This blog is closed for business

I am off on a new adventure elsewhere, but do not despair. There are plenty of recipes here for you to try! And who knows, maybe I’ll find myself back here someday- life moves in circles like that sometimes. Just remember...

Treat life like a video game:

Generalize your practical skill stats but when it comes to your passion, taking on the extra challenge to specialize is often worth it.

Just because the world is a PVP server doesn’t mean you have to play that way. Be kind to everyone.

Some things you just can’t do alone. Fill your party with people who love and support you.

Wear your clothing like it’s Tier Armor. Wear your makeup like it’s war paint.

Well Fed and Well Rested are two of the most underrated stat buffs ever. Take advantage of them. 

There is no one “final” boss fight. Use your items, don’t hoard them.

Take the sidequests and find the easter eggs.

When in doubt, consult a strategy guide.

Save often.

I love you all,

<3 B

Request: Fire Emblem Fates Macaroni

The weather has finally taken a turn for the colder in most places, so I think it’s right to share some warm comfort food today. To keep this from being a boring old recipe for macaroni, I combined the idea of veggie chowder (also a feature of Fate’s Mess Hall) with the mac and cheese (the daikon radish is optional, but if you’re feeling adventurous, go for it!)  Gather around the Mess Hall for some stat boosting goodness!

~Ingredients~

Prep Time: <10 min. | Total Cook Time: ~30 min.

Makes: 4 - 6 servings

~Instructions~

Step 1.) Prep you veggies: If fresh, cut and dice your broccoli, carrots, bell pepper, and string beans to appropriate sizes. Whether or not you are using fresh or frozen, you will likely want to steam your veggies prior to adding them to the macaroni. Do so by bringing some water to a boil. Place a steamer or metal strainer over the water and add the veggies. Set the heat to medium and cover to steam for 6 - 8 minutes. Set aside.

Step 2.) Fill a pot with water and set on medium-high to bring to a boil. When the water is ready, cook the pasta as per instructions on the pasta packaging.

Step 3.) While the water is heating, start another pot on medium-low heat. Fill this pot with the milk and start with 8 oz. of cheese cut into small cubes. Stir occasionally and keep the pot covered until the cheese begins to melt. Add cheese as desired until optimal cheesiness is achieved (always err on the thinner side, since the cheese will thicken as it cools.) Whisk in the spices and minced garlic and keep warm until the pasta is ready. 

Step 4.) When the pasta is cooked and the water drained, add the pasta and veggies to the cheese and mix to coat. Serve hot and enjoy!

~Results~

I mean, what’s not to love about cheesy comfort food? The addition of the veggies rounds it out very well as a meal (and if you have picky carnivores like my roommates, you can always add in a little extra something to entice them.)

In Game Recipe

I just wanted to thank everyone who has responded with words of encouragement! Thank you so much! I will continue to cheer on other Fandom Foodies from the sidelines!

Hey everyone, how’s things? Things have been crazy and I’ve had a lot of difficult decisions to make. But I wanted to let you know that once I have finished the last reader request, I will be shutting down the blog for a while. I love video games and I love food, that hasn’t changed. The fact of the matter is, I’m trying to improve my skills in other areas and projects (mostly those having to do with art and drawing) and I simply don’t have enough energy to go around. (On top of that, I will be out of country with my SO for some work he’s doing and I have no idea what my schedule or life will be like for the next several months.)

I have enjoyed making video game recipes so much, every time I see food in games it brings a smile to my face. But I do think that, for now, this creative chapter in my life has come to a close. There is always a chance I will return to this realm of food and fiction (funny enough, I am participating in Inktober and my over-arching theme is kitchen witches, ha.), but at this point, it’s time for me to move on. 

I’m not leaving the internet completely, and obviously I will be keeping this site up (and even have backups should something happen to the blog). If you do wish to keep in contact with me you can always follow my normal tumblr, or I will be trying to stay in touch via my art twitter and instagram.

I love you all so much! This blog, and the connections I have made with all of you through it, has been a wonderful thing in my life. 

Goodnight, but not goodbye. 

<3 B

Request: FFXIV Blood Currant Tarts

I waffled for waaaaaay too long on @salroase2 ‘s request, because I didn’t want to settle for a rolandberry cream cheese spread but fresh red currant berries are REALLY hard to come across. But then I looked closer at the recipe and realized the gelatin was likely to create jam or jelly from the currants and I felt stupid - mostly because currant jelly is so much easier to find. Once that was resolved I was able to get my hands on some and OFF WE WENT.

These particular tarts are something I like to call pull-apart tarts. Essentially, you bake the circles of puff pastry in the oven, allowing them to puff up tall. Then, you split the puffed bread into segments, resulting in a bunch of bite-size puff tarts. 

Let’s go!

~Ingredients~

Prep Time: <10 min. | Total Bake Time: ~ 30 min.

Makes: ~24

~Instructions~

Step 1.) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg in a bowl and set aside. 

Step 2.) Use a circular cookie cutter to cut the puff pastry into circles (I used a cookie cutter approx. 2.5-3″ in diameter.) Score the sides of the circles with a fork for maximum puffiness, if desired. Brush the tops of the circles with beaten egg and bake for about 15 - 20 min. or until the tops are a light to medium brown.

Step 3.) Allow the circles to cool for a couple of minutes, then comes the fun part! Each of the circles should have puffed up considerably, and should have some clear segmentation in the puffs. Target these segments and pull them apart horizontally so you have a bunch of thinner disks (I think the most segments I got out of a single circle was 4 segments). Don’t try to pull apart the puffs if they don’t look like they’ll give, I destroyed a few that way (they were delicious by themselves). When you’re done, you should have an ample number of puff disks like pictured below. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for any remaining batches of puff pastry.

Step 4.) Once the puff pastry has cooled a bit more, fill in the circles with spoonfuls of red currant jelly/jam. Don’t be surprised if you use up the entire jar. Top with powdered sugar or whipped cream if desired, and enjoy!

~Results~

Sweet, simple, delicious, and containing a very satisfying crunch! The roommates where chomping at the bit for me to photograph them so they could devour them all!

In Game Recipe

Request: Skyrim’s Potage Le Magnifique

This request from @midasesquivel has given me the run around for far too long. I spent a while trying to find the right flavor mixture, starting to add more and more unnecessary ingredients. But one night I sat down and looked at everything again my epiphany came down to this: nothing beats roasted garlic (the only addition I decided worth keeping) and caramelized onions for feel-good flavors in a soup. And I’m glad I took my own advice because I can finally present Skyrim’s Potage Le Magnifique!

~Ingredients~

Prep Time: Up to 1 hr. | Total Cook Time: 30 - 40 min.

Serves: ~4 cups of soup

~Instructions~

Preparing the Roast Garlic

Step 1.) Preheat your oven to 400°F. Take the bulb of garlic and remove the outermost layers of the bulb (A few layers will come off easily in your hands. The result should be a bulb with fewer outer layers, but that is still in one piece) 

Step 2.) Cut the top 1-2 inches of the bulb so that the sliced tops of the garlic cloves are showing. 

Step 3.) Place aluminum on a baking sheet an put the garlic bulb in the center. Drizzle the bulb with a spoonful of olive oil and then seal the foil around the bulb. Bake for 40 minutes, then open the foil and allow to bake for 10 min. increments until the cloves are fork tender and their color is browned to your liking. Set aside to cool for at least 10 min. before handling.

Step 4.) When you go to remove the garlic, they are soft and should easily come out. You can either pull the cloves off and peel the casings open, or squeeze the cloves out of the bulb like a tube of toothpaste. Set aside.

Preparing the Soup

Step 1.) Take the onion and cut it into long, thin pieces. Melt 2 tbsp. of butter in the soup pot and add in the onions. Allow to cook over a medium heat for 10-15 min. or until the onions are soft and browned.

Step 2.) Once the onions are almost fully caramelized, add in the roast garlic and the spices and stir the mixture together.

Step 3.) Lower the heat and push the mixture to one side of the pot. Place the other 2 tbsp. of butter into the pot and allow it to melt. Add in the flour.cornstarch. Whisk the butter and flour together while slowly raising the heat back up to medium until you get a fully mixed roux. 

Step 4.) Once you have the roux mixed, add in the chopped carrots and mix everything that is in the pot together. Slowly begin stirring in the chicken and beef broth. Allow everything to come to a bowl and then simmer until the carrots are soft. Taste the soup and adjust the spices as necessary.

Step 5.) As the soup has been simmering and then begins to cool, it will continue to thicken. If it does not seem thick enough for your potage, you can add another tbsp. of flour/cornstarch. At this point, you can serve the soup with the carrots still in cubes, or you can take a blender to the soup to make it completely smooth. Serve with bread of your choice! Enjoy!

~Results~

The roast garlic and caramelized onions bring a powerful base flavor to this soup, and I’ve begun to use it as a base for a lot of my soups, not just the potage! I recommend for any garlic lover, and those who aren’t feeling good and need a hot soup as a pick-me-up!

In Game Recipe

LOTRO: Cherry Tart

Aaaand here it is, the infamously late blog post. I didn’t manage to rescue my old pictures, but I was able to grab the ingredients yesterday and whip up a new batch (nobody was disappointed by this, let’s be honest) and got shiny new pictures taken, so here we go! Delicious and simple cherry tarts that your entire fellowship will enjoy!

~Ingredients~

Prep Time: 20 - 30 min. | Total Bake Time: 15 min. per batch

Serves: Up to 18 tarts

~Instructions~

Step 1.) Prep the cherries: Rinse off the cherries and remove the stems. Take a knife and cut in a circle directly around the middle of the cherry (essentially cutting the cherry in half). Twist and pull apart the cherry and dig the pit out with your finger or with a knife. Rinse and repeat until you have about 3 cups of cherries. 

Step 2.) Set the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg in a small bowl and set aside. 

Step 3.) Your puff pastry may come in a tri-folded sheet or already in separate squares. If in the sheet, cut the pastry where the natural folds have been made, and then cut each strip into thirds. Once you have the squares made, use a knife to score a smaller square on the pastry square, about 1/4-1/8 of an inch from the edge (this will help the pastry dough puff up more around the edges) Brush this outer margin with the egg and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Step 4.) Mix the sugar in with the cherries, and spoon this mixture within the scored lines of the pastry squares (the sugar and juices will inevitably run over the lines, but this is fine). Bake each batch for 15 min., and allow to cool a few minutes before eating. Enjoy!

~Results~

Light, sweet, with a flaky crust. They are addicting to eat and I had to send away the second batch to my SO’s workplace so I didn’t eat them all. I miss them already. 

In Game Recipe

So I was supposed to post a recipe today, had it all typed up. Of course I waited until the last minute to edit the pictures, but instead of hitting the button to email the pictures to myself like I normally would...I deleted them. Yup. I currently have a program installed to rescue deleted pictures but it might take a day or two before they actually show up in the program, so....the recipe will be delayed even more than it has been. Oops!

Dark Cloud 2: Witch Parfait

Hello everyone! Need something to perk you up? Make your mornings seem more special? Treat yourself to a Witch Parfait from Dark Clouds 2! This version is a decided breakfast-style parfait, in which yogurt is used instead of a rich cream, so you can enjoy it without the fuss of having to whip up the cream filling (especially early in the morning, because who wants to do that?).

~Ingredients~

Prep Time: <15 min.

Makes: 1 parfait

~Instructions~

Step 1.) If using plain or vanilla yogurt, whisk cocoa powder and honey until thoroughly mixed. Use a rubber scraper to transfer the yogurt into a pastry bag or sandwich bag.

Step 2.) Cut a hole in the corner of the bag and squeeze about 1/3 of the yogurt into your serving cup. Layer your granola/oats, then your fruit.

Step 3.) Repeat the layers of yogurt, oats, and fruit, and then top off with the last 1/3 of the yogurt. Top with cinnamon and sprinkles to taste, and enjoy!

~Results~

It’s a magical way to start the morning! (sorry, couldn’t help myself XD )

FFXI: Bataquiche

Hello lovelies! If you’re like me, and have trouble bringing yourself to eat in the mornings due to a general lack of energy and motivation, look no further, because this quiche has you covered for at least 3-4 days worth of breakfast. Unless you have to share. Then you should just make two of these and have one all to yourself while the rest of your household fights over the other one. Breakfast and a show! 

Are you ready!? Let’s go!

~Ingredients~

Prep Time: ~10 - 15 min.  |  Total Cook Time: 35 - 45 min.

Makes: 1 large quiche, 6-8 servings

~Instructions~

Step 1.) Lightly saute the spinach until just wilted and  blot away as much excess moisture/grease as you can. Set aside.

Step 2.) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lay your pie crust out into a pie dish and trim the edges. Roughly chop your mushrooms and set aside.

Step 3.) In a bowl, mix together your milk, eggs, and salt and pepper. Add in the cheese, mushrooms and spinach and stir until fully combined. 

Step 4.) Pour the filling into the pie dish and bake for 35 - 45 min. or until a knife stuck into the middle of the quiche comes out clean. (for some ovens you may have to go slightly longer for the middle to completely firm up.)

Step 5.) Allow to cool for at least 10 min. before serving. Enjoy!

~Results~

I love this quiche- rather than some of the restaurant quiche I’ve encountered in the past, where the veggies or meats that they supposedly contain are few and far between. This quiche is packed full and my taste buds love it!

In Game Recipe