Best family board games

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Growing up my mother and father tried to have family time for me and my sister by playing games such as monopoly, trouble, checkers, and connect four. Now there are four of us kids in the family, two in high school, one in college, and the oldest (me) in the military. Our family doesn’t get everyone together that much anymore and to be quite honest, it’s about twice a year at best for all of us to be together. There are movies to see, concerts to attend, and tournaments to enter; however, family time at home is most constructive over a board game.

Pulling out the old risk board can lead to an all out battle for global domination over all seven continents as the six of us try knocking each other off the board. It’s a nice way to interact with one another and catch up on how everyone is doing while planning your next move on the next victim will be and how long they will last.

Scrabble, now that we are all of the age to use adult words, takes time and serious thought. It’s a nice easy way to relax after dinner to see who will be paying for dinner the following Friday night. My mother feels that scrabble is an ultimate way to expand all our minds and requires nothing more than thought and a dictionary to ensure no one is making up a fake word to get ahead in the standings.

When it all comes down to it, having all six of us sit down in the living room crowded around a game of risk or scrabble brings us all back together. My mother hails that between risk and scrabble, that was the most well spend forty bucks at Walmart she has put down. “It’s like re-spending the same money every time we all sit down to play a board game,” she will tell you. She stores them up on the top shelf of the mudroom closet and only takes them out when the entire family is home.

Sometimes it’s even a good way for me and my shipmates to lay low when the weather is foul and we feel like trying to save a buck or two hanging in our barracks on base. For a little one on one action, stratego seems to be the preferred choice among us sailors. And when we feel the need to dual between four to six people at once, risk, scrabble, and monopoly usually keep us at bay all night long.

I find it to be quite upsetting that people feel the need to go out every night of the week and spend more and more money renting movie, seeing shows, and going out to dinner. There is always an easier and cheaper alternative to having fun. For the same fifty or so dollars spent going to dinner and a movie (excluding gas, drinks, etc.); you can easily run down to your local Walmart and grab some microwaved meals, snacks and drinks, and three or four board games to keep busy for weeks on end.

Whoever said board games had to be boring?

Thoughts on food and beverages – Part 28

How to make good toast.

A compliment of You make good toast’ is unheard of from where I came from. It’s just a slice of bread put into the toaster! What’s the big deal.. However, years and years of eating the toast prepared by staffs in the wards changed my opinion.’It is not just any bread’, I thought. Still, I paid no attention whatsoever onto how to do a good one.

Hence, this morning I panicked as I tried to make ‘good toast’ for the team during coffee break.In short, my toasts were a bit burnt but since they were hungry, they just ate it.

Once I reached home, I practiced the art of making toast. I suppose the trick is;

1. To use white bread – I’m a wholemeal lover because it doesn’t make me hungry too quickly. Sadly, wholemeal doesn’t make good toast as compared to white bread.

2. Perfect timing – My current toaster has a dial with numbers from 1 to 6. So far, my good toast’ is a product of number 4. I guess it is different depending on the type of toaster you use. A good toast’ looks slightly brown + yellow+ crispy.

3. The right butter – I made 2 slices of toast. For the first slice I used the type of butter you’d use to bake cakes and the other is a proper spread (with a healthier option’ label to it) The good toast’ was the one with the earlier option. Damn.. food with lots of fat taste nice. Once buttered, the middle part of the bread should sink giving that lovely yellowy oily’ view. hah.. nikmat.

4. Presentation – Triangle shaped toast are always nicer than a rectangle one or one that is not cut at all.

How do you make your toast?

Humor: Fireworks

Hmmm, I am the only brave soul wiling to try and write an article about funny fireworks and quite honestly, I cannot think of anything. Would this be writers block? No, just a lack of humorous times to reflect upon, in which fireworks were involved.

When I think of fireworks, great pictures of colorful lights are exploding in the sky. Waiting to see which type would shoot out next was one of the exciting parts. Would it be the kind that shot a few attached lines speeding up, then quickly back down? Or maybe it would be three circles, very close together and differing colors. I always enjoy the sparkling kind; they linger a little longer.

For the past five years, I have prepared a cd of patriotic music to play during the show. Each one has been a bit different. They all begin with Neil Diamond’s “America”. The music reminds me, and others within ears length, that it is time to celebrate the birth of our country. We can recall being taught about the declaration of independence in grade school, maybe saying the pledge of allegience. No matter what plagues us as a nation, we are all, (even if just a little bit), proud to be Americans on July 4th.

Some families have made a tradition of hosting a patriotic barbeque. Someone always brings a creamy, brightly colored and usually round jello salad. For anyone reading this who actually makes those and then brings them to a July 4th barbeque, STOP! What happened to the clear jello, anyway? What makes it creamy?

Another unfortunate food mistake often served is the shrinking hamburger. Granted, making your own will guarantee a better flavor. But please remember that the beef, when cooked, shrinks! Your guests will then be stuck with a not so tasty bun, and a very little, dried and crispy meat patty.

Other than food and music, an important and frightening observation I’ve made at some of these family events is the parents who believe it is perfectly acceptable to place a flaming stick into the hands of a brave and obnoxious toddler who derives great pleasure from chasing others with it. Careful! If you show too much fear, the toddler will surely persist. The oblivious parents of these monsters, probably having had their parents hand them these tiny sticks of fire when they were young, see absolutely no harm in them. They too, may even chuckle as they watch their children chase you with them. Once you’ve settled into a safe spot and cannot be reached by them, the sparklers continue.

Creative game: 1000 Blank White Cards

The name of the game is 1000 Blank White Cards. The rules… that’s where hings get fun.

The game is played like this. The host of the party buys a pack of index cards, lined or unlined, it doesn’t matter. Then, five cards and a pen or pencil are passed out to each player. The players create cards, add them to the deck, and dealt again to each player to start the game. Rules? There are no rules until you make them.

Card creation goes like this. The card has three components; a Title, a picture, and a purpose. The title can be anything from fun to serious. The picture can be stick figures or a Renoir painting (it’s not about drawing ability.) And the purpose explains what the card’s function is. For example, you can create a card called “MONKEY ON THE LOOSE,” draw a picture of a monkey and state, “A wild monkey steals your cards. Discard one random card.” Easy, right?

There are three different types of cards. The first is point cards. These award points to players, either yourself or another. The next category of card is the challenge card. These cards allow players to challenge others to win points. The challenge can occur on any battlefield, depending on how the card is made. Lastly, there are event cards. These cards change the way the game plays. You can create a card the states all players must switch hands with the person to their left.

The game ends when one player has no cards left in their hand. The winner is decided by the total of points. Highest points wins the game. However, that can change if a player desires it to.

At the end of the game, the community of players votes on the best cards from the deck. They can decide on a number of cards to keep, and these are added to the deck for the next time. However, upon the start of the next game, players make three cards each instead of five. (However, they can make five each if all players decide to.)

1000 Blank White Cards is a great party game that can have an unlimited number of players. What also makes the game is that no two games are ever the same. The rules change each time, and with it the fun factor changes. And, in case anyone 21 years old or older was wondering, yes, it can be a drinking game.

How to Receive a Food and Beverage Management Education in Switzerland

If you are an aspiring student in Food and Beverage Management and between 18 and 30 years of age there is a great opportunity for you to work in Switzerland without having to spend thousands of dollars to go to school there.

I am writing this from a Canadian perspective but I am sure the same can be said for other countries as well. The way I did it was quite simple and very cost effective and the training I received was phenomenal.

Back in my early 20’s I took a Bartending course that got me introduced to the Hospitality Industry. The money was great and as I was living on my own I passed up the opportunity to go to a university to further my education in this chosen field. I soon realized a few years later that if I wanted to move up it was imperative that I take some course. What I did was do something that would not interfere with my employment so I took a Home Study Course in Hotel Motel Restaurant Management.

I loved it and worked at it from my kitchen table for just over 2 years before finishing it and graduating with flying colors. At the time I was a Bar Manager and even though I was in a comfortable position where I was working I longed for something more exciting.

After a brief stint on a Cruise Ship I came back home to Montreal to rest a bit and figure out what I wanted to do. I took this course so I could proceed along a different path and my attempt at working on a cruise ship had failed at this point.

So to bide my time to mull things over I decided to enrol myself in a full time French Course that would run from January to June. During this time while I was meeting a lot of people at school and working on my French I spoke with a student who was much older than I. When I told him what I did he replied back and asked me why I wouldn’t go to Switzerland to work. I was taken aback at his remark and with a quizzical look mumbled how do I do that?

He then mentioned that there were exchanges between Canada and Switzerland and you had to be under 30 to take advantage of them. This was all news to me so I made some phone calls and got some information and sent my qualifications to the government agency. I was accepted for this exchange immediately thereafter.

The agency was not all that hopeful though as they mentioned that all they do is put my name in a hotel newspaper over in Switzerland and that no one really ever calls or hires anyone and that it would be better if I did my own job search.

This was the pre-internet era so what I did was go to the Swiss Travel Bureau and a travel agent and wrote down all the hotels in the French part of Switzerland and send my resume in my adequate French to those establishments.

I remember I sent fifty resumes out and received 26 refusals but I did get 1 positive response. The contract was for 11 months at this beautiful hotel in Montreux. It was great and I even returned for a second season.

During those two years I did everything as one might come to expect if one is Assistant Food and Beverage Manager. From managing the stores , inventory , Maitre’d , typing out Function sheets and then setting up the Banquet or Conference taking place.

Now the reason I say it was not expensive is I did not have to pay any college or university but instead received the on the job experience necessary to become a competent manager. Yes it was long hours but one thing to remember is you are working in the center of Europe so when you have a few days off you can visit France , Germany , Austria and Italy just next door.

So to summarize you first must have taken some course in Hospitality Food and Beverage to be able to qualify to be in the exchange in the first place. If you are doing something like I was in Bartending go and take a course. I did it with a Home Study School called Granton Institute out of Toronto.

Second learn a second language. Maybe now you will have a reason to learn French , German , or another language. Yes everyone speaks English in Switzerland and other countries but if you know a second language you will become much more marketable.

Third is with the internet now available you can have employment opportunities at your fingertips unlike when I did the job hunt by mail which seemed to take forever before I started to get answers back.

Of course while you are doing all the above check out the exchanges your country has with others. I know I could have gone to France as well if I chose. I also went to England on a Grandparent Visa. If one of your Grandparents were born in England you are eligible to work there as long as you wish. I did that after my Swiss adventure.

Switzerland’s hotel work is usually seasonal so they do hire for months in advance. The visa took me 3 months to receive from the day I was hired. Do not expect a huge salary but do expect accommodations and food and plenty of partying along with the work hours to boot.

My Swiss experience was unforgettable and I highly recommend it. It has opened many doors since both personally, professionally, and intellectually.

Where to find recipes for good Martini cocktails – Part 2

Here are the facts for making a good Martini. Although uncertain, the Martini has been around for more than a 100 years and the recipe has remained the same. Despite the different flavor variation created for the Martini. The original base flavor should never be tampered with since it therefore won’t be called a Martini. A true Martini is created with 1 part Gin and 1 part Sweet Vermouth.

A typical Martini is garnished with olives or a maraschino cherry. It doesn’t matter if you prefer your dink, shaken or stirred, the combination of Gin and Vermouth is the true flavor behind a Martini. Although many drink connoisseurs throughout the years have substituted Gin for Vodka. I don’t recommend you substitute Gin for Vodka unless you desire a stronger flavor of alcohol behind your drink. Many other individuals prefer to use dry vermouth instead of sweet vermouth that is alright with me but you should always ask for it by name.

A Martini is the most glamorous and most famous cocktail of them all and its integrity has been earned in a class by itself. Like myself, many have valued its unique flavor and its been commemorated with its own unique serving glass. So give the Martini as much credit as you would do for fine Wine and Champagne and its companion of glassware since it has earned it over the years. Here is what your final Martini recipe should look like on paper.

Martini Cocktail

1 oz Gin

1 oz Vermouth- Dry or Sweet

1 Garnish- olive or maraschino cherry

If you have been following my article, you can recall that I stated that other variation of the Martini existed. How true this might sound it contradicts my beliefs of a good tasting Martini. These types of Martini are created with the addition of 1 part flavor liquor. Whichever, flavor liquor you might prefer these types of Martini have been nomenclated by the flavor by which has been added. Although my rule for making any type of Martini remains a fact in my laws.

The truth is that the base flavor of Gin and Vermouth should in no way be changed even after adding an additional flavor to your already existing Martini. Although, there are an infinite possibility to creating a flavored Martini. The most requested flavors are; Apple, Chocolate, Coffee, Peach, Peppermint, Lemon, Cherry which are garnished with a variety of substitutions according to the flavor created. Even though any flavor can be added to the Martini depending on your taste since many have been compiled with multiple flavors like Pineapple-Coconut, Chocolate-Raspberry and even Clam-Tomato. So whatever flavor suites your choice don’t be deceived by what others might say.

The bottom line is that the only way to make a good Martini is to understand its only foundation and by accepting no substitutions except for added flavors.

So your recipe should look like this on paper if flavor is what suites your flavor palette.

Flavored Martini Cocktails

1 oz Gin

1 oz Vermouth- Dry or Sweet

1 oz Flavor Liquor; Puree or Juice

1 Garnish- varies by flavor

Thanks for reading my article and safe drinking to all…

Does it matter if your beer is American brewed?

NNo. In fact, given my experience of American beers, Budweiser and Coors, I would not be concerned if I never tasted it again. It is sold here, mostly as a fashion accessory, but I find it gassy, weak and tasteless.

When there are so many top quality beers produced here in England and many more in Belgium and Germany I cannot for the life of me understand why we should import such a poor quality product across the Atlantic.

When will the Americans wake up and realise that there is life outside their parochial borders? They are missing out on some of the best taste experiences.

We don’t need to serve our drinks at the temperature of liquid nitrogen in order to get them down. Forget the fizzy pop beers and try a decent English pint, served at room temperature so that you can fully savour the full range of real flavours that proper beer can give you. It may take a few pints for you to acquire the taste and become a true believer but believe me; it is well worth the effort. There are so many great tastes to be tried here, from the heavy tasting porter beers to the light and quaffable light Ales available across the south of the country. Every county has its own special brews, here in Dorset we have the Badger Brewery at Blandford Forum, where there is a range of strengths and tastes to satisfy even the most demanding palate, and they are all brewed in conditions that allow the full flavour to be appreciated. The people who brew them are skilled artisans and the strains of yeast used have been developed over many decades to ensure that the end product is of the highest quality.

If you want bright beers try a German Pils lager, which are brewed under some of the World’s most stringent conditions of quality and purity. They are truly refreshing and tasty beers, although here in the UK they do attract a premium price.

The great advantage of German bright beers is that they are so pure that, even if you over indulge; you will rarely suffer the misery of a hangover.

Even a small country like Belgium has numerous different brands on the market, beers made from all manner of ingredients, such as honey bananas, wheat and chocolate. If you live in America the only good reason for drinking home brewed beer is the huge environmental cost of importing European beers across thousands of miles of ocean.

Drink recipes: Zombie – Part 1

The Zombie is a remarkably strong cocktail. It is made with fruit juices, liqueurs and various rums and its name comes from the effect it had on one of its consumers.

It was invented by Donn Beach (formerly known as Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gannt) of Hollywood’s Don the Beachcomber restaurant in the late 1930s but was made not made popular until the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

Beach made it one night for a friend, who before flying to San Francisco stopped by the restaurant. After consuming three cocktails the friend left but returned several days later complaining that all through his entire trip he had been turned into a zombie. Hence the name.

The Zombie has a fruity taste but contains an extremely high alcohol content. It is a very deceiving cocktail. It is little wonder that for a lot of years customers at the Don the beachcomber restaurants were limited to two Zombies each. There is the equivalent to 7.5 ounces of alcohol in a single Zombie, according to the original recipe. This is like drinking three and a half cocktails made with 2 ounces of alcohol in each one. Therefore the restaurant limit of two Zombies would be the equivalent of 7 cocktails like Manhattan or Scotch on the Rocks.

This recipe is probably the closest to the original version. That version used 5 or 6 kinds of Caribbean rum which are no longer readably available in the Unites States. Therefore generic rums have been specified.

This is supposed to be for one drink but can actually make 2 or 3 very potent drinks if you have enough ice in each glass.

Ingredients:

4 oz. ( cup water)

oz. (1 tbs.) fresh lime juice

1 oz. (2 tbs.) fresh grapefruit juice

oz. (1 tbs.) sugar syrup

1 oz. (2tbs.) dark rum

1 oz. (2tbs) golden rum

1 oz. (2tbs) white rum

1 oz. (2tbs) 151-proof rum

1- oz. (2 tbs.) spiced golden rum

oz. (1 tbs.) Cherry Heering

oz. (1 tbs.) Falernum syrup

2 dashes Pernod or other anisette-flavoured pastis

3 dashes Grenadine

Method:

1.Put all ingredients plus 4 ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and shake

2.Pour into 1, 2 or 3 highball glasses filled with crushed ice

3.Garnish with a cherry

4.Enjoy! (Moderately!)

This recipe is for a less potent version.

Ingredients:

1 oz. (2tbs.) light rum

1 oz. (2tbs.) dark rum

oz. cherry brandy

Dash of Grenadine

2 oz. (4tbs.) orange juice

2 oz. (4tbs.) lemon juice

Method:

1.Put ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake

2.Pour into highball glass filled with crushed ice

3.Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry

4.Enjoy! (Moderately!)

How computer games can be bad for you

Anything taken to an extreme can be bad for you, a lot of things in life should be taken in moderation. You could easily compare games to something such as myspace that has been seen to promote underage drinking, drugs and kidnappings. As parents they are the ones in control or at least should be of what their child plays. A parent has the responsibility to know when their child is mature enough to play the “violent” games. Games have inspired many things and pushed for the progression in computers and many other technologies.

There are those extreme gamers out there that all they do is play a game all day and night, but that is not to say they still don’t work and are part of the community. They still buy food, they still go to work, they just choose to spend their free time in a different manner so don’t berate them for it. Parents that have teens that game too much instead of doing school or what they’re suppose to, you are the parent, you’re still in charge till they leave the house. Don’t forget there are always worse addictions out there, at least you know where they are Friday night, safe at home in front of a monitor.

Such places like myspace that promote popular culture of taking pictures of yourself drinking or doing drugs, must be worse than playing a game right? So far no little kid has been on a mmorpg and gotten kidnapped so that it made the local news. Sure kids have placed the blame on games for their violent behavior, but games are out there for the parents to monitor and decide what the child plays. How long will parents use it as a scapegoat before they take the initiative to take the time out and know about their children.

Gamers have a passion for what they play much like Trekkie’s have for Star Trek. If you look at the technology we have today, you can look in depth at the technology they have in Star Trek and find a very close relationship. Things people are passion about come into reality and inspire new ideas. It takes what is only imaginary and in a game to being a real, touchable, usable thing. Remember games are only bad for you when not taken in moderation and/or in the hands of irresponsible people. So talk to your friends, significant others, children, help them to see whats happened if it’s gotten that bad.

Foods And Beverages to Avoid

If you’re struggling to whittle down your midsection and achieve the “six pack” that has become synonymous with good abdominals, you’re certainly not alone. The battle of the bulge is a common one — and, all too often, a losing one — in today’s hectic world of fast food and super-sized indulgences.

What many people quickly come to realize is that committing to a disciplined regimen of abdominal exercises is usually not the only component in achieving a trimmer waistline. Although there are some exceptions, a large majority of us will also need to focus on diet to obtain the results we want. Hundreds of crunches a day won’t counteract a daily menu of fatty, greasy foods.

While there are many foods that are touted for their advantageous impact on flatter abdominals, there’s a flip side of the coin, too. Certain foods and beverages have been shown to directly counteract your efforts to reduce belly fat, contributing to the dreaded “spare tire” we all want to avoid. Below, we’ve compiled a listing of these abdominal adversaries. If you must indulge in any of these, remember that moderation (and portion size) is key.

Excessive Amounts of Carbohydrates

We’re not recommending that you cut them out of your diet entirely, but too many carbs can cause bloating and weight gain. Your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which nestles itself into your muscles in the form of water-retaining glycogen. When planning your menu, choose your carbs carefully. For example, fruits and vegetables are better carb choices than bread, pasta, and other gas-producing starches.

Empty Calorie Foods

While they may taste great, these high-carb treats aren’t doing you any favors in the abdominal department. Avoid any foods that are high in carbohydrates or sodium, such as sweets, candy, and greasy fast foods. These are usually lacking in nutrients, with little to no fiber content. Filling up on this type of fare will gain you little in the way of energy and much more in the way of bloating.

Carbonated Beverages

Many dieters believe that drinking zero-calorie soda won’t have a negative impact on their physique, but the truth is that the carbonation in fizzy drinks — even sparkling water — can cause belly bloating when the gas from the carbonation settles in the stomach. Also, the artificial sweeteners used in many diet drinks can have a bloating effect. Stick to iced tea or regular spring water for best results.

High-fiber Foods

Although fiber is generally viewed as an aid in achieving a trimmer tummy, too much of a good thing can go bad. Some high-fiber foods can cause a puffy midsection when consumed in large quantities. Be selective when munching on such offenders as beans, cabbage, garlic, broccoli, onions, and sprouts.

Milk & Dairy Products

For those with lactose intolerance, milk and dairy products can cause bloating and discomfort in the abdominal area. To counteract this, opt for calcium supplements instead.

Salt & High-sodium Foods

Sodium is a known culprit when it comes to bloating of the midsection and gastrointestinal discomfort. Try to stay away from processed foods, such as pre-packaged meats, and foods with large amounts of seasoning. Also, refrain from liberal amounts of salt when preparing your own meals.

Alcohol

The occasional social drink is fine, but a little goes a long way. Large amounts of alcoholic beverages –especially in the evening — are proven to have a bloating effect.

Avoiding these foods and beverages — or, at a minimum, reducing their prominence in your daily diet — will aid you tremendously in your efforts to achieve lean, sculpted abdominals.

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