Clam Dip

Clam Dip is a staple at any family gathering.  A very simple appetizer to make and a definite crowd pleaser.  You must use Philadelphia Cream Cheese, lesser brands won't thicken properly. 

Put the cream cheese in the blender and add clam juice, reserving half.  Blend until thoroughly mixed.  Add reserved juice as necessary until desired consistency is achieved.  The amount of juice varies in each can so you just have to eyeball it.

Pour into serving bowl then dump in chopped clams and stir with a fork.  Add in desired amount of horseradish and stir again.  I'm heavy handed with the horseradish.

Grandma Utz are the best chips for this.  Although I have a few siblings who prefer BBQ chips.

Stephen Decatur

Born in on the eastern shore of Maryland, in Worcester County, the son of a U.S. naval officer who served during the American Revolution, Stephen Decatur was reared in the traditions of the sea and in 1798 joined the United States Navy as a midshipman aboard the new frigate, United States. That year, he saw action in the so-called quasi-war with France and in 1799 was commissioned a lieutenant. Five years later, during the Tripolitan War, he became the most lauded American naval hero since John Paul Jones.

In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson ordered U.S. Navy vessels to the Mediterranean Sea in protest of continuing raids against U.S. ships by pirates from the Barbary states--Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, and Tripolitania. Sustained action began in June 1803, and in October the U.S. frigate Philadelphia ran aground near Tripoli and was captured by Tripolitan gunboats. The Americans feared that the well-constructed warship would be used as a model for building future Tripolitan frigates, and on February 16, 1804, Stephen Decatur led a daring expedition into Tripoli harbor to destroy the captured vessel.

After disguising himself and his men as Maltese sailors, Decatur's force sailed into Tripoli harbor and boarded the Philadelphia, which was guarded by Tripolitans who were quickly overpowered by the Americans. After setting fire to the frigate, Decatur and his men escaped without the loss of a single American. The Philadelphia subsequently exploded when its gunpowder reserve was lit by the spreading fire. Famed British Admiral Horatio Nelson hailed the exploit as the "most bold and daring act of the age," and Decatur was promoted to captain. In August 1804, Decatur returned to Tripoli Harbor as part of a larger American offensive and emerged as a hero again during the Battle of the Gunboats, which saw hand-to-hand combat between the Americans and the Tripolitans.

"From the Halls of Montezuma,To the Shores of Tripoli"

"Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but our country right or wrong." -Stephen Decatur