Football Munchies

I found a great recipe on Macheesmo.com for an Artichoke, Olive and Cheese dip. The Macheesmo.com blog has great recipes which are usually really easy to make and taste delicious. I have been craving olives lately so this dip was perfect to serve to the guys while they are watching football. Oh who am I kidding? I made the dip for me, and the guys just got lucky they were at the house to enjoy it :)


Artichoke and Olive Dip (Adapted from a Bon Appétit recipe)
Makes a 2 quart oval dish or 9×9 dish of dip.

- 1 (15 ounce) can artichoke hearts, chopped-
1 (8-10 ounce) jar olive tapenade, no specific brand needed-
1 Cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese-
1 1/2 Cups grated Monterey Jack cheese-
1/2 Cup fresh basil, chopped (plus some for garnish)- I didn't have any, so I used a little dried basil
1 Serrano pepper, diced (optional)- - I used pickled jalapeno slices... probably about 10 and I didn't taste the heat. Next time I'll add more.
Salt and pepper-

To make this dish you chop the veggies, shred the cheese, stir, place in a bowl, cook (30 minutes in a 400 degree oven) and serve.

I goofed a little and didn't have the olive tapenade on hand, so I chopped up black and green olives and added about a tablespoon of olive oil to the mix. I also added pepperoncini's to the dip, which added a bright flavor to the dip. This dip was really cheesy and delicious. We used Stacey's Pita chips and they were hearty enough to stand up to this dip. I'm sure you could use crackers or different chips, but you might need a spoon to scoop the dip onto your chip.