Just like Mom used to make... Quick and Easy Clam Dip and a bonus stuffing recipe

For Thanksgiving we were invited over to my brother John's home again this year for the holiday. They put out the spread, and my husband and I brought a few snacks and such to share.  The challenge this year was dairy. My sister-in-law has given up dairy because it seems their newborn son has issues digesting it.  Before hand we were discussing the menu, and our Mom's recipe for stuffing came up.  We figured it was safe because only one substitution would have to be made (they used butter substitute.)

This is Mom's basic recipe:

1 - 2 bag(s) of bread shredded by hand
1 small onion diced
2-4 eggs
1/2 - 1 stick of butter
A few  good shakes of Bell Seasoning
A dash of salt and pepper

Mix well with your hands and cook inside the bird!



Now for snacks we came up with the idea of deviled eggs, since eggs and mayo are not considered "dairy," and thanks to our chickens producing about 5 eggs a day now (we have one holdout) we have tons of eggs. (Expect future blogs with egg recipes!) Beyond that I was a bit stumped, but after discussing the stuffing, Mom and some of her recipes were on my mind.

In March our Mom passed away after a very long and heartbreaking cycle of strokes and a surgery that did more harm than good.  It's around the holidays that the pain is a little more present because these are the times when families gather, and memories come a bit closer to the surface. Also, I kind of suspect Thanksgiving was one of her favorite holidays: family and food being two of her favorite things, so the feeling of loss is a bit stronger.

Without getting too sappy, I'll tie this all together and get to the main recipe.  For the record our Mom was a junk food lover.  She of course wasn't supposed to eat it post diabetes diagnosis, but a bag of Jax or potato chips was one of her guilty pleasures.  I too am a bit of a junk food junkie, but I am pretty good about not buying it. However, the other day my husband and I went to a local deli and with our awesome sandwiches they gave us a little bag of chips, which was like giving recovering addicts a sample of their favorite drug. With dairy free Thanksgiving, chips and Mom on my mind I knew what I had to make: Mom's Party Clam Dip!  This addict needed some Ruffles or some Wavy Lays and some Clam Dip, bonus that it's dairy free!!

This is the quick and easy recipe that my parents used to bring to parties.  I have no idea where this recipe came from, it's just a party staple that I can remember all throughout my childhood and beyond. I occasionally bring it to parties too, mostly so I can eat it, but also because it's quick and easy to make. It may not be exactly how Mom used to do it, but this is how I remember and make it.  Enjoy!

The Lazy Diva's Quick and Easy Clam Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

3- 4 cups of Ketchup
1 can of chopped clams with about 1/2 the juice retained
1/4 cup of Horseradish or more (we had some homemade)

*These measurements are not exact, this is a taste as you go recipe.

 STEP ONE:

Squeeze about 3 cups of Ketchup into a bowl.

STEP TWO:

Pour about half the liquid from the can of clams into the bowl, then drain the rest.

STEP THREE:

Add the clams.

STEP FOUR:

Add the horseradish.

STEP FIVE:

Stir it well, and taste to see how it is...  I could see that the consistency was a little watery and I like it with a bit more bite, so I added more Ketchup and horseradish.

STEP SIX:

Serve with chips or crackers and enjoy. 


So, that's the Party Clam Dip!  I don't want to confess how much of this I ate myself!!! 

Also, I guess a kind of third recipe, if you omit the clams and juice, this is our homemade cocktail sauce (well, we probably add a larger amount of horseradish). Ketchup and Horseradish, that's what we use when we serve shrimp, I haven't found a store bought sauce that measures up to that simplicity. 

**NOTE: I just got a new point and click camera, and it's probably partly user error, but although it's 6 megapixels better, I do not think it takes pictures as well as my old camera.  If the coloring is a bit off, or a tad blurry in the pictures, that's why.  I need to work with it more to see if I can get it to cooperate better... or I'll go back to using my old, battery dropping out, nice, user friendly auto/manual camera.

As always, thank you for reading!  Hope you and your families have a wonderful holiday season!