Do you need a stand by hot appetizer in your favorites collection? Here you go!

Spinach Artichoke Dip!

Add to your Recipe Collection

Having a few favorite appetizers in your ‘Favorite Family Recipes’ collection is a good idea.  The easiest of all is pre-peeled shrimp with cocktail sauce.  It is a special treat for everyone.  And of course the stand by of onion soup mix sour cream dip for potato chips! That’s a favorite for backyard cook outs.  

I have several appetizers I have collected over the years. We have crisis crossed the US and even the globe with the US Army. Some of my recipes are representation of different regions and cultures. 

California spinach atrichoke hot appetizer

Artichoke Dip started out as “California Dip”.  At least that is what my California born fellow military wives called it. Unsurprisingly, we first had at the Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, California. Mind you, I barely knew what an artichoke was before we moved there! I bought fresh artichokes by the brown paper grocery bag full for a dollar! The Artichoke Capital, Castroville was the next valley over.

Honestly,  we military wives have a large assortment of recipes from many regions and cultures. Our self published cookbooks as fund-raisers was our method of passing them along. Pre-internet days. Pre-blogging. Most of us were pretty good cooks. Having folks over or carrying a dish to a pot luck appetizer gathering or dinner was frequent and fun.

I also served it as a meat and gluten free option for a women’s leadership group brunch.  With the season of bowl games and play offs on us, serving hot and cold appetizers are the way to go!

setting to serve for the occasion

Set your serving space on the coffee table or end of the dining room one that is easy for smaller groups of family or friends. If you are hosting a larger group, consider what will be the best. That may include moving furniture around. The photo above was game day. It was just our family so I served from the coffee table and provided small dishes, silverware and fun paper napkins.

I pulled out a silver dip serving platter, vintage and Autumn china, silver and crystal champagne flutes for our New Year’s Eve supper. I also brought bottle trees and votives to make the table extra special for us. Taking the time to make your setting just a little extra special is appreciated!

Often there were hot appetizers served with cold appetizers and “finger” food. You could make a meal of the delicious offerings.  

We did New Year’s Eve! Hot Spinach Artichole Dip, Mini Hot Dog Slices in BBQ Sauce, Vegetable Platter with Ranch Dip was plenty for us 4. Like many of you, our celebrations were downsized this year but we still had delicious food on those days and warm fellowship.

Family story with Artichoke and spinach dip

It is a favorite Grandpa grandchild story, As a bonus that summer, he also taught our oldest son to drive and took hin to get his driver’s license.

We came home for 6 months with all of our kids including our two treasured younger daughters.

While visiting my dad, we headed  to the revised renovated downtown of Chattanooga for some sight seeing and dinner.  A plug for Chattanooga.  Check out their website. There’s lots to do for couples and families. It’s a fun destination for vacations. Check out my cousin’s blog,  My Home and Travels for more.

Sticky Fingers Smokehouse was the dinner destination.  We ordered spinach and artichoke dip with tortilla chips.  It may have been our first time having it with tortilla chips.  We were home for the summer from China.  

Meg, our youngest was around 18 months at the time. Grandpa feed her chips loaded with dip. If he was too slow, she began to cry. There were 9 of us but soon the table appetizer became hers. He was having a great time with her!

Dad ordered another one…”bring it fast” were the instructions.  Poor Meg was beside herself. The dip was gone. We were amazed at how she loved this dish.  In her defence, it was a long day and she was most definitely hungry!

Meg ate the entire thing!  By herself.  She still will often order that for her meal. Today, she still loves Spinach Artichole Dip.  

I served this for a small family gathering with other appetizers too.

Hope you enjoy this delicious appetizer as much as we do!

Here’s the recipe.

Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year to You and Yours!

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