Game Nights

The days that fall between Christmas and New Years have always felt a little “outside of time” for me. The hustle and bustle of holiday celebrations calms briefly and I don’t have responsibilities competing for my time. I can catch up with out-of-town friends and the recommended hours of sleep per night. I can read a book cover to cover and still remember the beginning when I get to the end. I can begin to sift through the layers of tissue paper and craft materials blanketing my floor. Or I can wait until tomorrow for that.

There’s also no better time to enjoy a game night with family or friends. I always forget how much I love playing games until I’m laughing so hard I can’t swallow that gulp of water I just took. Efforts not to snort or spit said-water then ensue.

Confession time… I’m a little competitive by nature. Part only-child syndrome, part A-type personality. Which means I wasn’t always the kid other kids wanted to play games with. Because if I won I crowed and if I lost I got really, really grumpy. Or huffy. Or sometimes just plain b*****y in the spirit of honesty. For those who grew up with me who are nodding your heads right now, I assure you I can now be quite civilized whilst playing games. But I have a secret strategy – if I get to choose the game, I typically pick one that’s more about the fun of participation than the sole object of winning. That way I avoid having to manage my frustration when I don’t win. Plus I like the game night vibe it creates.

Here are some of my favorites:

Scattergories: The more the merrier on this game. It’s amazing how hard it is to think of a marine animal that starts with the letter “W” that no one else will think of. My brain doesn’t usually jump from “Whale” to “Walrus” with a timer quickly running out. And the answers can be hilarious, especially if you’re playing with siblings or spouses who often answer similarly, thereby cancelling each other out.

Clue: When it comes to classic board games, this was always my pick. I think it’s because it can get so theatrical. Where else do I get to posit that a distinguished colonel snuck into the kitchen one night to off the maid with a freshly polished candlestick. Scandalous!

The Game of Things: This one is also good to play with a group of 8 or more – it works better if it’s with people who know each other well. A prompt is provided for each round (i.e. “Things you would do in a car” or “Things you would find in a locker”) and each player writes an answer and puts it in the pot. A “reader” (everyone takes turns) reads them all once, then again, and then each player tries to guess who wrote which answer. And the reader can’t repeat them once the guessing has started – usually everyone forgets at least one of the answers along the way. Answers can get pretty outrageous or random – depends on each player’s strategy.

Telephone Pictionary: Remember sitting in a big circle and someone would start by whispering a sentence in their neighbor’s ear and then the neighbor would whisper it in the next person’s ear until it made it all the way around as something completely different? Same concept using pictures. Here’s how it goes:

• Everyone starts with a stack of blank paper cards equaling the number of players (blank index cards work well for this or just printer paper cut into quarters) and a writing utensil.
• Each player writes a phrase or sentence on the first card, leaving the card on top of the stack.
• Everyone passes their entire stack one player to their left.
• Each player looks at the phrase or sentence written on the top card, then places it at the bottom of the stack and proceeds to draw the phrase or sentence as a picture on the top card, leaving it on top.
• Everyone passes their entire stack one player to their left.
• Each player looks at the picture drawn on the top card, then places it at the bottom of the stack and writes a phrase or sentence of what they think the picture is on the top card, leaving it on top.
• Everyone passes their entire stack one player to their left and so on until the stack returns to its original owner. Then take time to share the beginning and end of each stack with the group – quite funny to see how messed up they get!
• (Note: You may decide to select a theme as a group for the phrase or sentence.)
• (Note: Best played with 8 or more people.)

Playing games works up quite an appetite so on to provisions! Here’s a winter favorite I’ve made a few times this season that will fill everyone up for a long night of fun. (The oven heats up my No41 quite nicely too!)

Herbed Chicken Cobbler

Serves 8

Prep and cook time: approximately 2.5 - 3 hours

Equipment required: Dutch oven and 9x13 baking dish

(Hint: You can make the recipe all the way up to the biscuit topping the night before/day of and refrigerate - just leave yourself enough time to bring the herbed chicken mix up to a simmer.)

Herbed Chicken Mix Ingredients:

3-4 large carrots, peeled and sliced thin

1 medium onion, chopped

2 (8-oz) packages fresh mushrooms, quartered

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 Tbsp. fresh sliced chives

3 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley

2 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary

2 tsp. fresh chopped thyme

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, baked/broiled and shredded (or 2 rotisserie chickens from the store, shredded)

3 Tbsp. butter

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Biscuit Topping Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 1/4 cups chilled buttermilk

1/2 cup butter, melted

Instructions:

Mise en place all ingredients. It takes a good chunk of time to get everything prepped. Once you start cooking, it goes pretty quickly and it won’t work if you’re furiously chopping and measuring simultaneously.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stovetop.

Add carrots and onion and sauté 5 minutes.

Add mushrooms and sauté 5 minutes.

Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes.

Add wine and cook 2 minutes.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup all-purpose flour and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Flour will stick to bottom of Dutch oven so scrape as much as possible while stirring.

Slowly add broth and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Stir in cream, white wine vinegar, and all fresh herbs.

Stir in chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste. Don’t forget to taste!!

Cover and remove from heat.

Combine self-rising flour and sugar and fluff with fork until mixed.

Mix buttermilk and melted butter in a large liquid measuring cup or small bowl until combined.

Pour buttermilk into flour mix and stir until combined. Dough should pull away from sides and flour should be fully incorporated. 

Return chicken mixture to medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly and hot. Spoon mixture into 9x13 baking dish; do not fill all the way to the top because the mixture will bubble and overflow in the oven if too full (I know from experience). Drop biscuit dough by ¼ cupfuls onto chicken mixture (I also just drop using the mixing spoon if you don’t want to dirty another measuring cup.)

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until fully browned and bubbly. 

Note the "rustic" look - doesn't have to be perfect. You can see this one bubbled over in the oven. Don't fill too full!