Get Your Game On!

Written by Tom Xavier

The saying goes, “what’s old is new again.” “Game Night” is making a comeback. More than just dusting off a Scrabble board and snacking on microwave popcorn, this type of gathering, with the aid of a few artful touches, can become a mood-boosting tradition for family and friends (with a healthy bit of competition and heaps of laughter thrown in)!

Board games offer a sense of timeless comfort reaching back to childhood, when summer nights and rainy Saturday afternoons were spent indoors playing Clue or Mouse Trap. And with so many people relishing the old-fashioned joy of sitting around the table and playing cards, a game night is sure to become a staple of your entertaining repertoire.

There are some things to remember so that you don’t spend your entire evening setting up.

• Choose games everyone will enjoy. Drug stores often stock inexpensive games to add to the routine lineup. It’s not about the game itself, but about the event.

• Select simple games to avoid spending your evening reading directions and confusion during the game. Before you start playing, give a quick read-through of the instructions.

• Check that your board games have all necessary pieces. If not, improvise (substitute a large button or poker chip for a missing checker, for example). If the gathering is multi-generational, plan to create adult-child teams. The evening can hold some “fun” surprises when the kids aren’t paired up with their parents.

Here are my suggestions for great family game nights.

Chutes and Ladders is always fun because you can move up the board in one move, so it’s easy to win. But you can lose big too; it’s a gamble.

Cranium. It’s got a lot of different aspects. You work with clay, you sing a song, and there’s trivia. There are a lot of different options and you can play with a lot of people.

Yahtzee, because it’s intense. You don’t know what is going to come up next. It’s a game of chance and luck.

Twister, because it’s interacting with people and it’s fun to see what weird positions you can get yourself into.

Other good party games include: Catchphrase, Scattergories, Balderdash, Scene It, Taboo, and Trivial Pursuit.

At a dinner party, the host may need to pop up and down, plating the next course, refilling guests’ glasses, and clearing dishes. But when game night is on the agenda, all the preparations are done in advance, with cocktail refills chilling in the fridge and guests serving themselves. Present the meal on a buffet table, sideboard, or nearby kitchen counter at the start of the evening, letting guests help themselves to a few bites of this and that at their leisure. This way, everyone at the table is equally engaged in the game, and guests are not halting play to wait while you’re preoccupied with other things. Make food satisfying and yet easy to prepare, serve, and eat. That means lots of finger foods, simple to nibble on between rolls of the die, and a hearty main course to provide sustenance as the night—and the games—linger on. With a few pantry staples, such food can be prepared on a whim. These are fun recipes (with appropriate names!) for you to try at your next game night.

Taboo Punch (Non-alcoholic)

• 6 cans lemon-lime soda
• Quart of fruit punch
• Pint of lime sherbert

Mix fruit punch and soda in a large punch bowl with ice shortly before guests arrive. When people are ready to start sippin’, spoon large scoops of sherbert into the punch.

The Game

• 2 oz. light rum
• 1 oz. triple sec
• Cranberry juice

Combine all ingredients in a martini shaker. Pour over ice, garnish with a cherry.

Risk

• 2 oz. Aftershock
• Orange juice
• 1 oz. Yukon Jack

Combine all ingredients in a highball glass with ice.

It’s a good idea to have fresh veggies like celery and carrot sticks for healthy munching, but you can also cut up some fresh fruit and put out a cup of caramel dip so people can nibble on some sweets between platefuls of these great game night recipes.

High Roller Cake

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup baking cocoa
• 4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 cups water
• 1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cans (16 oz. each) vanilla frosting
• 10 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

Add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla; mix well. Pour into two greased and floured 13-in. x 9-in. baking pans.

Bake at 350° for 28-33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Cut two 6-in. squares from each cake (save remaining cake for another use).

Spread the frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Split sandwich cookies apart; arrange on the cake (filling side down) for die spots.

Hogs in a Sleeping Bag

• 1 (16-oz.) package polska kielbasa
• 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed and lightly rolled out
• 1 egg
• Dipping sauces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut kielbasa into six (4-inch) pieces. Cut puff pastry sheets into thirds (six strips). Roll each piece of kielbasa in puff pastry and place on a baking sheet. Beat egg in a small dish and brush generously over pastry. Bake until pastry is golden brown and puffed, about 20 minutes. Serve with mustard, barbeque sauce, or jam, if desired.

Par-Cheesy Pizza

• 1 lb. frozen bread dough
• 4 thin slices salami
• 1 to 2 medium onions
• 1 to 2 large sweet red peppers
• 3/4 cup pizza sauce
• 1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 to 6 pimiento-stuffed green olives, halved

Thaw dough according to package directions. Cut onions and red peppers into 2-inch by 1/2-inch strips. On a lightly greased baking sheet, roll dough into a 12-inch square. Spread with pizza sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Arrange the salami, onion, and pepper over top to resemble a Parcheesi board.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and cheese is melted. Top with olives.

Checkerboard Cheese Sandwiches

• 1 (10-oz.) block extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 (10-oz.) block Swiss cheese, grated
• 1-1/4 cups light or regular mayonnaise
• 1 (4-oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained
• 1 tsp. dried onion flakes
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 20 thin white bread slices
• 20 thin wheat bread slices
• Garnishes: grape tomatoes and black olives, secured with wooden picks

Stir together first six ingredients. Spread half of mixture evenly on 10 white bread slices; top with remaining white bread slices. Spread remaining half of mixture evenly on 10 wheat bread slices; top with remaining slices. Remove crusts with a serrated knife; cut each sandwich into 4 squares. Arrange, stacked in pairs, on a serving plate in a checkerboard pattern, alternating white and wheat. Garnish, if desired.

Once you’ve put together a game night-themed menu, your guests can bring the rest (you know, chips and dip, etc). My final tip would be to make sure you’ve got enough chairs for everyone! Once you’ve done that, the only thing left to do is roll the dice.

Article appeared in our 28-2 Issue - June 2011