Secret Cheesy Dip

This dip is irresistible! It’s warm, cheesy, and makes your tongue tingle! It tastes amazing with tortilla chips for a crunch in every bite. Even your pickiest eaters won’t realize you’ve hidden spinach and artichokes inside all the ooey gooey cheesiness. Warning: This dip is addictive.

Base Ingredients:

1 pack frozen chopped spinach (9 oz or 10 oz)
1 can quartered artichoke hearts (14 oz)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 packet cream cheese (8 oz)
3 tbsp mayo
3 tbsp yogurt (or sour cream)
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 tsp crushed red pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 - 1 cup Mexican blend cheese (about a handful)
1 cup mozzarella

Topping ingredients:

1.5 cups mozzarella
1/2 tsp Italian
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400.

2) Boil the spinach in a large pot of water—large enough to fit all the ingredients.

3) Cut the quartered artichoke hearts into small pieces and add to the boiling spinach. Add minced garlic as well.

4) When everything has thawed out and is boiling for a few minutes, drain out all the water. Return everything to the pot.

5) Add the remaining base ingredients and mix well. Everything should be incorporated. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

6) Transfer to a 9” pie plate and top with mozzarella. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper.

7) Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown.

8) Enjoy hot with with tortilla chips or toasted French bread. Caution: Dip will be super hot straight out of the oven.

* To make this dip a day ahead, cover and refrigerate after sprinkling topping ingredients. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes to an hour before baking in a preheated oven. If you’re using the oven for another dish, just put the dip along with it, because it can be baked anywhere from 375 to 400 degrees.

** Adapted from Alton Brown's Spinach and Artichoke Dip Recipe.

Unworthy

“You’re such a sinner,” I thought to myself. The barrage of negative thoughts continued, “You lose your temper all the time. You yell at the kids. You’re not patient. What kind of student of Qur’an are you!? No wonder Allah hasn’t give it to you yet!”

I thought I had figured out why it was taking me so long to memorize the Qur’an. “I think I should stop. I don’t deserve to memorize the Qur’an,” I confessed my feelings of unworthiness to a wise friend of mine who had already memorized the Qur'an.

“You’ll never be worthy of it,” She responded.

I looked at my friend, confused. She thought I should stop too?

“No one’s worthy of it,” she continued. “It’s a blessing from Allah. It’s a gift that he bestows on people He chooses.”

Her words struck me hard. I wasn’t just unworthy now, I would never be worthy of these words being in my heart. Allah was choosing me as a vessel for His Words even though I didn’t deserve it. Rather than feeling hopeless that I hadn’t memorized the entire Qur’an, I should be grateful that He allowed me to memorize as much as I already did. I needed to recognize how much He had already blessed me and look at the glass half full rather than half empty!

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' “ (Ibrahim: 7)

Next time Shaitaan tries to stop you from the good deeds you’re doing by convincing you that you’re a hypocrite, remember that your good actions are a blessing from Allah. Be grateful, persist in the good, and avoid the bad so He can increase you.

* I wrote this a few years ago, but I only got around to posting it now.

Freezy Fruit Yums

This fruity desert-snack is incredibly thick and creamy, deliciously refreshing, and packed with flavor. My children devour it like it's ice cream, and it's surprisingly simple to make. It only requires a few minutes, 2 ingredients, and a high speed blender. I use the Blendtec Twister Jar. Warning: You will be asked to make this often—especially on hot days. :-)

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen fruit
1/4 - 1/3 cup water

* Any combination of frozen fruit will work for this recipe, but my favorite mix is equal amounts of berries (generally strawberries and blueberries) and pineapple chunks. It's tart but oh so yummy!

Directions:

1) Add fruit to the blender. Add as little water as necessary to allow the blender to function.

2) Cover and blend on ice cream setting until smooth and creamy.

3) Enjoy!