Spinach Artichoke Dip and Cream Cheese Pecan Pound Cake

So I need to make an appetizer and dessert for our last MOPS meeting of the year.

This Spinach Artichoke Dip is my favorite! And the pound cake..well, I just wanted to try something different.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 box Chopped Frozen Spinach
• 1 small jar of Artichoke Hearts
• 1 small jar of pimentos
• 1 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonaise
• 1 1/2 cups or 2 cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 cup or 1 cups shredded Pepper Jack Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Thaw and drain spinach.
3. Chop artichoke hearts. I recommend using a food processor if you have one. I believe a blender would work also.
4. Drain jar of pimentos.
5. Mix spinach, artichokes and pimentos. Add sour cream, mayonaise, 2 cups Parm. cheese and 1/2 cup of Pepper Jack cheese. Mix well.
6. Sprinkle extra 1/2 cup of Pepper Jack cheese on top of dip.
7. Put in oven for 30 minutes.

-Serve with your favorite cracker or chip!

Note: I make this recipe ahead of time and stick it in the fridge until ready to serve!

Cream Cheese Pecan Pound Cake

This recipe is a variation of a couple of recipes

that I have liked in the past.

Not the greatest picture.. I know..

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks of butter (softened)
• 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 3 cups of sugar
• 6 eggs
• 3 cups of flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 1/2 cup of shredded coconut (plus some to sprinkle on top)

1. In a mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Then gradually add sugar.
2. Add eggs, one at a time just until the yellow disappers. Add vanilla and mix until smooth.
3. Sift flour and salt together. Add flour mixture and milk alternativley to the cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
4. Add chopped pecans and coconut. Mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
5. Pour mixture into a oiled and floured tube pan.
6. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 25 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes (until long toothepick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean.)
7. Let cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.
8. Remove cake from pan onto wire rack to cool.
9. Sprinkle coconut on top of cake after taken out of pan.

Note: I would have liked to make a glaze for the cake but did not have all the ingredients. It would have made the cake much prettier and slightly tastier!

Note to self.. Never leave cake on the table! As soon as you turn your back to do the laundry, your two year old will climb onto the kitchen table, open of the cake case...and DIG IN!!!