Serve this healthy and robust appetizer alongside any dinner. These Roasted Artichokes with Lemon Garlic Mayo will be a crowd pleaser.
I’m now a mama of three!!! Well, for the next 4 days at least. One of my friend’s and her hubby are out of town, checking out some areas to live in San Francisco where they will be moving to in the next few months. I offered to watch her little 18 month old girl.
She’s adorable.
The problem is, if you give me a squishy, cute, playful baby that sleeps through the night and doesn’t eat and poop every second of the day…I’m gonna think I want another baby. By the time they’re 18 months you forget about all the crying fits and spit up soaked clothing and nap time schedules and sleepless nights that accompany having a newborn.
Well you can’t fool me!!! I’m not jumping into having another kid quite yet. I gotta consider all those factors before we try to pop out another Gundersen baby. I’m not the most flexible of people, so I need to make sure that emotionally I’m ready for that kind of life changing addition.
But ask my girls??? Well, they would tell you TODAY that mommy should have another baby. They are…hmmm…should I say OBSESSED with our temporary miniature family member.
Emry can’t stop holding her hand, barking in her face (don’t worry, the baby thinks it’s funny and giggles every time), feeding her snacks, pushing her in the baby stroller, and playing with her hair. And the infatuation is reciprocated. The baby adores Emry! She follows her around like a little puppy dog, waiting for the next command.
Now Braelyn…
…well, the baby doesn’t quite enjoy her has much. In fact, the baby kind of despises Braelyn. I don’t know if it’s because Braelyn is too overwhelming and all up in her personal baby bubble, or she’s just not as used to her as Emry since she sees Emry on a frequent basis on play dates and at work out group. Whatever it is, the sight of Braelyn makes her scream.
Okay, that’s a little exaggerated. For about the first hour, if Braelyn got too close or even looked at her the wrong way, she would scream. The next hour or two she would just scowl. The following couple of hours she simply ignored her. And by the time we put her to bed tonight, she at least let Braelyn come within a foot or her and even let her read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? to her.
Baby steps. Literally.
I just find it funny that she can like one child and loathe the other. But I guess with Braelyn’s personality type, you either love her or you…well…you don’t. Haha! Poor kiddo!!!
Maybe Braelyn will be like one of those foods that you hate the first few times you try, but then you acquire a liking for. I can’t even tell you how many foods made me gag as a kid, but now I savor every bite. Stuffing is the first that comes to mind. I would literally dry heave with every bite, and now it is one of my all time favorite Thanksgiving menu items.
Onions? Hated them.
Cottage cheese? Barf!
Unsweetened cereals? Are you kidding me???!
Papaya? Tasted like dirty feet.
Sushi? Don’t even think about putting anything raw in my mouth!
These are just a few foods that I love now. See, tastes change, so keep trying. This is exactly why I continue to feed my children a variety of foods whether they like them or not. Sure, my kiddos would love to eat the same 5 or 6 foods everyday for every meal, but then they are doomed to a life of predictability and monotony. I won’t stand for that.
And in between the fighting and forcing of trying new foods, occasionally I am surprised by some non traditional items that my kids enjoy eating. For one, they LOVE artichokes. Emry can eat almost an entire one by herself. Not only does she love the taste, but she enjoys the act of pulling off the leaves, dipping them, and scraping the yummy flesh off with her teeth. It’s a delightful culinary experience for her, and it makes me smile every time I watch.
Maybe, just maybe, I’m doing something right over here.
My go to method for cooking artichokes is roasting. It brings out the loveliest flavor and aroma. Besides grilling, it’s my favorite way to eat them. Yep, these Roasted Artichokes with Lemon Garlic Mayo are always a hit in our house. It’s rare that you will find even one leaf left over. And the hearts??? Gone in two seconds flat!
For being such a fancy appetizer, I’m always surprised at how easy artichokes are to prepare. It only takes a little cutting and snipping before you throw them in the oven to bake until tender. Really, it’s that darn easy.
I grew up dipping artichokes in melted butter or mayo. I still love those simple flavors with the warm artichoke leaves, but to kick it up a notch, I decided to jazz up my mayo with some fresh lemon, garlic, and basil. It makes a world of difference!
Not only does lemon taste great in the dip, but it adds a bit of zip and zing if you squeeze some juice on top of the artichokes fresh out of the oven. In fact, freshly squeezed lemon juice tastes delectable on most roasted veggies. I learned that trick recently from a fellow foodie friend. Lip smacking good!
And the last think I’ll say about these artichokes is their power to bring families together. You think I’m kidding. I’m not. Really, foods like these, where everyone gets to share, really creates an enjoyable atmosphere around the dinner table. That is until you have to decide who gets the last bite. Then it’s full on every man for himself out there!
Have your taste buds changed as you’ve grown in age?
- For the artichokes:
- 2 large artichokes, cut in half and hair scraped out
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- juice from about ½ a lemon
- For the dip:
- ⅓ cup mayo
- ¾ teaspoon lemon juice, depending on preference
- ¼ teaspoon finely minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil, or ½ teaspoon freshly chopped basil
- dash of sugar
- dash of salt
- dash of pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Rinse artichokes and cut stems off almost to the flower. Cut the top ⅓ of the artichoke leaves off. Snip any spikes off. Cut artichokes in half and scoop out all the hair from the center, careful not to scrape out any of the heart.
- Arrange artichokes, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle artichokes with olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Using hands, rub olive oil and seasonings all around artichokes and between the leaves. Turn artichokes over, cut side down and seal top of pan tightly with foil.
- Bake artichokes at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until leaves easily pull apart.
- While artichokes are cooking, combine all ingredients for dip together. Mix until well incorporated. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
- Once artichokes are done baking, remove from oven, take foil off, flip artichokes over cut side up, and squeeze lemon juice over. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to cool and serve with dip.
