Everything you can think of was served — all sorts of pickles – sweet, and extra sour; 10-15 different types of olives; all sorts of hard aged meats, and cheeses; breads; and all sorts of savory dips.. you name it, and it was on the table.

One thing that everyone always seemed to like was a basic cream cheese based clam dip – simple and easy to put together.  You can make this up to 2 days ahead without a problem.

Doxsee Minced Clams - 6.5oz can

There are several different types of minced clams on the market, and depending upon where you live, the availability will differ.  I tend to use the brand pictured on the right – Doxsee Minced Clams, from the The Doxsee Sea Clam Co., but use what you have around.

Creamy Chilled Clam Dip

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
2 cans (6-1/2 ounces each) minced clams, drained
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoon chili sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese until smooth.  Add in all the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Refrigerate for 4-6 hours before serving, though it tastes even better if allowed to refrigerate at least overnight.  You can, if necessary serve this right away.

Serve with crackers, or small, thin sliced breads.

I would not use these for icing/decorating style cookies – there are other recipes better suited for decorating — this contains too much oil/butter, and really won’t hold up well with heavy icings.  Just a sprinkle of sugar, before baking, or some powdered sugar very lightly sprinkled over top after they have completely cooled if you must.  I almost never add anything to these. 

I’ve changed out the vanilla for almond flavoring, and pressed a sliced almond into the cookie before baking and had good success with it as well.

Enjoy!

The Best Sugar Cookies

(aka Grams Sugar Cookies)

1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Softened Butter
1 Cup Cooking Oil
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cream of Tarter
1 tsp Vanilla

Cream the sugars, butter and oil until light and fluffy.  Add in the eggs and vanilla, and mix well.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cream of tarter.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until combined.

You can spoon these onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and flatten.  Bake at 375, for 10-12 minutes.

OR

You can chill these 2-3 hours, and roll out, and use as for cutouts. Bake as above.

You can sprinkle these with a light coating of powdered sugar once completely cooled.

These keep about 1 week, in a tightly covered container.

My notes:

Gram used Lard, but I use softened butter.

I like these as cutouts, so I lay the dough on a piece of saran wrap, flatten, lay another piece of saran wrap on top and roll out.  I then chill for at least an hour before cutouts are made.  Repeat the process once the dough has softened.

Also, I make this in large batches (4-5 batches), lay out as above with the saran wrap in small batches, and freeze.  Let dough thaw in the refrigerator before using.

Also, I have made this as a ‘slicing log’ — i.e….. I’ve rolled it up into a log shape, refrigerated and sliced and baked.  This also freezes well.

I like these cookies a little on the ‘thick’ side.

If I were having a party tonight, these drinks are what I would serve.  They look festive, and taste so good.

Green Apple Martini

Cinnamon and sugar
2.5 Ounces vodka
2.5 Ounces sour apple schnapps
2.5 Ounces lemonade
2.5 Ounces 7-up or sprite (or a lemon-lime soda)

Sliced green apple

Mix 1 part cinnamon to 2 parts sugar (or 1 tablespoon cinnamon plus 2 tablespoons sugar).  Dip the rim of the martini glass into a shallow dish with a bit of water in it — about 1/4 inch or so, and then into the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

In a shaker filled all the way with ice, mix the vodka, schnapps, lemonade and 7 up

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine vodka, schnapps, lemonade and lemon-lime soda. Cover the shaker, and shake hard.  Strain the ice off, and pour into the glasses, garnish with a slice of green apple, and serve immediately.

I always make these around the holidays, and this year will be no different.  This time I’ll take them to work and let everyone enjoy them….so I don’t end up eating them all ;)

This recipe is actually a variation of another recipe.  The original recipe called for peanut butter and peanuts, instead of Nutella and hazelnuts. (See here for the original recipe), but though that one is great, this is just.. amazingly yummy.  It’s always the first thing to go, and people are always asking for the recipe.

Enjoy!!

Crunchy Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Bars

2 cups Nutella
4 cups powdered sugar (10x sugar or icing sugar)
1/2 cup butter
3 cups of a crunchy cereal, like rice chex
2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts

In either a sauce pan, or the microwave, melt 1/2 cup of butter and set aside.

Mix the Nutella and powdered sugar.  Add in the melted butter and mix well.

Fold in the cereal, and then spread evenly in a cake sized pan (13×9). 

In the microwave, melt the chocolate chips, and spread over the Nutella mixture. Sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts.

Allow to cool well, and then cut into squares.

This keeps for about a week, in a tightly covered container.

Notes:

There are lots of variations to this recipe.. for example, use cashew butter or another nut butter.  If using cashews, use chopped cashews in place of the peanuts. 

And of course, there is the traditional peanut butter and peanut recipe as well.

3 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk
1 Cup Peanut Butter (Crunchy is optional)
10 Oz Marshmallow Cream
1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Grease an 8×8 baking dish

In a large mixing bowl, put peanut butter, marshmello cream and vanilla.  Set aside.

Put sugar, butter and milk in a pan and turn heat to high, stiring constantly.  Once at a full boil (bubbles in from outside edges to center for 1 minute), turn heat to simmer (keeping bubbles going lightly) and cook for 5-6 minutes.  If using a candy therm, heat to soft ball stage (240F).

Once time is up, pour over peanut butter, marshmello cream and vanilla,  stiring quickly to mix well.  Once well mixed, pour into your pre-greased 8×8 pan.  Sprinkle with salted peanuts and allow to cool before cutting.

Optional:

Use ‘chunky’ peanut butter

Mix in 1/3 cup peanuts

Variation:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge:
Make a batch of regular chocolate fudge, using two 8×8 pans, pouring half of the fudge into each pan, sprinkle with peanuts.  Allow to cool.  Make a batch of this peanut butter fudge and pour half over each chocolate fudge.  Allow to cool.

Note: 

This recipe does not work well with ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ peanut butters unless well mixed.  I just end up using ‘Jif’ or ‘Skippy’.

* Marshmello cream seems to come in 7oz or 16oz containers.  I usually weigh the cream on a scale.

2 Cups toasted pecans
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon water

Lay the pecans on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for about 2-3 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Watch them carefully

Remove and place the pecans in a food processor and grind until fine.  Add the remaining ingredients and continue to process until the mix starts forming a ball and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

Press into a 9 inch pie pan, pressing the mix evenly across the bottom and up the sides.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.