Crab and Broccoli Casserole

I was looking forward to this one from the minute I looked through all the recipes, so I saved it for a special occasion: pretend Valentine's Day. (Since the boyfriend and I only see each other every other weekend or so, we designated this past weekend our official Valentine's Day.)

Here's what you need:

1 package of frozen broccoli
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 pound cooked crab meat (variation - ham can be substituted for the crab meat)

First cook the broccoli according to directions until almost done. Arrange it in the bottom of a 1-quart casserole dish. Like so:


Saute onions in butter and stir in salt and flour. I will admit I actually had to look up how exactly you saute, and learned that you cook the food using a small amount of oil or fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. So, that's what I did. You gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Add the cheese and cook over low heat until thickened. Stir in the lemon juice and add the crab meat. Then, pour over the broccoli.


Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until brown.


In all honesty, I'm not sure I've ever had a "casserole" before, so I'm kind of unsure if it came out exactly right. Is it supposed to keep its shape, like a loaf of something? When I spooned it out onto our plates it was more stew-y in consistency than loaf-y.


But the good news is, it was insanely delicious. I guess you can't really go wrong with broccoli, cheese, and crab meat. Definitely a successful dinner.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Next week - sour cream coffee cake!