SOMEONE SPECIAL
By Rhonda
Jones
Remembering
Valentine’s Day as a young child brings me such delight, thinking back to when
my sisters and I would try to cook my parents a full course meal before they
got home from work on Valentine’s Day. It was so much fun and it was also a
funny sight to see flour and sugar all over the place. My parents didn’t mind
the mess because they knew that we were just trying to please them with a
Valentine’s Day dinner.
Valentine’s
Day is truly a great holiday because it’s the time of the year when we
celebrate love and romance. It’s a day to express how you feel about your
beloved spouse, friend, son or daughter, or that significant other. The day can
be made great just by making a wonderful meal for that special loved one. With
a little effort, a simple dish can make for an elegant evening. It’s so nice to
feel loved and what better way to do so than with good food.
With
our busy schedules sometimes romance gets pushed to the side. We may routinely
have lunch with our friends and colleagues at least once a week but many of
us set aside very little “together”
time for our families or that special loved one. . We need to celebrate each other not just on Valentine’s Day but
every day. And even if you don’t have that special someone in your life, you
always can celebrate ‘you.’ When I was single, I would celebrate myself with
flowers and a meal fit for a queen. So please don’t feel that you can’t treat
yourself to a favorite dish like prime rib or baked stuffed shrimp and lobster.
You can create whatever your taste buds desire.
Here’s a delightful dish for two. I’m
sure by now most of you have heard about or have tried tilapia. Tilapia is a
mild flavored fish that can be cooked many ways. You can bake it, fry it or
even broil it; whatever way you choose, it’s very easy to prepare. So impress
that special loved one and give this dish a try on Valentine’s Day. n
Tilapia Topped
with Bacon
Olive
oil
4
Tilapia fillets
Old
Bay seasoning
Salt
and pepper
Scallions
chopped
6
slices bacon
Diced
pimentos
˝
chopped onion
Cook bacon until done and crumble, then add onion, scallions and pimentos to the same pan. Season fish with Old Bay and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a little oil in a sauté pan on medium, then cook fish until flaky about 3 minutes on each side. When fish is done, top with bacon topping and serve with a little shredded cheddar cheese on top.