Planet       Blue Orange Games |  BGG  |  Buy

Designer: Urtis Šulsinkas

Publisher: Blue Orange Games  

Artist: Sabrina Miramon

2-4 players  20-30 min.   ages 8+   MSRP $35

Time to teach/learn: 5 minutes

The Meal

Since so many of us are sheltered and needing to find ways to plan meals and find fun in life, we offer up the following…

Listed below are some go-to recipes and game suggestions. Each one could be an evening’s entertainment for family or friends or whoever you happen to be sheltered with!

Download all the recipes and game recommendations here

Dinner and Games - Word Doc  

Dinner and Games - PDF

Meal 1: Breakfast Casserole 

Games: Monster Crunch & Fresco

Villa Paletti & One Night Ultimate Werewolf

Breakfast Casserole Recipe

8-12 oz of bread cut into cubes

    enough to make a full layer in a 9" x 13" baking pan

1lb pork sausage, cooked and crumbled

    you can use bacon or ham or a mixture of all three

1 1/2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese

    I like Tillamook Extra Sharp

10 large eggs

2 cups milk

    if at all possible, do not use nonfat milk

2 teaspoons dry mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

How to Prepare

Butter a 9" by 13" baking pan

Place bread in the dish.

Top with the crumbled sausage and cheese.

Beat the eggs together with the milk. 

Add mustard salt and pepper to egg mixture and stir.

Pour egg mixture over bread/sausage/cheese in the pan.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

You can prepare the same day but the texture of the dish is better if you let it set up for at least 4-6 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until center of casserole is set and puffed up, usually 45-50 minutes. Cut into squares and serve!

 

Meal 2: Sheet Pan Potatoes

Game: Teotihuacan

Sheet Pan Potatoes Recipe

Here’s an easy anytime meal, using shelf staples, and virtually no clean up.

Ingredients

Potatoes

Sausages (cooked)

1 can Ro-Tel

How To Prepare

Start with potatoes. Any kind will do, but I prefer the petite gold variety. Done right, they’ll yield a nice outside crunch with a creamy inside.

Cut the potatoes into uniform pieces. With petites, just one cut lengthwise is the perfect size. Place potatoes on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. A dash of salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Arrange pieces flat side down.

(Note: Potatoes also love a pinch of red pepper flake, or Italian herbs).

Place sheet pan in oven at 425 Fahrenheit and cook for 20 minutes.

Meantime, open a can of Ro-tel and drain.

Then cut a couple of cooked sausages into rounds. (And, if you have any odd bits you should use up, now’s the time. Half an onion, or some bell pepper pieces? Sure!)

After 20 minutes, pull out the sheet pan. Flip the potatoes to their opposite side. Now, simply layer on the Ro-tel and sausage pieces on top of the potatoes. Slip back in the oven for 15-20 more minutes, and then serve.

Enjoy them as is, or garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream, or guacamole. 

 

Meal 3: Pork tenderloin, asparagus & potatoes

Games: La Granja, Cottage Garden, Glen More

Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Ingredients

1 or 2 pork tenderloins (1-1.5 lbs each)

They often come packed in twos. Making extra will provide great      leftovers or the base for several other meals.

1 bunch asparagus

baking potatoes (1/2 or 1 per person)

Dry Rub Ingredients

2 cups brown sugar

4 tablespoons onion powder 

4 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons oregano or thyme

1 tablespoon paprika or cayenne (for depth of flavor, not spice)

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper

2-3 tablespoons flour

How To Prepare

Combine all the dry rub ingredients in a large bowl, adding the flour last. Mix well, the flour will loosen the mixture and make it easier to apply. You can make a larger amount of the rub and reserve it for use in other meals.

Place pork in the bowl  with the rub and shake the bowl back and forth until the pork is completely coated.

To grill:

Prepare grill with a hot and cold side (coals on one side, none on the other or burners lit on one half and off on the other)

Place pork over direct heat searing both sides.

Then move pork to indirect heat side (cold side) and close grill

Cook until internal temp of pork comes to an internal temp of 145 degrees. Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes.

Total cook time is usually 25-30 minutes but can vary according to your grill, the thickness of the pork and the weather!

To Roast: 

Preheat over to 350 degrees

Place pork  and potatoes in a roasting pan or sheet pan  

Cook for pork 25-30 minutes until internal temperature is 145 degrees.

Let rest for 5 minutes

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Cut pork into 1 inch thick medalions and serve

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Snap asparagus spears at the thicker ends wherever they transition from rigid to flexible. This eliminates the woody and fibrous parts of the spear.

Fill a larger saute pan with water. Dont overfill since we need room for the asparagus. Place pan on stove on high heat.

When water begins to boil, turn heat down to simmer and place asparagus in the pan. Allow asparagus to cook for 4-7 minutes depending on the thickness of the spears. Cook until fork tender. 

Remove from water and serve

**

Cut baking potatoes in half. Sprinkle onion, garlic powder and salt and pepper over flat surface of potatoe. Brush with a small amount of olive oil or spray with cooking oil . 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake potatoes for 45-60 minutes.

***

Prep and cook time: 1 hour - 90 minutes

Leftover pork makes great sandwiches or can be cut up to make tacos or quesadillas.

Meal 4: Migas

Game: Wingspan

Migas Recipe

Ingredients

4-6 Tortillas

4-6 Eggs

How To Prepare

If 3 ingredients was too many, try this meal with only two. If you’re like me, you always have tortillas and eggs around. Now, try them together, in a simple poor person’s meal.

Take 4-6 tortillas, corn or flour, and cut them in half. Now cut those halves into little triangles or little strips. Think bite-sized pieces.

Now heat a frying pan and add oil. You’ll need enough to cover the bottom of the pan well.  Add the tortilla pieces and fry them until they start to crisp. 

When they have a nice snap, add in four scrambled eggs. Allow eggs to cook while mixing in with the tortilla pieces. (Remember: eggs love a medium heat). 

Garnish with a nice salsa, or just just enjoy as is. Either way, you’ve just made a meal from “migas”; literally, crumbs.

Migas can also combine well with other flavors; a bit of ham or sausage(especially chorizo), cheese, or almost anything you like with your eggs.

Meal 5: Korean Beef Bowl

Games: Coconuts, Point Salad, Hwatu, Lectio

Korean Beef Bowl Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef

3 cups rice

cooking oil/spray

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tsp brown sugar

1 teaspon seasame oil

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

Veggies: cucumbers, carrots, napa cabbage, red/ yellow peppers

Garnishes: sesame seeds, green onions 

How To Prepare

Combine soy, with 2 tbsp water, brown sugar, sesame oil and red pepper in a small bowl. I often double this part to make extra sauce.

Brown ground beef in a large skillet over high heat. Add onion and garlic to pan once the beef is well under way and cook for 1 minute. Then add sauce to the pan, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Cook rice in a rice cooker or on the stove. Rice cookers are a great kitchen investment. 

Chop or shred veggies into small portions.

Assemble dish in a bowl, first the rice, then a layer of beef, then top with fresh chopped veggies of your choosing. Sprinkle sesame seeds and add Gochujang for a little sweet and spicy kick!

 

Meal 6: Carpaccio and Flammkuchen

Games:

Raiders of the North Sea, Viticulture, Tiny Towns

Carpaccio Recipe

Ingredients

400g beef fillet

90ml extra virgin olive oil

small handful pine kernels, for toasting

50g Parmesan, for shaving

dash of truffle oil, for drizzling (optional)

salt and black pepper

How To Prepare

Buy a small piece of the finest quality beef fillet you can afford. Cut the fillet into extremely thin slices - about 2mm.

Lay a piece of cling film on the work surface, place the sliced beef on top and place another layer of film over. Flatten the slices with the back of a knife.

Pour a small puddle of olive oil onto a large plate and place a layer of beef over it. Season with the salt and pepper and continue making layers with all the beef.

Cover the plate with cling film and leave to marinate for half an hour.

Meanwhile toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan.

Transfer the beef onto individual plates. Cover with pine nuts, shavings of Parmesan and a dash of truffle oil if you have any.

Flammkuchen Recipe

Ingredients

Starter for the dough

¼ cup flour

¼ cup moderately hot water, about 110 degrees F (45 deg C)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 package yeast

Some recipes, like the one used by restaurants in Strasbourg, do not use yeast in the dough.

Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup beer (home brew)

6 tablespoons (¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons) milk

Topping

2 tablespoons oil

1 medium onion (3 ounces) (85 g), finely chopped

1 cup crème fraîche, commercial or home made (see note)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

4 pinches nutmeg

3 ounces bacon, cut into matchsticks

How To Prepare

Mix the starter ingredients together in a small bowl, cover tightly, and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.

When the starter is light and bubbly, mix the beer and milk into the mixture.

Put the flour and salt into a food processor, then, with the motor running, add the yeast mixture through the feeding tube. Process the dough until it forms a ball. Add very small amounts of additional flour or milk if necessary.

Process the ball until it is smooth, elastic, and warm, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Butter a medium-sized bowl, roll the ball around in the butter, then cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down and let rise a second time.

While the dough is rising, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.

Combine the crème fraîche, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooled onion.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and fry the bacon until lightly browned, stirring constantly. Remove and drain through a strainer.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 deg C) (or as hot as it will go) If using a pizza stone, preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes.

Lightly oil a 14 x 16 inch (35 x 40 cm) baking sheet. Roll the dough until slightly smaller than the baking sheet. Place it on the sheet. If using a pizza stone you may roll the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper.

Spread the onion mixture over the dough, leaving a very small raised rim all the way around, then dot with the bacon.

Bake for 4 to 20 minutes depending on oven temp. Tart should is lightly browned & bubbling. Burned/blackened edges are traditional. Serve very hot.

NOTE: To make crème fraîche, combine 1 cup heavy cream with 2 tablespoons buttermilk, stir, cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours, or until it has become very thick. Refrigerate, and it will become even thicker.

Wine - Clos d'Opleeuw

Wine - Dopff Riesling

Genever

Meal 7: Stoofvlees met frieten

(Stewed Meat with Fries)

Games: Gipf Series, Cash & Guns

Stewed Meat with Fries Recipe

Ingredients

Stewed meat (ingredients)

1 kg of diced beef (cubes of +/- 3 cm or 1”) (Don’t use a nice steak but use a piece with a lot of collagen like a shoulder)

You can also use a 50/50 mixture of beef and pork

2 large white onions

50 cl of dark beer

3 branches of thyme

1 clove

2 bay leaves 

1 slice of dark bread

2 tablespoons of ball park mustard

1 table spoon of butter

Pepper and salt  

French fries

1 kg of potatoes (the type you would use for mashed potatoes. Make sure you use the large potatoes so you have some nice long fries) Natural oil suited for heating to at least 180°C (356°F)  

How To Prepare

Stewed Meat

Peel and dice the onions. Glaze the onions with half of the butter in a large casserole. 

Take a sticky pan, heat the rest of the butter and bake the meat. Make sure not to overfill the pan since you want to bake the meat and get that maillard reaction going. Overfilling the pan or not letting it heat up will make it that you are cooking the meat. This is to be avoided.

When the meat is done (it should be brown but the inside can still be raw), put it in the casserole. Add salt and pepper while baking. Continue doing this until all the meat is baked.

With the pan still hot, pour the beer in. This will loosen all the residue (deglazing). When the beer is boiling, you can pour it in the casserole as well. Make sure the beer is boiling. If the beer is cold and touches the hot meat, it will become chewy and there is little to nothing you can do to save the dish.

Put the mustard on one side of the slice of bread.

Add the herbs and top of with the slice of bread (mustard side down).

Put the lid on the casserole and let it simmer for 90 to 180 mins (depending on the meat).

You can also put the casserole in the oven at 110° (if the casserole is heat-resistant of course)  

French fries

Peel the potatoes and cut them in fries. A perfect fry is ½” inch (or 13 mm) on each side. Do not rinse them since this will get rid of the starch which will play an important role in forming the crust.

Heat the oil to 140°C (284°F) and bake them the first time. Do not try to brown them. It’s too early for that. Just make sure they are well done.

Let them come back to room temperature on some paper towels. Heat the oil further to 180°C (356°F).

Now bake the fries until they are nice and crisp. Add a pinch of salt.

Serve with a spoon of fresh mayonnaise for the ultimate experience

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Apropos of Nothing

Dame Sibyl Hathaway

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Music credits include:

3rd Planet   by Modest Mouse  |  the song

3rd Planet  by Iron Horse  |  the song

Keep on Truckin'  by Eddie Kendricks  |  the song

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