Role playing: Tips for setting the mood of your gaming session

my friend and i play warhammer 40,000 and this is what we do. we use my hobby room which is a pretty good size in the basement. we have very good lighting becuase we have to read books and such and we dont want to mess up our eyes. sometimes when a big thing comes out, we have a small party we can say. we get more food and drinks. and we talk about whatever that came out and the pros and cons of it. i know, we are wild!

but most of the time we bring down some food and drinks and roll up a good office spinning chair for each of us. we have a few side tables to set up our squads and such and our food so we wouldnt have to put it on the table and run the risk of messing something up. we also get a rag or paper towel to wipe our hands becuase our paint jobs are very good and we dont want to mess anything up. we also put some low music to listen to. most of the time its some kind of metal or becuase one of my main armies is somewhat like the U.S military in vietnam-60s and 70s rock. and we put some techo and trance becuase its very kool.

also sometimes we take time building some models and such before or after the battle. the games take anywhere from 2 hours to 10 hours. sometimes during larger games, we go out for a bit and drive around in my roadrunner or just bike around or what ever. because being in a basement for a while starts to make you go mad. well thats how we get in the mood for our gaming session.

Drink recipes: Bloody Mary

My girlfriends and I have spent many summers experimenting to find the perfect Bloody Mary recipe for our annual summer get together. We have found that the key to a fabulous Bloody Mary is the use of an extremely cold and better quality vodka. Therefore, store your vodka in the ice box. It will not freeze. As mentioned, make sure to spend a little more to get a good quality vodka, as it really does make a difference in making a good tasting cocktail. For this recipe which is our favorite so far, we recommend using Absolut. Also, technically speaking this is a “Caesar” recipe rather than a “Mary,” but we think it has just the perfect combination of taste and kick!

This is a wonderful cocktail to serve with a weekend brunch or for a summer evening get together, especially if the weather is particularly warm. It is the perfect accompaniment to our steadfast menu of the last three years: cold jumbo shrimp, coleslaw, corn on the cob and warm crusty sourdough bread. You will want to designate a driver if need be. These cocktails are so tasty, you will definitely want more than one!

BEST GIRLFRIENDS’ BLOODY FANTASTIC CAESAR, WITH A TWIST!

Combine the following ingredients into a shaker (or a blender):

This makes one cocktail, so double the recipe if needed.

4 ounces well-chilled Mott’s Clamato Juice

One half of a seeded lime, juice squeezed in

3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

3 dashes green Tabasco sauce

one half teaspoon hot horseradish

one half teaspoon garlic powder

one quarter teaspoon onion powder

one quarter teaspoon ground white pepper

Fill a frosty pint glass with ice to three quarters full and add three ounces of well-chilled Absolut vodka. Give the mix a few good shakes (or blend) and pour into the glass to in inch below the rim. Here’s the twist that makes this drink extra-special: Drizzle a teaspoon full of Grand Marnier over the top of the cocktail. Insert a cleaned and cut celery stalk and garnish with a toothpick containing two large, plump green olives. Enjoy!

Note: If you are not a fan of celery or green olives, other great garnish ideas are pickled asparagus, banana peppers, bell pepper slices, pickled green beans, baby corns, green onion stalks or pickled carrots….the sky’s the limit!

A beginners guide to cooking with beer

Now just wait a minute, beer in food? Are you seriously telling me that instead of drinking my delightful beverage I am to boil it in veg? Come on pull the other one. No, this is for real. A good real ale is a complex drink, full of natural flavours that can really bring out the most in a dish. Take the Belgium dish, Carbonnade a la Flamande, a beautiful and heart-warming stew made up of beer, bacon and onions, absolutely delightful. Or what about one of my favourite dishes (when made correctly) the good old steak and ale pie, washed down in mouthfuls with the weekly guest ale, heaven. No, beer in food is not used as much as it should be. Why not try it today?

Now, I am usually on the receiving end of a good meal, (the best place to be) but that doesn’t mean that I can’t create a delightful meal once in a while. The key to any recipe is maintaining the correct quantities and using the freshest produce of course. When cooking with beer there is a tendency to go overboard by throwing too much beer into the meal, remember we are trying to draw out the flavours here not drown it. In any case we need to save some to drink.

So how should we go about starting to cook with beer? First thing is first, you need to obtain quality real ales, from quality micro-breweries. One of my favourite beers to use is Spitfire Ale from the Shepherd Neame brewery, it possess a very distinctive malt after-taste that seems to linger for an age on the palette. Of course this is just one of my favourites, use one of your local favourites, the choice is massive.

With that done we must match the beer to the meal. Surely you mean match the meal to the beer? Well, no I work the other way around, I select the beer for all its subtleties and then match it to a meal in order to bring out its tastes. But this is just me, you can work the other way around if you wish. So what I usually do with my Spitfire is combine it in a nice steak pie, yum, yum. Here is my recipe if you are interested, I originally got the recipe out of an old book but I made a few changes to it and made it my own:

Ingredients:

Half kg of best braising steak

Half of the bottle of Spitfire (substitute for your ale) 275ml

250ml water

2 Stock cubes

1 Onions

1 Tablespoon of plain flour

Good ready made pastry

Method:

1 Add the onions to a hot pan for a few minutes

2 Add the meat and cook for a short time

3 Stir in the flour

4 Add the beer very gradually

5 Add the stock cubes

6 Add water gradually, don’t over do it

7 Reduce heat, cover and simmer for around 2 hours

8 Prepare the pastry and cover once cooked

9 Invite me round for dinner and enjoy

Serves 2

So why not have a change this week and cook with beer. There are thousands of quality recipes out there if you don’t fancy mine. It would really make a change, and you would impress a guest no end. Hope you enjoy trying out cooking with beer as much as I like savouring it. Bon appetite.

The history of cocktails

Cocktails have been served on the Silver Screen and in home television screen for decades. People have been seen ordering, drinking, spilling, trashing and smashing cocktails since alcoholic spirits’ took on a vogue cultural identity in the modern society of the western world. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says a cocktail is an iced drink of wine or distilled liquor mixed with flavoring.”

The modern view of cocktail understands it as a mixed drink’ made of various alcoholic liquor usually combined with other fluids such as tonic, carbonated beverages, flavored syrup and fruit juices. People have been mixing various liquors for centuries and calling the concoctions odd curious names. It seems that during the 17th and 18th century the elite social circles of Europe and the young American Colonies began naming their mixed drinks: Juleps, Fizzes and Toddies and they became the rage’ of the new socially conscious era of movers and shakers.

Historically two printed references are recognized as defining and perhaps creating the word cocktail. In 1803 the Farmer’s Cabinet used the word cocktail, in a satirical editorial article. Then in 1831, Imbibe! writer David Wondrich tells of the supposed first cocktail recipe in print coming from Captain J.E. Alexander [brandy, gin or rum mixed 1/3 liquor to 2/3's water with a spritz of bitters a pinch of sugar and a touch of nutmeg]. It is also reported that an editorial message in The Balance and Columbian Repository, 1806, presented the first declared definition of cocktail. This definition said the “cocktail is stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters.”

There are many tales, stories and legends that circulate concerning where the word cocktail came from. They are a mixture of totally bizarre to just plan stupid to perhaps possible and they are rather interesting even if they maybe pseudo-historical stories. Here are few of the more entertaining tales of the origin of the word cocktail:

One story tells that the word cocktail comes from the rooster’s tail feathers (cock tail) that was used a Colonial drink garnish.

In the James Fennimore Cooper story The Spy (1821) the character “Betty Flanagan” (a tavern keeper) creates the cocktail drink for Revolutionary soldiers.

Another interesting story told in the publication Bartender in 1936 explained that British sailors over the decades came home and told of exotic drinks they were served in Mexico. The drinks they said were stirred with

Recipes: German Kraut Burgers

Grouch Droodle or Kraut Strudel.

When I first heard of this recipe for German Kraut Burgers, I was doubtful that my family would like them. Sauerkraut, beef, onions all wrapped in a dough and baked, baked sauerkraut?

My sister assured me that it was a delicious fun meal. She had gotten this recipe from her neighbor who was German, so she would know German cooking! What’s more her 5-year-old son said, “Grouch Droodle is my favorite, it’s so good!” From then on, we called this Grouch Droodle; Sis was right, my children loved it!

-Grouch Droodle

Ingredients:

1 pkg. puff pastry dough, squares

1 lb. Sauerbraten or roast beef, cubed (Sauerbraten works best)

1 cup Sauerbraten gravy or roast beef gravy

1 large can German Sauerkraut, drained and rinsed

1 large yellow onion, diced

Egg wash:

1 egg, beaten

3 tbsp. water

Glaze:

1/2 cup grated or cubed Gouda cheese

1/4 cup milk or cream

Topping:

1 cup Toasted Caraway seeds

Method:

Preheat oven to 375oF. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Set pastry sheets on baking sheet so they can thaw while filling is assembled.

Filling:

In a large bowl add cubed sauerbraten, onion, gravy and well drained sauerkraut, stir to combine well.

Scoop 1/4-1/2 cup filling into the middle of each pastry square. Moisten edges slightly with water, pull up edges together to make a strudel, pinch edges together well to seal. Alternately, you can pull the moistened edges together, seal, and invert the whole thing, placing it deal side down on the parchment paper.

Whisk egg and water into a small bowl, combine well. Brush tops of all Grouch Doodles’ with the egg wash, do not soak.

Place into preheated oven and bake 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before glazing.

Use the following as a delightful drizzle over the kraut strudels just before serving then serve remaining glaze as a dip.

Glaze:

In a small microwave safe bowl, add cheese and cream. Run through microwave for 1 minute or until cheese is melted. Stir well and reserve. Drizzle lightly over all strudels. Then sprinkle well with the toasted caraways seeds.

These individual Kraut Strudels are great served along with Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage or a nice helping of German Potato Salad. Of course, beer lovers have these with large steins filled with their favorite German beer!

Variations:

-Substitute yeast dough squares for the puff pastry squares; such as premade pizza crusts from your grocery stores refrigerated section.

-Substitute ground beef for the sauerbraten. Brown the ground beef and drain well.

The ground beef variation is very kid friendly and a great take-along to family gatherings and potluck dinners!

Your family will love this version of German Kraut Burgers and it will become a family favorite just as it was for my Sis and her children. Grouch Droodle is a great recipe, once you make it, you will love it!

Travel destinations: Bruges, Belgium, the Venice of the North

Bruges is a beautiful medieval city in Belgium. Bruges was one of the first cities I visited in Europe. We were in Bruges during February, which was still cold and wet. However, the beauty and tranquil setting of the city centre compensate for it.

Bruges is often referred as “The Venice of the North”. The canals connects the street and with medieval style building lined alongside. Bruges’s city centre was nominated as a World Heritage Site in 2000 for their preservation of historical and medieval architecture building.

Most of the historical medieval buildings surround the city centre. The cobbled street linked the individual building, hence making it the perfect place to explore Bruges. The famous buildings in Bruges include the Church of Our Lady, the Basilica of the Holy Blood and the City Hall in the city square. The Church of Our Lady has a brick spire that is very prominent in the city. Inside the church is a sculpture of Madonna and Child, which is believed to be one of Michelangelo’s sculptures. The light shine through the multi colour stained glass give a divine impression to the place.

Bruges is well known for chocolates and there are many chocolate confectioneries to feast your eyes and your palette. The quaint shops are decorated with different shape and sizes of chocolates. There are also many varieties of chocolates such as milk chocolates, truffles, dark chocolates and white chocolates. Usually, you will be able to sample the chocolates before deciding which to buy.When you buy chocolates from the shop, you will be presented with a colourful chocolate box.

The city square bustled with people and activities. Many festivities are held in the city square such as concerts, market days and religious celebration. Surrounding the square are restaurants and cafe with alfresco dining facilities. Sitting and sipping Belgium hot chocolate with music humming in the background is the perfect holiday experience. As Belgium is famous for their beers, you will be able to enjoy a variety of Belgium beers in the bars and restaurants too.

It is easy to get around the city centre by foot, however, you can also enjoy a boat ride in the canal that runs between the medieval buildings. It is relaxing and truly romantic.

As traffic is discouraged in the city centre, the best way to get to Bruges is by bus or rail. If you are coming from London, you can board the Eurostar from St. Pancras Station and the high speed train will bring you straight into Belgium. Thereafter you can easily take a connecting train to Bruges. The main railway station is only a 20 min walk to the square and the bus network links the centre to surrounding Bruges. The bus link would also bring you into Holland especially to Sluis which is a Dutch town along the border of Belgium.

Bruges is truly a medieval city with well preserved architectural building and medieval street setting, it has lived up to its status as a World Heritage Site.

Should you let your child drink alcohol from your glass?

Yes, it is ok for your children to drink alcohol from your glass. I think that drinking from a parent’s glass teaches the child how to be sociable drinker and not falling down sloppy drunks.

As a small child, my dad would let me sip from his glass. Most of the time it was late at night. I loved to sit with my dad when he had guest. I would listen to all the tall tales and jokes. In doing so, I would be doing what old folk call fighting sleep. Therefore, I would sit in my dad’s lap and ask for some of what he was drinking and he would give me one or two sips. The next thing I knew I was awaking to Saturday cartoons.

I grew up in Ohio, the winters was cold and icy. My mom would fix what she called toddies. On mornings we had to go to school or wanted to play in the snow, we would eat breakfast, put on our winter gear, and as each of us pass through the door we had a warm shot of this toddy and extremely cold days we got another when we came back in. It must have worked because we never had problems with bad colds and other winter aliments. It did not seen to interfere with school because I was always an A, B student, and most time with special awards.

After I start to have my own children, I also allowed them to drink from my glass. When holidays came around, I would go all out with everything, especially candy. I would let the boys eat too much candy and then they would snick extras. I would then have to take them back and forward to the doctor with no help in sight. An old retired nurse told me that on occasions like that to give them a half of can of beer or a half of shot of whiskey every night before they lay down, the next morning everyone was fine.

I have been told to put beer suds on the gums of a teethe baby and let a child drink a little beer every night before bed will kill the ringworm. I tried these remedies and they truly worked.

I have always allowed my children to drink from my glass, and have bought wine coolers or champagne for the holidays or their birthdays. Of my four sons, I have one who is a weekly or daily drinker. He is like his mother, a good shot of Jack Daniels or Absolute after a hard days work is the best part of my day. The other three sons are social drinkers and I have never seen any one of them away from home drunk. If they are going to do heavy drinking, it is usually going to be at home for a cook out or in front of a TV with a boxing match or football game.

I also allow my granddaughter to get her swerve on too.

No, do not let your child get intoxicated, while you sit there, and laugh at how funny they are acting. Do not get your child loaded because you cannot find a babysitter or you just do not have the time for him so you went him to go to sleep. A sip from time to time well not hurt them.

Start at an early age of drink responsible.

The Rise Of Belgian Golf: The Top Golf Courses In Belgium

Considering Belgium’s long history of playing a golf, it’s strange that the country has yet to take off as the golfing hotspot it thoroughly deserves to be. A variant of golf has been played in Belgium since the 14th-Century, the weather is mild, the courses are located close together, it’s a short distance from England and, of course, the beer and chocolate are legendary! These all add up to ensure that golf holidays in Belgium are perfect for anyone wanting a quick break out of England without having to travel for hours…

But what are the golf courses in Belgium which the wanabe golfer needs to play while? There are plenty to choose from (according to the Royal Belgian Golf Federation, there are 78 affiliated clubs!) so even the most fussy golfer is bound to find at least one or two to their tastes. As ever, we’ve done our research and here are a few of my favourites for those looking to take a golf break in Belgium:

Royal Zoute Golf Club

This one should need little introduction – it has hosted the Belgian Open on 3 occasions, been praised by Nick Faldo and was voted Europe’s best golf course in 1992/93. Designed by Harry Colt, it is a par 72 course and an absolute classic, and even harder when the wind picks up! Suffice to say; this is one course that serious golfers must have on the “tick-list”.

Royal Ostend Golf Club

Founded in 1903, Royal Ostend offers both a challenging technical test (with strategically placed bunkers and plenty of trees) as well as some outstanding views of the North Sea and dunes. Despite being renovated in 1990 to make the course more modern, it still retains a feel of the old design. The course has a sandy soil so is in year-round condition and is always a great day’s golf during a Belgium golf break.

Royal Antwerp

The oldest golf course in Belgium remains an absolute treat to play. Designed by Willie Park in 1888 and “modernised” by Tom Simpson in 1930, it is a golf-architecture masterpiece. Oozing character, the course guarantees a challenge for even the most experienced golfer. Another guarantee for golfers round here is a warm welcome in the stylish clubhouse – whether you’re a pro or an amateur! History aside, this really is one of the finest golf courses in Belgium.

Royal Golf Club of Belgium

The Royal Golf Club of Belgium offers an exciting parkland layout with surroundings that can only be described as ‘fairytale-like’ – indeed, the clubhouse itself is a converted chateau. The immaculately-maintained fairways and greens are lined by an impressive selection of trees and interesting plant life, giving the challenge of the course an aesthetically pleasing edge – a unique course and a must on your golf break in Belgium.

Waregem Golf Club

It’s rare that a golf course offers this much contrast between the front and back nines. The first half of Waregem Golf Club is hilly with large open fairways and splendid views from the highest point of the region. The second half is situated on the flat lands and boasts several ominous looking water hazards making for a close that is both challenging and exciting.

This is just scratching the surface of Belgian golf and there are many hidden gems in addition to this. Because of the country’s size and the proximity of the golf courses, it is very possible to sample a fair few of them over the duration of your golf holiday in Belgium.

My Best German Friend

In the past few years I have made many friends from all around the world, and I love it. There is nothing more fun than seeing my world expand as people from other countries and cultures teach me new things and expand my perspective. For some reason, I have made many German friends, but I have one best friend from Germany that has taught me more than anyone.

My best German friend is named Erikka and I met her in a graduate class that I was taking a few years ago. We instantly hit it off and began spending a lot of time together. We would spend hours walking, talking, drinking coffee, studying for our class and discussing bits of history together. Erikka became my favorite German friend because she was so open and honest about her childhood and about the struggles she has faced being a German in another country.

Erikka invited me to visit her home country with her last summer and I was privileged to fly with her to Germany for a month. We spent the month doing everything German she could think of. We toured so many cities and villages, we met up with many of her old German friends, and we tried all kinds of German foods and beers that I quickly learned to love. It was wonderful for me to experience the nation that shaped Erikka and to see a lot of the reasons why she is so passionate and driven even today.

I figured that since one of my best friends was now German, I should probably try to learn a little bit of her language. She agreed to give me German lessons twice each week and I have been plugging my way along for nearly two years now. I love the language. I wish it would have been an option for me in my high school or at college so I could have started learning it sooner, but it wasn’t.

I love the German language so much that I am considering moving to Germany with Erikka when she returns next fall. I w would study German language and history at a local university and get a degree that would qualify me to teach about all things German back in the U.S. I am really excited about the chance to immerse myself in German culture even further and then to be a teacher for others who are as interested in the country as I am. All of this direction is in thanks to my best German friend, Erikka.

Drink recipes: Strawberry daiquiri

Strawberry Daiquiri cocktails are the slushy of the alcoholic cocktail world and are among some of my favorite fruity cocktails to drink at parties. These rum and fruit based daiquiri delights come in a variety of flavors and the recipes are very versatile.

Suave and sophisticated, the daiquiri is also a fun cocktail to experiment with. Like all good cocktails, the recipe should be simple and inspiring, and this is no different. I’m going to show you how to make a delightful strawberry daiquiri both simply and elegantly. Here’s how:

Ingredients

1 1/2 parts white or light rum.

1 part strawberry liqueur, creme de fraise or strawberry schnapps.

1/2 part fresh lime juice.

1/2 part sugar syrup.

1 1/2 parts strawberry puree.

Crushed ice and an optional slice of strawberry to serve.

Set aside some frosting sugar and some lime juice to decorate the rim of your glass if you desire.

Method 1 – elegant

Take a cocktail glass and dip the rim of the glass firstly into the spare lime juice and then into the spare frosting sugar, then set it aside until you serve your drink.

Now put some ice cubes into a cocktail shaker and add the alcohol, shake it to chill it, then add the lime, strawberry puree and sugar syrup and shake it gently to mix it. Fill your glass 4/5 full of crushed ice and strain the mixture over the ice, serve with a short straw and a slice of strawberry if you like. Enjoy this divine daiquiri but don’t keep it to yourself, these are too good not to share.

Method 2 – simple

Measure a glass full of ice and tip it into a blender and add all the other ingredients at once. If you don’t have sugar syrup you can use a teaspoon (5ml spoon) of fine or frosting sugar, and if you don’t have strawberry puree you can use 3-4 fresh strawberries. Blend the whole lot until it has the consistency you desire and pour out into your glass. Serve with a straw and a smile, you’ve just made one of the best drinks under the sun.

Try different flavors by changing the fruit base and matching liqueur to suit your personal tastes.

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