When Matt and I went out on one of our date nights in New York last month, we had dinner at Applebee's. We ordered an appetizer (a special treat!) — Spinach Artichoke Dip. It was delicious! We've had it at a few places and have tried to make it at home during a fondue dinner, but Applebee's is our favorite so far. I looked online for a copycat recipe and came across this recipe, which is pretty close, but not spot-on!

It was all pretty easy to whip up. All you need is some spinach, artichoke hearts, cheese (we don't have Romano or a Parm/Romano mix at our commissary!), alfredo sauce, and pepper … plus garlic and cream cheese (not pictured! Woops!)

• 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
• 14 oz artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 cup Parmesan
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella
• 10 oz alfredo sauce
• 1 tsp garlic
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• pepper, to taste

Throw it all in a bowl …

… and mix it up!

Bake in a small baking dish for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Next time I might add a little more spinach and artichoke hearts and might bake at a little higher temperature. The dip at Applebee's comes to the table with sort of a golden, cheesy crust that is my favorite part, but I didn't really get at home.

I served ours with carrots, baguette slices, and tortilla chips. Everyone in the house enjoyed it, including the boys (who just love to "dip dip dip"!)