Banana Rum Waffles

My family has someone with a gluten allergy so this recipe is gluten free.
I also have a growing daughter that gets very hungry and ravenous.

Searching for recipes for gluten free waffles on line I got asked to narrow the search to include recipes to use our bananas that had gone past ripe. 
Found lots but none used a plain gluten free flour mix.  Most used oats that I'm out of. 

So I took some inspiration.  Took some ideas.  And made my own.

-I already said she can be a hungry thing so it's almost a double batch recipe. 
-The rum in the title is a homemade gift I got.  It's pure vanilla beans soaked in rum and then bottled.  I didn't make it. But I use it for special recipes.  I substitute it 1 for 1 for vanilla.   If trying for the rum taste add 1 tbsp rum with your 1 tbsp vanilla

Mix your wet and dry sections separately. I accurately had 2 wet mixes for this.

I mixed the topping while waffles were cooking.

Dry

1 cup Sugar

3 cups Flour (I used Pamela's All Purpose *let me know what blend of flour you use for gluten free cooking)

2 tablespoons Cinnamon

1 tablespoon Baking Powder 

Mix together in a large bowl

Wet

Today I used 2 wet mixes because I didn't have a second large bowl.  If it wasn't for the bananas it would have been one wet mix

-Mix 1

2 eggs

3 bananas 

Whip until fluffy and creamy

-Mix 2

2 cups Milk

4 tablespoons Butter (salted)

2 tablespoons Rum Vanilla

I take one cup milk add the butter and heat until the butter melts.  This spreads the butter through out the mix.  Add in the second cup of milk and vanilla. Stirring after each ingredient.  If not using 2 wet mixes I add the eggs last to prevent the hot butter cooking the eggs.

I then poured both wet mixes into the dry mix and butter my waffle iron.  Follow your instructions for your waffle iron.

Topping

With the Rum and Banana flavor we really didn't want to lose that with syrups.

So we took a Cinn-a-bon style recipe

7 tablespoons Butter

2 ounces Cream Cheese

1 1/2 cups of Powdered Sugar

4 tablespoons Milk

Mix the warmed cream cheese and butter together.  When blended slowly add the powdered sugar.  Slowly adding milk one tablespoon at a time until it's the thickness you desire.  For us it was 4.  With plenty left over

Elfbait Cauldron Born unboxing

I would have loved to write this as a video but quickly realized I couldn't find my tripod and holding the camera wouldn't do.

For this I used Elfbait, IWM, Orko-one, and Khurasan models for size and reference.

One of Elfbait's most popular models was the Cauldron Born/Ebon Jaquar.  He had made a few variants.  He decided to revisit the model but this time make it so the model could be made into any Battletech variant you wanted using tactical rails.

I should say at this point I used no glue for the review.  Nothing on this reviewed model is holding it together.

That being said it is resin and I have no idea how much switching between arms and torso mounts the model and it's pieces could take.

The box itself isn't taped and can be reused (made me glad as I'm moving soon and all the pieces can be stored together)

Pieces are bagged up like Japanese candy.  Don't eat them :)

The Cauldron Born has always looked a little tiny.  The artwork made it look cartoonish.  I was very happy with how the model Elfbait first did looked like a hard target to hit.  Almost like a medium or light mech carrying much larger firepower than it should.
It's not as "balloon" looking in the center torso as it's CBT artwork.  Just a bit of personal taste on that point.

Comparing the torso on the older models and the new.  The shape is the same.  Dimensions are almost spot on.  I almost think he had a torso left over and redid parts of it.  But the nose seams longer and a few slight details are on it. (kind of hard to see in the pictures)

The legs have been changed so the stance makes it a little taller than the older model.

Even without a base it's taller than the older Elfbait model (these here painted and based by Lonewolf @ LotB forums)

I only opened the one set of weapons to do a comparison shot with its counterpart.  The weapons have been changed and resculpted too.

And I know your asking about more size shots

The model can be used in 6,10, and 15mm games.  

My only issue is the rails and the parts. As said before it is resin and I have no idea how the model and parts will hold up to constant switching.

But shown in these pictures, no glue was used.  I'm again impressed with the quality of the sculpt.

in this reviewed united I see no flash.  I can only assume that Elfbait reviewed each piece and cleaned them up so you can prime and paint right away after you give the pieces a quick bath.

Ren Fest mugs

So you don't get to be a geek without other collections.
Here's the mug and goblets I've gotten from Festivals. Mostly the MI Renaissance Festival.

Medieval Times IL

MI Ren Fest 2000

MI Ren Fest Feast of Fantasy 1999

LE 25th Dragon Goblet MI Ren Fest

MI Ren Fest 2010

MI Ren Fest 2006

Feast of Fantasy 2003

2003 LE MI Ren Fest

Bay Area FL Fest 1999

MI Ren Fest 2009

MI Ren Fest 1999

MI Ren Fest 1997

2008 MI Ren Fest

MI Ren Fest 2002

Valhalia Brew Odin's Ale bottle

Going to be listing some of these for sale soon.  As you see they are collecting dust.

Problems being Lord of the Nth

Well not really a problem as much as my ramblings.
Judging by posts, pictures and threads by others, its a common thing.

I want to return to painting.  It's been to long and I need the release.
So while searching for my target project I find a box.  From overseas.  Hmm

In the box it's packed full of resin. The style and color give it all away.
It's my box I got from Jed while his Old Crow store was (still) closed.

heck I don't even recall what I ordered but as he hasn't opened his website up, and is still doing hollywood props (+I hear he may retire soon) I'm giddy to open it.

More up dates soon.  If I can't paint I plan to take a day to review models, games and other nerdy geeky stuff to keep in in the royalty of geekdom.

LordNth's game review: Island Seige

So my local convenience store has a section where they play/demo games.

A couple times I've seen this neat looking game being played by gaming customer Mike and Demo Guy John.
LordNth: "So how many can play this game?"
Demo Guy John: "Two. But online there is rules for adding players"
LordNth: "How do you win?"
Mike: "Placing all the wooden dudes from this card onto play"
John: "Colonizing your meeples onto forts and settlements."
Mike: "Or getting 20 coins, but that'll never happen."
LordNth: "So you're about to win Mike?"
Mike: "Sure.  I've seen this before. One attack and he'll knock out this one Fort and return half my guys to this card."
John: "The game is set up so Victory isn't quite a sure thing and you can get knocked off from winning really easily."
LordNth: "You guys played this a few weeks ago.  How long is game play?"
Mike: "He wins really quickly."
Dice rattle and the Fort is destroyed.  John wins a few turns later.

A small box for $30 retail. that might put people off for this little box designed for 2 players.

Very nice looking box and artwork.

Lots of game pieces.

Metal coins, and not just circles.  Gives a period feel to the game.

Bonus points to any game that tries to give metal coins with the game.

Hmmm, what games use ships and meeples?

This allows easy replacement pieces or easy to find pieces if you're going to add a few more players.

Wooden resource cubes.  You need these to build strong forts.

Colorful cards with easy to read font.

The cards come from the same pile, but they are Outposts and Forts...

Fort upgrades in the form of buildings.  These are how you get $ and a little repair to the forts you attach them to.

Ships to give you abilities and special to use during attacks.

Game set up is super easy.

then you do 3 things. 

1. Check to see if you won.  You only win on the beginning of your turn.

2. Colonize your outposts and Forts.

3. Choose to do one of the following.

a. draws cards

b.play a card (build upgrades, ships or new forts)

c. attack using the dice.

So I have options on my first turn.

Build an upgrade and move the required number number of Meeples from the fort to the upgrade attached to that fort.

Upgrades give you special powers.  Mostly during attacks or changing results of attacks.

Attack by placing your ship on the Fort you wish to attack.

Attacks have a first shot. And then a second effect.  That could be a second volley or gathering resource cubes.

  

Here I have 2 grey pieces get destroyed and the a second volley where I chose white to be removed.

Or I reroll any dice that's not the primary attack color (this time it was grey), and any color that not in the primary attack I gather resources of that color from the supply pile.

If you choose to draw cards you draw 3 giving one to your opponent.

So after just a few rounds, Yellow has 2 Forts, and colonized a few Meeples in short time. And has gotten some coins.

While a quick glance says yellow is ahead, Yellow is out of resource cubes, with little options left in cards to play.

While Red could Draw Cards, Build or Attack.  He's not placing as many Meeples but has a ship that gives him abilities during attacks.

So if red attacks again, yellow will lose this Fort and half his Meeples will return to the starting card.

yellow plays a card on the stronger Fort, gaining money and the ability to retain Meeples that are destroyed in an attack.

I've played a half dozen games.  I haven't played with all the cards, and haven't played more than 2 players (I got the game used with it set up with option pieces for 3/4 players).  I do find that being close to Victory doesn't mean you will have it.  Any player can remove victory from your grasp in just a turn and then try to grab it for themselves.  I do find that early you want a few extra cards to choose from and extra Resource Cubes to make those cards stay around longer.

This is really an over simplified example as there is a whole section on placing Supply Cubes on Forts to increase the resistance to dice roll Attacks. 

But it's simple to read, not to terribly difficult to understand the rules and a good replay value.

If I didn't find this Used I was going to fork over the full retail for a standard 2 player game.

As you can gather from the into, it's not for everyone.  

gathering Island Siege a 4/5 rating from me.