Aunt Sachi's Clam Dip

Anyone who knows me in person might be surprised to know I had a Japanese Great Aunt. By marriage, but still my aunt, she was a quarterly visitor during my growing up years. She and my Uncle Bob taught me to use chopsticks! After over 90 years on this earth she now rests peacefully in Arlington Cemetary next to my uncle, who retired an Army Colonel.

My sister made her clam dip this past weekend, and you should make it for the upcoming Eagles football game or New Years weekend!

2 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
2-3 cans of chopped clams, drained with juice reserved
1 tablespoon chopped chives (dried or fresh)
1 tablespoon onion soup mix
2 teaspoons hot sauce (Tabasco, for instance)

Mix about half the reserved clam juice into the cream cheese until smoth. Add clams, chives, soup mix and hot sauce. Thin to desired consistency with remaining clam juice. (make it just a little more moist then you think - it will firm up a bit) Refrigerate overnight for best flavor and consistency.

Serve with ripple chips, crackers and/or cut veggies!

Pretty Easy Baked Chicken Wings

If you don't happen to be in an area experiencing chicken wing shortages this week, try this recipe on for size:

Start with 3-4 pounds of THAWED wings. This was a bag of all drumettes from my local Super Walmart. Yes, I do sometimes I go all out with gourmet food sources.

Add some garlic powder and hot sauce, and marinade overnight.

Then preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Put a few pats of butter in a large pan, and melt them in the oven:

Drain off the marinade.

In a one gallon ziplock bag, make a breading mixture of 2 cups Bisquick, paprika, fresh pepper, garlic salt, and onion salt. Then, add the drummettes about five at a time and SHAKE IT UP BABY!

Bake for about twenty minutes, then turn and bake for another fifteen-twenty:

If you like, toss the baked wings with buffallo sauce. But in all honesty, next time I would probably just increase the heat in the breading, instead DRIZZLE the wings with hot sauce. Either way, pretty tasty. Either way, pretty messy as well.

As is tradition, serve with celery, carrot sticks and blue cheese dressing.