"For we are (not) to utter sweet breath": Of The Earth
Welcome to a series of blog posts that will include a meal, a drink to pair with said meal, and some games that you can play that are at least a loose thematic fit for the evening. Not everything is for everyone, and you should take what you like and leave what you don't. But I hope you use these posts to try something new (whether it be a meal, a game, or a drink!) and perhaps discover something you like.
This post's theme is "Of The Earth." For this post, I started with the meal because I cooked it recently and it's enough of a staple that I actually try to make it less often so my wife doesn't get tired of it! But it's a terrific and filling meal that isn't terribly time-consuming, thus leaving plenty of time for games!
Drink: 2018 Colter's Creek Winery "Fondo" Syrah Lewis-Clark Valley, Idaho
I will absolutely tell you straight-up that I'm not much of a wine drinker. I enjoy it, but know next to nothing about it and am more likely to buy a bottle based on the label than anything else. So to that end, I've had this before and enjoyed it, but I stole these notes from somewhere online: "Classic notes of leather, green olives, and white peppercorns rise from the glass and prep the palate for flavors of beautifully defined black raspberries, pomegranate syrup, graphite, and dusty tannins that allow sappy red cherry flavors to linger through the mineral-flecked and subtly meaty finish."
But honestly, if you don't want to track down a particular bottle, I'll say that I think any solid, earthy red wine will fit well here, owing to the meatiness of the portobello mushrooms included in the recipe below!
Food: Portobello Mushroom Pizzas and Sweet Potato Fries
This is a simple meal to make with some really good flavors. To be clear, there's no dough in this recipe; the mushrooms are the pizza with mozzarella, pesto, and tomatoes as toppings. So be sure to get the bigger mushrooms. First, you'll scrape the gills off of the mushroom. Then spread the pesto on the mushrooms. I have some recipes for homemade pesto, but I've not tried any of them yet! Honestly, I'm perfectly happy to use the store bought stuff and I usually aim for the creamy pesto. Then slice the tomatoes and lay them on top of the pesto before putting the mozzarella on top of the tomatoes. You'll mess with the different amounts of each ingredient until you find the combination you like. But a word of warning: the pesto can be a strong flavor. A delicious one! But strong enough to overpower the other flavors if you slather on too much of it. But maybe that's the flavor you love most, so season to your own taste. No judgement from me!
As for the sweet potato fries, I just buy frozen and toss them in the air fryer. Easy, delicious, and not the least healthy choice in the world! I think they're generally a good, sweet pairing with the savory mushrooms, but also, sweet potatoes and mushrooms are very much of the earth and thusly suit our purpose here!
Game: Photosynthesis
It's pretty, right? I had heard good things about the game and was not disappointed when I got my hands on it. I've definitely run into games that look nice but ultimately disappoint me. Photosynthesis is definitely not one of those games. It's an area control game in which players use action points to plant seeds that grow into trees and ultimately yield their planters with VP that can be turned into more seeds and thus more trees. The sun moves around the board, so it's important that players plan ahead, as the larger trees cast shadows and prevent smaller trees from getting the sun they need to prosper! There's a hard time limit on it, so it doesn't drag on, and while there's strategy to it, gameplay is symmetrical and there are only so many options. To me, it feels decently light and easy enough to grasp that you can teach it quickly and get it up and running. And again, it just looks nice. Growing trees from the Earth feels like a good fit for a theme and I think Photosynthesis is a lovely addition to any game night!
Game: Honey Buzz
And speaking of our theme, I think Honey Buzz is another terrific addition to any game night. It's a bit heavier than Photosynthesis, but I do think it's a very attractive game, quite a lot of fun, and still quite accessible in terms of the rules. I think I'm 3 for 3 in recommending worker placement games with these drink/food/game posts, but I can't help it! Worker placement is my favorite game mechanic! Anyway, I'll try to break that streak with the next post, but for this one, I think Honey Buzz is very fitting and it's a lovely game. It's made by Elf Creek Games (right across the river in Illinois - support your local game makers!), the components are terrific, and the theme of the game (bees discovering economics, drafting different honeycombs, and then selling different types of honey to the bears at their market) is downright charming.
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