Blackmoonshine's Cheese Balls

Like this, without the meat. Or the cake.

Meatballs are fantastic.  Especially the Swedish variety they serve at Ikea. It's really the best reason to go to Ikea.  Other than all the other stuff they have at Ikea, that is...

Anyway, one of the things that stinks about meatballs, at least when one needs to worry about serving pescetarian/vegetarian friends, is that they involve meat.  Blackmoonshine, a redditor, shared this wonderful recipe with me.  It tastes great, especially when served with mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes.  The best part is that they freeze very well, so you can make big batches and store them for use later!

Ingredients:
1 Cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped (Pecan meal is suggested by Blackmoonshine)
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 glove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
A pinch of red pepper flakes.

Equipment:
Blender or food processor
cheese shredder
2 large bowls
1 spatula
1 fork
measuring implements
Cookie sheets/baking pans
Wax paper

Directons:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Combine all ingredients in large bowl, as specified
3. Using a 1 T measure, measure out balls and place onto baking sheets covered in wax paper
4. Place into oven until browned, roughly 20~30 minutes

Serve with gravy and mashed potatoes (making both from a box is totally fine.) Makes about 4~5 servings if served as a meal, or more if served as hors d'oeuvre.

Possible Alterations:
Adding spinach or parsley would be okay, as would adding any number of other things.  Feel free to experiment, and leave feedback in the comments.  Many thanks for Blackmoonshine for sharing this recipe with me.  It's been very nice to have these in the freezer for days when I'm looking for something delicious and don't have the time to whip something up from scratch.

As always, may your meals be delicious and your games epic!

Tater Tot Casserole

The recipe for this came to my attention a couple weeks ago on Reddit.  I'm a follower of f7u12d (r/fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuud), and this recipe looked so simple that I just had to try it.  Turns out it's both delicious and cheap, so I just had to share.

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen tater tots
1~1 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (or some other cream soup)
1/2 cup milk
1 can tuna
1/3 bag frozen vegetables

Equipment:
1 big bowl
1 spatula
cheese grater
9x13 casserole dish
can opener
measuring implements

Directions:
1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees F
2. Place the tots in a layer that covers the bottom of the pan.
3. Mix half the cheese, the condensed soup, milk, tuna, and vegetables in the bowl.
4. Pour the mixture on top of the tots, smoothing it out with your spatula.
5. Spread the remaining cheese on top of the casserole and place in the oven

Once the cheese has melted and browned, serve and enjoy!  Should feed 6~8 people (less if they're all considerable hungry)

Possible Alterations:
There are many things that can be done with this recipe.  It can use any type of cheese, any type of condensed cream soup, and the types of filler like tuna and frozen vegetables can vary.  The only thing I would really recommend would be to make sure to have some Sriracha on hand!

As always, happy gaming!

Melon Salads

July is upon us, which means for myself and my American readership that the month of the out-door picnic and fireworks.  To kick off this month of awesome food and good times, I'm going to introduce two recipes.  They're both very similar, but they have some key differences that definitely have an effect on the flavour.

First is a favourite of my family, and it makes an appearance at many cookouts throughout the summer.  It's referred to as Cucumber Melon salad, and while one can use just about any kind of melon, I like it with Watermelon best.

Cucumber Melon Salad

Equipment:
1x large bowl
1x small bowl
A Chef's Knife
A cutting board
A spatula or spoon
Measuring implements
Melon baller (optional)

Ingredients:
Salad:
3 cucumbers, quartered and sliced
8 cups watermelon balls (or cubed watermelon works fine)
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts
1T chopped kalamata olives

Dressing:
2 tsp olive oil (extra virgin is nice)
2T lemon juice
2T white wine vinegar
1T onion
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients for the salad in a large bowl
2. In a separate bowl, place the dressing ingredients and stir.
3. Pour the dressing into the salad bowl, and mix together.

It can be served immediately, but if dried mint is used the salad should set for a while for all the flavours to come out.

Now a lot of these ingredients can be a bit of an investment, especially if you don't have a place like Trader Joe's nearby to pick up pine nuts and olives at a good price.  There is, however, a much simpler watermelon salad out there.

Jeff Potter, author of "Cooking for Geeks", mentions this salad in the previously mentioned book when discussing tastes.  It does show how dissimilar flavours can come together to make some seriously tasty food.  His recipe is also much simpler than the Cucumber Melon salad, so it may be better for those of us looking to save time and money (which is probably most of us)

Watermelon Feta Salad

Equipment:
1 Large bowl
1 spatula/spoon
Measuring implements

Ingredients:
2 cups watermelon, cubed or scooped
1/2 cup feta cheese, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup red onion, sliced, soaked and drained
1 T olive oil (extra virgin is preferred)
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Directions:
1. Combine the ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss to coat.

Bring it to parties, serve it around the table, just enjoy it.  It should be noted that this does not make nearly as much as the Cucumber melon salad, but the recipe should scale well.

Possible Alterations:
The Cucumber Melon salad can, of course, be done with lots of different varieties of melon, or even mixtures of melons such as watermelon and honeydew.  Jeff recommends adding black olives, mint leaves, or red pepper flakes to his Watermelon Feta salad.  It's probably best to not add them all at the same time, although you should notice that the cucumber melon salad has both olives and mint, so it's probably worth experimenting with.

Jeff also mentions that anytime onions are going to be served raw, they should be soaked in water.  There are some very scientific reason behind it, but the TL;DR version is this: chemicals that are released when an onion is cut will stabilize as a gas.  It reacts with water to create sulfuric acid.  By soaking the onion, the chemicals that would end up reacting with the water in our eyes becomes dissolved into the water.  Drain off the water, and all the nasty stuff goes with it.  Problem solved!

Cooking for Geeks is a great book.  If it seems like something that interests you, definitely pick up a copy. I'd recommend a hard copy.  E-readers are cool, but I don't think they're up to the rigors of the kitchen.

Happy gaming!

The Amazing CLT

To round out our month of trying to be healthier players, lets talk about a wondrous sandwich which I call the CLT.  The CLT is made with three primary ingredients: cheese, lettuce, and tomato.  Unlike the BLT, where primary flavour comes from the bacon, the tomato actually brings the most to the party in the CLT.  These sandwiches are best with fresh, large tomatoes.

Equipment:
1 chef's knife
a cutting board

Ingredients:
slices of Mozzarella/Provolone cheese, 1~2 per sandwich
1~2 tomatoes, thickly sliced
Lettuce (Romain is nice), washed and ripped
Mayonnaise
Salt (Sea Salt is best)
Sliced bread, toasted

Directions:
1. Apply mayo to bread slices
2. Place 1~2 slices of tomato on the sandwich
3. sprinkle/grind salt over tomato
4. add cheese and lettuce to sandwich
5. close the sandwich

Serve!  1 medium sized tomato should yield enough for 3 or 4 sandwiches, at least.

Possible Alterations:
Sandwiches are very flexible, but aside from different sauces, there isn't much in the way of additions or subtractions one can make without making something that isn't a CLT.  That doesn't mean that they'd be bad, by any stretch though! 
Now it is also important to note that these sandwiches, while tasty, aren't necessarily the most filling things on the face of the planet.  They'd be best served with a side of some sort of hefty side dish.  One might consider rice and beans, or some kind of bean salad. 

Happy gaming!

Cheesy Ramen

I had a conversation with a friend at Walmart once, where she talked about having attempted to make cheese ramen by mixing canned nacho cheese with ramen made following the directions listed on the packaging.  It was described as being terrible. 

This lead me to ponder how one would make cheesy ramen.  What combination of ingredients would make a tasty concoction while still maintaining the cheapness and speed that makes ramen so awesome.

By George, I think I've got it!

Ingredients:
1 package shrimp ramen
1 cup water
~1/3 package of frozen mixed vegetables
4~6 oz. of Easy Melt (or similar) cubed
1/4 cup Milk

Equipment:
large stirring spoon
2 quart pot

Directions:
1. Boil the noodles in 1 cup of water
2. Add the frozen mixed vegetables slowly.
3. When the water level is even with the top of the noodles, stir in the flavouring.
4. Add the cubed Easy Melt, combining with the milk as needed.
5. When the mixture is of the desired consistency, remove it from heat.  If the concoction is too thick, add more milk.  If it is too thin, add more cheese.

Serve and enjoy! It should create two generous portions of ramen.  If more is needed (which is likely if you're entertaining), increase the amount of ramen and water such that there is one package for every two people, while increasing the vegetables at a 1:3 ratio.

Possible alterations:
Using other types of ramen other than shrimp flavoured is probably fine.  I'd be wary around the "oriental" flavour, however.  Adding shrimp or other types of browned should prove tasty, especially if it is the same as the flavour of the soup (e.g., chicken in chicken flavoured, beef in beef flavoured, etc.)

There's a lot of possibilities for this meal, so feel free to experiment.

Happy Gaming!

Quick 'n Easy Shells and Cheese

Why buy shells and cheese in a box when you can easily make the real thing yourself?  Shells and cheese is simple, quick, and can be quite inexpensive.

Ingredients:
1 lb of large Shell noodles
6~8 oz. of Colby cheese (Cheddar, American, or even Easy Melt are also good choices)
Milk

Equipment:
large stirring spoon
3 quart pot

Directions:
1. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package.  I recommend adding some olive oil and some salt to the noodles while they boil.  The oil helps prevent the noodles from sticking together, and the salt raises the boiling point of water.
2. Shred the cheese.  Place to the side.
3. Once the noodles are done, strain them and put them back in their pot.
4. Add a handful of sliced cheese and stir. Once the cheese is melted, pour some milk into the pot.  Repeat this process, alternating adding cheese and milk until the cheese runs out.  Add enough milk to keep the mixture from being difficult to stir, while not making the mixture soupy.

Congratulations, you've just made some tasty Shells and Cheese!  This will feed a party of 6-8 people.

Note: If you are using Easy Melt/Velveeta, you can't really shred it.  Just cube it into small bits, and toss it in there.  It's just about making the cheese small enough and have enough surface area to melt quickly.


Possible alterations:
To make a larger and more filling meal, consider adding half a bag of Mixed Vegetables or some canned meat.  One can also add salsa or chili if it is available.  I would also recommend using some spices.  Cumin, Chili powder, and Garlic powder are a good combination.  Curry powder is also a tasty addition, and can replace Cumin if you don't have it.  Bacon bits can also be a very tasty addition.  Consider also adding a can of tuna or some sliced up hot dogs.

All told, just have fun with it and feel free to experiment.  Happy gaming!

Arkhosian Tombs and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

We journey deeper into the ancient Arkhosian tomb, the air is still and dank. We've already fought the troubled spirits in the first chamber. I mutter under my breath about how no one ever listens to me. I had told everyone that I had a bad feeling about this, while we were entering this tomb. Now we were stuck here, in the cold and clinging darkness, feeling the presence of the disturbed spirits all around us.

We move into the next room, my armor clanking as we walk. We find a symbol on the floor, and four beds, each with a well preserved corpse in it. Each corpse was a concubine, entombed with the prince they served in life. We spend several minutes discussing what the symbol means, finally concluding that it's an Arkhosian symbol for fidelity. Finding no reason to disturb this room, we press onward, deeper in to the dungeon. At least, that was the plan. Before we got very far, the beds burst into flame, the well preserved flesh of the concubines melting and twisting in the fire. The four concubines, now skeletal in nature, stood up, and came rushing at us. Pieces of rotting flesh and fat dripped off their bones, leaving a fiery trail following them. I turned to face them, drawing my sword. The previous chamber had been a hard battle, and had taken a lot out of me. I was ready for more, however.

Liriope rushed into battle first, bringing her spiked chain down on the skeletons with all her might. Quandary moved back behind Liriope and myself, and started blundering and confounding the skeletons. He's doing his job to make ours easier. The invoker, Alth, rushes in next. I'm taking my time to come up with a strategy. I finally find my opening in the fight, and charge into battle. My goal: to keep them as occupied as possible while my friends pick them off. While this is good for my group, it does mean that I see the majority of the action. The flaming concubines tear into me, sometimes only scratching my armor, sometimes digging deeply into my flesh. The flames grew ever higher, filling the room with smoke and ash. Not only were we battling off flaming skeletons, we were battling off intense heat as well. I was, sadly, less prepared for the ensuing battle than I thought I was. Eventually, walls of flame surrounding me and surrounded by enemies, I succumbed. I clattered to the ground, my blade falling to my side.

I woke up a short while later, my friends hovering over me. The room was still on fire, and quickly getting worse. We could no longer press forward into the tomb at this time. We decided to retreat to the room prior and take a short rest. Well, they did. I was just happy that we had pulled through.

In the other room, we decided it was time for a short meal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll have to admit, I have a little secret. It's so little, in fact, that anyone who knows me could point it out should you ask. I like cheese. I like cheese alot. I like cheese so much that I have a poster of different varieties of cheese, each with a description of the flavour, texture, and use of the cheese. So, it should come as no surprise, now being informed as you are, that I've been itching to serve grilled cheese sandwiches at a session. But I wouldn't settle for just two slices of bread and a bit of cheese in the middle. I was going to go all in.

Now, depending on how many people are in your party, you're going to have to change how much you're going to have to buy.
For a party of 5, like mine, I bought the following:

1 pkg of Baby Bella mushrooms (sliced)
2 green peppers
1 onion
1/2 lb Muenster Cheese
24 slice pkg of American cheese
1 loaf of White wheat bread
1 stick butter (Tub butter has been recommended)

Now, a lot of these ingredients can be pretty pricey. Cheese, while tasty, can be pretty expensive. Same goes for the mushrooms. But depending on how much people eat, you could end up with lots of stuff left over ingredients to make more tasty meals. One also doesn't have to use two different varieties of cheese. Most of these ingredients, for the most part, are merely suggestions, though it is fairly essential to at least have cheese, bread, and butter.

So, to start off, start spreading butter on the bread. Set the cheese in a location where it will be easy to access. Heat up a frying pan. While the pan is heating, dice the onion and the green peppers. When the pan is ready, melt butter into it. Once the butter is ready, sauté the onions, mushrooms, and peppers. Make sure to keep plenty of butter melted in the pan. Once the vegetables are sautéed, place them in a bowl off to the side. Take a slice of your buttered bread, and apply a slice or two of cheese. Then add a spoonful or two of the vegetables on top of that. When that is done, add another slice or two of cheese on top of the vegetables. It is VERY IMPORTANT that the vegetables are enveloped in cheese. Otherwise it will be extraordinarily difficult to flip the sandwich. When the desired darkness on the pan facing side of the bread, flip it over. When the other side achieves the desired level of toastiness, remove the sandwich from pan. Lather, rinse, repeat until necessary amount of sandwiches have been created.

I recommend serving this with some very tasty tomato soup. It makes for a delicious combination.

Analysis of the meal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Good:
* Quick
* well received

The Bad:
* More sandwiches! They were very popular.

Closing thoughts:
* Be consistent with the proper technique, and it's hard to mess up
* The combination of the soup and sandwich is classic and delicious
* definitely needs to make a reappearance in the future