This post has been sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Everyone loves when I make Baked Crab & Artichoke Dip! So simple, loaded with cheese, crab, and chunks of artichoke! Great for holiday parties, just delish!

Like so many families, ours is a blended family, a ‘yours, mine and ours‘ if you will. One thing we agreed upon early on is that during the holiday season we wanted our family home to be the home of relaxation and enjoyment. With our kids splitting time between our home and the homes of their other parents and families they needed consistency from us and our very own family traditions.

We decided to implement a few traditions for ‘our family’ ones that were ours. One of them is that each of our kids receives a themed Christmas ornament each year. We have 6 kids, so that’s 6 themes: Santa, Snowman, Angel, Christmas Tree, Reindeer and Gingerbread Man. I enjoy scouring the stores finding just the perfect themed ornament for each of the kids and they enjoy adding them to our ever-growing collection each year. My hope was that when they flew the coop they’d have enough of one ornament to decorate their own small tree. The older kids have told me they enjoy the tradition of keeping them on our family tree, and so our tradition continues.

There are other small traditions that we’ve started through the years, ones that are tiny but mean a lot. There’s decorating homemade from scratch sugar cookies on Christmas Eve day. When Christmas Eve rolls around we watch a favorite Christmas movie, eat popcorn and drink hot cocoa, then it’s off to bed!

Last year we started yet another family tradition with my stepmom who relocated back to Michigan from Florida. Our kids missed the enjoyment of sharing the holidays with their grandma because she lived out of state. It is a special time now that she’s nearby. Our new tradition is bringing appetizers and beverages to her house, then helping her decorate. It turns out this was the perfect way to spend time together, help her out and enjoy some yummy food and drinks with holiday merriment.

Appetizers are always great during the holiday season. I keep a variety of items stocked in my pantry and fridge so I can throw a dip together quickly. Baked Crab & Artichoke Dip is the perfect example, I can mix all the ingredients together and have this in the oven in 10 minutes. It is so easy and always a hit! When we head to my stepmom’s I prepare the dip ahead of time, and then bake it in her oven so it is nice and hot when we’re ready to enjoy. We also brought along Diet CokeⓇ, it’s her personal favorite and goes along great with this dip.

To make the holiday season less stressful I picked up Diet CokeⓇ at Sam’s Club in a 4 pack of 2-liter bottles. I love having extra bottles on hand for impromptu entertaining, which happens often during the holiday season. Friends stopping over, kids bringing extra friends with them, the family just appearing. Doesn’t everyone’s family do that?  Do yourself a favor and just stock the fridge and pantry while you’re at Sam’s Club, you’ll be happy you did!

Starting your own family traditions is important, they are part of your family legacy. Your children will remember that you had wonderful holiday celebrations enjoying family and friends. Tell me about the traditions you’ve started with your family, I’d love to hear about them!

Yield: 6-8 servings

Baked Crab & Artichoke Dip

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 8oz container whipped cream cheese
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup onion, minced
• 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
• 1 6 oz can lump crab meat
• 1/4 t Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 t ground pepper
• 1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375° degrees.
2. Spray pie plate or 9x9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
3. In large mixing bowl combine all ingredients with electric mixer.
4. Spread into prepared pan.
5. Bake 18-20 minutes until cheese has browned. If desired add a bit more parmesan cheese to top and brown under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until melted.

Notes

Add in some Sriracha if you like spicier dips.

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http://www.samsclub.com/coca-cola/

“Coca-Cola” is a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola Company.