Clam Dip

If there's a special occasion, ball game, kids pick dinner night, you name it... my kids and husband Must.Have.Clamdip. My husband first made this dip from a handwritten recipe card my mom gave me - back when people hand wrote recipes on little cards. He's the maker of the clam dip in our family, so credit where credit's due. Actually, I only get photo and posting credit here. Oh yeah, I totally dig this stuff, too.

Clam Dip

Beat (with mixer or by hand) together:

8 oz. softened cream cheese

1 Tbs. reserved clam juice

1 tsp. garlic salt

a little paprika

Stir in:

8 oz. sour cream

1 can drained clams 

Chill. Serve with Wavy Lays or Ruffles.

Stand back and watch it disappear...

Goat Cheese + Bacon Pops

These are my new favorite app. Make them tiny. Pop them in your mouth. Repeat. Don't forget to share.

The original recipe is on theKitchn blog under Bacon Pops.

I'm sure that version is just fine, but you know me... can't leave well enough alone.

I used fresh rosemary as my herb of choice and used a little less than called for. I also added some finely chopped and browned shallots to the mixture. Make sure the bacon is super crispy - the nice little crunch is rather unexpected for some odd reason. I served them on a tiny wedge of pear because we ate all our apples. Actually my husband used them to make a big pot of applesauce. He does that a lot.

Yet another reason to never be caught without a log of goat cheese in your fridge.