Fried Chicken and Cheesesteaks

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...

A week or so ago we did a little clam boil with friends. I layered corn on the cob, sliced kielbasa, with live clams and mussels. I added a little white wine and a little water, and then cooked it until the all the shells popped open*. We made a grand old mess while we enjoyed the feast. But the best part was the next day. I started with a simple roux - 1/2 a stick of butter went into the pan with about 1/4 cup of flour. I stirred this frequently over medium heat until it was a toasted-nut scented paste. To this I added seafood bisque concentrate, and then about 8 cups of water but if I didn't have that on hand I would have used low sodium chicken broth. I added about a tablespoon of half-sharp paprika as well. I cut the kernels off the leftover corn cobs, chopped the kielbasa into smaller pieces, and picked all the remaining clam and mussels from their shells. My sister arrived while I was making the soup, so I opened a can of clams from my pantry and added them as well (along wit...