The Southwest Voice

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You’ve just got to love Shirley Temple for singing that in “Poor Little Rich Girl.” Then there’s Popeye, who eats the canned variety, which always made school lunches go from barely passing to a total F!

I have a better idea. Keep in mind that if I own a measuring cup, it is probably full of loose change and lost marbles, so my measurements are approximate. I think of my kitchen as the hidden laboratory of a mad scientist — a place to experiment!

• 1 12-ounce bag of frozen spinach, chopped
• 1 8-ounce block of cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (You don’t want to actually
   taste the nutmeg, but it helps smooth out the bitterness of the
   spinach ... play with it.)

First, pour a glass of your favorite wine. It makes cooking more enjoyable. Dump the spinach in an 8- by 8-inch backing dish and add the cream cheese. Cover and microwave for eight to nine minutes then stir until creamy. Add remaining ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Cover again and microwave three to four minutes.

To expand this recipe, you could add cooked sausage, shrimp or chicken served over rice or pasta. Toss up a salad and call it dinner. For dessert, ask Shirley. I’m sure she can recommend something from the Good Ship Lollipop!