Who's got two thumbs and joined the Secret Recipe Club this month? This gal, that's who!
In case you're not familiar with Secret Recipe Club, here's how it works in a nutshell - each month, the SRC members are each randomly assigned a secret blogger buddy, and then pick a recipe from their buddy's blog to cook and document on their own blog on the big reveal date.
A few bloggers I follow have joined up in recent months, and it seemed like a neat way to connect with other bloggers while trying out some recipes I might otherwise never have discovered. Sounds like a win-win proposition, right?
My assigned blogger for September is Megan at Megan's Cookin', whose lovely blog is chock-full of recipes for homey comfort foods and sinfully sweet desserts. It's so chock-full, in fact, that I had a really hard time deciding which recipe I wanted to make!
This Month's Recipe: Killer Artichoke Bread
It was really hard to choose just one recipe to me, but in the end it was her recipe for Killer Artichoke Bread that called my name.
Actually, to be more specific, it didn't exactly call my name... more like it shouted "Bread! With loads of melted cheese! And artichokes! MAKE ME NOW!"
(Yes, food occasionally screams orders at me. Particularly when said food is deep-fried, smothered in cheese, or involves some form of chocolate.)
The only changes I made to Megan's original recipe were scaling down to half of the topping ingredients (except for the garlic, because we LOVE garlic), swapping out the original French bread for a smaller ciabatta loaf, and adding one finely minced shallot to the mix.
The Verdict: Must-Make or Mistake?
This one is a definite must-make. Seriously. Make this. NOW.
One small caution, however. Do not, under any circumstances, eat the whole loaf on your own, no matter how loudly it is shouting at you to do so. That would be bad.
I take no responsibility for any major indigestion, sudden spikes in cholesterol levels or massive weight gain that might result from actually eating the whole thing in one sitting, as tempting as it might be. Consider yourself warned.
Instead, try inviting a friend or two or five to help you polish off these gorgeously gooey cheese-covered slices of heart-stopping, artery-clogging deliciousness.
Or just scale down the recipe to make a half-batch, which is what I ended up doing for The Mister and myself... and as it is, we ended up declaring defeat halfway through, and saved the second half for another day.
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Megan's Killer Artichoke Bread
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Think of this as Cheesy Garlic Bread meets Baked Artichoke Dip, only even better - it's ooey, gooey and pretty much guaranteed to ruin your appetite for dinner (but it's totally worth it).
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheddar and mozarella cheese blend
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 large shallot, finely minced
- 1 small loaf ciabatta bread
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat broiler, and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, melt the butter until foamy. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Scrape the cooked garlic into a large mixing bowl, and stir in artichoke hearts, mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan, sour cream and shallot until combined.
- Slice the bread lengthwise. Place the bread halves on the prepared baking sheet, cut side up, and spoon the cheese and artichoke mixture overtop. Broil for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bread is hot. Cut each half into six pieces and serve right away, while the cheese is still nice and melty.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
Rebecca says
This recipe is wonderful! We shared it with our readers today. We'll be back to visit you soon!
Thanks again,
Rebecca & Lori
★★★★★
ButterYum says
Guess who else has two thumbs and is joining SRC for the first time in Sept - meeee!! My reveal is next Monday. I hope you'll stop by for a visit.
Anyway, glad you highlighted this wonderful recipe. I can feel the inches increasing as I drool over your photos. Way too good for words.
:)
ButterYum
Rhonda says
I think I hear the food screaming at me now, is that contagious? I will be making this soon, sooo very soon. GREAT SRC pick...sorry did I just yell that?
Danielle says
Yum! I'm with you, anything with cheese and bread as the main ingredients has to be good. And this is healthy right because it has a vegetable in it?!
AmandaP says
This is now screaming my name as well! I think I'll make this next weekend when company is in town :-D
Russell van Kraayenburg says
Artichoke bread?! Why didn't I know such a thing existed? This looks way too good. P.S. I love this secret bloggers club thing. I've stumbled across it on a few other blogs and it always looks so fun.
Amanda says
This look wonderful! I am a new artichoke fan as of late, so this is going on my list :)
i'm so sorry you were orphaned this month on SRC! To make up for it, Katrina of Baking and Boys was kind enough to volunteer to make something from your blog to make up for that :) You can see the post here! https://www.bakingandboys.com/2011/09/marbled-choco-banana-muffins-crumb.html
Isabelle says
Amanda, that is SO sweet of you (and even sweeter of Katrina... she really went above and beyond on her post). I can see that I'm really going to enjoy being part of the SRC!
MadAboutMacarons says
What a fabulous choice for the recipe club: you are too right - will have to make this soon. My kids would love this at supper time and it's the kind of thing they'd love to help with in the kitchen. Brilliant!
Isabelle says
This is definitely a kid-friendly recipe and so super-easy to prepare - I'm sure they'd have a blast being able to say they "made" dinner. :)
sara says
OMG, this looks totally delicious! I so need to make this...what an awesome treat! I love artichoke dip, and this seems like an amazing variation! :)
Isabelle says
It's EXACTLY like Hot Artichoke Dip on toasty bread, but with less mess (and no baking dish to clean up afterwards). I hope you do get a chance to try it!
Tori @ The Shiksa in the Kitchen says
Artichokes AND cheese?? On BREAD? Those are three of my absolute favorite things in one recipe! Om nom nom...
Si says
This looks yummy! I love artichoke and cheese dip, I will try this recipe for sure. Thanks!
Lisa says
This is like the famous artichoke dip baked into a bread! It looks fantastic! No crackers needed! So nice to discover your blog via SRC! Love your writing and photos!
★★★★★
Lisa~~ says
You passed up bacon candy...Are you mad woman???? Your choice looks wonderful too and sounds delicious. Welcome to the SRC and go try some bacon candy because when I made it, my daughter would have devoured the entire pound had I not taken some aside to add to cookies.
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
Isabelle says
Oh, the bacon candy will happen eventually. Soon, even. There's no way I can continue living knowing that there's something called bacon candy and I've yet to experience it. :)
Camilla @ Culinary Adventures with Camilla says
This looks delicious! It's my first month in the SRC, too. What fun this is.
Becca @ Crumbs and Chaos says
YUM! This looks outstanding and perfect for football season. Can't wait to make this soon!
Dan @ Dan's Good Side says
It just shouted...“Bread! With loads of melted cheese! And artichokes! MAKE ME NOW!”.
That made me actually laugh out loud, which is a rarity these days in our world of LOLs....but, I digress...I love artichokes + cheese + garlic. Pretty much sounds like heaven!
5 stars for you!
★★★★★
susie says
Sometimes (since there are no growing children left at home) we just eat apps and wine for dinner. This will work!
Stephanie says
What a delight! I've never heard of artichoke bread before, but I'm a fan of all things artichoke. Hmmm, might work as a dip with crackers or carrot stick too?
Isabelle says
I haven't really tried it yet, but I'm sure you could just make the filling and bake it up in an oven-proof dish as a Hot Artichoke Dip.
Ooooooor, you could just make this Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip recipe instead (it has BACON!).
Lesa @Edesia's Notebook says
Mmm, that looks super delicious! Reveal day always makes me wish I lived right next to a grocery store so I can get the ingredients to make all the yummy food posted! I would totally be having this for lunch!
Pretend Chef says
This screams my name as well. I know I'd have no self control and end up eating the entire loaf. Yummy!
Megan's Cookin' says
I'm so glad you liked the bread! It is killer, isn't it? I try not to make it to often on the advise of my cardiologist! LOL Great for a BBQ or large gatherings where I cant hoard the whole loaf. Thanks for such a great write up and it's great to meet ya. Stumbled!
★★★★★
Isabelle says
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe, Megan! I think it's going to be one of our new favourites for pot lucks and parties... it's seriously addictive stuff.
Melissa@IWasBornToCook says
Artichokes and cheese (and garlic!)...YUM! This looks soooo good. Welcome to the club! :)