I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Tried another local Chinese restaurant tonight and was sadly disappointed. I still haven't found my China Cottage North. China Cottage (the one on Far Hills) in Centerville, Ohio is one of my favorite ones in that area. We've been to two up here and have not found one to measure up...we certainly haven't found any of the caliber of the ones on Spadina in Toronto that I used to go to back in the 80s. Asian Wok on Detroit Road is better than Mandarin in Avon Commons, but not by much. Tonight, we ate at Mandarin. Damn, I wish we had some leftover brisket & latkes!

On a more positive note, our first coffee hour at the new church went well. We served tortilla chips with J's plant's queso dip and bread with both hot artichoke dip and brunoise (the latter also from the plant). The other lesbian couple at church provided the cookies & there was also a cake. The artichoke dip is the one I have been making for our tree-trimming hors d-oeuvre dinner for years. Warning-I know of at least two people who have eaten themselves sick on it. It is hard to stop. I happen to like it with Triscuits, but any kind of cracker or bread is fine.

Hot Artichoke Dip

1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped (make sure you discard all the gnarly bits)
1 c. grated parmesan
1 c. mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix all ingredients & bake in loaf pan or small casserole for 25 minutes or until starting to brown on top & get bubbly.