Crab Meltaways

These are very tasty and keep for a long time in the freezer. They are great to pull out when people show up unexpectedly. It sort of blows their minds.

1/2 c butter
1 16 oz jar Old English cheese spread
1 1/2 t mayo
1 1/2 t garlic salt
1 can (7 oz) crab meat
12 English muffins

Blend first 5 ingredients and spread on English muffins. Freeze on cookie sheet until hard. Cut into 1/4s while frozen and place in freezer bag until ready to use. When ready to serve, brown muffin 1/4s under broiler for a few minutes.

carrot-dill soup

It has become perfect soup weather. My mom made this carrot-dill soup for Christmas Eve supper last year and even though I'm not usually a carrot fan, I like it a lot. Here is the recipe, I halved it (except for the onion and butter) and it made a little over two spaghetti jars worth of goodness.

2 lb. carrots, peeled & sliced
1 lg. onion, chopped
1/4 c. butter
2 49-oz cans broth
1 c. uncooked long grain rice
1/4 c. dill or green onions
salt and pepper

In a 6-8 quart dutch oven cook carrots and onions in hot butter until onions are tender. Add broth and rice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer 1/3 of the soup at a time to a blender. Cover & blend until smooth. Stir in dill. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Serve immediately or cool for 30 minutes.