Artichoke & Spinach Stuffed Bread

Today is National Pasta Day, so we celebrated with a meal of Spaghetti with Mama Mia Marinara Sauce.  (Mama Mia is a dry mix from Tastefully Simple that you add to a can of crushed tomatoes.)  Since no pasta meal is complete without some good crusty bread, I decided to give this stuffed bread recipe a try.  If you're looking for a nice ooey gooey warm cheese bread - this is it!

Artichoke & Spinach Stuffed Bread
Submitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef

Ingredients
1 packet Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
14.5 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper to taste
1 lb. loaf French bread

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°. Combine first 6 ingredients; stir to blend. Slice French bread in half horizontally; pull some bread out of both halves, leaving about a 1-inch shell. Spread cream cheese mixture inside the bottom shell; top with top shell. Wrap loaf in foil, place on baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Unwrap loaf; let stand 10 minutes. Slice and serve warm. Makes 8-10 servings.

NOTE:  I found a 7 oz can of artichoke hearts, so I used it.  Thought if I used too many the kids might notice :)  Mission accomplished - they had no idea they were there. 

Pork Loin with Sweet Pepper Glaze

Earlier this week, we took my oldest son out for a 'birthday dinner' at a local steak restaurant (with an Aussie flair).  He's officially too old to order off the kid's menu now.  How is this possible?

Anyway, he ordered a pork loin with a sweet chutney glaze.  After trying a bite of his dinner, I determined the glaze tasted IDENTICAL to our Tastefully Simple Sweet Pepper Jalapeno Jam.  Now, I generally use our Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce on pork loin, but decided to venture out in an attempt to replicate the 'steak restaurant' creation.  In the process, I ended up finding an incredible new way to cook pork loin!  (Thanks Google :)

I've also been working to experiment with some new ingredients, and was very pleased at how these dishes all complemented each other.  I recommend giving them a try!  Get out of that recipe rut and experiment a little :) Couscous on it's own doesn't have a ton of flavor, so it works great as a side dish with the pork.

Pork Loin with Sweet Pepper Glaze
1-2 lb pork loin
seasonings of your choice (I used Garlic Garlic and Seasoned Salt from Tastefully Simple)
Tastefully Simple Sweet Pepper Jalapeno Jam

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Season pork loin and place in a roasting pan (uncovered) on the bottom 1/3 of your oven. Bake pork loin 5 1/2 minutes PER POUND.  Turn oven OFF and DO NOT open it for an hour.  Remove from oven after 1 full hour and let sit 5-10 to allow juices to re-distribute before cutting.  Use meat thermometer to make sure it has reached 150-160 degrees.  Slice into medallions and top with a few spoonfuls of Sweet Pepper Jalapeno Jam.

Roasted Butternut Squash
1 butternut squash (remove seeds and cut into bite sized cubes)
1 Tbsp olive oil or Tastefully Simple Roasted Garlic Infused Oil
brown sugar

Combine oil and squash and place in same roasting pan as pork loin, but make sure they aren't touching the meat to aid in cooking both properly.  Squash will be done at the same time as pork.  Sprinkle with brown sugar when you remove from oven.

Couscous with Spinach & Herb
Submitted by Jackie Prehn (IL) 

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup couscous
1 Tbsp. Tastefully Simple Spinach & Herb Dip Mix

Directions
Combine first 2 ingredients; bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Makes 6 servings.