Greek Spinach Dip for the Michigan-Michigan State Game

I'm a proud graduate of the University of Michigan; my ex-husband, Stuart, attended medical school at Michigan State University. Needless to say, the intra-state rivalry has always been a lot of fun for us! When Stuart and I were married, we hosted a party each year in honor of the big Michigan-Michigan State football game.

After we met, Stuart used to follow me around, offering to take me to the game. It didn't happen that year, 'cause the tickets are extremely popular and hard to come by ... and expensive.

Stuart did get tickets for the game in 1990, when we were expecting Jeremy. I had to buy a large sweatshirt to wear to the game, to go over the "baby bump". We still consider it Jeremy's first Michigan-Michigan State game, even if he didn't get to see anything that time.

So, what to serve this year in honor of the game? My family's traditions have changed, as has the family unit itself; but the need for appropriate food for this important occasion remains a constant.

Michigan State's mascot is a Spartan, named for the famous warriors of the ancient Greek city of Sparta. So it only made sense to make a spinach dip - which would feature MSU's team colors of green and white - and to give it a Greek flair with oregano and lemon and feta.

This is gooey and rich, with a vibrant lemon flavor that is distinctive and shines through. And if you serve it with maize- and blue-colored chips, you've got Michigan's team colors invited to the party, as well!

Greek Spinach Dip

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
5 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 lemon
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
8 ounces mozzarella, shredded
5 ounces feta, divided
chips or crackers, for serving

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a flat 3-cup baking dish.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, salt, pepper and oregano; saute until the vegetables are translucent. Add the spinach; saute until wilted.

Zest the lemon, then juice it. Add the zest and juice to the spinach, then place the spinach mixture into a large mixing bowl.

Stir the yogurt, mozzarella, and 4 ounces of the feta into the spinach mixture; place the spinach into the prepared baking dish, then top with the remaining feta.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is starting to brown and the dip is bubbling. Serve hot, with chips or crackers.

Serves 4.

Bagger Dave's Bowl Game Burgers

Okay, let's just get the humiliating truth out of the way at the very beginning: the state of Michigan got its butt whupped on Saturday in football.

There's no way to argue that there were good battles but that better teams won fair match-ups ... pffft. Both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University lost their bowl games by unbelievable margins:

Gator Bowl: Mississippi State 52, Michigan 14

(Just one of many reasons Michigan's head coach, Rich Rodriguez, lost his job this week)

Capital One Bowl: Alabama 49, Michigan State 7

Oy ....

So, it's a good thing Tom and I had some excellent food to compensate for the football, huh???

We don't have cable, so we had rather a dilemma trying to figure out where we were going to watch our football. We'd watched other Michigan games this season at Famous Hamburger and at Cottage Inn, which specializes in pizza, pizza and more pizza. Both have large t.v. screens. And neither has had many other customers besides us during the games: most people either watch at home or in bars, or they're one of the 110,000 that UM's football stadium -- The Big House -- can hold, so we've had exceptionally congenial service.

But Tom had the flu last week, so pizza was much too rich to consider as an option while his system was still recovering. And our other regular hangout was going to be closed for New Year's Day.

So, we figured Applebee's would be open and have multiple televisions; but would we have good access for watching or would it be too loud??? Well, it was a viable option at least, so we aimed in that direction. And then on the way to Applebee's, Tom remembered a burger place nearby that he'd heard good things about.

We drove by ... it was open.

We drove by more closely ... there was a t.v.

Serendipity had brought us to Bagger Dave's Legendary Burger Tavern.

We seated ourselves with a perfect view of the UM game, and then proceeded to peruse the not-exhausting-but-still-daunting-nonethless menu.

Our server, Alan, was warm and friendly and utterly charming. I apologized for his having to make multiple trips to our table, explaining that my brain goes into paralysis when presented with too many excellent menu options. He replied that he also has the same problem (he even told us a story about it, so I knew he wasn't just humoring me!) and was completely sympathetic. Whew! 'Cause there were a lot of fabulous choices all calling to me, and calling loudly. This was going to take some time.

Salad, to start the new year with some semblance of health? Nah, that's not football food! Burger!!! It's a burger joint, and an honored one at that:

“Burger Battle Winner 2010” ... described as “Remarkably succulent” by the Ann Arbor Observer, and also named “Best Burger” by the Ann Arbor Family Press

Okay, then, did I want one with lots of stuff like chili or peppers or cheese? There was a Tuscan turkey burger with mozzarella and balsamic vinaigrette and basil; a Cajun-spiced burger with my beloved blue cheese; and even a gargantuan burger called a Train Wreck featuring two patties, fries, an egg, cheddar, onions, mushrooms and a special sauce ... now, where was Jeremy when he was needed to polish that baby off???

Hmmm ... perhaps simplicity, to really let the burger shine. So I used my do-it-yourself worksheet to "Create (My) Own Legend."

I selected beef (vs. turkey or vegetarian), lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup and mayonnaise on a honey wheat bun. Tom had virtually the same thing, with the exception of the mayonnaise and having chosen a sesame seed bun.

But once that decision had been made, would we get fresh-cut fries? Sweet potato fries? Freshly made Saratoga potato chips with sea salt??? Oh, that last one could not be resisted! One easy choice in the mix, thank goodness.

Alan came back and reviewed our selections with us, to make sure that there would be no mistakes. And yet, when our order appeared there seemed to be something wrong ... we each had two burger patties rather than the one we'd expected.

So we checked with Alan to make sure nothing was wrong and that the orders hadn't gotten mixed up; nope, there was nothing wrong -- the burgers all come with double patties. He apologized for the confusion and we assured him that there was no problem whatsoever; rather than feeling jilted for paltry portions, there was actually extra food -- very generous portions -- that we hadn't anticipated ... whee!!!

Alan then watched me do my "food blogger" routine -- I took the requisite photos. (And I apologize for the blurriness -- I was hungry, distracted by the miniature electric train whirring around the room, watching the game, schmoozing, etc.) He asked if I always take pictures of what I eat, and I answered that I write a food blog; he asked if I take pictures of what I cook, too, and I explained that I take pictures of everything I eat and make, even though I know it makes me seem odd. We all have our little quirks!

And so, we dug in ... and oh, the burgers were so, so good!!! Juicy, flavorful, dripping down my hand -- everything you want in a burger. Thank goodness we had extra napkins! Very little conversation took place, as Tom and I just ate happily, looked up to check on the game, smiled at each other, and ate some more.

The potato chips -- though that seems such an insufficient word for these treats! -- were a deep golden brown, crisp, very lightly salted, and absolute perfection as an accompaniment. I love sweet potato fries and may very well try them on a repeat visit to Bagger Dave's (yes, there will be many!); but truly, I can't imagine them being better suited to these burgers than what we ordered.

Then we were pleasantly surprised when the manager stopped by our table to apologize for the confusion over the burger patties. We assured him, too, that there was no problem whatsoever; it was our delirious oblivion as we perused the tantalizing menu that had caused the puzzlement over the quantity of food, nothing more. We had a lovely chat, which ended with him telling us that Alan is a very talented magician. Needless to say, Alan was then called over to show us his coin trick.

Truly dexterous and graceful, Alan wound a coin the size of a 50-cent piece through and around his fingers, placed it into his palm and then made it disappear, retrieved it, and just kept doing this fluidly as he talked about having begun serious training and practice when he was 14. He is very gifted, and it was absolutely delightful to spend a few minutes chatting with him as he blithely continued his illusions ... :)

Tom and I had a fabulous time at Bagger Dave's -- excellent (and generous!) food, charming hosts, whimsical entertainment, and even Tootsie Rolls to end our meal. And I'm thrilled to say that this is a Michigan-based franchise that proudly supports our state's food products (craft beers and cheeses, among them), sponsors local youth sports, and supports our area's non-profits with fundraisers.

And what was that we spied on the shelf across the room, with bright yellow labels displayed proudly??? Could it be ... our favorite peanut butter, the beautiful Michigan product Koeze's, for making the grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches??? Ah -- kindred spirits! We may not have watched the disastrous Gator Bowl at our house, but clearly Tom and I felt right at home ....