The Wire Series Finale deserves cupcakes

I had a viewing party this weekend in honor of The Wire series finale. I thought about serving dinner but since it was kind of late to eat on a Sunday, I decided to just do snacks. With a slight hangover and minimal time available, I needed something relatively easy so I baked pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon frosting, bought some bread, cheese, olives and meat and then baked spinach artichoke dip. The latter is a general crowd pleaser and super easy. We had whiskey and wine for drinks and voila.

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
1 (8 oz.) pkg Cream Cheese
1 can (14 oz.) Artichoke Hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Spinach frozen chopped, or steamed (drained)
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/4- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil
* I also added a pinch of salt & pepper as well as red pepper flakes and a bit of garlic powder

Mix together and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Best served hot with toasted bread or crackers.