By March is arriving slowly, the way March always does in a cold climate — grudgingly, with setbacks, teasing warmth followed by snow, the light improving even when the temperature doesn't follow. I drove to the garden center on a Saturday that was technically forty degrees but felt, in the car with the heat on, like spring was possible. I came home with soil amendments, seeds I'd been researching since February, and two pots of forced hyacinths that made the kitchen smell riotously like a season that hasn't happened yet.
The raised beds have been turned and amended. The garlic I planted in October is sending up green spears with determination. I found, in the far corner bed that gets the least light, a small volunteer plant I haven't been able to identify — not a weed I recognize, something with rounded leaves and a particular blue-green color. I've been photographing it and consulting resources and I think it might be borage, self-seeded from last year. I'm letting it be. The garden knows things I don't.
Noah is visiting next week. He's driving down from Portland, which he doesn't do as often as flights but seems to prefer when he has time — the drive gives him thinking space, he says. He's been working on a long-form piece about food sovereignty in the Pacific Northwest and wants to talk through the structural argument. I am happy to be talked at about this; I understand only about half of the theory and all of the underlying care, which is perhaps the right ratio for a conversation with your son about his work.
Eleanor is walking now. Fully, confidently, without holding anything. Olivia sent a video of her walking across the living room toward Mason with her arms out at her sides for balance and this expression of focused joy — not the cautious concentration of early walking but the beginning of the pleasure of moving through the world on your own terms. She is sixteen months. She walks like she's been planning this for a while. Knowing Eleanor, she probably has.
The hyacinths smell like arriving. The garlic is coming up. Noah is on his way. March, imperfect as always, is doing its job.
With Noah arriving next week and the garlic already pushing up green in the beds, I wanted to plan something that felt like a real welcome — not a fussy meal, but something warm and generous, the kind of thing that fills the kitchen with a smell that says someone was here, making something for you. Stuffed garlic bread is exactly that: a little indulgent, deeply savory, impossible not to pull apart at the table. The garlic in the garden isn’t ready to harvest yet, but the anticipation of the season is already shaping what I want to cook, and this recipe met me right there in that feeling.
Spinach and Artichoke Dip Stuffed Garlic Bread
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 large Italian or French bread loaf
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry
- 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (for butter)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Make the filling. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the sour cream, mayonnaise, minced garlic (3 cloves), onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Fold in the squeezed spinach, chopped artichoke hearts, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella, and all of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Hollow the bread. Slice the bread loaf in half lengthwise. Use your fingers or a spoon to gently pull out some of the soft interior from each half, creating a shallow well—leave about 3/4 inch of bread on the sides and bottom. Reserve the pulled bread for another use.
- Make the garlic butter. Stir together the melted butter, 2 minced garlic cloves, and chopped parsley. Brush generously over the cut surfaces and along the inside of each bread half.
- Fill and top. Spread the spinach and artichoke filling evenly into both hollowed bread halves, pressing it in gently. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella over the top of both halves.
- Bake. Place the filled bread halves cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the filling is hot and bubbling and the cheese on top is golden at the edges.
- Slice and serve. Let cool for 3–4 minutes before slicing into portions. Serve warm, pulled apart at the table.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 24g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 610mg