I’ll admit that I am a horrible fisher in World of Warcraft. Since I started so incredibly late, my fishing skills are insanely sub-par. I basically can only catch the dinky little fish. However, on the rare occasion when I can catch a normal sized fish, it’s pretty exciting.

AWW YEAH, NOW I ONLY HAVE TO CATCH 9 MORE OF THESE INSTEAD OF 19 MORE SO I CAN COMPLETE THIS GARRISON DAILY! 

I’ve been trying to simultaneously level up my fishing and cooking, so I’ve been spending a lot of time sitting in my garrison next to a roaring fire.

When I first stared cooking in WoW, I thought that Sturgeon Stew looked amazing and I had to recreate it somehow. So, I did some research and looked around at my local grocery stores for a fish that would vaguely replicate the appearance of the actual in-game item.

However, I honestly didn’t expect that I would find sturgeon at my local grocery store…

But lo and behold, there it was! STURGEON!

If you can’t find sturgeon, you can substitute another fish such as swordfish or cod.

Since the Sturgeon Stew in game has a reddish broth, I decided to create a tomato-based soup. This is similar to a bourdeto, which is basically a Greek fish stew similar to the Italian cioppino.

Let’s get cooking!

UNIT COMPOSITION

1. salt
2. pepper
3. 1 teaspoon of olive oil
4. 1 cup of white wine
5. 2 cups of fish stock
6. 2 bay leaves
7. 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
8. 5 sprigs of basil, roughly sliced
9. 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
10. 4 red potatoes, quartered
11. 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
12. 1/3 lb of dandelion greens
13. 1 1/2 lbs of sturgeon, deboned

BUILD ORDER

Prep time for this dish is roughly 30 minutes. Cook time is about 45 minutes. This makes about 4 servings.

OPENING

1. Set a large pot to high heat.
2. Once the pot is up to temperature, add in your olive oil and sautee your garlic and onions.
3. Reduce to medium heat and add in your tomatoes and basil.
4. Stir the ingredients gently and allow the vegetables to sweat.

MID GAME

1. Add in your white wine and fish stock.
2. Add in your bay leaf and stir.
3. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add in your chopped potatoes.
5. Let this cook for about 30 minutes.

LATE GAME

1. After about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft, add in your sturgeon.
2. Gently ladle liquid over the sturgeon.
3. Add in your dandelion greens.
4. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for ~15 more minutes.
5. Remove your 2 bay leaves.
6. Eat!

So my goal was to try to make the stew look exactly like the in-game item. I think I got pretty close?

I didn’t actually serve the dish like that though. I’M A LIAR! I cut the sturgeon into more manageable pieces:

GG WP!

I’m sure if you sit there and eat this sturgeon stew for at least 10 seconds, you’ll gain some sort of haste buff… or at least, you’ll feel well fed for a while.

This special recipe was created by the amazing Sha of Happiness. She has picked some of the most delicious dishes in all of Azeroth and re-created them in her kitchen.

I’m sure you’re hungry, so let’s get started on this very simple, but very delicious dish!

Recipe adapted from Fire Spirit Salmon by Sha of Happiness. 

UNIT COMPOSITION

1. salt
2. pepper
3. 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
4. 1 teaspoons of olive oil (or butter if you prefer)
5. ~ 1 tablespoon of sliced ginger
6. 1 tablespoon of miso paste
7. 1 1/2 tablespoon of sesame seed oil
8. 1 tablespoon of red chili paste
9. 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
10. 1/2 white onion, diced
11. 2 4oz cuts of salmon
12. OPTIONAL: 3 – 5 sprigs of green onion (scallion)

BUILD ORDER

Prep time for this dish is roughly 15 minutes. Total cook time is about 10 minutes. This will make 2 servings.

I’ve made a slight deviation from Sha’s original recipe. In her recipe, she suggests cooking the salmon via pan or roasting it in the oven. I’ll be roasting it in the oven, but I made a minor change — I’m cooking it en papillote!

So, I’m sure you’re asking… What is en papillote? The term “en papillote” is French for “in parchment”. Basically, the method is you take some sort of food, wrap it into a little package and then cook it. Since the food is wrapped up in its own little container, it will basically be steamed by its own juices (or what ever liquid you’ve put in the pouch).

There are many regional variants on this type of cooking. Zongzi, which is a Chinese dish comprised of sticky rice and various fillings, uses this technique but with leaves. Zongzi is also insanely delicious, so if you ever have a chance to get one, I recommend it!

OPENING

1. Set a pan on high-heat.
2. Add in your olive oil.
3. Sautee your garlic and onions.
4. Remove from heat and set aside.

MID GAME

1. In a bowl, combine your soy sauce, sesame sauce, and red chili paste.
2. Add in your sliced ginger. When the salmon has finished cooking, you will want to remove these slices before plating.
3. Set aside and prepare your salmon!

LATE GAME

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375° (~190° C). 
2. Place your sauteed onions and garlic on one side of the parchment paper.
3. Place your salmon on top of the onions and garlic.
4. Season your salmon with salt and pepper.
5. Pour the sauce over the salmon. (Optional: Place a few sprigs of green onion on top of the salmon)
6. Fold the parchment paper over the salmon, making sure to leave air inside the package. Roll the sides of the parchment paper up, so that the package is sealed.
7. Place in the oven and roast for about 7 minutes. Remove from the oven when done. Be careful when opening the package!
8. EAT!

GG WP!

A big thank you goes out to Sha for creating this amazing and healthy recipe! Salmon is good AND good for you. <3

I must admit that I had an insanely difficult time choosing the winner. Even though the Diablo NA and EU community teams had chosen the top recipes from tons of entries, there was still the huge challenge of picking the overall best recipe. There were dishes from all walks of life — from savory dishes inspired by various regional cuisines to sinfully sweet treats with a very Diablo flare. Sanctuary is filled with tons of creative chefs!

But, one recipe stood out from the rest.

One nephalem traveled to the dusty deserts outside of Caldeum and captured a Sand Shark, cooked it up, and created a legendary Caldeum delicacy! I present to you the winning recipe of the Reaper of Souls Challenge:

Fish-aficionados will note that the fish isn’t a hake, but rather a mackerel — I’ll explain why later.

The winning recipe, Sand Shark Caldeum Style, was artfully crafted by Louis S., though he is more commonly known in Sanctuary as Nerzulaman! Here’s the photo he submitted along with his outstanding recipe:

FIERCE! He did an excellent job at recreating a Sand Shark in food form!!

So, if you want to try to create this delicious dish in the comfort of your own kitchen, here’s what you’re going to need to gather:

UNIT COMPOSITION

Please note that I’ve made some rough conversions from metric to American standard measurement units. The units in parenthesis are the accurate measurements from Nerzulaman’s original recipe.

1. salt
2. pepper
3. 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
4. 2 teaspoon of olive oil
5. 1 clove of garlic, minced
6. 1 shallot, minced
7. 1/2 of a red onion, diced
8. 1 teaspoon of powdered hazelnut (50g)  (I bought whole hazelnut and grinded it on a microplane — this is roughly ~4 hazelnuts)
9. 1 egg
10. 1 lemon
11. 1/2 cup of flour
12. 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
13. 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
14. 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream (15cl)
15. 1 1/2 cup of rainbow quinoa, rinsed (180g)
16. 1 firm apple (I used a granny smith apple)
17. 1 whole hake, cleaned and gutted (25-30cm long, or ~11-12 inches) — (I substituted mackerel for hake here)

I mentioned a bit further up that the fish I used for this recipe is a mackerel instead of a hake. The silver hake is a species of hake typically found on the Eastern United States. Unfortunately, I’m on the Western United States, so finding whole hake is a bit more difficult here. I decided to go with a fish that was readily available here and is somewhat similar size to the hake. The mackerel is a bit smaller, so cooking times have been slightly adjusted.

Basically, my recipe is for tiny sand sharks, while Nerzulaman’s is for big sand sharks.

If you’re looking for a fish that has a similar flavor to hake, cod is a good substitute. Mackerel belongs in the “oily fish” category (with salmon and tuna), while hake belongs to the “white fish” category (with cod and halibut).

Anyway, I’ve included Nerzulaman’s original cook times and mine in parenthesis.

BUILD ORDER

Total prep time for this dish is roughly 25 minutes. Cook time is roughly 35 minutes. This will make 2 servings.

OPENING

1. Wash and cut your apple into two halves. Use one half and cut them into thin wedges (this will be used for the “fins”). Marinate these wedges in balsamic vinegar.
2. Cut the rest of the apple into small cubes with your shallots, garlic, and red onion.
3. Heat a pan on high heat and add in on 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
4. Sautee your cubed apple, shallots, garlic, and red onion.
5. Once they have caramelized, deglaze your pan by using some of the balsamic vinegar from your apples.
6. Remove from heat and reserve. You’ll use this to stuff the fish.

MID GAME

1. Empty and clean the cavity of the fish, and open its belly until the base of the tail.
2. Use a sharp knife to score the skin around the tail, then remove the dorsal fin cutting along the dorsal cartilage head.
3. Preheat your oven to ~350° F (180° C). Once your oven comes up to temperature, bake the fish for 5 minutes.
4. Remove the fish from the oven and gently peel back the skin from tail to the head by pulling the skin along the line in the middle of the threads so as not to tear it. You will want to be extra careful with this process because you don’t want to damage the flesh of the fish. If you have patches of skin (especially around the fins) scrape them gently with the back of a knife lightly oiled, always from tail to head.
5. Gently open the cavity of the fish and begin stuffing it with your filling. You’ll want to stuff the fish so that it will be able to stand on its own. If have extra stuffing, you can use it to prop his head up after cooking.
6. Sprinkle your flour onto the fish. Gently rub off any excess flour.
7. Mix your egg, remaining olive oil, juice from 1/2 of a lemon, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. This will be your egg wash.
8. Generously brush the fish with your egg wash. Then, sprinkle your bread crumbs onto the fish. If you have excess, tap it off the fish.
9. Set your oven to ~390°F (200°C) for 15 minutes (12 minutes for my mackerel). Use aluminum foil to cover the head to prevent tarnish (I failed and forgot to do this, so my sandshark is a bit…. uhhh, well let’s just say he should have used moisturizer). 
10. While your fish is baking, prepare the quinoa.

LATE GAME

1. In a saucepan, add your quinoa, 1 1/2 cup of water and your cream. Set your sauce pan to medium heat. Add in your hazelnut and nutmeg.
2. Once the quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid, salt to taste.
3. Now it’s time to build your plate! Fill a dish with your quinoa “sand”, and make a small indentation for your fish.
4. Transfer your baked fish to the plate. Make slits on the fish for where you’d like to place your apple wedge fins. Insert the fins onto your fish. If your fins aren’t pointy enough, prune them with a pairing knife to your liking.
5. Surround the fish with the “sand” and add in your apple wedge fins into the sand. These will be the Sand Shark’s claws.
6. If desired, add in extra lemon juice on the fish and cream to your quinoa.
7. Eat!

Here’s how mine turned out. I definitely think Nerzulaman’s looks much cooler though. I will admit that I ran out of apple slices for the fins on the side… I was snacking a bit too much during the cooking process!

GG WP!

Maybe your Sand Shark will turn out to be Razormouth and you’ll be able to snag an Essence of the Twin Seas.

I wasn’t so lucky. But, he sure was delicious!

Just remember to be weary of bones when slaying this beast! Since this is full fish, there are still bones present in the flesh. To avoid the bones as best as possible, lay the fish on its side and enjoy it one side at a time. You should be left with the spine fairly intact.

OM NOM NOM NOM!

So congratulations, Nerzulaman! Your creative recipe has earned you a fancy Horadric cache worth of goodies!

‘Till next time, Nephalem!

About a week ago, someone decided to allow TwitchTV viewers to simultaneously enjoy a game of Pokemon Red together. Though it originally started as a social experiment, it quickly spiraled into something greater than that. The TwitchPlaysPokemon community became a culture with an immense following.

On the subreddit, players discuss strategies on how to get over 70,000 concurrent players to collectively do the same thing in order to complete the game. OK, getting 10 people to do something all together is difficult, but over 70,000 people? Now that’s insanity.

There’s currently two sides, Anarchy (Helix Fossil) and Democracy (Dome Fossil), who are in a constant struggle to maintain power. By the title of this recipe, you can probably tell which side I favor…

ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ PRAISE THE GLORIOUS HELIX FOSSIL!! ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ

Now, before I get too carried away and start running circles around in an elevator, I need to start talking about this recipe.

Image created by @bennmarion

I wanted to create an appetizer that could represent the all-mighty Helix Fossil. Ahh praise the Helix Fossil! This bite-sized treat can be easily enjoyed while you mash your A and B keys in the TTP chat. 

So, let’s get started!

UNIT COMPOSITION

1. salt
2. pepper
3. 1 teaspoon of paprika
4. 1 teaspoon of hot mustard
5. 2 teaspoon of worcestershire
6. 2 cloves of garlic, minced
7. 1 tablespoon of chives, diced
8. 3oz of lump crab meat, flaked with a fork
9. 1/4 cup of cream cheese (brought to room temperature)
10. 1/4 cup of spinach
11. 1 sheet of puff pastry
12. 1 egg

BUILD ORDER

Prep time for this is roughly 25 minutes. Cook time is roughly 15 minutes. This will make about 20 puffs.

OPENING

1. In a bowl, combine your crab, cream cheese, salt, pepper, paprika, worcestershire, mustard, garlic, and chives. Mix until thoroughly combined.
2. Gently cook your spinach by either lightly boiling it until wilted, or microwaving it for about 30 seconds.
3. Add your spinach to your crab mixture and combine thoroughly.

MID GAME

1. Unfold your puff pastry and using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut it vertically into 3 equal sections. Then, cut it into 4 equal sections horizontally. Cut each section in half. You should end up with 24 sections. Reserve 2 of the sections for the Helix Fossil design.
2. Put about a spoonful of crab in on each pastry section. Gently fold the pastry over the crab and crimp the corners.
3. Take an unused section and cut a 1/4inch strip of puff pastry. Roll the puff pastry into the shape of a helix. Use a knife to create the ridges on the shell. Place the helix decoration on top of the puff pastry.

LATE GAME

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350° (~176° C).
2. Place your pastries on a piece of parchment paper.
3. Scramble your egg and add about a tablespoon of water to it. This will be your egg wash. Using your hands or a brush, gently dab some of the egg wash onto your pastries.
   
4. Place pastry puffs in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and allow cool for about 5 minutes.
5. Praise Helix Fossil.
6. Eat!

GG WP!

Once you’ve praised the Helix Fossil enough, you should get something like these:

Now, as you enjoy these delicious Helix Fossil bites, please don’t forget to take a moment to remember our fallen heroes.  CURSE YOU, DOME FOSSIL AND YOUR DOMEOCRACY!

Hello and happy new year!

We’re kicking off the new year with a recipe from the upcoming Diablo III expansion: Reaper of Souls. I was fortunate enough to receive a beta key from Blizzard and I immediately wasted no time in doing very important things during the beta test! For example, I’ve only spent 15 minutes talking to Soulstone Sliver in Westmarch.

I’m pretty sure we’re already bros

OK, I lied. I probably spent way more time talking to the Soulstone Sliver. I just enjoy watching it spin around to face me when I click on it.

I did play through part of the Act V campaign and it’s really creepy. It’s creepy in a good way though. I don’t want to give out any spoilers, but there are encounters that seem very nightmare worthy.

I’m still trying to figure out a decent build for my Demon Hunter in preparation for Westmarch. Currently, I’m trying to figure out how to incorporate the new skill “Vengeance” into my build.

EXPLOSIONS!!

I enjoy running into areas full of mobs just so I can pop Vengeance and run around… However, when I’m too over-zealous, this happens:

Some things never change…

When I finished the Act V beta demo, I hopped straight into Adventure mode! I think it’s really refreshing because I can travel to any act and collect various bounties. Once you’ve completed all five bounties throughout the act, you’re rewarded with access to the Nephalem Rift.

The Nephalem Rift is full of delicious little mobs for you to kill and once you’ve destroyed enough of them, you get to fight a big baddie at the end.

And after you’ve slaved away killing all of those darn monsters, you get rewarded with some sweet loot. Hooray!

Reaper of Souls is set to release at the end of March, but until then, I guess I’ll have to just make Diablo-themed recipes to combat my RoS cravings.

Today’s recipe is the Reaper of Soles, which pays homage to the reaper himself, Malthael.

From the Diablo III wallpaper page. Also, currently my desktop background.

Instead of being cloaked in dark robes, this fillet of sole is crusted in black sesame seeds and was quickly pan-fried on a hot skillet. The fish sits on a bed of souls — err, I mean, a bed of rice noodles.

This dish is simple and easy to make, so you won’t have to spend hours slaving away in your kitchen instead of fighting demons in Sanctuary.

Let’s start cooking, Nephalem!

UNIT COMPOSITION

1. salt
2. pepper
3. 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
4. 2 teaspoons of olive oil
5. 2 teaspoons of soy sauce
6. juice from 1/2 of a lime
7. 4 tablespoons of black sesame seeds
8. 1/2 of an onion, julienned (thin strips)
9. 1 red bell pepper, julienned
10. 1/4 lb of mushrooms, sliced
11. 1/4 lb of rice noodles (I used these brown rice noodles)
12. ~1/2 lb of dover sole (a fillet should be about ~1/4 lb)
13. OPTIONAL: 2 sprigs of green onion, chopped

BUILD ORDER

This dish takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and about 15 minutes to cook. This dish makes 2 servings.

Calories per serving: ~400 calories

OPENING

1. Place your sesame seeds in a shallow dish.
2. Season your sole with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in the sesame seeds. Once the fish is fully coated, remove and set aside.
3. While you are dredging the fish, set a pot of water to boil for the rice noodles. You will want the noodles to cook while you’re cooking the fish.

MID GAME

1. Heat a large skillet on high heat and add in 1 teaspoon of olive oil. When the olive oil reaches a water-like viscosity, add in your garlic, red bell pepper, onions, and mushrooms.
2. Saute your vegetables until browned (about 4 minutes). Immediately remove vegetables and set aside.

LATE GAME

1. Add your remaining teaspoon of olive oil into the skillet. When the skillet comes up to temperature, add in your fish.
2. Allow fish to cook for about 4-5 minutes per side on medium-high heat.
3. While your fish is cooking, add your rice noodles to your boiling water. The rice noodles should take about 5 minutes to cook and should finish by the time your fish is done. Stir the noodles occasionally while they’re cooking in order to prevent them from sticking together.
4. When the noodles have finished cooking, immediately strain them and return them to the pot. Stir in your vegetables, lime juice, and soy sauce.
5. Plate your dish by placing your sesame-crusted fish over the noodle stir-fry.
6. (Optional) Garnish your dish with green onions.
7. Eat!

And ta-da, here’s the finished dish:

GG WP, Nephalem!

I hope this dish will inspire you create your own healthy and delicious meals in the comfort of your own kitchen. Hopefully, your kitchen isn’t located in Westmarch because I hear the property value in that place is decreasing due to reapers.

THESE DARN MAIDENS OF FLAME AIN’T NOTHIN’ BUT TROUBLE.

On Friday, I met up with a few friends (including some of the folks over at Geek Panda Apparel) to spectate one of the biggest eSports events this year: League of Legends World Championship Series Finals. Of course, I had to make food for this… Admittedly, I was severely over ambitious on this task, but with a little help (ok, a lot of help), I managed to finish making all of the food.

Luckily, I arrived to the party just in time to watch the first match!

There were some pretty crazy plays made by both SK Telecom T1 and Royal Club, but ultimately, the more coordinated team won. Hopefully, these players’ strategies and champion picks will inspire all players!

For the party, I created three different recipes, with each recipe representing a different champion. The champions I’ve chosen are Ahri, Amumu and Caitlyn.

I had to put Cait on the list because she’s literally the only ADC I play in ranked. I have a large champ pool, obviously. 

For the 9-tailed fox, Ahri, I’ve created Ahri’s Charmed Onigiri.

Stun your guests with this savory treat!

For the sad mummy, Amumu, I’ve created Amumu’s Shrimp Lettuce Wraps.

Get wrapped up in these flavors!

And finally, for Sheriff of Piltover, Caitlyn, it had to be Caitlyn’s Yordle Snap Trap Cupcakes.

Get trapped in this sinfully sweet treat!

Let’s start cooking, summoners!

UNIT COMPOSITION: AHRI’S CHARMED ONIGIRI

1. salt
2. pepper
3. 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
4. 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
5. 2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce
6. 1/2 lb of ground turkey
7. 1/4 of pickled beets & cabbage
8. 1 cup of sushi rice

Tools: You need will heart shaped onigiri mold.

Unfortunately, Amazon doesn’t carry the exact mold I used. However, you can use a heart shaped cookie cutter instead. You’ll need to sandwich the mold between two flat surfaces (such as a small cutting board) in order to squish the rice and fillings together. 

BUILD ORDER: AHRI’S CHARMED ONIGIRI

Prep time is about 20 minutes. Cook time is roughly 30 minutes. This should make about 6 servings.

Calories per serving: ~105 calories

1. Boil your rice. Once your rice has cooked, fluff the rice with a fork (if you have a rice scoop, even better) and transfer to a large bowl. Fan your rice for a few minutes while fluffing.
2. Put a skillet on high heat and add your olive oil. When the oil comes up to temperature, add your ground turkey. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add in your teriyaki sauce and stir it through the meat. Allow it to cook for at least 10 minutes or until done. Allow the meat to cool slightly.
4. Add your sesame seeds to the rice. Pour about 1 tablespoon of the vinegar from your pickled beets and cabbage onto your rice. Stir to combine. If the color isn’t bright enough, continue to add more.
5. Place a spoonful of rice into your mold. Use the spoon to create a small impression into the rice. Fill the space with meat and pickled beets and cabbage. Place another layer of rice over the fillings and squish the mold.
6. Remove the onigiri from the mold.

UNIT COMPOSITION: AMUMU’S LETTUCE WRAPS

1. salt
2. pepper
3. 2 teaspoons of olive oil
4. 1 tablespoon of cumin
5. 1 tablespoon of coriander
6. 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
7. 1/2 tablespoon of ground ginger
8. juice from 1/2 of a lemon
9. 1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and strained
10. 1 golden delicious apple, cut into thin slices
11. 1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined
12. 1 head of iceburg lettuce, leaves removed

BUILD ORDER: AMUMU’S LETTUCE WRAPS

Total prep time for this is about 15 minutes. Cook time is roughly 10 minutes. This will make about 6 servings. 

Calories per serving: ~158 calories

1. Season shrimp with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, and ginger.
2. Set a skillet to high heat and add oil. Once the oil comes up to temperature, saute the shrimp. Add in the lemon juice.
3. Cut the apple into thin slices. If you don’t want the apples to oxidize (meaning they turn brown when exposed to air), you may want to squeeze a bit lemon juice over them.
4. Place the chickpeas and apples in a lettuce leaf. Add in the shrimp (remove the tails). Wrap the lettuce leaf up like a burrito.

UNIT COMPOSITION: CAITLYN’S YORDLE SNAP TRAP CUPCAKES

FOR THE CUPCAKES

1. a pinch of salt
2. 1 tablespoon of vanilla extra
3. 2 tablespoons of baking powder
4. 4 tablespoons of butter
5. zest from 2 lemons
6. 2 tablespoons of grated ginger (you can use ginger powder instead)
7. 2 eggs
8. 3/4 cups of sugar
9. 1 3/4 cups of flour

FOR THE FROSTING

1. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2. 2 teaspoons of the juice from maraschino cherries
3. 12 maraschino cherries
4. 1  cup of sugar
5. 1 pint of heavy whipping cream

BUILD ORDER: CAITLYN’S YORDLE SNAP TRAP CUPCAKES

Prep time is roughly 30 minutes. Cook time for the cupcakes is about 20 minutes. This will make 12 servings. (1 serving is 1 cupcake)

Calories per serving: ~325 calories

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F (~176° C)
2. Combine all of your dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder) in a large bowl. 
3. Add your lemon zest and ginger to the dry ingredients.
4. Beat two eggs and add your vanilla to the eggs.
5. Pour the eggs and vanilla over the dry ingredients. Add in your butter and stir.
6. Slowly pour in your milk while stirring to combine thoroughly.
7. Pour batter into cupcake linings.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until done.
9. Remove from oven and let cool. While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the whipped cream frosting.
10. Combine heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla, and maraschino cherry juice in a large bowl. Whip with a whisk, or hand mixer, until stiff peaks form in the whipping cream.
11. Pour whipping cream into a piping bag (or large ziplock bag). Snip the end of the piping bag and pipe the frosting over the cupcakes. You’ll want to create swirls on the cupcakes.
12. Once you’re done piping, add a cherry to each of the cupcakes.

Ta-da! GG!

Hope you’ve enjoyed these recipes. Tune in next time for another recipe and another game!

Please also check out my Facebook page and my Twitter for more updates on new recipes!

See you on the Fields of Justice, Summoners.

Most of the game is spent running through dungeons and completing objectives given to you by the various NPCs in town, however, on a few select dungeons, you have the opportunity to play the cooking game! Ok, it’s not called the cooking game, it’s called the camp, but it’s basically a silly, yet addicting, cooking game. The objective is to cook and eat as many dishes as possible within the time limit.

There’s a bunch of ingredients to choose from; varying from delicious and exotic meats such as Kraken Tentacles or Minotaur Tongue to common and simple vegetables such as shallots and peas. If you kill a boss, sometimes their meat appears in the ingredient piles. Om nom nom Harpy Eggs…

Of course, if you’re playing online or with friends, you’ll end up fighting for the best ingredients available. You do have the option to add seasonings such salt, pepper, or garlic to your dish as well and you are given extra points for flavor! However, if you don’t stir or flip your food, it will burn and it will taste horrible. I will admit I have burnt food in this game, and because of that, I now mash my X and L1 buttons in order to prevent future cooking mishaps.

The food always looks so delicious in-game, so I’ve decided to try taking on and bringing some Dragon’s Crown delicacies to life. This time, I’ve decided to take a stab at creating Kraken Cacciatore. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get my hands on any kraken, so octopus is the best I could find.

Now, let’s gather around the campfire and start cooking!

Eat well, for you will need to be prepared for the day ahead.

UNIT COMPOSITION

1. salt
2. pepper
3. 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes
4. 1 teaspoon of olive oil
5. 3-4 sprigs of fresh dill, peeled from the twig
6. basil, sliced into thin strips
7. 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
8. 1/2 of an onion, julienned
9. 1/2 lb of mushrooms, sliced
10. 4 vine tomatoes, diced (keep the liquid)
11. 1 red bell pepper, julienned
12. 1 cup of white wine
13. 1/2 lb of octopus, chopped into cubes

BUILD ORDER

Prep time for this dish takes about 20 minutes. Cook time is roughly 45 minutes. This will make 2 servings.

Calories per serving: ~312 calories

OPENING

1. Set a large skillet on high heat and add in your olive oil.
2. Saute your onions, peppers, garlic, and mushrooms.
3. Add in your octopus.

MID GAME

1. Reduce heat to medium and add in your diced tomatoes.
2. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
   

LATE GAME

1. Add in your white wine.
2. Add in your dill and basil.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the octopus is tender.
4. Eat!

Ohh, tentacle-y? GG WP
While I can’t guarantee that this version of Kraken Cacciatore will grant you bonus score or bonus defense for the day ahead, I can guarantee that this dish is pretty tasty!

It’s also fairly low calorie and there aren’t any starches in this dish, so I do suggest that you add in some sort of starch (such as bread or pasta) if you want more filling meal.

After you finish cooking, don’t forget to lay down to rest because another dangerous mission awaits you tomorrow.

In 1998, I was in elementary school obsessing with my friends over the latest Pokémon game. It was the latest craze sweeping the nation — a Japanese RPG with super adorable pets. At the time, I had no idea how much depth these games had. I didn’t understand the stat rolls or the concept of optimizing your team; I just wanted to collect the cool looking animals.

I had this card, but I don’t think I used it in my deck.

Rollin’ with Jolteon, Articuno, Blastoise, Mewtwo, and Pidgeot. I clearly had no idea what I was doing, but I was disillusioned into believing that I was truly a Pokémon Master. After all, I did beat that jerkface, BLUE, to earn that fancy title.

But one thing was always confusing about the entire series… How did any of the inhabitants of the Pokémon world ever get fish? Were those fish also Pokémon or are they just straight-up boring fish? Maybe we should just eat Pokémon…

I mean, c’mon… Look at this Shellder… I’m pretty sure he’d be delicious if you pan seared him!

Plus, I don’t even think Shellder rolls decent stats! You can get much better water-type Pokémon than this mollusk.

UNIT COMPOSITION

1. salt
2. pepper
3. dill
4. juice from 1/2 of a lemon
5. 3 tablespoons of olive oil
6. 1/4 cup of orange juice
7. 1/4 cup of dijon mustard
8. 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
9. 1/4 cup of shaved parmesan cheese
10. 2 cup of microgreens
11. 1 fennel bulb, chopped
12. 6 sea scallops, “foot” removed*

*Some scallops still have a “foot” (an adductor muscle) located on their sides. Because this part of the scallop is very tough, it’s best to remove these by gently tearing them off.

BUILD ORDER

Total prep time is about 20 minutes. Total cook time will be about 35 minutes (assuming you cook the fennel and the scallops at the same time). This will make 2 servings.

Calories per serving: ~345 calories 

OPENING

1. Preheat an oven to 375° F (~190° C).
2. Place your fennel in a roasting pan and season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil over your fennel.
4. Roast your fennel for 35 minutes. While your fennel roasts, prepare your scallops and sauce.

MID GAME

1. Combine your dijon mustard, orange juice, and balsamic vinegar together.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Set dressing aside.

LATE GAME

1. Set a pan on high heat and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
2. Season your scallops with salt, pepper, and dill.
3. When the pan becomes hot, place 3 scallops in your pan. Once you place your scallops in the pan, do not move them! Allow the scallops to cook for two minutes. Flip scallops over and cook for another two minutes.
4. Remove scallops from pan and repeat steps 1 – 3 for the remaining 3 scallops.
5. Place microgreens and fennel on a plate. Drizzle your salad dressing over the salad. Sprinkle with your shaved parmesan cheese.
6. Place three scallops on top of your salad.
7. Squeeze lemon over the scallops.
8. Eat!

GG WP!

See, instead of wasting your pokéball on that stupid Shellder, you could’ve just caught it and threw it in a skillet. SO WORTH IT.

Last week, I spent two days attending the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco. I was fortunate enough to be sent on behalf of my company to experience the sights and sounds of GDC ’13. No booth duty, this time!

I don’t have many pictures to showcase because I pretty much forgot about taking photos. Oops! The photos are pretty poor quality since they were taken with my phone.

However, I did manage to score some swag (including a Teemo hat, finally) and attend a pretty spectacular party thanks to my lovely friend at Wargaming.

I have no idea what’s going on!

But, GDC isn’t about just partying and collecting swag around the expo hall; it’s about the developers!

GDC held the 15th Annual Independent Games Festival where indie developers were presented awards for visual design, game design, sound, technical design and more. One of my favorite PC games, FTL received two awards in the categories of “Excellence in Design” and the “Audience Award”.

But that’s not all! They also scored the award for “Best Debut” at the Game Developer’s Choice Awards.  Not a bad day for an indie studio, right?

And that’s why they deserve another recipe (but really, it’s because I like to play FTL)!

UNIT COMPOSITION

1. salt
2. pepper
3. dill
4. fresh parsley
5. 2 teaspoons of olive oil
6. 1 tablespoon of sriracha
7. 1 egg, beaten
8. 1/3 cup of bread crumbs (I used whole wheat)
9. juice from 1/2 a lemon
10. 1 cup of kimchi, diced (strain most of the liquid)
11. 1 cup of mayonnaise
12. 1/2 lb of lump crab meat
13. 1/2 lb of shrimp

So why not go all crab? Mainly because lump crab is incredibly expensive here (~$22/lb at the local grocery store)! Buying a whole crab is cheaper, however, you’ve got to factor in the labor required to remove all of the meat from the crab.

I wanted to write a recipe that had delicious crustacean, but wasn’t incredibly time consuming nor painful to the gamer wallet.

However, if crab is cheap where you are, then by all means, swap out that extra shrimp for more crab. The recipe will still be the same.

BUILD ORDER

Total prep time will be about 25 minutes. Cook time will be about 24 minutes (about 8 minutes per batch of cakes). This will make about 3 servings.

Calories per serving: ~530 calories

OPENING

1. Combine crab, shrimp, lemon juice, and egg in a bowl.
2. Season with salt, pepper, dill, and some chopped parsley.
3. Add in chopped kimchi, 3/4 cup of mayonnaise, and half of your bread crumbs. Stir to combine.

MID GAME

1. Add olive oil to a pan on medium high heat. 
2. Form mixture into 2″ (in diameter) patties. To create a “rock scout” cake, simply create a small inverted “v” shape (much like a chevron shape) at the bottom of your patty.
3. Coat the patty with bread crumbs.
4. Place patties on the hot pan. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

LATE GAME

1. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of mayo with your sriracha. 
2. Serve sriracha mayo sauce with the cakes.
3. Garnish with chopped parsley.
4. Eat!

These crab and shrimp cakes should be pleasantly spicy with the sauce. If you can endure the heat like a Rockman, add 1 tablespoon of sriracha to the initial crab and shrimp mixture.

Much like the Rock Scout Ship, these tasty cakes have a crunchy and delicious hull. No need for burst lasers here; just use a fork. GG WP!

I wanted to make these more rock scout-shaped, but they didn’t necessarily go as planned… Oh well, still really tasty!

I guess I made more of a “derpy” rock scout ship…

You won’t be able to escape the rebel fleet on an empty stomach, so take a break and cook up these Rock Scout Ships!

]]> http://www.eatgamelive.com/world-of-warcraft/appetizers/rock-scout-ship-crab-and-shrimp-cakes/feed/ 0 http://www.eatgamelive.com/sandwich/cyburgnetics-core-satay-shrimp-burgers/ http://www.eatgamelive.com/sandwich/cyburgnetics-core-satay-shrimp-burgers/#comments Sat, 02 Mar 2013 04:33:04 +0000 http://eatgamelive.com/?p=996 Continue reading →]]>

Today, we’re serving up fresh burgers straight from the master Zealot chefs of Aiur! All aboard the bad pun train because we’re making Cyburgnetics Cores. Yes, I went there.

shirt available at Jinx.com 

The Cybernetics Core is an early game structure necessary to many standard Protoss build orders. Of course, if you’re rushing (i.e., cannon rush or proxy Zealot rush), you probably won’t need a Cybernetics Core since your game will be over in 5 minutes or less.

However, assuming that you want to actually play towards the mid game and beyond, it’s probably in your best interest to place a Cybernetics Core sometime after your first Gateway.

While we’ve given some insight on why you need a Cybernetics Core, we haven’t answered the most question of them all: how does it taste? Hopefully like shrimp satay!

And I hope they actually look like this:

Seems legit.

Anyway, enough pictures and talk about Protoss… Let’s start cooking!

UNIT COMPOSITION

FOR THE BURGERS

1. salt
2. pepper
3. cilantro (fresh coriander)
4. 2 teaspoons of olive oil
5. 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
6. 2 teaspoons of sriracha sauce
7. juice from 1/2 of a lime*
8. 1/2 tablespoon of turmeric (be careful, tumeric will stain)
9. 1/2 tablespoon of cumin
10. 1/2 tablespoon of coriander
11. 1/4 of a cup of coconut milk
12. 1 stalk of lemon grass, chopped
13. 1 egg
14. 1 cup of red cabbage, shredded
15. 1/3 cup of red bell pepper, chopped
16. 4 hamburger buns
17. 1 lb of raw shrimp, peeled, shelled, and deveined

FOR THE PEANUT SAUCE

1. salt
2. 1 teaspoon of honey
3. 1 teaspoon of sriracha
4. juice from 1/2 a lime*
5. 1/2 cup of peanut butter
6. 1/2 cup of coconut milk

*not shown in the photo

BUILD ORDER

Total prep time will be about 35 minutes. Total cook time will be roughly about 12 – 15 minutes. This will make 4 servings.

Calories per serving: ~610 calories

OPENING

1. Combine salt, pepper, turmeric, coriander, cumin, garlic, coconut milk, lemon grass, lime juice, and sriracha in a food processor (or blender). Pulse the mixture for a few seconds or until combined. 
2. Add your shelled shrimp into the food processor. You will want to add the shrimp in batches and process after each batch. Process until combined (it’s okay to leave larger shrimp chunks in the mix).
3. Remove shrimp mixture from the food processor and place in a large bowl.

MID GAME

1. Crack an egg into the shrimp mixture and combine.
2. Add in chopped red pepper and some chopped cilantro.
3. Divide the mixture into four parts. Take one each of the four sections and shape them into patties. Set patties aside.
4. Set a large skillet on high heat and in 1/2 of your olive oil. Once your skillet becomes hot, place 2 patties in the skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, then reduce the heat to medium allow the patties to cook for an additional 2 minutes.
5. Remove cooked patties and set aside. Repeat the previous step for the next two burgers.

LATE GAME

1. In a small bowl, combine coconut milk, salt, honey, sriracha, lime juice, and peanut butter. Stir to combine the mixture. If your sauce is too thick, add in a little bit more coconut milk. The sauce consistency should be similar to ranch dressing. 
2. Place a spoonful of peanut sauce on bottom half of the hamburger bun.
3. Place a shrimp patty on top of the peanut sauce. Place another spoonful of peanut sauce on top of the shrimp patty. Add shredded red cabbage and cilantro on top. Finish by placing the top of the hamburger bun over the patty.
4. Eat!

And that’s a GG WP. My dinner for Aiur!

From my understanding, Protoss don’t eat food. That’s quite a shame because they’re missing out on these delicious burgers inspired by their own buildings.

Oh well! Guess that just means more Cyburgnetics cores for Terran and Zerg. Om nom nom nom.