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Health & Fitness

Pinochle & Snacks Part 2 of 9

Part 2 of our journey into the world of Pinochle playing. We're starting to get the hang of the game, albiet slowly. Enjoy!

Second class, tip(s), snow (arghhhh) and a snack!

Well gang, we're back! We survived Mother Nature's onslaught of snow (ample snow, 22 + inches between Wed and Thurs) and the requisite shoveling afterwards. During a break in the pinochle action at the family room coffee table we took a nice walk in the falling snow and admired the country side, adorned in it's new winter coat of beautiful white snow, reveling in the silence that only a good snow storm brings about. But our pleasure was soon cut down like Sonny Corleone in the Godfather as we realized that the "shortcut" we took through the field by the house was NOT such a good idea.

We played more hands starting Wednesday and through to the weekend (Sunday) that we lost count of how long we actually played, but it was worthwhile. As with anything, the more you play the better you get, working on counting meld, cards played, cards remaining, etc.... http://www.pagat.com/marriage/pinmain.html

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So here it is, Wednesday night and we just got back from class. Starting with a quick review from last week (actually two weeks ago) our instructor delved into counting meld and estimating tricks in your hand prior to bidding, Then how to decide what suit to declare trump (believe it or not, it's not always your strongest suit or the suit in which you hold the most cards.) The review session was worth it as it helped build confidence (well as least my confidence) in the ability to recall meld points, runs, marriages and meld pinochle (the Jack of diamonds and the Queen of spades together.) For some reason the pinochle combination always escapes my memory, kind of like trash night or what time we're supposed to be at the in-laws for dinner. ANYWAY............ I was impressed with myself (which doesn't take much these days) and with my lovely wife as we called out point values, marriages, runs, et al WITHOUT the aid of a cheat sheet as our instructor laid out sample hands. I/we were also able to spot marriages and runs pretty quickly and were even able to estimate possible tricks in a hand prior to bidding. So, what's my point? Practice makes perfect. Play, play, play, it's the only way to learn.

We broke into groups of three (except for the "showoffs" playing Double Deck, harumph...) and played "Three handed pinochle". Our third was a fun member of the class that matched my skill level, so with my wife being a little more skilled, it was still a pretty even table. In three handed, bidding starts at 15 and you play to 100. Sparing you all the details, I was able, despite being dealt several hands of crap to take the lead by making my bids (even when I got stuck with the bid), (more on that in a later blog) and generally feeling pretty good about myself. That is until my wife had 28 meld points in her hand, won the bid with 16 and pretty much crushed our third player and I into submission. On the following hand all she needed (after winning the bid again) was to take one trick to hit 100 and win the game. My new found confidence was smashed like the '61 Ferrari GT 250 in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I was reduced to being Ferris' hapless friend Cameron, knowing there was nothing I could do to reverse the carnage that had taken place. But all in all it was a fun evening and we all managed to learn something.

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So if your still here, here is this week's tip and recipe.....

TIP 2: Play three handed at home with a "dummy" hand and leave that hand face down, playing only the top card each time. Meld and bid, declare trump between you and your opposite player without looking at the hand. It becomes a random card generator that will challenge your skill and force you to count and remember cards played.

RECIPE 2: Mini Quiches. You cannot use a standard quiche recipe for this, it doesn't work. Coat the cups in a mini muffin pan with Pam spray. Using the recipe on a box of Bisquik, follow the instructions for the "Impossible Cheeseburger pie". With the following exceptions. Number one no ground beef and number two, no sauteed onions. Finely dice your onions, shred your Swiss cheese and crumble your cooked bacon. place a small amount of onions, cheese and bacon in the bottom of each muffin cup and pour about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the liquid mixture in to each cup (don't over fill, they will over flow and make a real mess). Cook according to package directions checking every 3 to 5 minutes after the first 10 minutes of cooking time has elapsed. They will go from perfectly done to burnt to a crisp in a flash if your not careful. Remove from oven after the tops are a nice light brown and let cool for 10 or so minutes before removing from cups. For some variety, replace the bacon and Swiss with fresh steamed shrimp (cut into bite sized pieces) and shredded smoked Gouda or fresh steamed lobster tail (cut into bite sized pieces) and chopped Brie. Served with a crisp, cold Chardonnay these are fantastic!

NEXT WEEK: Class number three and yummy Pita snacks!

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