The tiny sweet bell peppers are a perfect edible garnish for the standard vegies.

My mother made an extraordinary spinach dip. For the most part, Ruth was a “scratch” cook and baker, steering clear of prepackaged products: there was no Hamburger Helper for us, no cake mixes, and no t.v. dinners sitting forlornly on plastic t.v. trays. There were, however, those occasionally recipes, which I can only imagine were torn out of a Life magazine, or peeled from a product’s can, which used some questionable ingredients. The sauce for her famous stuffed cabbage rolls, for example, uses a jar of sweet pickle juice and a handful of ginger snaps, and the spinach dip uses a package of Knorr’s Leek Soup Mix, and a shake of McCormick Salad Supreme. For years when I made the spinach dip I stayed true to the recipe, but these days I try to use whole ingredients when I can, so when I made this for a New Year’s party I did a bit of updating, with no apologies to Mr. McCormick or Mr. Knorr.

Spinach Dip

• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 c. mayonnaise
• 1 package frozen, shopped spinach, thawed, well drained, and squeezed as dry as possible
• 1/2 c. fresh chopped parsley
• 1/4 c. finely chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp. dill weed
• 1/4 tsp. sesame seed
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1 small garlic clove, pressed
• a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Mix all together at least one hour before serving. Serve with fresh vegetables.