Sautéed Shrimp with Walnuts and Prosciutto; Games people (used to) play

Who got new toys for Christmas?

That many…. Wow!

Who got new toys that did not require WiFi, a battery or both to function?

No one?

On British television there were almost as many ads for old-fashioned games as there were for electronic games. 

Was it the same in the US?

Twister seemed to be popular; aimed at children and families.

That's now how I remember playing it in college…. (chuckle)

It's nice to see that some of the old games are still around.

We loved Risk, Monopoly and Scrabble.

Another popular board game when I was in college, PassOut, probably hasn't stood the test of time. 

For those who never had the opportunity to play, one drank copious amounts of alcohol and smoked many cigarettes, all at the role of the die… as in roll a 7: Take 2 drinks and light-up!

Apparently, we needed help to misbehave.

I have no idea if 'Lie, Cheat and Steal, the Game of Business and Politics' is still around.  It may have become less popular in recent years.

Who remembers Rook?  There was an old deck that my parents had that I took to college with me (Yeah, I played a lot of games in college).

Rook is a deck of playing cards that is not a deck of playing cards. 

It was introduced by Parker Bros. at the turn of the last century with the idea that fundamental religious groups that did not allow card playing could play with the Rook deck (and buy said deck from Parker Bros.).

It worked. 

People who would never consider playing Bridge or Rummy because of the heathen cards will happily play the exact same game with the Rook cards.  Rook cards are simply numbered 1 – 14 with colored numbers, no images or symbols.  In the instruction book you will find every conceivable "card game"… renamed for Rook.

And there was Milles Borne, Yahtzee, Uno, Parcheesi.… and Chinese checkers, chess, backgammon and checkers.

And cribbage! 

I bet I've played at least a million games of cribbage!

I just read recently where it's a sign of age if you can remember playing solitaire (Patience) with an actual, physical deck of cards.

I'm a 4-suit Spider addict myself – among other games.

Excuse while I just play a quick game….

I love computer games.

But I miss playing board games with actual people.

We don't know any 'game' people here.

Perhaps I'll work on that in 2011.

Speaking of which…. Tired of the same old Shrimp Cocktail for a starter?

Try this one – less work than wrapping the shrimp in the Prosciutto but with the same flavors. The walnuts add a nice contrast as well as being good for us.

Sautéed Shrimp with Walnuts and Prosciutto
  serves 2 as first course

6oz (180gr) shrimp, cleaned
2 large shallots
2 slices Prosciutto, 1.5oz (50gr) or other dry-cured ham
8 – 10 walnut halves
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp soy sauce

Clean shrimp if needed. Clean and thickly slice shallots. Roughly chop Prosciutto. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add paprika and sauté briefly. Add shallots and sauté until tender and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add walnuts, Prosciutto, and sauté until Prosciutto starts to get crisp, about 5 minutes longer. Add shrimp and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until raw shrimp curl and turn opaque or cooked shrimp are heated through. Sprinkle with soy sauce, stir to combine and serve.

Something to nibble on before tackling a scrabble marathon!

What are your favorite games?

And when was the last time you played them?

Computer games don't count!