There's an App For That--The first in what might possibly be a series of Super Apps for the Super Bowl--or--Carciofo Tu-What??!?

I am not Italian. I don't look Italian, I don't speak Italian, I don't smell Italian (pretty sure Italians smell like Tiramisu; I smell like vanilla and chocolate)--therefore I couldn't possibly be expected to know what the title of this recipe means.

The nearest I can tell, it has something to do with diving into a vat of warm artichokes. Now this might seem weird, but when you combine those warm artichokes with the remainder of the ingredients in Rina's Carcio Tuffo Caldo, I do believe we just might have something here.

In planning for any Super Bowl get together, one must be sure to provide a host of non-utensil- wielding dishes. Having a chip or bbq chicken wing in your hand when the ref pulls a non-sequitur regarding the previous play, is a lot safer than, shall we say, a fork. Plus, it eliminates the extra thought one would have to reallocate to the process of guiding some flatware into a more high-maintenance dish. The following recipe is appena il biglietto (if this doesn't translate correctly into 'just the ticket' blame Bable Fish).

Carcio Tuffo Caldo

(blatantly lifted from Rina on Tasty Kitchen)

1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 whole roasted red pepper, chopped (how to here!)

1 cup pitted black olives, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

4 whole sun dried tomatoes (not in oil--check photo at bottom of post)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup mozzarella, grated

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. place in a baking dish, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Serve with crackers or toasted baguette.

Things I may or may not have done during the preparation of this recipe:

**used 1/2 the amount of olives--not the biggest fan of the fruit

**made up for the olive thing by using twice as much garlic--I just can't be stopped!

**added a squirt of fresh lemon juice because I cannot utilize artichoke without it

**uttered a small prayer that I am not vegan

**unknowingly used monterey jack cheese instead of mozzarella because someone threw away the label I keep with my blocks of cheese

**moaned a little when I tried the finished product

This recipe will rival any warm artichoke dip out there. I loved the addition of roasted red peppers, and could totally see some left-over chicken being thrown in as well.

If this doesn't do it for ya, there's always this yummy looking recipe from Pamela over at French Knots

I found the sun dried tomatoes at Macey's in the produce department. You could always dry your own in the summer!