#geek and sundry

“Your will be done…”
Inspired by a scene from the online series Critical Role.

[Spoiler Ahead]
Death represents nature taking its course and a huge part of all our lives. It makes us humble. Makes us stronger in it’s presence.
Vax approaches the Raven Queen in a desperate attempt to humbly bargain for the life of his fallen friend Scanlan, while he hangs by a few destiny strands connecting him with everyone with whom he share love, joy, sadness and hate.
The Raven Queen looks down at her champion, emotionally defeated by serving something that he respects and accepts but has taken so much from him, knowing for certain that many other champions knelt before her and bargain for the same thing.

More Critical Role inspired fictional branding, this time, dedicated to Ank'harel’s favorite spice.

Greater Restoration

“Have you tried Greater Restoration?”
-Vex’ahlia

…

After all, it is the chicken soup of the D&D Universe. Recipe is below the cut.
-MJ & K

Tip: We personally find it easiest to get the stock, chicken fat (schmaltz), and shredded chicken by making it homemade and we will include this recipe at the bottom. But otherwise you can also use canned stock, butter, and precooked chicken.

Chicken Soup: Serves ~6

• 8 cups homemade chicken stock
  
• 1 cup dry white wine (optional, or more chicken stock)
  
• 4T lemon juice
  
• 4T butter/schmaltz
  
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
  
• 2 tsp minced garlic
  
• 2 tsp fresh thyme
  
• 1 tsp fresh oregano
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely minced
  
• 2 tsp salt
  
• 1 tsp pepper
  
• 3 cups shredded chicken
  
• 8 oz pasta (can use any kind, we prefer orzo or egg noodle nests)
  

Melt the butter/smaltz in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves, and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the lemon juice and white wine and continue cooking until the carrots are soft.  Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the chopped chicken and pasta. Continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked. Season with salt, pepper, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

…

Homemade broth, shredded chicken, and schmaltz:

Note: When you’re cooking regularly at home, keep and freeze anything remotely useful for stock: carrot peels and tops, beef bones and fat pieces, basil scraps, potato and garlic peels, scallion tops, hard cheese rinds… all of these can be added to stock to improve the flavor. freeze them in a bag for the next time you make stock and any can be added here. 

• 1-2 large precooked rotisserie chickens
  
• Pack of turkey necks or giblets (usually sold with the odd meat pieces like oxtail and stew bones, just call your grocery store and ask)
  
• 3 carrots, coarsely chopped (keep the skins on, and also keep the peels from the soup carrots. if you carrots have their green tops, chop those as well)
  
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped with the skin (only discard utmost dry layer of skin)
  
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped with greens
• 3 T white wine vinegar
• 1 T whole black peppercorns
  
• 1 T salt
  
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
  
• 8 sprigs of parsley
  
• 5 sprigs rosemary
  
• Hard rind of Parmesan cheese
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 12 cups water
  
• 2 cups dry white whine (Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc)
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

Shred the chicken from the bones, setting aside all the skin you can. This meat can now be chopped, shredded, frozen, or used now. 

Add the chicken skin the a large stock pot. Cook on medium heat until the fats have rendered out and the skin is crispy. Remove the skin (and then promptly eat), leaving the chicken fat in the bottom of the pot. Add another 2-3 T butter if not much fat was rendered.

In a large roasting tray combine the chicken bones, additional poultry pieces, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic; liberally coat with olive oil. Cook in a 400*F oven until the bones become aromatic (this time depends on then number of bones, just keep close and use your nose).

When the bones become aromatic, pull them from the oven and add them, the vegetables, and all the other ingredients to the large pot with the chicken fat. Turn the pot on high and let the stock come to a rolling boil before turning down to medium, partially covering with its lid, and allowing to simmer for 6 hours at least, preferably refrigerate overnight and keep simmering again in the morning.

Refrigerate and skim the fat off for later use, and strain the solids from the stock. Use the stock as a soup base or freeze in 3-4  cup soup containers for later use.