Kitchen Adventures! - Cranberries and Edamame

If the title didn't tip you off, I was trying out something different in the kitchen. I recently got the book Healthy Snacks for Work by Daniel Amos. It has a number quick and simple recipes for snacks that cater to people with busy lives. I figured leafing through the pages of this book couldn't hurt. I came across a recipe that involved cranberries and edamame. It just so happened that I had those two things in my kitchen at the time. So I tried it out. 

The bag here says mukimame, but that just means it is shelled already. Which is fantastic, because I want to do the least amount of work possible. So the edamame is put on a baking sheet with a little olive oil and baked until they are cooked thoroughly. Then it is mixed with the cranberries, add a dash of salt and voila! Finished!

I liked how easy and quick it was make. I also like the salty/sweet combination. What I did not like was the texture of it. I guess I was expecting something that had some crunch to it, but this was quite the opposite. The edamame had a really soft texture, almost a little mushy. It kind of turned me off. All in all, this wasn't bad. I would do it again. Maybe play around with some different fruits, like dried blueberries. Any of you guys have healthy snacks you like fixing?

The Nightfall Saga: The House Gathers (Part 3)

Lord Jaias stood at the bay window, watching the servants below mill about the courtyard. Hands placidly folded behind his back, his mind ran over what had to be finished before the rest of the families arrived. It had been quite some time since a gathering of this magnitude had happened for the House. He had always expected his father to still be head of this branch when the gathering started. But, things had changed and Head had fallen to him. Personally, he would not have had it any other way.

The supple cloth of Jaias’ robe swished around his ankles as he moved away from the window and sat in the large leather chair. Neat stacks of tomes, scrolls and several empty bottles of ink covered the polished mahogany desk in front of him. Jaias absentmindedly ran his fingers along the spines of the books, his thoughts continuously turning over and over. This morning would probably be the last peaceful morning until the gathering ended. The five branches of House Ebonlynx were readying themselves for the Ritual. A grand undertaking if there ever was one.

The serene quiet of the study was suddenly shattered by what Lord Jaias could only make out as scuffling, arguing and profuse verbal berating, muted by the closed door. The noise only got louder and louder, approaching his study. Only one person could make this much of a fuss so early. Only one person would dare approach his study in such a  fashion after he has specifically ordered that he not be disturbed.

The brass knob was wrenched to one side. The door came flying open and an angry female stomping her way inside, skirts swishing loudly. She was promptly followed by two servants, both apologizing for the disruption and trying to coax the woman to leave as peacefully as possible. Still keeping the calm look on his face, Lord Jaias straightened in his chair and held up his hand.

“It has been quite some time since I have seen my younger sister,” he replied, his voice low and even, “She is allowed to come to me when she wishes. Both of you are dismissed.”

The servants bowed deeply before backing out of the room and closing the door behind them. Jaias extended his hand towards the seat across from him, in front of his desk. His voice was smooth and honeyed as he addressed the fuming female still standing at the study entrance.

“Sister. I trust that Tobias extended my gratitude to you this morning?”

“You can dispense with the pleasantries, Jaias,” Alara replied, making it a point to show that she was not going to sit, “You know the reason why I am here talking to you.”

“I see your hunter husband and his kind have done wonders for your disposition,” Jaias replied sarcastically, leaning back in his chair and placing his elbows on the armrests, "I assure you, I can think of a thousand reasons why you came barreling through my door like a crazed elekk. So, instead of making me guess which burr has gotten caught in your corset this time, why not just tell me, Sister dearest.”

“You haven’t changed at all,” Alara sneered.

“I shall take that as a compliment.”

“My daughter, Jaias!” Alara shouted,” Why did I run into my daughter in the gallery wing?!”

“Because I wanted her sent there,” Jaias answered furrowing his forehead, “She has no idea what this side of the family even looks like. She needs to know where she comes from. Well, at least part of her.”

“Why is she even here at all?!” Alara said in a raised voice, “I was promised she would never be asked here, or brought here. This family would stay away from her and her brothers. Why was she sent an invitation?”

“I’m afraid you remember your agreement incorrectly,” Jaias replied, lacing his fingers together and resting them on his desk, “House Ebonlynx promised to stay away from your daughter, all of your children actually, as long as Father was one of the five Heads and sat on Council. And since you have been to the gallery wing, you realize that he no longer sits in either position.”

“I want my daughter to be sent home!” Alara demanded.

“Cannot be done,” Jaias replied,”Once Father was replaced; the Heads gathered and agreed that your daughter was to come. It was even put to a vote. Leniency could not be shown to one man’s granddaughter if it could not be shown to all. Everyone is taking the risk and no one can be exempt. Especially if it is for the good of the house.”

“Cixithara is not even a mage,” Alara replied, her voice not getting any quieter despite her brother’s being so matter of fact, “She could not possibly play any part in the Ebonlynx Ritual.”

“And whose fault is that?”

Alara's mouth twisted. She knew her brother was trying to sting her with that last comment, but it wasn’t going to work. She had made the right choice, for all of her children. There was no talking to Jaias. She would have to get someone else on her side.

“If Father is not head any more, then who do I need to talk to in order to get this whole thing straightened out?” Alara asked, ready to end this conversation with her brother, “Who is the head of this family now?” 

"I'm not sitting in Father's chair because I'm feeling nostalgic.”

Alara felt that sinking feeling in her stomach all over again.


The story continues with "Moving Pieces"

Game Review: Botanicula

A while back, I was watching a stream on Twitch TV where one of the viewers requested the caster to play Botanicula. From the moment the game started, I was hooked. I not only wanted to play the game myself, I wanted everyone to know about it and play it as well. Recently, I streamed this game over at Community Casters Live. These are my thoughts on Botanicula.

The premise of the game is pretty simple. Some evil, black, spider thing has come to town and is sucking the life out of all the trees. Trees which house teeming amounts of life, including the group of "heroes" this game centers around. It is your job to protect a seed that escaped the bad spider, make your way to the ground with it, and plant it so it grows a new tree.

A simple story with a simple goal, but nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to actually playing this game. Botanicula is a quirky, point and click puzzle game that takes a grand step outside of the box. Personally, I'm not sure the designers of this game even knew that a box existed to begin with. The game has lots of unexpected happenings, interesting characters, and many peculiar things that make you simply want to click everything, just to see what it does.

There is really no description about this game that would do it any justice. The art style is very unique and lends itself to the whimsy and bizarre feelings the game produces. The characters in the game do not actually speak, but instead, simply make sounds and noises that resemble speech. I thought that was interesting. I absolutely loved the music, especially at the end of certain puzzles.

Botanicula is on the short side when compared to the play time of other games. Of course it does depend on how quickly you see patterns and solve puzzles. I would definitely recommend it, just for the experience alone. Everyone I know who has seen this game has asked "What is this?" and so far no one has come up with a comprehensive answer. We usually say something along the lines of "We aren't sure". It is a game, you should play it. I believe that will always be the best response.

My Obligatory PAX East 2014 post

Best gaming convention NA!

Now that I have recuperated, I guess it is time for me to write about my experience at PAX East this year. There is absolutely no way that I can shove everything that happened this past weekend into one blog post. Instead, I will give a few highlights and leave the rest for my YouTube video.

Hugs for everyone!

First thing first, I met some of the most amazing people; my Twitch family. It was the strangest feeling, because the majority of us had never met face to face. And yet, it felt like a reunion, a coming back together. Within a few hours, I felt like I had known these people all of my life. As if we had grown up together or something. And while it was a strange sensation, it was a great sensation at the same time.You can't fake that kind of connection. I can't wait to see them all again. 

RAWR!!

PAX East is this huge mesh of everything that excites me about gaming: new games, live streamers, YouTubers, music, every aspect of gaming culture comes out in full force, flooding your mind and body for 3 days. One of my favorite parts has to be getting to play the game demos. Yeah, the lines to tend to get a bit a long, but this is just part of the experience after a while. One of the games I got to demo Lichdom: Battlemage. This game was made for players like me. While I died within moments of the boss battle, it was still a game that I want to see more from. I mean, really, who doesn't want to be a battle mage.

Yes, that is a bike ramp.

There were two panels that I was looking forward to from the moment the schedule came out. That was the Chainsawsuit Podcast and Acquisitions Inc. Acquistions Inc. was something that I had been following for years. And when I say years, I came in on Season 2 of the game and wanted nothing more than to see them game live. So when I heard they were doing it in Boston this year, I lost my mind. And it was everything that I had hoped for it to be. Comedy, drama, cliff hangers, just all in all good storytelling. I could not have been happier

About the Chainsawsuit Podcast...I have a confession to make. I was a bit late on this train. I started listening to Mikey and Kris about a month before PAX East, but even with that short amount of time, I knew that I wanted to see these two live. They just have a humor that is so complimentary. Seeing the two of them interact with each other and the audience was great.

There was a ton of stuff that happened. There were concerts, karoke, meet ups, dancing, eating, taking of pictures and recording video. In that one weekend, memories were made, friendships were forged, inside jokes were created. So much awesome happened. It is probably going to take a month or so to come down off this high I'm riding.

HOPE TO SEE ALL YOU GUYS NEXT YEAR!!

The Nightfall Saga: The House Gathers (Part 2)

How long had it been since the last time Alara had ridden through the gates of the Ebonlynx estate? A grandiose mansion house that was nestled nicely into the splendor of Silvermoon City, complete with spires and animated objects of its own, swirling about the front lawns. And emblazoned on the entrance was painted a large black cat reared up on its back legs. It was an impressive home, larger than a mansion had any right to be, with its glinting windows that caught the light of the morning sun, the stone steps that lead up to the doors, and the carefully etched columns which lined the long porch. And even though it had been a very long time since Alara had stepped foot in this place, she still remembered every brick and cornerstone.

Alara’s hawkstrider approached the marble patterned steps that lead to the heavy wooden doors. Guards were posted outside the gate and the front entrance along with footmen ready to assist her off her mount. Not a thing had changed about the Ebonlynx posterity since she had been away. You could not lift a finger without a servant helping you to do it. With less than a sentence spoken between all of them, Alara’s luggage was whisked away and she was lead inside of the house.

“I trust that you can find everything on your own, Lady Alara?” her cloaked traveling companion asked, walking diagonally two steps behind her.

She nodded, “I am sure that my memory of this place will return. If you don’t mind, I would like to have some time to myself before the gathering gets underway.”

The elf nodded and melded away into the rest of the busy worker bees who were flitting about the estate halls, making last minute additions and preparations. Alara pulled the scarf down around her neck and made her way down the long, empty corridors. Nothing had changed. Nothing at all. The color of the curtains, the style of the rugs, the placement of the candelabras. This place had remained frozen in time. Frozen in that moment where she had walked away from it all.

Down one of the many hallways, in this maze of a house, hung a number of oil painted portraits. These portraits, which Alara had been forced to memorized, spanned from one end to the other. The heads of this branch of House Ebonlynx from generations past lined these walls, giving the feeling that; even in death; they held this House in their firm grips. The very last portrait was that of her father. The painting was a striking likeness. It even had the stern glint that was every present in his glance. But now there was something different. Her father’s portrait was longer last in the hall. An empty space was now adjacent to his portrait with an empty frame. For all the years she had been part of this family, her father had always been the head. But now she could not muster up enough interest to make herself wonder why her father was being replaced and by whom.

Another person was in the hallway, looking at the paintings that lined the opposite wall with the air of someone who had never seen them before. Alara did not speak. Instead she took a few steps closer. This elven girl looked entirely out of place, standing amidst the lavish décor and extravagance. She was dressed in beaten up leathers that had seen better days. Her corn silk hair hung straight and plain on her shoulders. Her boots were scuffed and caked in numerous layers of dirt, the buckles probably never had been shined even once. She stood there, staring at the portraits, eyes tracing over every small nuance. Alara was doing the same with this young woman. The hair. The clothes. The lanky body shape. Alara could feel her heart plummeting into her stomach.

“Cixithara?”

Alara wanted that figure to continue looking at the family portraits. She wanted this woman to ignore the name she had just called out. However, her fears became reality as the blonde head turned around and looked at her.

“Mother?”

Alara’s heart continued the fall from her stomach to floor. She ran over to her daughter and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking Cixi as she spoke, “Why?! Why are you here?!”

This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Cixi was never to see the inside of these walls. That was the deal she had made. Cixi was supposed to be kept away from this place. So why was her daughter standing here? Now of all times.

The panic strickened face of her mother made Cixi a bit frightened. While she had expected her mother to be surprised to see her, Cixi had not expected her mother to react in this manner. Cixi winced as her mother’s fingers dug into her shoulders.

“A man in brown robes showed up at the Silvacce estate and left a letter for me,” Cixi explained, trying to pry herself loose from her mother’s grip, “I recognized your family name. It said that you were sent an invitation as well. I thought it was best if I came too.”

They invited her?, Alara thought to herself, They wouldn’t. They couldn’t do this. Why wasn’t I told?
 
A quiet cough interrupted the two. Cixi and Alara both looked up to see a group of young servant women who were standing behind them.

“Sorry to interrupt your conversation, Mi’lady. But we have been sent to tend to Young Lady Cixithara. Would you like for us to wait for a while before taking her to her quarters?”

Alara shook her head and let go of her daughter’s shoulders, “No, we can talk at length later on.”

She turned her attention to the servant women that were about to take her daughter away, “Could you tell me where my brother is?”

“Lord Jaias is in your father’s study," they answered. "He is preparing for the rest of your family to arrive. He has made it a point that he have no interruptions until later in the day.”

“He will see me.”


Part 3

Kitchen Adventures! - Peanut Butter and Molasses cookies

There are a few foods I admit to have constant cravings for. One of those foods are cookies. I can't tell you what it is about cookies that makes me want to curl up with a glass of milk and forget the rest of the world exists, but that is just the way it is. There are few foods that can make me as happy as a than a couple of freshly baked cookies from the oven.

I can't remember the first time I baked cookies. I'm pretty sure it had to be with my mom. Most of my budding culinary knowledge started with her. I do remember the first batch I made by myself, however. Every Christmas, we make molasses crinkles, because those are my dad's favorite. I was so excited to have my dad eat crinkles I had made by myself. Unfortunately, things didn't go that great. The cookies came out so hard you could have broke a tooth on them. I was pretty upset and disappointed by the whole thing. Dad thought it was funny. He picked up a cookie and bopped me on the forehead with it.

Peanut Butter and Molasses cookies

Anyway, let's fast forward to last summer, when I was in need of a late night cookie fix. It was too late to head out to the store, so my sister told me bake some myself. Surprisingly, she had everything you could ever need to make a cookie in her kitchen. My initial intention was to make a peanut butter cookie (because that is the way to my heart), however I stumbled on a recipe for peanut butter molasses cookies and decided to try that instead. Guys, I think I found the gateway to heaven.

This cookie combines the best of both a peanut butter cookie and a molasses crinkle. And, to top it all off, it is a soft cookie! Makes them even better. When warm, it feels like biting into a cloud of pillowy soft, spiced sweetness. The recipe made 2 dozen and I wanted to eat every last one myself. In fact, I made them as Christmas gifts this past December. That's how impressed I was with how these cookies came out.

A new cookie will be added to the holiday list. (Though it has been requested that I make them more often) I am pretty sure my dad won't mind. Especially now that he knows his teeth will still be in one piece after eating them. Do you guys have a favorite cookie? Any baking traditions around the holidays?