese.
>> Pour mixture in a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake at 350F for 20
>> minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and return to oven until
>> cheese melts. Sprinkle tomato and green onion on top.
>>
>
> I'd find a (hot) artichoke and spinach dip recipe I liked and leave
> out the artichoke. That one looks pretty much standard, except for
> the tomato. Some recipes I have also call for a small amount of cream
> cheese. In any case, Martha Stewart is usually spot on.
> http://www.marthastewart.com/338357/hot-spinach-dip

This looks like the spinach dip I made, I used 2 frozen packages of
spinach and I tried to squeeze all of the liquid out of the spinach. It
was my oldest son's favorite dip.

Becca

On 12/22/2014 5:39 PM, Becca EmaNymton wrote:
> On 12/22/2014 9:51 AM, sf wrote:

>> I'd find a (hot) artichoke and spinach dip recipe I liked and leave
>> out the artichoke. That one looks pretty much standard, except for
>> the tomato. Some recipes I have also call for a small amount of cream
>> cheese. In any case, Martha Stewart is usually spot on.
>> http://www.marthastewart.com/338357/hot-spinach-dip
>
> This looks like the spinach dip I made, I used 2 frozen packages of
> spinach and I tried to squeeze all of the liquid out of the spinach. It
> was my oldest son's favorite dip.
>
> Becca
>
>
I find one of those small collapsible vegetable steamers to be very
handy for squeezing liquid out of thawed spinach.

Jill

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Sun, 21 Dec 2014 22:25:51 -0500, Steve Freides wrote:
>
>> Recipes appreciated (links are fine) and we will try one or maybe
>> even two of them tomorrow as part of dinner.
>>
>> Thanks much in advance.
>
> Search and Ye Shall Find.
>
> I'm sure if you ask people in Chicago they'll tell you that they
> didn't even know they had their own "style" is spinach dip either.
> But here is a recipe fashioned after Houston's version.
>
> http://gregorymancuso.com/2012/04/se...dip/#more-3032
>
> -sw

Thanks for that - we went to the grocery store yesterday, sat with a cup
of coffee and the iPad, looking at recipes, and in the end, my wife
decided to roll her own, based on some things she read. It turned out
good and I will post the recipe later today.

But we'll definitely give the above a try, too.

-S-