Who says you can’t BBQ in October? This weekend was perfect for a BBQ – sunny and 70ish. I decided to have some people over for a low-key cookout.

Did I mention that I don’t have a grill?

That’s alright. I made due without it. I used our Foreman-like Grill to cook the burgers, but for everything else we (or should I say I) used the oven and stovetop as a substitute. I boiled the hot dogs and the corn and made a baked chicken and shrimp with lemon and garlic sauce. I also attempted to cut the frying calories out by baking the fries. They turned out delicious and perfectly crispy.

But the hit of the afternoon (at least in my opinion) was the spinach artichoke dip. You can’t have a BBQ without chips and dip. So to complement the store-bought salsa and chips, I decided it would be a good idea to make my own dip. Adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny.

 

 

Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package of fat-free cream cheese, softened or whipped
1/4 cup Low Fat Mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Low Fat Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Low Fat Romano cheese
2 cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
Garlic Salt
1/2 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 package cup frozen chopped Spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup shredded Low Fat Mozzarella cheese
 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Lightly grease a small baking dish.
Mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, mozzarella cheese, minced garlic, garlic salt. 
Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

 

I also pitched in on the dessert front and made some pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting – all from scratch.

 

Pumpkin Cupcakes and Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten until frothy
1 cup mashed cooked or canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk
Icing
1/4 cup butter
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
 

Directions

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs.
Add butter and sugar mixture to flour mixture.
Blend in mashed pumpkin.
Spoon batter into cupcake cups.
Bake at 375° for 25 minutes.
Frost with cream cheese frosting
Icing
Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl, beat well until smooth