Spinach Dip

This is one of those dips that seems to go great with no matter what you want to scoop it up with, and it's a wonderfully kid-friendly way to sneak spinach into their diet! :)

You'll need:

1 "brick" of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess water

1 brick of cream cheese (I use the 1/3-fat Neufchatel cream cheese, as I just find it to have a smoother texture), softened

1 16oz. container of sour cream (I use fat free; doesn't make a bit of difference in taste)

1 package of powdered ranch dip mix--I have used Hidden Valley in the past, but when I saw this in the store several months ago, I changed brands! Natural, no MSG, and it's yummy!

The only thing you need to do is mix 'em all together! That's IT! Instant yum!

Pantry Salsa (black bean and corn)

This is a very easy, very yummy and seriously crowd-pleasing salsa that you can whip up in minutes if you keep the items in your pantry! In fact, I got the recipe from one of the ladies we went to church with when we lived in El Paso, TX; she was Mexican and said that this salsa was perfectly acceptable to her family! Good enough for me! Actually, what's good enough for me is that my hubby BEGS me to make this.

Pantry Salsa: in a food processor, pulse together 6-8 (or more if you're a heat fan) pickled jalapeno rings, 4 cloves of fresh garlic, a handful of fresh cilantro and a can of diced green chilis. Once this mixture is smooth, add a can of whole kernel corn (drained), a can of black beans (drained), three cans of Ro-Tel tomatoes (the ones with green chilis), and one can of Hunts Fire-Roasted diced tomatoes. That's it. Depending on the size of your food processor, you might not be able to fit everything in it--just empty the processor into a bowl and keep whizzing. Combine in the big bowl and stir well.

I made a batch last night before we had taco salad; this is what we had left. I am storing the salsa in my favorite "leftover" containers--Classico spaghetti sauce jars!