Built for games (IMO)

Some interesting architecture in my area:

I recently learned there is a hexagon shaped house near me! (I read, it used to be a B&B, the photos don't quite do it justice)
And it has a mailbox Shaped Like The House !! (I hear that's a thing)
That would be a good place to play any of SO So many games that use hexes tiles/boards
(some games details below)

 

(there was some blue sports shirt on top of the mailbox)

Also, there are 2 "alien" building in my area!! 
One is the "Spaceship House", and the other is the "UFO House" (two connected modules, photo from google maps)

Back to games ...

• Here are a few of my favorites tabletop games that are played on hexagons
  • Catan
  • The Castles of Burgundy
  • Terra Mystica
  • Terraforming Mars
    
  
  
• and a new one that looks good
  • Calico by Flatout Games
    
  
  
• some lists of others (collated by others)
  • Games That Use Hexagonal Tiles
  • Best games with hex tiles
    

Cash A Varnish Kiss ?!

Kasha Varnishkes (aka buckwheat and bow tie noodles)

1) recipe
2) backstory
3) word nerdery

Recipe

Main Ingredients

1 cup Buckwheat (kasha)
1 egg
2 cups chicken stock (or veggie, or water)
1 onion (many folks recommend at least 2)
2 cups bow tie noodles (or other pasta)

Other Ingredients

water to boil pasta
oil/butter for frying (if I had chicken fat, I'd use that)
salt
pepper
garlic
mushrooms (and any other mix-ins, eg cilantro)
cheese to sprinkle later

most of the ingredients

steps (I numbered them, then decided it wasn't needed)
- Mise en place, make sure you have all the ingredients you need !

- in a largish bowl, beat the egg, add the raw kasha, stir so K is all coated with E, let it sit

- put water to boil for the pasta (salt, no oil)
(when the water is ready, add the pasta)
- chop the onion/s, and separately the mushrooms, etc

- in a large sauce pan (in the end everything will go in it) fry the kasha (no oil), for about 5 minutes until you can smell the nuttiness, and the egg is absorbed/fried/dried. Stir with a wooden spoon as you go, breaking up clumps
- when it is good, transfer the kasha to a clean bowl.

- in the same pan, saute the chopped onion in whichever fat/s, add s&p to taste (folks recommend a lot of pepper, I am always go for not-so-much)

(at some point start to heat the soup stock, we want it to boil when the sauteing is done)

pasta (about to boil), stock (should be covered), onions

(at some point add the mushrooms, etc to the onions, and saute them together)
(at some point pasta is ready, drain it, and let it sit)

- the onions should get nicely browned (I am so impatient here)
- add the kasha (to the onions), and pour the boiling soup stock into the mix (add a square of butter for extra flavor
(optionally more salt and pepper now)
- stir, bring back to a boil, lower to simmer, cook 15 minutes (or as needed) until liquid is absorbed

- mix in the pasta and enjoy
(and sprinkle on the cheese, if you want)

good cold also.

There are versions and variations to be found online.
- cook mushrooms separately so they don't absorb the oil
- add frozen peas near the end of cooking
- when kasha is cooked, wrap the pot in a big towel and let it sit at least 15 minutes
- etc


Backstory

I was craving this dish, which obviously I've had before, but I don't think I've ever craved before. Or made it myself.
None of the local supermarkets had kasha (what ?!), so Lisa & I made a culinary excursion to Marina's Deli and got some assorted goodies, including syrniki, which inspired Lisa to make some herself. But that is her story to tell.

I looked up many recipes online, including YouTube videos, and there are many conflicting opinions, you can check it out yourself if you are curious.

I didn't have any soup stock or bouillon, so I cooked the kasha in water. It was much easier to boil in a kettle, rather than to try to time soup stock so it is ready, but not over-boiled when needed.  It came out nice, but too bland.  These photos are my 2nd try. It was much better, but perhaps too oily.

Let me say, one perhaps important note.  If you are going to make this as a "Jewish dish", chicken and butter are meat and milk so (for those who care about that) they are not kosher together and should not be used in the same meal.

Things to try for the future:
- saute onions more so they are properly browned
- use less oil/butter, and if I have schmaltz ... (but I said that already)
(but there is a saying "You can't ruin kasha with too much butter")
- many recipes call for smaller and/or egg-pasta bow ties, so maybe that
- or small shells pasta
- peas sounded interesting
- make it vegan with liquid-from-canned-chickpeas (instead of egg) + veggie stock + no butter

However, I think my craving is satisfied, so it may be quite a while until I make another batch.

Word Nerdery

Literally "kasha" means "porridge", but usually buckwheat porridge, hence, anything buckwheat.
"Varnishkes" literally means dumplings, so the dish was originally buckwheat filled dumplings.

"buckwheat" is not actually a kind of wheat or a grain. It is a "pseudo-grain" and is gluten-free.
(but the pasta I use isn't) 

Dice and more dice

I know, "on paper", as the saying goes, it seems out of character for me. I'm not a dice collector, and I don't play D&D or any RPGs.
Sure, among the games I like there are many that have dice in them, but they already have dice.
Even so, there are 3 Kickstarter campaigns I've backed of just that - dice and more dice.

I do like fun and interesting things, and these appealed to me.

The first was not really dice for rolling, more of a decorative item - a desk toy. (Celtic) Knot Dice (launched April 2015). I backed these mostly because of the Celtic knots, and not specifically because of the dice. They are to make your own various layouts and there are also rules for some games/puzzles you can try. They had a follow-up campaign with "dice in three new types, allowing for more players, more patterns, more fun"
currently sold out at: https://www.blackoakgames.com/ but they say they "will be back in summer 2020"

The second was "Have A Nice Dice" from January 2016.  Adorable smiley face dice, that just make me happy to look at.  I also had some major influence on the development, recommending a winking eye instead of their planned Cyclops face for the 1-pip. They decided to go with both designs, letting backers mix and match. I would post a link, but they don't seem to be for sale anywhere anymore.

And today I received my latest KS (launched March 2019) "DoubleSix Dice".  Instead of cubes, these are (12-sided) dodecahedrons, with each number 1 through 6 twice.  They also sell triple-4s and "fudge" dice (with "+" and "-").
I only meant to get a few, but there were so many beautiful colors to choose from, I had to get ... a rainbowful.  Unboxing Unbagging pictures below.  This was their second D6D campaign, and they plan to do another, with more colors and who knows what other options.
I believe you can order gen 1 and gen 2 dice from the following 2 sites (respectively).
https://www.doublesixdice.com/
https://dd6gen2.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
hopefully they will combine the offerings to one site at some point.

Yes, I know rainbows don't have radial stripes, just go with it.
Funny how they look very lop-sided and distorted in the photos. Trust me, they aren't .

One of the reasons I got them was to replace the dice in Castles Of Burgundy (compare and contrast), so I should also do a plug for the adorable Nano Towers, which I need to get more of  ... What!? they are currently sold out :-(
Hopefully they will return: https://www.etsy.com/listing/617117807/nano-tower

Add this to the wins column

If you know me, you know I enter sweepstakes. not a lot a lot, but still daily and not just a few.
Anyway it seems I have won something again. Two somethings actually. :-)

The first, through Facebook, is KareKare a game of exploring (New Zealand coasts) and getting more canoes, huts and sweet potatoes than your opponents.

The second is a set of 4 candles with (possibly diamond) rings in them.
The dessert inspired scents are
- Triple Berry Crumble
- Homemade Banana Pudding
- Hot Fudge Cake
- Honey Watermelon Mint

see the Grace Anna collection

As they say, maybe I should but a lottery ticket now. ;-)

R

re-update, they arrived :-)

short Italian lesson

Howdy again.  After almost a decade I find myself here again.
Just had a birthday, almost a week ago, so there's that.
No one came of course, because of the corona virus.

"Quarantine" literally means "forties" in Italian ("group/s of forty of anything", the forty days of isolation, being in your forties), but after so long with stay-at-home (to various degrees) we are passed that and Cinquantine, Sessantine and into Settantine, though I am not sure of the exact count anymore, could be Ottantine by now. What date did it start?
And why is no one else using this terminology?

Another strange unrelated (Rammy) thought that has been stewing a while:
Some houses you come in the front door and you are in a regular room in the house, a living room or some such. Some houses you come in the front door to an entry hallway, perhaps with stairs, but clearly part of the inside. Then there are some where it's just a small room, that is certainly not "outside", but (in my opinion) not really "inside" yet either. A sort of mud room, with another door to actually enter the house.

Now imagine in your house, you came into  mud room like that, then through the door is a second mud room, then a third, fourth and even seventh small room, then finally you come into the house proper.  And yes, you have to open the door of each one, and close it behind you.
And when you go outside you also have to go through those rooms.  That would be quite a hassle, don't you agree?
That's kind of how I feel about shirts. and more specifically buttons. At the start and end of each day

button

button

button

button

button

button

button

(some folks "read" that from the top down, some start at the bottom and "read"up)
But yes, I do wear shirts, and no I don't actually think this every time, but still. And what's my "solution"?
There are options, but no real winners (yet?)

Ok, until next time...