Tabletop Potluck

New month, new game! This one you don't want to miss, because we are delving into Mysteries of the Yokai, a game of historical fantasy. You'll meet dangerous warriors, clumsy ninja, and a giant feline bureaucrat. Yeah, it's that sort of arc!

That’s right, friends!  We have a recipe double whammy for you today.  If you enjoyed listening to our My Little Pony: Tails of Equestria potluck episode, you’ll love these recipes!

Red Wine Braised Beef Cheeks

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil

1.5 kg/3lb beef cheeks

1 onion, roughly diced

1 celery stalk , roughly diced

1 carrot , roughly diced

4 garlic cloves , minced

6 stems of fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

4 dried bay leaves (or 3 fresh bay leaves)

1 cup Beef Stock

2 cups Red Wine(I suggest a full bodied red wine like a cabernet sauvignon or merlot)

2 - 3 tsp salt

Black pepper

Steps

Prepare the beef cheeks: cut off any large, fatty membrane. Pat dry then use 1 tsp of salt and black pepper to season the beef all over.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy based pan over high heat. Sear the beef cheeks on each side until nicely browned. If your pan is not large enough, work in batches rather than crowding the pan. Remove beef cheeks onto a plate, loosely cover with foil to keep warm.

Turn down the heat to medium high and heat the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add garlic, onion and carrots. Sauté for 3 minutes until onion is becoming translucent, then add the celery and sauté for a further 3 minutes.

Pour the onion mixture into a slow cooker and place the beef cheeks on top.

Pour the wine into the fry pan and return to heat. Turn the heat up to high, bring to simmer and let it simmer for 1 minute (to cook out the wine a bit). Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan so it mixes in with the wine.

Pour the wine into the slow cooker, then all the remaining ingredients, starting with a pinch of salt and pepper (add more to taste later).

Cook in the slow cooker on Low for 8 hours or High for 6 hours for 250g/8oz size beef cheeks or Low for 10 - 12 hours or High for 8 hours for 350g/12oz beef cheeks.

Open the slow cooker and remove the beef cheeks. Discard the thyme stems and bay leaves.

Use a handheld stick blender to puree the braising liquid into a smooth Sauce or ladle it into a blender - it will change from a dark brown to a lighter brown colour. If using a slow cooker without a sauté setting, pour the Sauce into a saucepan. If you have a sauté setting, leave it in the slow cooker.

Put the saucepan over medium heat (or set the slow cooker to sauté setting) and bring to simmer.

Simmer until the Sauce turns a darker brown colour and reduces by about 1/4 to 1/3, to a gravy consistency - about 10 minutes.

 Do a taste test and adjust the seasoning (salt and pepper) to your taste.

Remove from heat, return beef cheeks to the Sauce, cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, you should also be able to use a large stock pot or dutch oven, just let it simmer on low heat! Now here’s the fun part:

Savory Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 cup fresh blueberries

2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

Salt and pepper to taste

Steps

Pour 1/2 cup chicken stock, vinegar, orange juice, and honey into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium.

Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup of chicken stock, and stir into the simmering sauce. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens and turns clear, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in the blueberries and chives, and keep warm over low heat.

(Optional) If you prefer stronger blueberry flavors, then let stir in the blueberries first, hold off on the chives. Let the sauce simmer with blueberries for 4-5 minutes and then stir in the chives. Simmer for longer for stronger flavors.

And a special bonus! Marquez’s warm apple cider, perfect for sharing with friends (because friendship is, of course, magic). 

Ingredients

2 quarts apple cider

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 tablespoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine all ingredients, heat to simmer, add additional spices to taste. Serve warm!

Hey all! Have you ever wondered what friendship could be? Well, come and take this adventure with Tabletop Potluck as we explore the My Little Pony game Tails of Equestria!

Both Megan and Sally thought the book guided you through character creation with ease and everything was laid out very simply but didn’t lack complexity so all the character created could feel different

Megan felt the system was inviting despite her lack of knowledge of My Little Pony. She had to read up on the Elements of Harmony, but the book provides definitions so that wasn’t too much of a problem. Marquez felt that the character creation was about halfway between a playbook system and a crunchier game, making it a good entry level game as it was designed for both children and adults.

Both quirks and talents were easy to understand. Talents are basic powers and are akin to Dungeons and Dragons feats which are great but don’t really stand out. Sally loved talents and love the variety of powers these ponies can have, as well as making sure they all were different from one another.

Quirks, on the other hand, stood out especially as interesting role-playing prompts that despite being things that would hold your character back, provided no negative mechanical aspect to your character sheet and by confronting your quirk through role playing opportunities has a positive mechanical spin, which really fits in well with such a positive game system. Your quirks set you apart but they are what make you you! The fantastic character you are!

Friendship tokens are GREAT! The crew all agreed that the friendship token mechanic felt really well developed. The fact that you start off with friendship tokens equal to the people at the table INCLUDING the GM is really nice as it emphasizes that the GM wants you to succeed and is also your friend. The idea that you use the friendship tokens to re-roll and change the narrative really emphasizes the subtitle of the show that friendship IS magic and by using these tokens you can just succeed! But be careful not to hoard your friendship tokens like a dragon, friendship is meant to be shared! And if you spend them, they are easy to get back as the game rewards you with them for being a good friend.

The test, challenges, and scuffle aspects of the game (the main reason you roll dice) seemed fair. You just roll one die to determine success and when the challenges you face are at your level all the dice rolls are fair. This also allows the GM to showcase when a threat seems insurmountable, like when Marquez pulled a d12-- the atmosphere changed at the table, but with enough friendship tokens, anything is possible.

Leveling is really easy, just finish an adventure! Though we didn’t level up here, we noted that it is so nice knowing that instead of a complicated experience system and easier to explain while teaching kids to play the game.

We would all play Tails of Equestria, though Megan would want to watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic before playing again but mostly so she’d be as excited as Sally was during the game! We recommend Tails of Equestria definitely for parents who want to teach their kids, or even as a first time RPG for all ages provided you want to have fun! If you don’t take yourself too seriously take some time and play this game! It’s a breath of fresh air!

We’ve learned the true meaning of friendship (spoilers, it’s magic). Well, magic and delicious food, because it’s time for a POTLUCK EPISODE! Join us at the table as we give Tails of Equestria the tabletop potluck taste test! 

Please silence all cellular devices, finish your candy, and remember, flash photography is strictly prohibited during the performance. The final act of our Tails of Equestria game begins, right now!