Mint Juleps, a big hat and a polka dot dress Food Recipes

Yup, you guessed it, a Kentucky Derby party! What better way to watch those gorgeous horses than with good friends, a sunny day and lots of great food and drinks.

Besides the well-known Mint Julep, I searched and searched for Kentucky Derby-type recipes and didn't have much luck finding anything I wanted to make. So I went with a "sure to please" appetizer, a Spinach and Artichoke dip, from one of my favorite epicurean magazines, Cooking Light. Photo credit: Cooking Light

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 (13.5-ounce) package baked tortilla chips (about 16 cups)


Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and next 6 ingredients (through spinach) in a large bowl; stir until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips.

Since I mentioned the hat and polka dot dress, here are a couple (not so great) pics from the party. Erik (my husband) went all out with his outfit and won "best dressed for the Derby" at the party. He is so cute (minus the mustache, he thought it was a nice touch, I wholeheartedly disagree).