Stretchy, Artichoke, Spinach and Buffalo Chicken Dip and Spiced Pita Chips

I was going to add this in with the deviled eggs post, but for fuck's sake the names of these recipes are so long. I made this along side the eggs because, you know, deviled eggs and spinach artichoke dip are pretty much the nectar of the Gods.

Ok, so this dip is....involved. You have to marinate shit and when I read that I almost closed the book and walked away, but then I remembered that Sandikins had requested food and I couldn't leave my girl hanging. So I pulled out some chicken and marinated that shit. Sandi, if you're reading this it should make up for that Natty Light I stuck you with toward the end of the night. Now. I really thought I had the two chicken breasts that this recipe requires, but instead I only had one really sad-looking, small chicken breast. I decided to put it out of it's misery and so this had half the chicken it should have had. Oopsies.

While the chicken was doing its thing I thought it wouldn't be a bad time to start making the pita chips. This was pretty standard. Mix the seasoning together, cut up a few pieces of pita bread and then you toss them together. This is a good place to note that she tells you to toss the pita bread in a bowl with the spices to coat. Just dump it all in a big gallon bag and shake that shit up. It eliminates a dirty dish and you won't get flyaway seasoning all over the place. Anyway. Then you spread them on a baking sheet and bake. I also bought a bag of pita chips at the store because you always need a backup. This is important to remember as you read on.

It occurred to me while in the grocery store (with the kids in the cart and Calvin yelling because Andrew kept reaching over and pulling his hair - good times) that I have never had the need to buy artichoke hearts and really had no idea where they were or what kind to buy. It did not help that I went to a Kroger whose floor plan I was not familiar with. On a Saturday. This was challenging, but because I'm a fucking boss and a half I found them, did the rest of the grocery shopping and solved the hair pulling crisis of 2017 in half an hour.

The rest of the recipe is pretty standard, except you will need a dish towel to wring out excess water from the spinach and the artichokes - a practice I have utilized before and more often then I ever thought I would. You then toss some stuff in a bowl and mix. I recommend just ditching the spoon and using your hands, but you do you. Then you bake for like 35 painful minutes. Luckily, I had deviled eggs to shove in my mouth in the meantime.

She tells you to put blue cheese on top. I did not do this and used a cheddar mix instead because I clearly don't know how to follow directions.

This was...okay. I did eat those fantastic deviled eggs right before I tried this so maybe that is what made this taste like such a letdown. The pita chips were good, but did not retain their crunch. This might have been my fault though because I made them earlier in the day and sealed them in a ziploc bag for later. I wound up tossing those in the trash this morning and opening up my backup chips. As far as the dip goes though, it was pretty bland. I mixed some hot sauce in with it to give it a little something extra, and it was better...but for all the work you go through I really expected something mind-blowing. I do have a lot of this left so I'll have to find a way to doctor it so it doesn't go to waste. Maybe the blue cheese would have made a world of difference and I royally fucked up. Oh, well. You live and learn.

It does look good though.