Making a list and checking it twice may be Santa’s secret for a successful holiday season. But for me the secret is cream cheese. Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but having a hunk or two of cream cheese in the refrigerator throughout the season gives me lots of options when company arrives.

A block of cream cheese can turn into a quick hors d'oeuvre with the help of pantry staples like hot pepper jelly or cocktail sauce and baby shrimp. Or, you can mix up a quick batch of this Party Crab Spread.

This recipe was passed from neighbor to neighbor and eventually landed on my party table as the contribution of Joyce VanElls, my across-the-street neighbor. Serve your Party Crab Spread with any buttery crackers, and be prepared to watch it disappear. Substitute shredded poached catfish in place of the crab to turn this into a delicious hot crab spread.

• 8 ounces reduced fat or regular cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• Dash Worcestershire sauce
• Dash Old Bay Seasoning
• 8 ounces lump crabmeat or imitation crab seafood chunk
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and seasonings. Fold in crab meat and spread mixture in a glass pie plate, bread pan or pretty oven-proof dish. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Cover dish with foil and return to oven. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until bubbly. Serve with crackers.

Makes 12 servings.