Dec 15, 2015, Updated Apr 27, 2023 This morning, after a play date cancelled (feel better soon, Gillybean!), I decided that I had to leave the house to save my sanity, so I bundled up the two little ones to do some errands on foot, with the promise of a sushi date to help the older one oblige me. We didn’t do too badly – we made it out of the house with two of the three of us dressed (baby Everett stayed in his jammies), we got some Christmas shopping done (with only a very minor tantrum when I declined to buy a purple stuffed monkey), and then at the sushi bar we only spilled one bowl of miso soup – and had quite a lovely time – until Theo shouted across the restaurant, “I’m POOPING!”, on top of which I hastily shouted, “CHECK PLEASE!”. (Insert awkward-face emoji.) All I want for Christmas is a potty-trained two-year-old. Ok, who am I kidding, he’s two-and-a-half. HELP ME. As we left the restaurant, the skies opened up and it poured on us all the way home. I pushed a double stroller full of two children and fifty pounds of groceries home across a very windy bridge in a downpour. Which, this time of year, I like to think of as liquid snow. We got in warm cozy clothes and ate bowls of Christmas ice cream when we got home, and all is good. Hot artichoke dip is one of my favourite comfort-food appetizers – gooey, cheesy, creamy, and usually accompanied by buttery crackers or warm, fresh bread. I’m also a sucker for any warm seafood dip – like crab or shrimp – so in this version, I combined the two in a hot artichoke and shrimp dip. Feel free to use just artichokes, or just shrimp, or skip both and used thawed and squeezed chopped frozen spinach instead. It’s a great party starter, everyone will love it! PS. I tried it with a squeeze lemon juice thinking that would be nice with the shrimp, but it made the cheese curdle. I’m letting you know in case you have the same idea – don’t do it.
