COLUMN: Lake City Cookin' - Valentine's recipes sweeten short month

It’s never too soon to begin or too late to start. Mother told me this, and I never forgot it.

I like February — a short, sweet little month. I always think of chocolate and the color red when someone says February; you can guess why. Valentine’s Day this year is on a Sunday, and Groundhog Day just passed.

Abraham Lincoln’s birthday falls on the 12th, and George Washington’s birthday on the 22nd. These birthdays are celebrated jointly on Feb. 15, which is Presidents Day.

And this is Black History Month, all 28 days, so if you wish to do a study, check out www.blackhistory.com.

I was born and grew up in Alabama, and as a teenager during the civil rights movement, I was living in history as a child and didn’t realize it, as most kids at the time were caught up in their own world. Nevertheless, I was there to see so much firsthand. I have thought often of those days and the brave people who took a stand for human rights and the dignities they deserved that were long overdue.

I think I should now get right to a wonderful meal you can serve to your sweetheart and your guest. This is a great, quick meal and a healthy one. I think because of the many colors this is very pretty dish.

Pasta with chicken

This will serve four to six people and is great as a carry-in dinner for any occasion.

You will need four cooked chicken breasts, skin and bones removed. Chop the chicken and set it aside.

In a large skillet, saute a small yellow squash, a small green zucchini and a small onion. If you like and can eat mushrooms, add a half-cup of them, sliced. I also add a half-cup of sliced artichoke hearts. Now, add the chicken, saute in a mix of oil and butter, and add fresh ground pepper.

Do not use salt, as the tomatoes will have that now. Add one 14.5-ounce can of stewed tomatoes, one eight-ounce can of tomato sauce and one cup of chicken stock.

Cook four cups of your favorite pasta, drain the pasta and add a little butter to the hot pasta. Now, pour the pasta in a big, warm, deep platter. Over the top of this, pour some of the warm sauce, and over the top of the sauce, sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese.

You will enjoy walking this into your dining room and serving this nourishing dish to your guest. A basket of warm rolls will go well with this chicken pasta and sauce meal. Add a heart of lettuce salad with warm Russian dressing, if you wish.

Conversations

Friends and I were talking about the art of conversation — it was called an art, and I think that is right. It was said some people do not seem to know the give-and-take, the dots and dashes of conversation. One person had just spoken with a lady she had not seen in a while, and said laughingly that out of a 60-minute chat, she may have been able to add three minutes’ worth of input. We all have been there, so we laughed a bit — not in a mean way, but understanding. We knew where she was coming from.

We all run into this. I told her to use humor and say something like: “This is the operator. Your minutes have run out. Let the other party talk out her minutes. Thank you for using our company, the Talk a Mile a Minute and Turnabout Is Fair Play Company.”

I told her to try this and see how humor goes with people who never let you get a word in with a crowbar. Do some believe that any thing they say is infinitely more important then any thing you could say, she asks? It’s that, or they are homebound and just starved to vent, some by phone, some by mail, with long rambling letters that leave you dizzy and puzzled.

As a rule, when it happens to me, I just get quiet and let them hold forth and talk on and on. Soon, they realize you are not talking. It may take 30 minutes or more.

They may then get embarrassed when they realize the silence on your end. It’s funny when that happens, and if you both are talking by phone, they may wonder whether you have fallen asleep, started reading a book or perhaps begun making the shopping list. Not a bad idea for some I guess, but I always try to find a point of interest in what is being said.

We have all met slightly narcissistic people who are sweet and emotionally needy, and you can help by being a listening post that is caring in the purest form. Who knows? At some time we may go through the same and need a friendly ear when perhaps we just feel the need to chat away.

I have found that I get along with anyone. I do not need to constantly assert myself; I have nothing to prove, but maybe some do. I say let them talk. They may need that, and that will be a gold star for you.

“The real gift is in the listening, not in the talking.” I heard these words many years ago from a wise minister who believed God made special people just to listen; he called them listening posts. He believed these people served a special duty and, in a way, could be angels on call to listen.

German chocolate snicker cookies

This is a simple sweet treat for you and your Valentine. It includes chocolate, of course. Anyone can make this great cookie recipe, and kids love them.

In a large bowl, mix a box of German chocolate cake mix with 12 cut-up snack size Snickers candy bars. Add a cup of chopped nuts — use pecans or walnuts, whichever you like best. Add a half-cup vegetable oil, a tablespoon of vanilla and two beaten eggs.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix well; use parchment paper to cover an ungreased cookie sheet. Measuring with an inch cookie scoop, drop batter onto parchment paper an inch or more apart. Bake for 12 minutes, and let the cookies cool on a wire rack.

You should get four to five dozen or so cookies. I will say this: If you do not use the parchment paper, these cookies will not turn out as good. You can get this type of baking paper at your store in the baking needs department.

Happy outlook

Again I have enjoyed spending time with you. On our March outing, we will have some authentic Irish recipes for a great Irish stew and a fabulous recipe for zucchini bread from the queen of great bread herself, my friend Jessica Humphrey. You will love this good bread. So stay tuned right here with us inside the Lake City News & Post.

And thanks to Helen M., who enjoys the column and e-mailed to tell me about a book she is reading that really sounded interesting. More about that later.
Hubby and I have enjoyed a visit from our son Chris. He took a flight from Boston and spent time with us in our Lake City home. Lucy, our dog, also enjoyed Christopher’s visit.

The son wanted to take us out to a nice dinner while here, so I made reservations at the Railway Charcoal Grill restaurant on South Acline Street. We enjoyed the Lake City Concert Series pre-concert dinner. The staff is just the best, and we had a good time. As usual, the meal was excellent. Do go by and enjoy their hospitality soon.

I have started a thing that’s new for me — I try not to worry about what might come next. Instead, I embrace it and welcome it, and that makes for a happy outlook. Spring is just about six weeks away. That should put a smile on your face. See you soon.

— Cummins is a freelance writer working from her home office. She contributes articles on cooking and travel and writes book reviews for magazines and newspapers. Shirley has been writing the Lake City Cookin’ column for the News & Post for 10 years. She can be reached via e-mail at irishsc1@aol.com.