Cheesy Spinach & Artichoke Dip | Gluten Free

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The holidays are in full swing which means many of us will be attending party after party. Although you can’t go wrong with bringing a good bottle of wine (or two), it’s nice to bring one of your favorite dishes to share, and this one is mine! I have made this so many times over the last three years. I’ve been changing it up and must say, I’m pretty happy with my current recipe. I love to try new things and give recipes I’ve found my own spin. If you caught me making this on Insta Stories, you know I love making fresh chips to go with this dish too. This dip is filled with hot and cheesy goodness. Make it for your next party  and I’m sure your friends are going to love it.

Ingredients

16oz frozen spinach, thawed, drained and chopped

16oz frozen artichoke hearts, thawed drained and chopped

8oz smoked gouda

8oz fresh mozzarella

8oz cream cheese

1/4-1/2 cup of pecorino Romano (parmesan works too)

1/4 gluten free panko bread crumbs

1 small shallot finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 tbsp EVOO

1/4 tsp black pepper, crushed red pepper & sea salt

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

  1. Thaw then drain spinach and artichoke hearts (the more water you can remove the better. Excess water will make your dip soggy). Roughly chop both.
  2. Sauté shallot and garlic in 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
  3. Grate mozzarella, smoked gouda and Pecorino Romano.
  4. In a medium size bowl combine spinach, artichoke, mozzarella, smoked gouda, 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, cream cheese, sautéed onions and garlic. Season with black pepper, red pepper and salt (remember, pecorino Romano and parmesan can make a dish salty, so be mindful of the extra salt you add).
  5. Very lightly grease the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil. I like to drizzle a little oil in then spread it around the dish with a paper towel.
  6. Add mixture to the dish and top with remaining Pecorino Romano and sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes (until dip is bubbling) then broil for 6 minutes and serve with your favorite chips, crackers or veggie sticks. Best if served warm!

Bistango at The Kimberly Hotel | NYC

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One of my favorite Italian restaurants in New York City is Bistango on 29th and 3rd {read my review here}. Everything on the menu can be made gluten-free. They even serve fresh gluten-free Italian bread. At the original location, the gluten-free tortellini with pesto is my meal of choice. On a recent trip into the city with my co-workers, we made reservations at Bistango at The Kimberly Hotel, a second location, opened in 2014.

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Before heading to lunch we stopped a few must-see midtown spots to show a first-time New York visitor around. The library was beautifully decorated for the holidays, as is most of the city. A new stop for me was in Grand Central Station. I’ve been there many times, but I never knew about the Whisper Gallery. Downstairs near the dining area there is a corridor where you can hear whispers across the room. If you stand diagonally across from someone else, your voices will travel across the arched ceiling, and you will be able to hear their voice as if they were standing right next to you.

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It was a really chilly morning in the city, so we were all looking forward to warming up with a good lunch. The restaurant is located on the first floor of the Kimberly hotel. It is small, but has enough seating for small groups and a bar over looking the open kitchen. It was cozy and decorated for the holidays too. I’ve heard the roof top bar at the Kimberly is beautiful, but it wasn’t open at the time we were there {another reason to go back}.

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I opted for the butternut squash ravioli because I rarely have the option of eating them {welcoming gluten-free ravioli suggestions}. This was a super rich dish! The ravioli were in a brown butter sauce, filled with pureed butternut squash and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. As if that weren’t rich enough, the dish was topped with parmesan and salty peanuts. It was a great lunch.

If you are in NYC and looking for gluten-free Italian food, I highly recommend stopping at either location. Gluten-free or not, the meals do not disappoint!

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xo Miss Alyss

 

Our Bridal Party: Attire & Bridal Party Gifts!

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My wedding dreams were made of burgundy and navy. With the few photos that our photographer has released, I know all of my Pinterest dreams came true. The colors looked amazing on our wedding day. I am so happy with how everything came together!

When picking our bridal party’s attire, I was very mindful of cost.  For my bridesmaids, I wanted beautiful, yet affordable dresses that all of my girls would feel comfortable in. Two of my bridesmaids were pregnant for our wedding, so I wanted to make sure they loved the fit of the dress too. My bridesmaids wore dressed by Bill Levkoff from his #Levkoff line in the color ‘wine’ with nude shoes of their choice. The waist line and shape of this dress was so flattering. I thought all of my ‘maids looked beautiful!

For jewelry, the girls wore rose gold, including the beautiful tear drop earrings I purchased for them on Etsy. As gifts, I also bought them a rose gold Michael Kors makeup bag {similar here}, floral monogram robes and hangers. I saved money making the hangers myself. I bought wood hangers at HomeGoods and name decals from Etsy. I also purchased monogram robes for myself in white and my mom in navy {to match her dress}. My mom wore the most beautiful navy dress from Bloomingdales. I thought she looked stunning! From the second she tried it on, I knew it was the dress for her!

My flower girl wore an ivory and champagne dress from Etsy to compliment my dress. It was affordable and shipped quickly. For gifts, I got her a keepsake hanky to save for her wedding day, a hanger, a matching monogram robe, a pearl hair clip and a flower girl t-shirt for her to change into after the reception.

My groom and his groomsmen wore navy Alfani Suits – these suits were an awesome purchase! I always knew I didn’t want the guys to wear a tux and I’ll never understand why anyone rents suits. Both suit and tux rentals are costly and oftentimes more expensive than buying a suit. All of the guys in the wedding bought the suits online during a really good Macy’s sale. They purchased both the pants and jacket for about $150. All of them had great things to say about the suit itself and everyone at the wedding agreed they looked super sharp! The father of the groom wore a matching suit in class fit and my dad wore a medium grey suit from Joseph A. Bank {similar here}. We asked all of the guys to wear medium brown shoes and belts {Mike’s are linked}. As gifts we bought them white dress shirts, socks and ties.

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My groom enjoys local craft breweries, so we stuck with a craft beer them  for the rest of the groomsmen gifts. We got them bottle openers from Greenport Brewery, Montauk Brewery Long Sleeve Tees {another groom favorite} and a beer glass from Great South Bay Brewery. The best man is a coffee lover, so we gave him a  Nespresso machine. We love ours, so we thought he would love one too!

Professional Photos by Capture the Moment Studios