This is special and festive enough for the holidays.
I also like to make a special bread with cranberries. Taking advantage of the cranberry’s availability, I’ve made this in the spring. As in my cranberry conserve recipe, this also features cranberries with oranges.
Seattle Clam Chowder
When I was growing up in the Pacific Northwest, a special family weekend included clamming for goey ducks (a big clam used in chowders) very early in the morning and returning in time for a fried clam breakfast. As little kids, we used to wait until the very last moment to race the tide back in; part of the thrill of clamming was that we sometimes got stranded out too far, up to our waist in water, and had to rescued. On my return visits to Seattle, I try to include a clamming expedition.
My version differs from many traditional recipes in that there is no cream and no bacon. I guarantee this is so delicious these ingredients are not missed.
Poppy seed dressing
This simple, show-stopper is delightful served chilled over fruit salads. The grated onion and mustard combination can fool people’s palates. Some guests have guessed it has coconut in it. The traditional southern recipe calls for so much sugar, it’s like dripping candy over fresh fruit. This version keeps the essence of a good poppy seed dressing, but does away with its excesses.
Read MoreSpiced Crab Apples
This is great for Fall when sweet, pretty, miniature crab apples start showing up in the produce department. From Dr. George York of the University of Southern California at Davis, I got the following advice on how to make spiced crab apples. This has several steps, but it’s mostly passive: you do one step and then wait. Don’t be put off by the multiple steps. It’s worth it.
Read MoreBabe’s Clam Dip
Babe’s Clam Dip, makes 2 cups
This is a modest, 1950s recipe, which my mother made as long as I can remember. No family reunion was complete unless Babe brought her clam dip. Mom always used cream cheese and probably thought it heresy to make it any other way, but hoop cheese (a West Coast term for Farmer Cheese or soft cottage cheese made with less than 1 percent fat) works too, although the texture is different. WIth cream cheese you get a stiffer dip that goes well with crackers or celery; with hoop cheese it ends up with a softer consistency.
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