Tasty Bites: Tammy's Crab Meltaways

By Beth V

Last week, I started a series on Christmas recipes that have become enduring family favorites. This week I’d like to feature a favorite appetizer that is always found  at a family Christmas or New Year’s Eve party. This has been one of my sister, Tammy’s, signature recipes for years. These are bubbly, cheesy, crab-i-ness on a toasty English muffin. They are very easy to make and they are just simply delicious.

Add a softened stick of butter, a couple of spoonfuls of mayonnaise, ½ teaspoon of seasoned salt, ½ teaspoon of garlic salt and a jar of Kraft Old English cheese spread to your mixing bowl and blend well.

What is Kraft Old English cheese, you might ask (as I did)?  It is a sharp cheddar  processed cheese spread that is sold in 5 oz, glass jars and found in the cheese/dairy case at the grocery store. Well, it seems to be the holy grail of cheesiness because I could not find a well-accepted recipe for a substitution. All of the recipes I read that called for this ingredient specifically said you MUST use Old English or it will NOT be the same. So, I decided I better not mess with trying to come up with a less-processed alternative and just stick with what works well for this special occasion treat. If you feel adventurous, this recipe for Port Sharp Cheddar Cheese Spread may work well as a substitute. but I haven’t tried it yet. I think I am going to try it for Christmas this year because my sister Tammy and my other sisters and brother also happen to love Port Wine Cheddar spread on crackers…it reminds us of our childhood Christmases. My dad always purchased a large crock of  Port Wine cheese spread to have with crackers during the holidays. It certainly evokes many fond memories. But, I digress…back to the recipe.

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