Welcome to the Game-Night Kitchen!

[Herschel]

Caprese:

3 ripe Roma tomatoes
1 ball of Mozzerella cheese (@ the size of a chicken egg)
Basil (dry will work, fresh cut leaves will be better)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt or Lemon juice
Black pepper, ground

Clean & slice your tomatoes thin. Do likewise with your Mozzerella. Place on plate in alternating layers.

Sprinkle with basil. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with ground black pepper, and either salt or a drizzle of lemon juice.

Serve.

Tasty, refreshing, and scalable.

Ditch the basil and sub sliced avocado for a "Southern" twist.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've been thinking about doing a Tex-Mex/Southwest version with cilantro instead of basil.

I have also started doing that recipe with diced tomatoes and mozzarella as opposed to thinly sliced- when I toss it and set it on the table, it is attractive and not so fussy. Plus it is much easier to serve: as a tossed salad, all of your ingredients are evenly mixed, so here's no issue with people trying to decide how many slices to take of this or that...they just dig in with the serving spoon and get a nice hearty serving.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I tried an experiment tonight.

I laid a bed of onions, potatoes, and mushrooms in a pair of deep ceramic rectangular baking pans, over which were placed wings or thighs.

The veggies had been seasoned with a bit of pepper, parsley, and some other stuff; the chicken with red & black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, etc. The chicken had been pre-brushed with a mix of butter, lemon juice & white wine.

The chicken came out great, the veggies did not. They were OK, but there was a bit too much drippings form the bird bits, so the veggies got a bit...submerged.

That might have worked with rice (which would absorb liquid), but not the potatoes (which have their own internal moisture). The texture was OK, but the amount of liquid washed most of the seasoning off of them.

Next time I do this, I'll use a third pan to spread out the chicken- and liquid- a bit more. I might also use the microwave to zap some moisture out of the 'taters.

FWIW, I did this again with dry mixed wild rice instead of potatoes, and it worked like a charm. The rice absorbed most of the liquid while cooking...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

A real quickie:

Butter a cookie sheet. On it, place a layer of sliced onions. On the onions, place thin, bone-in pork chops seasoned with garlic pepper. Bake at 350 until done. Prep time is minimal, mostly the time it takes you to chop an onion and shake seasoning on the meat. I prepped 2 sheets of 8lbs of chops before my oven reached cooking temp.

The chops come out fork...well...spoon tender, and the caramelized onions make for a nice topper/side.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I’m resurrecting this thread because it’s a damn good idea, especially since people are restarting in-person gaming again.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Not so much a recipe so much as a different seasoning option: Tajin seasoning mix (a Mexican product) LOOKS like a spicy pepper blend, like a Tony Chachere’s, but it isn’t. It’s more citrus forward with a mild burn.

We’ve found it works as a nifty change up of fruits, but we really like it on savory dishes, especially tomato or corn based ones. In the context of game night snacks, try it on your popcorn.