Homemade Dips for Thanksgiving Dinner

If you are looking for some Thanksgiving dips to be served before, during or after Thanksgiving dinner, here are a few to try. When serving dips before dinner, serve with small crackers and fresh vegetable crudite sticks. Dips that are great served dinner will have flavors and seasonings to match the Thanksgiving dinner being served. Appropriate dips for after dinner are ones that are lighter and are ones with fresh fruit.

Traditional Cream Cheese Dip

This recipe is perfect for both chips, vegetables and crackers. Season with any desired prepared salad dressing to make it unique.

8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 Tbsp tomato ketchup
1 Tbsp salad dressing of choice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. fat free half and half, or as needed

Cream the cheese until light and smooth in a small mixing bowl. Add in the ketchup, salad dressing, Dijon, parsley, Worcestershire and flavor as needed with desired seasonings. Stir in the fat free half and half until the consistency is as soft as needed. Serve cold. This can be made one day in advance.

Clam Dip

A clam dip is great with any cracker, plain or fancy.

1 can minced clams (about 7 to 8 oz.), drained juice discarded
6 oz. softened cream cheese
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
1/8 tsp red cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp tumeric powder

Cream the cheese until light and smooth in a small mixing bowl. Add in the drained minced clams and stir until combined. Add in the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, mustard powder, cayenne and tumeric. Stir until everything is combined. Serve cold. This can be made one day in advance.

Layered Bay Shrimp Dip

This is a festive dip that can be made the day before, chilled and placed on display with crackers and chips.

11 oz. softened cream cheese
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup minced fresh onion (or one small onion)
1/2 cup tomato and horseradish cocktail sauce
1 can bay shrimp, drained juice discarded
2 Tbsp chopped pimentoes
3 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

In a small mixing bowl, place the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and chopped onion. Mix well, until the cheese is smooth and the ingredients are well mixed. Spread in the bottom of a glass dip bowl.

Next spread the tomato and horseradish cocktail sauce over the top. Do not stir in, just spread over the top. Next, sprinkle the shrimp over the cocktail sauce. Last put the the pimentoes in an even layer followed by the chopped parsley. Serve chilled. This can be made several hours before serving.