Artichoke Dip — The Kind of Food That Says the Door Is Always Open

Week 369. Year 8. Tommy is 40. A quiet spring week. Work, school, dinner. The ordinary machinery of a family that has been running for 8 years of documented life and longer before that. The food was simple — shrimp and grits — and the simple was enough and the enough was everything.

Made shrimp and grits this week — the kind of food that fills the house with the smell of Louisiana and the knowledge that whoever walks through the door is walking into a home where the stove is on and the food is ready and the welcome is unconditional. The meal was the day. The day was the meal. Both were good. Always enough.

The shrimp and grits were the meal, but the spirit behind them — that unconditional, stove-is-on, door-is-open kind of welcome — lives in every dish I come back to in spring. This artichoke dip is one of those. It’s warm and creamy and unassuming, the kind of thing you pull out of the oven and set on the table without ceremony, and somehow it becomes the center of everything. Year 8 has taught me that the best food doesn’t need a reason — it just needs to be ready.

Artichoke Dip

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• Sliced baguette, crackers, or pita chips, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat. Heat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a small baking dish (8x8 or equivalent).
2. Mix the base. In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, 1 cup of the Parmesan, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella, garlic, lemon juice, onion powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
3. Fold in artichokes. Add the chopped artichoke hearts and stir until evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
4. Transfer and top. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup mozzarella over the top.
5. Bake. Bake uncovered for 22—25 minutes, until the dip is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden. For extra browning, broil for the final 2 minutes.
6. Serve. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving warm with baguette slices, crackers, or pita chips.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 290 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 480mg