Potato Salad

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/potato-salad-recipe1.html

Ingredients:

4 pounds red potatoes
4 jumbo eggs (or 5 large eggs), hard boiled
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise (I use Wegman's brand)
4 green onions, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon yellow or dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (or black pepper)
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Add red potatoes to a large stock pot. Cover potatoes with 1.5 inches of water. Generously salt the water.
Bring to a boil. Simmer the potatoes (whole) until they can be pierced through easily with a knife - about 20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

While potatoes are boiling, make the hard boiled eggs. Place the eggs in a sauce pan and cover with 1.5 inches of water. Bring to a boil - as soon as the water comes to a boil, take the pan off the heat and cover it. Let cook for 12 minutes (14 if using jumbo eggs) and then drain and place the eggs in an ice bath.

Chop the potatoes into chunks (you can optionally peel them first). Peel the eggs and chop them.

Add the potatoes, eggs, mayo, green onion, celery, mustard, pepper and salt to a large bowl (I used my 4 quart large pyrex bowl and even there it was difficult to stir). Stir until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.emilybites.com/2013/08/spinach-artichoke-dip.html


INGREDIENTS:
16 oz (2 bricks) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup sour cream
1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup mayonnaise
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, separated
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, separated
3 garlic cloves, minced
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, squeezed and patted dry
14 oz can artichoke hearts (packed in water or brine, not oil), drained and chopped
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper


DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise and stir until well combined. Stir in 1 cup of the Mozzarella, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the minced garlic, spinach, artichokes, pepper and red pepper flakes or cayenne and mix until well combined.
Transfer the mixture to an 8x8 (or 2 qt) casserole dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup Mozzarella and tablespoon of Parmesan over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes until the edges are golden and the dip is heated through and bubbly. Serve warm with sliced french bread and/or tortilla chips.