With the economy in a down turn, it becomes imperative that
we as consumers do everything we can to reduce our expenses.
One of the easiest ways to save money is to either stop purchasing
prepared condiments at your local grocery store or to make them
ourselves at a much reduced price. I choose the latter. One of
my favorite condiments is cocktail sauce. The mixture of tomato
sauce and horseradish goes great with breaded deep fried foods
and especially seafood such as shrimp, oysters and the like.

If you are buying your cocktail sauce pre-made at the store, you
can expect to pay close to $4.00 for a 10oz bottle. If you think
about this, the price per ounce is more for the condiment then
the shrimp you will be dipping into the sauce is.

The next time you fix yourself a shrimp cocktail, make hushpuppies
or deep fried catfish, why not compliment the meal with your own
homemade cocktail sauce? Below is the recipe. It’s easy, cheaper
and makes as much or as little as you want, when you want it.
You will never have to throw away any that gets old because you
are making and using it at the same time.

First of all you will need to have these items available, ketchup,
prepared horseradish (or homemade horseradish if you know how),
chili powder and Tabasco sauce.

In a bowl, combine 1 cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon horseradish,
1 teaspoon of chili powder and 1 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce.
Mix thoroughly and taste. If you like your cocktail sauce to have
a little more zing, add more horseradish and Tabasco sauce. If
you like it a little milder, add more ketchup. If you need more
sauce double the recipe and if you want less halve it.

One jar of prepared horseradish will last for weeks in the fridge.
Since you are using only one tablespoon per cup of cocktail sauce,
the horseradish will make approximately 20 or more servings. If
you don’t like Tabasco or chili powder, leave them out, the sauce
will still taste great.

As you can tell, this simple recipe is easy to make and can be
prepared in just a few minutes. It is every bit as good if not
better tasting than the store bought brands. The cost for 1 cup
of homemade cocktail sauce is under $1.00 while the prepared
bottled cocktail sauce you buy at the store costs around
$3.00 per cup.