Old English Crab Canapes

This is a classic recipe. The kind you'd be likely to find in old church and community cookbooks (which, who knows, might be where this particular version is actually from). My Nana made these for my uncle's wedding, and I copied down the recipe from her hand-written card. It's the kind of thing I have a feeling tons of people remember eating, but have perhaps forgotten about lately. It gets mentioned a fair amount on this Chowhound thread in relationship to one of its main ingredients, Kraft Old English Cheese.

If you're not familiar with the processed cheese spread, it comes in a little glass jar. One commentor calls it "un-Chow worthy" but then an avalanche (okay maybe not an avalanche, maybe a snowdrift) of other commentors chime in to say that every time they make it, it goes over like gangbusters. That it's always a hit. That everyone loves it. So let's do away with the food snobbery for a moment here and pay homage to those classic American recipes that revolve around opening jars and combing the contents. Because sometimes, it just works.

Don't balk at the idea of using Kraft Old English Cheese, either. It's a classic ingredient in that other throw-back, the cheese ball. It's what lends the creaminess to the concoction, and is as vital to this recipe as hot dogs are to pigs-in-a-blanket. If you're really feeling fancy, I supposed you could even substitute an artisanal cheese spread for the Kraft Old English kind. It would be like using Dijon mustard in place of the Frenches for the aforementioned pigs. But I prefer to keep it real with Kraft.

Old English Crab Canapes
From my Nana's recipe card

1/4 lb butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons mayo
6 oz jar Kraft Old English Cheese spread
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
6 oz crab meat
Dash lemon juice
8 English muffins, split

Mix butter, cheese, mayo, garlic, salt, crab meat and lemon juice.

Spread on English muffins and cut into quarters. Freeze.

To serve: place frozen canapes under the broiler until they bubble.

Makes 64