Upscale hotdish

We ran into the public library and grabbed about 20 books just before closing Saturday (architectural house styles, home renovation, and interior design--the latter to help us with ideas for colors, etc.), then wanted to go straight to the grocery store to shop. Of course, we hadn't planned meals for the following days, so on the way out to the libary Kels grabbed a huge stack of saved NYT magazine food pages, and then checked out that Bittman book The Best Recipes in the World (the jury is decidedly still out) from the library. We sat in Whole Foods drinking coffee and trying to decide what to make, and I came across this comfort food casserole that we hadn't tried, from Julia Reed in the New York Times Magazine on 10.26.03. It's not amazing, but as casseroles go, it's no banana goulash either.

Spinach and Artichoke Casserole
1 T. butter for greasing baking dish, 1/2 cup butter, melted for casserole, plus 1 T., melted, for topping
2 (10 oz.) packages frozen chopped spinach
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/2 cup coarse Ritz cracker crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow 2 qt. casserole.
2. Cook the spinach according to package directions, drain well, and place in a mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup of melted butter, the cream cheese and lemon juice and blend well with a fork.
3. Scatter the artichoke quarters evenly over the bottom of the greased casserole dish. Cover with the spinach mixture and smooth the top.
4. Cover the top with the Ritz crumbs, drizzle with 1 T. melted butter, and bake on the middle rack until bubbly in the center and lightly browned on top, about 25 minutes. Cool about 5 minutes and serve.

We didn't have any lemons (oops), so I put in a splash of apple cider vinegar. We also didn't have Ritz crackers so I used panko. Otherwise made according to the recipe, and served with some sausages.