Cooking With Val

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

No Bake Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment.
Bring the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then let boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the oats, peanut butter, vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.
Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, and let sit at room temperature until cooled and hardened, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Crab Melts

Ingredients:

½ cup white crab meat
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream low fat is fine
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices of Monterey Jack cheese or Swiss cheese or use Pepper Jack if you like a bit of spice
a four or five inch slice of baguette or 2 or 3 pieces of sliced bread long French bread, or ciabatta bread, cut carefully in half lengthwise, or use ordinary sliced bread but toast it first

Instructions

Put the French bread or ciabatta bread halves in the oven on a baking sheet at about 350°F (175°C) or under the broiler or grill for five minutes or until they are beginning to take on a bit of color.
Meanwhile, mix the crab meat with the mustard, red pepper, and celery.
Add crème fraîche or sour cream as well as salt and pepper to taste. Mix together gently.
Divide the crab mixture between the pieces of bread and top with the cheese slices.
Return the crab and cheese topped bread to the oven for five to ten minutes, or place under the broiler or grill, until the cheese is bubbling and brown.
The cheese gets very hot, so allow these to cool a bit before serving one half of the panini or ciabatta to each person, or cutting into small pieces to serve as hors d’oeuvres.

Thursday, December 31, 2020

The Best Squash Casserole

This is my absolute favorite squash casserole recipe!

3 Cups sliced squash

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 teaspoons grated onion

1 cup grated sharp cheese

Salt and pepper taste

1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 eggs beaten

For Topping mix:1/4 cup bread crumbs and 1-2 teaspoons of butter or margarine.

Cook Squash in a small amount of water until tender. Mash. Add all ingredients except topping. Mix well and pour into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with topping and bake 425*F. for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!