Spinach and Cheddar Dip

Little Buddy has an obsession with one of the oldest cartoons on the planet: Popeye the Sailor Man. She begs to watch it every single day and sits with the most enthralled, absorbed expression on her mischevious little face while the rest of us look on in agony. We've all been known to hide the Wii remote so she can't use the Netflix menu. As a result, she's also currently obsessed with spinach. For a week straight she has harrassed me to make this dip for dinner so she could be just like Popeye. No joke. She even asked me to get extra spinach so she could eat it plain, and then even pretended to like the plain spinach, too.

Good thing for all of us this dip is ridiculously good and no one has to pretend to enjoy it...

Spinach and Cheddar Dip

8 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
8 oz fat free cream cheese
2 cups fat free mayonnaise
1 packet onion soup mix
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
Assorted sliced bread or crackers

1. Soften cream cheese by microwaving on high for 30-45 seconds. Place in casserole dish and add mayonnaise. Stir until smooth.

2. Stir in onion soup mix, garlic powder, and pepper. Add spinach and cheese and stir.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 or so minutes, stirring twice as cheese melts. until dip is slightly bubbly.

4. Allow to sit 10 minutes before spreading on bread or crackers.

VARIATION: To make spinach and artichoke dip, reduce spinach to 4 oz and add 4 oz of chopped artichoke hearts. Substitute shredded swiss cheese for cheddar.