Lightened Up Spinach Artichoke Dip

I don't much like green vegetables. We don't get along. Which is why I was so annoyed when my best friend, Alex, would insist we share Spinach Artichoke dip whenever we would go out to eat at T.G.I. Friday's. To my surprise, I liked it-and grew to like it more and more the more I ate it. I was so proud of myself! I liked something healthy! Yay! Then, a year or two later, I found out-actually not so good for me. Well, sheesh, what's the point of eating green things if they're not even good for you?! Figures. Enter this recipe. I found it back when finding recipes was an occasional thing, and not yet an obsession, on Kraft's recipe website. It is supposed to be a makeover of the very dip I fell in love with at Friday's. Healthy Spinach Artichoke dip! Yay! But-would it taste good? Answer: yes!!! Yum! It is one of my favorite things to make now, and I hope it becomes that for you too!

Lightened Up Spinach Artichoke Dip (Recipe Makeover)

from Kraft Recipes

Super Chocolate Oreo Crunch Brownies

These brownies are pure, sinful bliss. I was first introduced to them when I was catering. To make money, while I'm still a newbie actor, I'm doing promotional modeling and occasionally catering. During one catering event (through Mayan Woods Catering), Chef Paul had what he called "Triple Chocolate Oreo Crunch Brownies". They were thick, decadent, frozen brownies with hunks of dark, milk, and white chocolate, oreos, and marshmallows in them. At the end of the night there were tons of leftovers so I took some home. I was so in love with those brownies I immediately started thinking of how to re-create them. When I had another opportunity to work with Chef Paul, I asked him, and he gave me a a general run down. I believe it was only a week later that I made these. I have some confessions: I was lazy/don't have room for a lot of ingredients, so I used boxed brownie mix, I don't really use white chocolate, so I decided to pass on it this time (but that does not mean I won't use it next time or that you should not use it), and I believe this was something of a work in progress. I used a 9 x 13 pan and I think the brownies were just a little too thin to support all the add-ins, it made them extra gooey, so (even though they are still AWESOME) next time I will use a smaller pan so the brownies are thicker, and hopefully they'll hold together better. And because of the goo-factor I really do advise freezing them, it's the only way to keep them from being a mess, and for some reason (and I know this is shocking as I tend to like my desserts warm and gooey) they are just better cold. Ok, enough anticipation, here's the recipe (please feel free to toy around with it, this is not one of those you need to follow to the letter):

Making lemonade!

I'm not actually making lemonade. But I AM taking these "lemons" and making lemonade in the form of this version of oil pasta.

This was my lunch yesterday, and today. I used whole wheat linguine this time (something I'd been nervous to try-turns out tastes just as good! So I'll probably use that from now on), and put some of the cut up chicken breast from my botched attempt at delish.com's Chicken alla Milanese in it. A thoroughly lovely meal! Oh, and yesterday I made some extra insane brownies. I'll share those with you later ;).

(Note: I don't advise trying to make that recipe from delish.com, I think it may have been wrong. 1 cup of parsley just does not seem right, as my poor chicken can attest.)