Action points

Conferences are great, especially if, like me, you work alone most of the time. They allow you to re-connect with friends and colleagues, resolve problems in a five-minute discussion that would’ve taken days over email, brainstorm projects for the future, talk about things using jargon and shorthand that only your co-workers can understand and appreciate. They send you home feeling professionally recharged, motivated, and inspired.



So I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that, despite feeling all those things, the first task I’ve completed on the (long) list of action points I brought home from Keystone is figuring out how to re-create the warm dip that was served at several of the afternoon breaks.

I guess there’s more than one way a good conference can motivate and inspire.

Warm Artichoke-Asiago Dip
inspired by the caterers at Keystone Conference Center, adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
I’ve been eating (and loving) warm dips like this for years, usually in restaurants, but this is the first one that compelled me to make it myself.

2 14 oz/ 400g cans artichoke hearts, drained
1 8 oz/240 g block cream cheese, softened
1 cup/210 g mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
a few shakes of cayenne pepper
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup/100g grated Asiago cheese
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.

Place the artichokes, cream cheese, mayo/yogurt, cayenne, and green onions in a food processor and pulse 6-8 times until uniformly chopped but not pureed.

Scrape into a heatproof bowl; stir in grated cheese until mixed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir again.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through. Serve with sliced baguette, pita chips, tortilla chips, Triscuits, or raw vegetables. Whatever you use, make sure there's plenty.