One of the fun parts about a rental house is you never know exactly what you're going to get in terms of kitchen supplies. This house was really well-stocked in general, but cooking without special tools always reminds me that most things can still be made very easily with just the very basics. No zester meant I honed my lemon peeling skills and worked hard mincing the zest very fine with a knife. And the gorgeous outdoor range and grill encouraged my to make this recipe on the stove top rather than in the oven. Of course you could bake it instead if you prefer.

To get started, peel the zest off the lemon with a vegetable peeler, pairing knife, or zester. Be sure to avoid the bitter pith. Then mince it very finely.

Next mince the onion very fine as well.

Throw them both in a saucepan and set on low heat.

Rough chop the cheddar.

Add the cheese, sour cream, mayo, and cream cheese to the onion lemon zest mixture. Inspect the crab meat for shells. Or tell people about how finding a shell in their dip is good luck.Add the crab to the cheese.

Mix well and heat until the cheddar is melted and the dip is quite hot. Season with cayenne and Old Bay.

Garnish with chopped scallions and serve with some scooping snacks. I picked raw carrots, green beans and blue corn tortilla chips to go with my blue crab!