Welcome to the Game-Night Kitchen!

Sialia · Aug 21, 2012

Also, in the pudding recipe--not the eggs--if you leave out the sugar and the vanilla, and swap shredded cheese for the chocolate, you'll get a really wonderful cheese sauce that is good on nearly everything, but especially over pasta. You will never want the powdered mac n cheese again. Also suitable for pouring over sliced potatoes to make a fine augratin casserole. Or over chips to make nachos. Or on toast. Or over lima beans or broccoli or cauliflower.

Variations: add a splash of vermouth or marsala or ale. Or some mushed garlic, or thyme, or black pepper. Or a scoop of cream cheese. Or a few drops of Tabasco or liquid smoke. Or any combination of the above.

Colby jack is really good for this. Or gruyere. Or cheddar. Or even plain old american cheese. Or any combination of the above. Enjoy!

For some reason, it is permitted to serve a bowl of chocolate pudding plain, but folks look at you funny if you give them the cheese sauce with only a spoon. At minimum, a few croutons are recommended.

Rune · Aug 21, 2012

Sialia said:
Yay! Let me know how it goes. I'm sorry I couldnt be more precise about the measurements--I think it's about 1TBS flour to each cup of milk. And, um, as much chocolate as I happen to think works. You know, until it's chocolate colored and flavored. The better the quality of the chocolate, the better the pudding. If you use too little flour and it doesn't come out thick enough, gently fold in some whipped cream, cool whip, or beaten pasteurized egg whites and make a mousse out of it.

I did have to work with the measurements, but the end result went over very well. Next time, we'll try butterscotch.

The pickled eggs were only flawed in that I didn't make enough and I couldn't wait to eat them very long and, also, they are all gone. Another batch is on the boil as we speak. Tasted like devilled eggs without the mayo.

Adding a little liquid smoke and some tabasco this time.

Also, I accidentally discovered that if you put them in a baggie with some black olives to carry in your lunch box, the olives make strange and wonderful patterns all over the egg. And it tastes good. I think olive brine might work just as well as pickle juice. SO I'm going to try that, too. I expect they will be a sort of strange color, but . . . well, we'll see.

Sounds great! I do recommend that you get a new jar of pickles (or olives) for the new batch of eggs, though (I may have recommended this in the recipe, come to think of it).

Also, in the pudding recipe--not the eggs--if you leave out the sugar and the vanilla, and swap shredded cheese for the chocolate, you'll get a really wonderful cheese sauce that is good on nearly everything, but especially over pasta. You will never want the powdered mac n cheese again. Also suitable for pouring over sliced potatoes to make a fine augratin casserole. Or over chips to make nachos. Or on toast. Or over lima beans or broccoli or cauliflower.

Variations: add a splash of vermouth or marsala or ale. Or some mushed garlic, or thyme, or black pepper. Or a scoop of cream cheese. Or a few drops of Tabasco or liquid smoke. Or any combination of the above.

Colby jack is really good for this. Or gruyere. Or cheddar. Or even plain old american cheese. Or any combination of the above. Enjoy!

For some reason, it is permitted to serve a bowl of chocolate pudding plain, but folks look at you funny if you give them the cheese sauce with only a spoon. At minimum, a few croutons are recommended.

In the case of the cheese sauce, I would make a blonde roux (possibly with olive oil instead of butter) with the flour before adding it into the milk (and heat the milk before adding the roux), but otherwise, it looks great!

(For those who don't know, a roux is a means of toasting flour in butter, or some other fat, but a blonde roux doesn't actually toast the flour, it merely blends it in with the butter.

In either case, you'll want to gradually add flour to an equal amount of melted butter or other fat and blend thoroughly, preferably with a whisk. In the case of a blonde roux, you would stop here, but for a good, dark, roux for something like, say, gumbo, you'd want to keep the mixture moving over a lowish heat--and keep going until it's sufficiently dark.)

Rune · Aug 21, 2012

Episode 17: Mac n' Cheese

This is one of those dishes that everybody knows and loves, and there are probably as many versions as their are people to eat them.

Here's another one.

What you will need:

A box of macaroni noodles
Water
Salt
Cheese (preferably shredded, or soft)
Butter or margarine
Milk

Macaroni.

Preheat your oven to about 350 degrees. Bring the water to a boil with a little salt and add the noodles. Boil them until they are just the slightest bit firm. Drain well and blend in a bit of the butter or margarine.

& Cheese.

Add enough milk to coat the noodles and gradually mix in cheese until melted. Pour the entire mixture into a greased baking dish and top with more cheese. Put the pan in the oven and cook until the cheese on top becomes golden and a bit crispy (this shouldn't take too long, so keep an eye on it!). Remove the pan from the oven, let it rest for a moment, then serve and enjoy!

That's it for this week. Good gaming, y'all!

Sialia · Aug 22, 2012

Yep--mac n cheese casserole is definitely a gamer's friend--make ahead, reheats well, feeds many, is cheap. Gruyere and cheddar, scoop of cream cheese. MMm.

I failed the eggs again today. Can't seem to get past the 12 hour mark, and then, poof! all gone. Mind you, delicious, but . . .I may never find out what they taste like actually marinated ~3 days. But the liquid smoke, garlic and Tabasco were calling . . .calling . . calling out to me . . .

Rune · Aug 22, 2012

Sialia said:
Yep--mac n cheese casserole is definitely a gamer's friend--make ahead, reheats well, feeds many, is cheap. Gruyere and cheddar, scoop of cream cheese. MMm.

I failed the eggs again today. Can't seem to get past the 12 hour mark, and then, poof! all gone. Mind you, delicious, but . . .I may never find out what they taste like actually marinated ~3 days. But the liquid smoke, garlic and Tabasco were calling . . .calling . . calling out to me . . .

Simple solution: make 3 batches. Or, I dunno, make some right before going on a trip, or something.

jcayer · Aug 22, 2012

I made Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese a few months ago. They couldn't get enough of it.
Here is the recipe I started with: Sean’s Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese. Our Reason to Live

I took some liberties with it, but it was outstanding. I put a bowl of blue cheese dressing and some additional buffalo sauce on the side...so good.

Dannyalcatraz · Aug 22, 2012

Rune said:
Simple solution: make 3 batches. Or, I dunno, make some right before going on a trip, or something.

Or give them to someone to hide!

Then you could have a Pickled Egg Hunt!

Sialia · Aug 23, 2012

Enchilada Casserole

Grease a casserole dish.

Mix a 15 oz container of ricotta with 2 eggs, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese.

Pour enchilada sauce on the bottom of the casserole. Cover the sauce with corn tortillas. Pour more sauce on the tortillas, then cover with a layer of the ricotta mixture, and then more sauce and tortillas and sauce and cheese like a lasagne. WHen you get to the top of the casserole or run out of stuff, sprinkle the top with shredded cheese and then put the whole thing into a 350 degree oven for at least 1/2 hour. Longer is often better. An hour is fine.

If you are serving folks who like chilies or beans or sliced black olives, you could add a layer of either. Save the guacamole, fresh salsa, shredded lettuce and sourcream for side dishes however.

Ok, so, you're asking, where do I get decent enchilada sauce? Pace used to make a decent bottle, but the stores here haven't had it for years. So now, I take a jar of Ragu Pizza sauce and add a lot of powdered cumin and garlic to it. Really, that's all there is to it. You could add onion, oregano, paprika and/or chili powder if you like. Or a glug of hot sauce or chipotles. You know your audience. Mine like it kept simple.

The casserole freezes well, reheats well.

Sialia · Aug 23, 2012

Enchilada Casserole

double post. phoo.

Rune · Aug 28, 2012

Episode 18: Chicken Salad Sandwiches.

Need a good, quick, light sandwich for a mid-day gaming session? Chicken salad is the way to go. It does require some pre-cooked chicken, however. This can be done a few ways.

If you've got the time in advance, I recommend boiling some chicken in some water with some butter, salt, and pepper, and then pulling the chicken from the bone after it cools because you can save the stock in the fridge (or freezer) for a future dish.

If you don't have time for that, you can cook up some chicken tenders in a skillet and pull them apart with a couple of forks.

Finally, you can also get canned chicken breast chunks, but these tend to be quite salty, so you will need to adjust your recipe to account for this.

However you get your chicken, once you've got it, the rest is easy.

What you will need:

Pulled Chicken
Mayonnaise
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Sugar
Celery
Onion
Pickle
Boiled Eggs, if desired
Grapes or nuts, if desired.
Sliced Bread

Chop the veggies.

Chop the celery, onion, and pickles, as well as the eggs or nuts, if you're going to add them. If you're going to add grapes, slice them in half. Put it all into a largish bowl with the chicken.

Mix in stuff.

Put enough mayonnaise in the bowl to coat the other ingredients, without making a gloppy mess. Season with a small amount of salt, pepper, garlic, and a hint of sugar. Mix well. Taste and tweak, mixing well each time you season.

Make sandwiches.

Put your chicken salad on sliced bread and you're good to go.

That's it for this week. Good gaming, y'all!