GIVEAWAY #2 IN A SERIES OF 4:

As food bloggers we sometime receive books from publishers asking us to review them. I decided to accept 4 books recently intending to pass them on to you who read my blog. This giveaway is intended as a thank you for keeping up with my food and travel writing, for joining my weekly mailing list, RSS feed and following me on social media. There will be 4 giveaways, 2 today and 2 next week on Friday November 21. Watch the blog for details.

The giveaway begins with this post and will end on November 30. Let me know which book you are interested in and I will randomly draw a winner for each of the books and will mail it to you on December 1st. Scroll to the bottom of the post for easy giveaway entry rules.

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Who doesn’t like dips, chips and salsa? These are the quickest and more popular think to make for social gatherings. As long as you don’t “double dip” you can certainly make friends around the dipping bowl, dipping your cucumber into a tahini or pita crisps into an artichoke and olive tapenade. Judith Finlayson and Jordan Wagman are two Canadian culinary stars and they put their kitchen know how together to publish this book featuring, guess how many, 150 dips and salsa recipes that are easy to make and delicious to serve. Judith is an established  cookbook author with over 1 million cookbooks sold, quite remarkable, and Jordan was nominated as a “rising Star in North America” by no leas than the James Beard Foundation. Both authors live in Toronto, ontario.

The book is conveniently divided into sections including vegetables dips, dairy dips, savoury salsas, fruit salsas, bean dips and dessert dips. There is also a chapter for chips, crostini, flatbread and more. The authors created recipes representing many cultures. You will find Mediterranean warm eggplant salsa and easy hummus along with Greek Tzatziki, French Tapendae and crribean flavours with bananas and pineapples.In the breads and crisps chapter you will  find easy to make pita crisps, beet chips made with fresh beets and easy home made potato chips. My all time favourite fip, Artichoke and spinach dip is also included and I have asked the publisher for permission to print the recipe in this post.

 

Sumptuous Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Courtesy of 150 Best Dips & Salsas by Judith Finlayson & Jordan Wagman 2014 © www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission. Available where books are sold.Spinach and artichoke dip has become a classic. Serve with toast points, crostini, tostadas or tortilla chips, or sliced baguette.

Ingredients:

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•    Small (maximum 31⁄2 quart) slow cooker

1 cup   shredded mozzarella cheese                 250 mL
8 oz     cream cheese, cubed                              250 g
1⁄4 cup  freshly grated Parmesan cheese           60 mL
1 clove garlic, minced     1
1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper                      1 mL
1   can (14 oz/398 mL) artichokes, drained and finely chopped
1 lb fresh spinach, stems removed, or               500 g
1 package (10 oz/300 g) spinach leaves, thawed if frozen (see Tips)

Directions:

In slow cooker stoneware, combine cheese, cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, pepper, artichokes and spinach. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours, until hot and bubbly. Stir well and serve.

Tips

If you are using fresh spinach leaves in this recipe, take care to wash them thoroughly, as they can be quite gritty. To wash spinach: Fill a clean sink with lukewarm water. Remove the tough stems and submerge the tender leaves in the water, swishing to remove the grit. Rinse thoroughly in a colander under cold running water, checking carefully to ensure that no sand remains. If you are using frozen spinach in this recipe, thaw and squeeze the excess moisture out before adding to the slow cooker.

If you prefer a smoother dip, place spinach and artichokes in a food processor, in separate batches, and pulse until desired degree of fineness is achieved. Then combine with remaining ingredients in slow cooker stoneware.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Vegetarian Friendly

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To enter the giveaway all you need to do is ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

 

• Leave a comment on this post,  OR…

 

• Leave a comment on any post on the blog and say you wish to participate in the book giveaway (I personally vet all comments so I’ll see yours),  Or…

 

• Like my page on my Facebook page and leave a comment there mentioning the Giveaway, Or…

 

• Retweet the post with a link on your twitter, Or…

 

• Follow me on Instagram and leave a comment on the Giveaway post.

 

And, you are welcome to share this with your friends on your social media.

Contest rules:

• The Giveaway ends on November 30.
• The giveaway is open to all readers but will only be shipped to a mailing address in Canada and the US at this time.
• One entry per book please. Feel free to enter all 4 giveaways to increase your chances to win.
• Winners will be announced on the blog and social media. I will contact the winners for shipping information.

 

I hope you join in the giveaway and look forward to hearing from you.

Dina 

 

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