Baked Party Dip

Photo: flickr user moonrat42

Ingredients

1 lrg Round loaf dark bread (about 2 poun

1 bn Scallions, chopped

6 Garlic cloves, finely minced

2 tablespoons Butter or margarine

1 pkt (8 ounces) cream cheese, cut into s

2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream

3 cups (12 ounces) grated mild or medium c

1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts (water

Preparation

"Your party will be the best one of the year when you serve this special dip baked inside a loaf of bread. It will be the centerpiece of the table and the centerpiece of the party, too."

Drained and cut into quarters Garlic bread for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a hole about 5 inches in diameter in the top of the bread. (If you wish, make a decorative zigzag pattern.) Reserve crusty part to make top for loaf. Scoop out most of the soft inside portion of the loaf and save for another purpose, such as stuffing or bread crumbs.

In a skillet, saute' the scallions and garlic in the butter until scallions wilt. Do not burn! Place the cream cheese in a medium sized bowl; add the scallions, garlic, sour cream, and Cheddar cheese. Mix well. Fold in the artichoke hearts. Fill hollowed-out bread with this mixture. Replace top of bread and wrap in a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake for about 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours. Remove foil and top of bread and serve, using

Note: The best part of this dish is when the dip is gone and all you have left is the breadd, which is soaked in all those delicious ingredients.

Just break the bread up and pass it around!