If you are not used to eating artichokes or have kids who will be eating them, it's probably best to snip off the stickers at the top of the leaves. This is not necessary however.
Trim 1/4 to 1/2 inch off the bottoms. Trim as little as possible because the stems are one of the tastiest parts!
Place the artichokes in a pot that is large enough to hold them all, but small enough to keep them standing upright while they cook. Put enough water in the pot so that it comes up about 1/4 to 1/2 way up the artichokes.
Put a lid on the pot and boil them for approximately 20-30 minutes, or until they are soft. You should be able to stick a knife entirely through with little resistance. (I use a chopstick)
While the artichokes cook, prepare your dip of choice by mixing together all the specified ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
Drain off any water and place the artichokes on a plate. Serve with dip.
TO EAT:Pull off a leaf, dip the wide end (the part that was attached) into the sauce, and scrape the flesh off the inside of the leaf with your teeth. Do not bite in to this like an apple. You want to SCRAPE the meat off the fibrous, inside part of the leaf. You will only get meat off the first 1/4 -1/2 of the leaf. The closer you get to the inside of the artichoke, the more tender the leaves will become.
Once you have most of the leaves off, you will be left with very small leaves and the stem. Remove those last tiny leaves completely by pinching them all together and pulling them off (You can eat them, certainly). On top of the stem will be a "furry" section. You must scoop this out with a spoon. YOU DO NOT WANT TO EAT THE FUZZY PART!! Those little hairs will stick in your throat like fiberglass. So scoop them out and discard them, making sure to scrape any small strands left behind off with the edge of your spoon. You will be left with the best part of the artichoke! The bottom center of the flower, also known as the heart. Dip this in the sauce and enjoy. Discard the remainder of the stem.
Notes
Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.