Q. Here is a recipe for a bacon dip that my family is crazy about. It calls for a pound of bacon, among other things. Help!

A. You weren't kidding when you called this bacon dip! It calls for half a pound of bacon for 6 to 8 servings (the original recipe calls for a pound of bacon for 12 servings). I switched to a lean turkey bacon and cut the amount in half. Because turkey bacon tends to soften when it is in a moist mixture, I ended up adding the crisp turkey bacon bits at the end. I wanted the crispy turkey bacon to contrast with the texture and color of the spinach-and-onion dip.

I also used light cream cheese and light mayonnaise instead of regular (and used a little less) and added fat-free sour cream. I also used a part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese instead of whole milk. I added freshly ground pepper and finely chopped basil to complement the other flavors in the dip.

The calories dropped from 444 to 190 and the grams of fat from 42 to 12, saturated fat from 19 to 6, and cholesterol from 82 to 33 milligrams.

If you want to make twice as much dip, double all of the ingredients, use a 2-quart baking dish and bake for about 30-40 minutes.

Original recipe contains 444 calories, 42 grams of fat, 19 grams saturated fat, and 82 milligrams cholesterol per serving of dip.

MCDREAMY SPINACH AND BACON DIP