The activities and recipes from location day for Illmythil, Illionor (Season 13 FalAL)!
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Activities
Deer in the Grass
Played with a group of people. One person is in the center, blindfolded; all other players start in a ring an equal distance from the center player. The center player’s goal is to listen for the other players and point to them to take them “out” of the game; all other players’ goal is to sneak up on the center player as silently as possible and tag them before anyone else.
Camouflage
Played with a group of people, best in an area with some cover or undergrowth. One player starts in the center; all other players have a minute or so to hide. All hiding players must be able to see the center player from their hiding spot! Once time is up, the center player can open their eyes; and, standing from the spot in the center and without moving from it, they have a few minutes to find as many hiding people as possible.
Nature Journaling
Pick a feature of the environment that calls to you, be it a particular tree or pebble or fencepost etc; it doesn’t have to be serious or beautiful and can in fact be quite silly or plain, as long as it calls to you. Spent 30min with the object; sketch it a few times in a few different styles, aiming for quick over accurate; then free-associate words or phrases that come to you while looking at your subject, be they descriptive words or feelings or even something silly.
Calligraphy & Ink Painting Poem
We practiced calligraphy and painting on large sheets of paper with black ink. Then, using the reference sketches from nature journaling as well as the words associated, painted that subject and wrote a short freeform poem – 2-5 lines at most – about it.
Recipes
General note on recipes – my measurements below are very rough, and I strongly suggest you taste-test throughout the cooking process until you get it how you like it.
Trail Rations
Honeycakes, Hazelnuts, Dried Cherries, Wasabi Peas.
Cracker, Cheese, & Jam Spread
This one’s relatively self-explanatory, y’all. Optionally add candied nuts or dried fruit.
Radish & Cucumber Salad
Ingredients: Radishes, Cucumber, Fennel, Watercress, Lemon or Lime Juice, Olive Oil
Instructions: Slide radishes and cucumber paper-thin, finely mince fennel, and roughly chop watercress. Throw together in a bowl and mix with a tiny bit of olive oil and lemon or lime juice to taste.
Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients: Asparagus, Carrots, Leeks, Olive Oil, Spices, Salt
Instructions: Preheat oven to 400F. Cut all vegetables into piece the length and thickness of your pinky finger; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and any other spices desired (recommended: black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika). Lay all veggies in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 30min.
Melting Potatoes
Ingredients: Gold Potatoes, Vegetable Broth, Butter, Salt
Instructions: Preheat oven to 400F. Slice ends from potatoes so they lay flat as 1″ tall discs. Sear with butter in a pan on medium-high heat until both sides are browned. Once browned, lay in a single layer at the bottom of a baking dish; fill the dish with broth up to about halfway up the sides of the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and 5-6 tbsps of cubed butter, and bake for 30min. Optionally, garnish with herbs once potatoes are done.
Szechuan Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients: Baby Bella Mushrooms, Fresh Rosemary & Sage, Onion, Garlic, Heavy Cream, Soy Sauce, Szechuan Pepper, Black Pepper, White Pepper, Butter, Pasta
Instructions: Cook pasta, and set aside with 1/2 cup of pasta water. Slice mushrooms more mushrooms than you think you need as absolutely as thin as you can – you’ll need a very sharp knife. Saute in a pan over medium heat with no other oil or water until the mushrooms have given up all their liquid; then, add 2tbsp of butter. Once the butter is melted, add the minced garlic; once the garlic is just barely beginning to brown, add a couple tablespoons of soy sauce and then a cup of heavy cream. Once simmering, add whole herbs, a ton of szechuan pepper, and a modest amount of black pepper, and a tiny amount of white pepper; simmer until sauce has thickened, stirring regularly to keep from boiling over. Once the sauce is thickened, take out the herbs and add the pasta water a bit at a time until desired consistency;
Spring Rolls
Ingredients: Spring Roll Wrappers, Watercress, Avocado, Tofu, Red Bell Pepper, Cucumber, Mango, etc – any fresh items you want to put in a spring roll.
Instructions: Pre-cut all vegetables into long, thin strips that can be layered together. Soak the spring roll wrappers in water until soft, then lay out on a flat surface and fill with veggies as desired; tuck in the ends and roll the wrapper up. These stick, so put them directly where you want to serve them! Serve with any sauces you like – soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or even just lime juice.
Note about the tofu – we used a pre-cooked, marinated tofu during setting day for some more flavor.
Tea Poached Pears & Marzipan
Ingredients: Earl Grey Tea, Pears, Sugar, Whole Spices (Cinnamon, Anise, Cardamom, Vanilla), Orange Peel.
Instructions: Steep 4 cups of earl grey tea for 4-5 min or until desired strength; meanwhile – peel, halve, and core 5-6 pears. Pour the tea into a deep saucepan and add 1 cup of surgar, the whole spices, and some orange peel; turn to medium heat until simmering. Once simmering, add the pears face-down and simmer on medium-low heat for 4-5min; flip over, and simmer for another 4-5min. When finished, remove pears from liquid – you can remove the spices and continue to reduce remaining liquid to make a thick syrup to drizzle over the pears afterwards.
Optional: Serve with marzipan or edible candied flowers.
Falnorian Games 