When you marry an athlete and lover of all sports, you learn a lot of things. Steve always loved Yogi Berra. He never saw him as a player, but enjoyed his colorful way of managing baseball teams.
Last week after Yogi Berra passed away, Steve explained to me what a “Yogi-ism” is and shared several that he remembered. After Googling, he found an entire list of 50 of his greatest. We were headed to an away football game as I read them aloud. I thought Steve was going to have to stop the car, because he was laughing so hard.
When people would ask Yogi Berra for a “Yogi-ism,” he would always reply that he didn’t know any. He said he didn’t even know when he said them. Most of the time, his friends and family would hear him say things and would write them down for posterity.
I had a teacher one time who always told us to “keep things down to a maximum.” I suppose that was her “ism.” Some of my favorites of his remind me of that very statement.
• “I usually take a two-hour nap from 1 to 4.”
• “Pair up in threes.”
• “You better cut that pizza in four pieces, because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.”
I have seen firsthand through living with my husband that when you are a member of a team, it remains with you for the rest of your life. He is still great friends with guys he played Little League, junior high, high school and college sports with. There is nothing he wouldn’t do for his teammates.
I have always heard that you can tell a lot about the character of a person when they do things when nobody is looking.
Phil Rizzuto was a longtime teammate and friend of Yogi Berra. Toward the end of his life, he was placed in an assisted living home about 30 minutes from Berra’s home. Every day, Yogi would visit him and play cards with him until he began to fall asleep. Yogi would hold his hand until he fell asleep — then, and only then, would he leave. He was a loyal teammate until the very end.
I hope you will give today’s recipes a try. I’ve been helping a few people with ideas for some upcoming luncheons and also great for tailgating. Thanks for reading.
CRANBERRY CHICKEN SALAD
4 cups cooked, chopped chicken breasts
2 medium apples, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1½ cups dried cranberries
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup chopped pecans
1½ cups mayonnaise
3 teaspoons fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon curry powder
Combine all ingredients and chill overnight.
HERBED CRESCENT ROLLS
1 stick margarine, melted
1 package Italian salad dressing mix
1 (8-ounce) package crescent rolls
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine melted butter and salad dressing mix. Brush crescent triangles with mixture, and form into crescent shapes. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
(Can keep warm on low in crock pot.)
BLACK EYED PEA DIP
3 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 small purple onion, chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 cup Italian salad dressing
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Several shakes of dried basil and oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Chill overnight before serving with corn chips.
• Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
