Cream Cheese = Party Food

Usually Friday nights are not when I cook anything complicated, new or old. After a long week, the last thing I want to do is stand on my feet in the kitchen. But because it's been a holiday, I've been home for a few days. When that happens, I get a little stir-crazy. And when I get stir-crazy, I run to the kitchen...

Tonight I was craving some party food; I went out to dinner with some friends for New Year's Eve, so I didn't get any snack-y type of party food. So tonight, I made my own! One of my favorite snack foods of all time is Clam Dip. At some point in my childhood, I think you could buy clam dip in the grocery store, near the french onion dip. However, that's been many moons ago; I haven't seen any in ages. When I was in college, I went on a serious search for a recipe that closely matched the clam dip my parents used to enjoy. I don't recall where I got this recipe; I think it might be a conglomeration of several, which I put into one by picking out the best bits from them.(Note: It turns sort of a pinkish color, which should not be off-putting in any way, shape, or form. Rather, it's the result of the mixing mayo/cream cheese with the chili sauce and actually ends up blending in rather nicely with the clams.)


Clam Dip

1 - 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 c mayonnaise (you may use light mayo -- I always use Hellman's)
4 T chili sauce (you may use cocktail sauce instead and less of the horseradish below)
2 t prepared horseradish
2 t onion juice
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1.5 t lemon juice
2 - 6.5oz cans minced clams (drain well -- I always use Doxsee/Snow's)

Allow cream cheese to soften to room temperature. (Alternatively, soften in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl on low power for 1-3 minutes, stopping after each 30 seconds - minute to check temperature and ensure cream cheese is not becoming too hot and melted.) Use hand mixer to beat cream cheese with mayonnaise. When well blended, add all other ingredients except clams. Mix well with hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add drained minced clams and stir into the cream cheese mixture until thoroughly mixed. Cover and refrigerate until slightly firm (approximately two hours). Serve with plain Wavy Lays potato chips. Try not to eat it all yourself (unless you used Miracle Whip and fat-free cream cheese.... then it's fine)!

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The other thing I made tonight (with cream cheese, also!) is a Cheese Pie that has been in my family for years. I don't remember who originally made it or where the recipe came from, but it's been a favorite for more than a decade. We call it Cheese Pie because it's sort of a cross between a cheesecake and, well, a pie. It actually bakes up into its own crust with a cheesecake-like center and a sour cream topping. Not overly sweet, like cheesecake can sometimes be, it's perfect.

Cheese Pie

Pie:
2 - 8oz packages of cream cheese (softened -- again, let it sit outside refrigerator or use the method above to soften it in the microwave)
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter glass pie pan and set aside. Beat cream cheese with hand mixer until smooth with a whipped texture. Add eggs and sugar. Mix well, until creamy and pourable. Pour into a buttered pie pan and bake for 50 minutes. Take out and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Leave the oven on, as you'll be returning the pie to the oven soon. In the meantime, mix up the topping.

Topping:
8 oz sour cream
1/4 c sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Mix all three together until smooth. When pie has cooled for 20 minutes, pour topping into the center that's been created as the pie cooled. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Take pie out and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2-3 hours, or longer if necessary, until serving.