I don’t know about you but I need an extra day in my weekend! Our estate sale in San Mateo was a hit. It was the last sale of the 2014 and after looking through my calendar I calculated that it was the 55th sale of the year. Pretty amazing right! That is over one estate sale or estate liquidation per week. Comparing to last year we grew by 25% so that is exciting. The most exciting part is that we grew in the right way with better projects, better relationships, and a larger and more professional staff.
In addition to the estate sale over the weekend I had a little fun too! My husband’s holiday work party was held at the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda and it was really neat. We took advantage of the great food, cocktails, and tours throughout the ship. I’m looking forward to going back someday for a more detailed look. For food they went over the top with sushi bars, donut stations, and deep-fried olives being a few of my favorite things. Many of Chris’ coworkers had heard my article being in the Huffington Post last week so it was fun to chat about that and celebrate a little bit. I think I’ll be on cloud 9 for a while!
The holidays really give us the excuse to go over the top, try new things, and splurge a little on our family and friends so in honor of that I’m sharing a really yummy and very savory crab and artichoke dip appetizer that will wow your guests this Christmas. I gave it a whirl on Thanksgiving and it was a hit! I made mine with fresh lump crab that was cooked and cleaned at my local grocery store. You could go with the imitation stuff to save some bucks but I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s so much better to get large chunks here and there and the real stuff really punches up the flavor.
All you need is…
2 cups of lump crab meat (roughly 10-12 ounces)
a 14 ounce can of artichoke hearts
1 package of 8 ounce cream cheese
1/2 cup fontina cheese (an extra 1/2 cup needed for topping)
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
splash of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
green onions for garnish
Then…
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees and grease a 9 inch baking dish. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and then pour it into the baking dish. Sprinkle with an extra 1/2 cup of fontina and bake in the oven for 22-25 minutes. I served mine with unsalted potato chips but you could also enjoy it with sliced baguette or crackers.
This week is going to be a busy one with clients and in the office. Tomorrow we are heading to Santa Cruz to start a large craft room organization project for a neat client. The rest of the week is going to be spent on maintenance with current organizing clients, wrapping up last-minute details on current projects, meeting with estate families, and team planning for 2015. This year has been a marathon and I’m starting to see the finish line!
Hey Mandy,
Enjoyed your recipe. Your “Kuzak’s Closet” posting showed up on our facebook, so we had to take a second look to recognize you! Sounds like you have an interesting business out there. Just thought we would say hi and wish you a very merry Christmas.
Mike and Karen Gehrs
It’s so great to hear from you! Yes, I’ve found my niche in a very interesting field! It’s been 5 years since I moved to California with my husband (he’s from Bad Axe) and we really love it. I’ll be home for Christmas and I can’t wait, looking forward to seeing family and friends. Tell Gehrs I said hello!