What's New at Valerie's Place This Week

Roasted Winter Vegetables

Slow-Cooker Steel-Cut Oats

Steel-cut oats combined with mashed bananas, nutmeg, and a cinnamon stick, cooked overnight in a slow cooker for eight hours. A warm, nourishing breakfast that greets you in the morning with zero effort and pure whole-grain goodness

Recipes

Homemade Apple Butter

Apples simmered with cider, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and cloves are pureed smooth, then slow-baked at 300 degrees for three hours until thick and deeply caramel-colored. This old-fashioned preserve captures concentrated apple flavor in every spoonful, perfect for spreading on toast or gifting in jars.

Recipes

Jicama and Avocado Salad

Crisp jicama, red onion, and juicy orange segments are tossed in a lime vinaigrette seasoned with coriander and cumin, then topped with creamy avocado and fresh cilantro. This refreshing, crunchy salad provides a bright, cooling contrast to the rich tamales and spiced dishes of a Mexican feast.

Recipes

Italian Tuna Salad

A flavorful Italian-style tuna salad mixed with capers, olives, and spicy cherry peppers. Served on crustless white bread quarters and sesame crackers for an easy, elegant appetizer.

Recipes

Valerie's Brunch Frittata

A vibrant brunch frittata loaded with asparagus, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and fresh herbs. Finished under the broiler for a golden top and served straight from the skillet.

Recipes

Escarole Salad with Roasted Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Crisp escarole and Treviso radicchio are tossed with toasted almonds, fresh basil, and mint in a honey-caramelized Meyer lemon vinaigrette, then finished with charred cherry tomatoes and shaved Parmesan. This sophisticated, bittersweet salad balances bright citrus and smoky charred tomatoes for an elegant first course.

Recipes

Slow-Cooker Chicken Mole

A complex mole sauce built from ancho and pasilla chiles, almonds, pepitas, Mexican chocolate, raisins, chipotles, and warm spices is slow-cooked with chicken for four hours and served with a bright radish salad and charred tortillas. This rich, deeply layered mole showcases the depth of Mexican cuisine and lets the slow cooker do the patient work of melding dozens of ingredients into one extraordinary sauce.

Recipes

Italian Slow Cooker Beef Sandwiches with Giardiniera Aioli

Slow-cooked beef chuck with Italian peppers piled onto rolls and topped with a tangy giardiniera aioli. A hearty, hands-off sandwich that feeds a game day crowd.

Butter Lettuce Salad W Hazelnuts And Bacon Bits

Recipes

Butter Lettuce Salad with Hazelnuts and Bacon Bits

Tender butter lettuce tossed in a white balsamic vinaigrette and topped with crispy bacon, hard-boiled eggs, hazelnuts, and Roquefort. A composed salad that is both delicate and satisfying.

Looking to make something else?

Other Recipes