Time for a Gamer Friendly Tip

Tip: The Fizz... of DOOM!
You've just settled down to do your level up, this should be a good one, the DM even gave you the go-ahead on that prestige class you've always wanted to try. Or you just sat down with your bowl of raid-friendly food and are preparing to group up with 24 other people to take down Arthas, you have a feeling that your gear is going to drop This Time, it's a good feeling. Or you've just finished putting the final touches on your costume for the political event of your vampiric life, you'll be crowned Prince this time For Sure.

What better way to calm your nerves than with a nice cold can or bottle of your favorite carbonated beverage. You take a deep breath, inhale the calm, reach for your drink... crake the seal... and it sprays all over your character sheets; keyboard or costume. WHAT THE &@$#!!

So how do you avoid the fizz? Next time try this simple technique to prevent the blow up.

1. First set your can or bottle on a hard surface.
2. While the bottom of the can or bottle rests on the hard surface turn it firmly several times. If you only just dropped it, turn it a half dozen times full rotation.
3. Open cautiously.

Don't believe it works? try it! grab a can of pop, shake it up and follow the steps! You'll be pleasantly surprised!

Why does it work? not a clue. I'm sure some physics major could answer, but I can't track one down, I've got a date with Arthas.

Butcher Family Shrimp and Rice Salad

Shrimp and Rice Salad
Gamer rating: tabletop, larping, or even console. Not recommended for PC though.
Prep-time: About 20 minutes, including the time spent cooking the rice.

Ok folks, I'm gonna let you in to a family recipe I got from my Auntie Joan. This is summer cold buffet food, and something I see and demolish at every family gathering, but have never seen outside of them. Absolutely delicious, and even little kids go nuts for it! It keeps very well, and is a perfect make-ahead dish.

• 2 cups Minute Rice (you could use regular rice but then it takes longer)
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped dill pickle
• 2 can cocktail size shrimp (I can't find canned shrimp, so I use 1 small bag)
• "a little" mayonnaise
  

1. Make 2 cups Minute rice using tomato juice instead of water. Add the frozen peas just as the rice is finished cooking, and let the rice and peas cool.
2. Once the rice mixture is cool, add all remaining ingredients except the mayonnaise. Stir until well mixed.
3. Add a little mayonnaise to moisten just before serving. Watch in amazement as it disappears.
   

This recipe is diabetic-friendly. Requires a stove, a pot and a mixing bowl.

Credit to my Auntie Joan via Forresst!

Chicken Fried Steaks

Chicken Fried Steaky Goodness
Gamer rating: depending on side dishes, tabletop to computer.
Prep-time: about a half hour

Chicken-fried anything is a potentially trial-and-error process to get the meat just how you like it. But, breaded fried steak with gravy? Totally worth trying and error...ing :)

• 1 pkg of 2 cubed steaks
  
• salt, pepper, paprika, garlic power,onion powder
• 2 cups flour
  
• 2 cups buttermilk (or milk in a pinch)
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 2 Tablespoons of cooking oil
• 2 cups milk for the gravy
  

1. Make sure meat is defrosted. Heat the oil in frying pan on low.
   
2. In 1 bowl mix the eggs and buttermilk.
   
3. In another bowl, mix flour and seasonings to taste (use fork to combine ingredients).
   
4. Dip meat in egg/milk mixture till covered. Roll it in the flour mix till coated – save remaining flour mix for the gravy.
   
5. Turn pan to medium heat just before adding meat. Meat should sizzle when put in pan. Repeat process with 2nd steak.
   
6. Fry on one side until golden brown then flip over. Fry on other side until golden brown. Should be done. Turn heat to low and remove pan from heat. Remove meat and put on plate.
7. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture into the pan. Mix with grease until all grease is absorbed (be careful to not use too much flour).
   
8. Place pan back on heat and SLOWLY add milk stirring all the time. Turn heat back to medium.
   
9. Cook & stir until mixture thickens. Note: if it thickens really quick, add more milk, a little at a time. Should take 3 – 4 minutes to thicken. When desired thickness is reached, remove from heat.
10. Serve steaks with gravy over them, and side dishes of choice!
    

Requires a frying pan and a stove. This is not a special diet-friendly recipe in any way.

Credit to Boomsplat of Khadgar!

The Dessert They Named Orange Stuff

Boomsplat's "Orange Stuff"
Gamer rating: Everywhere, although you might want to be careful at the computer.
Prep-time: 5-10 minutes, plus 2 hours setting time.

This recipe can be remixed easily by substituting the oranges and orange jell-o with raspberries and raspberry jell-o, and probably strawberries in the same way!

• Roughly 40 oz of mandarin orange slices. (3 large or 6 small cans)
• 1 8 oz container whipped cream (for diabetic-friendly types, sugar-free whipped cream doesn't even change the taste)
  
• 1 1 lb container of small-curd cottage cheese
• 1 large box sugar free orange Jell-o
  

1. Empty mandarin oranges into a colander over the sink. Let them drain and dry while preparing the rest of the orange stuff.
2. Mix together the whipped cream and the cottage cheese in a mixing bowl.
3. Stir the jell-o powder directly into the whipped cream/cottage cheese mix. Stir well.
4. Gently shake the oranges to make sure they're as dry as possible. Fold them very gently into the mixture, trying not to break them open.
5. Put the mixture into the fridge to set and chill for about 2 hours. Enjoy!
   

Requires a colander and a fridge. This recipe can be made diabetic friendly simply by using sugar-free whipped cream. This recipe is also vegetarian-ish (there's milk products, it depends how strict a vegetarian diet)

Credit to Boomsplat of Khadgar!

Southern Mac and Cheese

Southern Mac and Cheese

Gamer rating: table, lap, even in front of a monitor, if you're careful.
Prep-time: 15 minutes Total: 40 minutes (or slightly longer if you use one large casserole) Oven temp: 350 degrees

I can't take any credit for creating this recipe, but I've fed it to my table-top gamer group several times, and there is never anything left in the casserole at the end of the night!


The recipe doubles well if you're feeding a crowd - just adjust the baking time to suit a bigger casserole.


Ingredients


Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 tbsp butter, melted, plus more for ramekins/casserole

1/2 lb elbow macaroni

2 cups shredded cheddar (8 ounces)

2 large eggs

1 cup half-and-half

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 slices white sandwich bread, torn

1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Preheat oven to 350. Butter four 10-ounce ramekins (or one 1 1/2 quart casserole). Cook the pasta three minutes short of al dente; drain.



2. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups cheddar, eggs, half-and-half, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Add pasta and stit to combine; divide among ramekins (or casserole).



3. In a food processor, pulse bread and melted butter until coarse crumbs form; season with salt and pepper. Dividing evenly, top pasta mixture with the remaining cheddar and then with the breadcrumbs. Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet (or put casserole directly in the oven) and bake until cheese is golden and bubbling, about 20 minutes (25 - 30 minutes for a casserole). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Other info (oven, food processor, vegetarian)

Credit: Everyday Food Magazine

This just in... our winners!

First let me apologize for the late draw. I got caught up in travels and forgot to make arrangements with my co-authors. But... WE HAVE OUR WINNERS! What winners you say? Why from our grand opening DRAW! We encouraged our new readers to submit recipes and in exchange entered them in our draw. Two random winners have been picked. Here's how we did it:


First I counted the number of entries (plenty of entries but only five people other than our authors who don't qualify) and used the random number generator from random.org. Then I counted down from the first submission to... the third!

Our first winner is Boomsplat of Khadgar for Boomsplat's Bacon Bites! Congratulations Boomsplat! Make sure to get in touch with us at foodforgamers@gmail.com to claim your prize!


Our second place winner is... number one!


Congratulations to Elise and much thanks for Five Minute Chocolate Cake! Gah, the drool! Elise, please contact us at foodforgamers@gmail.com to claim your prize of three cards from Stamp Off, Eh! (You're not required to take WoW themed cards, of course).

Thank you to everyone (even our authors) that submitted recipes to get us started. Be sure to keep reading and to spread the word... we'll be having more contests as we go! Now to figure out the best way to mail a Beef and Bacon Guinness Pie.

Beef And Bacon Guinness Pie

Beef and Bacon Guinness Pie
Gamer rating: Anywhere! Put it in a bowl for maximum portability.
Prep-time: About 10 minutes for the crust, some chill time, then about 40 minutes or so for filling and assembly. Can be frozen and reheated in about 10 minutes.

Who doesn't love bacon? Not me! This pie recipe evolved from a basic pie crust I found on the internet. The filling is delicious, meaty and heavy, and it was originally made to feed me while I worked outside in the dead of a Canadian winter. Good thing it works just as well during raiding!

For Filling:

• About 2 pounds of ground beef
• 1/2 package smoked bacon
• either 1/2 cup beef broth or 1/3 cup water plus 1 teaspoon beef concentrate
• 1 can Guinness beer
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: 1 small onion, diced
• Optional: Cumin to taste

For Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, cut into cubes and chilled hard
• 1/2 cup cold water
  

1. First, combine flour and salt for crust in a large mixing bowl. Then cut in the butter until it looks like large crumbs.
2. Stir in the water about a teaspoon at a time until the mixture forms a ball with light pressure. Cover the dough ball with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and let sit for at least 4 hours.
3. When crust is ready to be worked, begin frying the bacon until very crisp. This filling will get to be pretty bulky, so use either a large pan with high sides or a wok. Remove from heat when done and set to cool on some paper towels. When they're cool enough to handle, chop the bacon into small pieces.
4. Fry the onion (if used) in the bacon fat until translucent, then add the ground beef to brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add cumin (if used).
5. Once the beef is nice and brown, remove it from the pan or wok. Keep the fat in the pan. Add cornstarch to the drippings, and let cook until it bubbles up and changes colour.
   
6. Now, very slowly, add the beef broth, stirring constantly. Keep stirring this mixture until it gets very thick. Then, add the Guinness the same way, stirring constantly again. When this process is over, you should have a pan (or wok) full of very dark brown gravy.
7. Add the beef and onion mixture back into the gravy and let it simmer while the crusts get cut out. At this point, turn on the oven t0 350 degrees fahrenheit.
   
8. Pull the chilled dough ball out of your fridge. To make individual pies, I use a "Texas size" muffin tin, or small tinfoil dishes from the dollar store. This can be made into a large pie-size pie and eaten in common but it's VERY messy that way. Either way, cut smaller pieces of dough from your ball to fit your baking vessel of choice, roll it out, and drape it over the container. Push the crust into the corners of the container, then poke it with a fork all around the bottom. leave any extra crust hanging over the edge, to wrap up into a closed pie after filling.
9. Spoon filling into the pie, filling to just below the edge of the baking container. Wrap the crust edges over the top, leaving a steam hole but sealing the crust edges as much as possible.
10. Bake pies in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the crust on top is a golden brown.
    
11. These pies can be frozen, once cooled, and reheated in a microwave or toaster oven in about 5-10 minutes. If baked in the tinfoil containers, They can simply be eaten directly from the containers. If baked in a muffin tin, it's best to put them in a bowl.
    

Other info: requires a stove, a baking container of choice, a large pan with high sides or a wok, a rolling pin, and a fridge. This recipe is best made ahead of time.

Credit to Forresst!

Hey! We're open and stuff!

Scroll down to see new recipes, this post will remain at the top for the duration of the contest!
Welcome! Today is the official grande opening of "What's Eating You? Food for Gamers" and in honor of the occassion we're hosting a draw!

In order to enter the draw all you have to do is submit a recipe! You're welcome to submit more than one but you'll only be entered once. To submit a recipe simply send it to foodforgamers@gmail.com, please make sure to read our submission guidelines!

So what are the prizes?

First prize is a game card for one month of play for World of Warcraft*!
Second prize is two World of Warcraft* themed cards from Stamp Off, Eh!

The contest will remain open for the next two weeks, the draw taking place August 3rd. Winners will be posted here on the blog and contacted via email. They'll have 48 hours to respond before we redraw.




* "What's Eating You? Food for Gamers" is a blog open to ALL types of gamers, the prizes for this initial draw are from World of Warcraft because our first four blog authors all play that game. We hope that future prizes will not be so specific to one game.

Boom's Bacon Bites

Boomsplat's Bacon Bites!
Gamer rating: Anywhere!
Prep-time: about 15 minutes, plus a few hours of soaking time

What could be better than bacon? How about yummy goodness wrapped in bacon? Yum! These are bite-sized, easy to eat treats, but be very careful when they come out of the microwave because they will be VERY hot!

• strips of bacon
• 1 can water chestnuts, packed in water
• Worcestershire sauce
• toothpicks
  

1. Drain chestnuts well. Place in bowl.
   
2. Pour Worcestershire sauce over chestnuts until covered. Cover with lid, tinfoil, what ever. Soak in fridge at least an hour. Longer if you can manage to wait. Overnight is best.
   
3. Take 2-3 slices of soaked chestnuts, wrap in slice of bacon, skewer with toothpick. Repeat as desired.
   
4. Place bites on a couple paper towels. Place on plate. Microwave on high for 4 min. Check bacon. If not done, do another min. Repeat until bacon is done.
   
5. WAIT, very hot treats! After they cool a minute, savor.

Requires a microwave.

Thanks to Boomsplat of Khadgar for the recipe!

DIY Fondant, from Craft Envy

DIY Fondant (with mini marshmallows!)
Prep-time: 10-15 minutes

Alright, so it's not technically Gamer food, but what if you're throwing a party and want to make a really cool gamer related cake!? The image shown here is from Craft Envy, but I've seen Warcraft and Myst themed cakes on Cakewrecks (nice cakes, not the wrecks).

This isn't my recipe and I don't have permission to repost it, so if you want to see if you'll have to head on over to Craft Envy. Here's a direct link.