Camellia Food And Beverages Tips

I think the hardest thing about entertaining for me is determining menus for the various types of parties I have in my home. My husband and kids may love a particular dish, but how am I to know that same dish will be a hit with my guests?

Well this dish traveled around a lot this past weekend and I heard from almost EVERY guest at the parties how scrumptious it was. I brought one batch to a luncheon wedding shower for 18 women and I brought another batch to an evening "Wildly Fun Bash" at my sister's house for about 30 people of all ages. At the end of the night, I brought home two casserole dishes that had been scraped clean.

Again it is easy and can be prepared ahead of time. It is served with a nice italian bread or ciabatta bread warmed in the oven, but not completely toasted.

Ingredients

12 oz of artichokes drained and rinsed
6-8 oz jumbo lump crabmeat (I use canned)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbl horseradish
3 tbl fresh lemon juice
2 tbl minced garlic
5-8 turns of a peppermill
3 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1-1/2 cups shredded white american cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
bread

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Combine first nine ingredients. Make sure you buy regular cream cheese (not whipped). Just leave it on the counter for about an hour or so for it to soften. You can certainly add more crab if you like. Pour into a 13 x 9 pan. Sprinkle top with cheeses and then Old Bay seasoning. Bake 30 minutes. I make this while I am having a nice glass of chardonnay....so it must be simple. Serve with bread, crostini or even heated tortilla triangles.

Everyone at the recent parties I attended begged me to post this!
Enjoy!







I know...I know...I already posted a crab dip about a month ago. That blog was a recipe using a MUST HAVE pantry item from Stonewall Kitchens.