Happy 2018, folks! Since the dumpster fire of 2016, we hope to rise from the smoldering garbage ashes of 2017 like a beautiful, trash-stained phoenix in need of a hot shower. Forgive me. I serve up my humor with a pinch of poetry and a kilo of sarcasm. Anyhoo a new year means a recap of the last one, and you know what that means? Time to announce the Top 5 Geeky Recipes of 2017 from The Gluttonous Geek!
Once again I would like to thank all of you for your love and support, whether you joined up this year, the last year, or have been with me since the very start in June of 2015. As my gift to you, I made 8″x11″ downloadable PDF recipe cards for each of my most popular posts from this year.
We might as well get started, shouldn’t we? The fifth most viewed recipe post from 2017 was:
Thronesgiving 2017 | Sansa’s Birds and Cersei’s Berries
I still consider Thronesgiving as one of the turning points in my life that created The Gluttonous Geek. It all started in 2015 when my husband and I decided to invite a collection of friends at literally the last minute for a season premiere feast. I was also itching to try recipes from my copy of A Feast of Ice and Fire by Chelsea from Inn at the Crossroads. Within a few hours we were serving up Potato-Leek Soup, Beef and Bacon Pie, and own variant of Smoked Lamb and Bacon Pie.
This year’s Thronesgiving I was inspired by the final episode of season 6 where the Queens of the world came together to war against the Mad Queen of Westeros. I sought to create dishes that represented each queen: Yara, Ellaria, Olenna, Daenerys, Sansa, and Cersei and what they figuratively brought to the table as a character and representative of their part of the world.
These two dishes certainly ran the gauntlet in my oven as I was serving up a total of 6 recipes for 14 people. First, we have a honey, lemon, and scotch glazed Cornish Game Hen with fresh rosemary inspired by Sansa Stark. And for dessert, we have a Spiced Red Wine and Chocolate Cake drowned in a red wine and raspberry puree — adapted with permission from Katharina from Pretty Cake Machine‘s Rotweinkuchen recipe.
I have more than a recipe to thank Katharina for. She stepped in last minute as my Sous Chef when I had food to plate, photos to take, and guests to herd. Her friendship has been one the most significant rewards I’ve received from running this blog.
Download the Recipe Cards
Sansa’s Cornish Game Hens 8″ x 11″
Cersei’s Drunken Cake 8″ x 11″
Save it on Pinterest
Sansa’s Cornish Game Hens
Cersei’s Drunken Cake
Next up, the fourth most popular post from 2017 was:
Dresden Files | Lasciel’s Denarian Baklava featuring Dryad Tea
One of my favorite things about running this blog is I get the opportunity to meet and become friends with incredibly cool people who share similar passions. When I met Rubiee Tallyn Hayes from Dryad Tea, I was blown away by her talent for handmade pottery, and delicious fiction and gaming themed tea blends. I drink her Dresden Files and Pokemon Go tea on the regular, and pieces of her pottery have made multiple appearances on the blog.
This recipe for baklava uses Dryad Tea’s Temptress blend – a chocolatey black tea blend with hints of strawberry, apple, and blackberry. The beautiful thing about this dish is that it’s simple enough in base flavor to bring out the notes in the tea syrup. Inspired by fallen angel Lasciel from Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, this recipe is sinfully delicious and far from gelt-free!
Download the Recipe Card
Lasciel’s Denarian Baklava 8″ x 11″
Save it on Pinterest
The next post rolled a critical success as the third most popular post from last year:
DnD Cast Iron Skillet Recipes
This post was my first sponsored giveaway! Last year a representative from Sam’s Club contacted me about reviewing and promoting Emeril’s pre-seasoned 12″ cast iron skillet. The idea to do RPG themed recipes stemmed from a camping trip with friends a couple of years ago where we grilled steaks over the fire while playing a one-shot Pathfinder game. I’ve also seen the viral post of DnD race rations make runabout and I wanted to make something that could add some atmosphere while gaming, but also take advantage of that campfire you already have blazing away.
Out of all of my multi-project cooking days, this was probably the least stressful and the most fun. Starting out with the Halfling’s Second Breakfast Skillet, I was out in my front yard from morning to late afternoon with a campfire, a skillet, and my camera. Paired with a low-heated oven inside, I had plenty of options for my Game of Thrones finale potluck that evening.
Download the Recipe Cards:
Orcish Fried Chunks with Beer & Mushroom Gravy 8.5″ x 11″
Orcish Lard Bread and Halfling’s Honey Tack 8.5″ x 11″
Halfling’s Second Breakfast Skillet 8.5″ x 11″
Elvish Vegan Greenspear Stew 8.5″ x 11″
Adventurer’s Braised Beef with Ginger and Pear 8.5″ x 11″
Save it on Pinterest:
Orcish Fried Chunks with Beer & Mushroom Gravy
Halfling’s Second Breakfast Skillet
Elvish Vegan Greenspear Stew
Adventurer’s Braised Beef with Ginger and Pear
From Dungeons and Dragons to even more Dragons, ya’ll Food Ro Dah’d this next recipe into the honor of second most popular post from 2017:
Skyrim | Lavender Dumplings
Admittedly I’d wanted to make this for awhile and took advantage of our Fandom Foodies’ #Nyanuary theme to whip up this copy-Khajiit recipe. This post taught me two things:
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- Never bake and shoot a blog post on a weeknight before another event the same evening, and
- Holy Talos on a Triscuit, Pinterest loves Skyrim food!
I’m not kidding. Roughly 60% of my traffic from Pinterest is from this single post. Guess this means I need to do more Skyrim recipes.
Download the Recipe Card:
Skyrim’s Lavender Dumplings 8.5″ x 11″
Save it on Pinterest (again):
Speaking of social media platforms, I claim Reddit responsible for sharing my most popular post from 2017:
Hello from the Magic Tavern | Spiced Potatoes & Waffles
This was my first podcast-inspired set of recipes. I have to thank my friends, Aaron and Leslie Galvan from the My Kitchen is Open and the So This is Love Podcast, for introducing me to the beauty of Hello from the Magic Tavern. The adventures of Arnie, Chunt, and Usidore the Blue have gotten me through many months of commutes and corporate drudgery. Also, Usidore’s uncanny knack for flavors made this recipe possible.
I wish I could better articulate how much joy this podcast has brought me, as well as show my appreciation for the Magic Tavern production team and fan community. I guess the best way to do so is to create more recipes. You got it, fellow members of THE BOOK CLUB!
Download the Recipe Card:
The Vermillion Minotaur’s Spiced Potatoes 8.5″ x 11″
Save it on Pinterest:
The Vermillion Minotaur’s Spiced Potatoes
What’s Coming up in 2018…
So now that we’ve gone over the favorites of yesteryear, it’s time to look forward to the posts to come. Stay tuned this month for recipes recreating the dishes from Battle Chef Brigade, as well as posts recapping the grand re-re-re-opening and New Year’s party at Atlanta’s Battle & Brew.
This year I only expect the blog to grow further for reasons I, unfortunately, cannot yet explain but am I am excited about nonetheless. Thank you all for your support. I am thrilled to continue our journey through food and fiction for another year.
