Val Kisses

DEAR SOS: When I attended elementary school in the San Fernando Valley in the ‘50s and ‘60s, a chocolate fudge cookie was served in the cafeteria. It was chocolaty, chewy and delicious. Can you find out about this recipe?

MICHELE

DEAR MICHELE: Yvonne Ortega, the Los Angeles Unified School District test kitchen director, thinks Chocolate Kisses, first served in 1961, may be the fudge cookie you describe. We hope so.

CHOCOLATE KISSES (LOW-FAT COOKING)

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, plus extra for preparing pan

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 1/4 cups rolled oats

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring sugar, cocoa and milk to full rolling boil in saucepan over medium heat and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and immediately stir in butter, peanut butter, rolled oats and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonful onto lightly buttered baking sheet. Chill at least 30 minutes.

7 dozen. Each cookie:

42 calories; 7 mg sodium; 2 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 grams protein; 0.08 gram fiber.

Salmon Sauce

DEAR SOS: Do you have a recipe for sour cream cucumber sauce that is good to serve with cold poached salmon?

BLANCHE

DEAR BLANCH: Here is a somewhat traditional version of the sauce, seasoned with dill.

CUCUMBER DILL SAUCE

1 cucumber, unpeeled

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated onion

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

Salt, pepper

Grate cucumber and set aside.

Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion, parsley and dill. Fold in cucumber. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

1 1/2 cups. Each 1-tablespoon serving:

31 calories; 24 mg sodium; 5 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 1 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.08 gram fiber.

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Bloomsbury Court Ceramics from Our Favorite Things in Tarzana and Joan’s Coffee Co. in Northridge.