Season 38 Final Jeopardy! Contest

[Grundoon59]

@j5cochran - apples used varies depending on availability and then I adjust sugar used depending on the sweetness of the apples.  For apple sauce, I usually ask the vendor for a good mix of apples.  This week I got honey crisp which I love to eat so I will probably use those. 

[SoMuchTV]

Can we all have a moment of silence for The Last Mattsterisk?

[ams1001]

5 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Can we all have a moment of silence for The Last Mattsterisk?

And I got it!

 

[SoMuchTV]

Just now, ams1001 said:

And I got it!

 

Good for you. In other news, at this particular point in time, I’m as smart as Matt. 

[GrannySmith]

3 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

And I got it!

 

I got it too!

[ams1001]

5 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Good for you.

Thanks, Alex!

[catlover79]

I couldn't believe I got it and Matt didn't...but he was probably tired. He was off his game all night, so maybe not quite a shock that he missed FJ.

[theartandsound]

4/5, one */one M*

Damn platypus.... I said kangaroo......

[saber5055]

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

And I got it!

Have some respect for this solemn moment. My boyfriend's gone. *sigh*

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, saber5055 said:

Have some respect for this solemn moment. My boyfriend's gone. *sigh*

Hey. 

He was my Internet Son. 

 

[saber5055]

5 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

He was my Internet Son. 

Oh yeah, right, I forgot, Future Mom In Law Shapeshifter. Apologies!

[ams1001]

51 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Have some respect for this solemn moment. My boyfriend's gone. *sigh*

47 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Hey. 

He was my Internet Son. 

I'm sorry; I am sad, too.

[Clanstarling]

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

My pregnant daughter just gave me a bag of Wegman's organic Gala apples that her DH bought for her (she wanted Pink Ladys). 
I have to confess that I am in the habit of cutting up apples to microwave them. Then I drizzle a little honey and stir in either sour cream or yogurt. (I realize that people who microwave fruit are the butt of jokes.) 
So, I will instead serve imaginary apple pie here, like my dad learned to make in the Army during WWII.

And I did instaget "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

 

It's never occurred to me to microwave fruit. I can see you use it for pie filling. Maybe I never though of it because I don't make pies (well, I have a pumpkin chiffon one that's amazing, but that doesn't count). I microwave lots of stuff people think you shouldn't. I make my from scratch puddings that way, and melt my chocolate (which btw turns out glossy and beautiful when I make barks)

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Hey. 

He was my Internet Son. 

 

Mine too, though I'll go for son in law, so we can share.

[ams1001]

8 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

It's never occurred to me to microwave fruit.

I occasionally will slice up an apple and microwave it with a little cinnamon and sugar. Quickie "baked" apple. Yum.

Edited October 12, 2021 by ams1001

[Clanstarling]

1 minute ago, ams1001 said:

I occasionally will slice up and apple and microwave it with a little cinnamon and sugar. Quickie "baked" apple. Yum.

Yum indeed. That's a healthier quickie sweet than I usually do. 😉

Edited October 12, 2021 by Clanstarling

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, Clanstarling said:

Yum indeed. That's a healthier quickie sweet than I usually do. 😉

Well, I've been on a milkshake kick lately. Vanilla ice cream, milk, homemade chocolate syrup. Though I got a big bag of frozen fruit (wild blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and kale) and have been making smoothies with plain kefir (and chocolate syrup). So thick I eat it with a spoon. 😋

[saber5055]

3 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Mine too, though I'll go for son in law, so we can share.

MOM!

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

homemade chocolate syrup. Though I got a big bag of frozen fruit (wild blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and kale)

1. How do you make homemade chocolate syrup? and

2. LOL that kale is in your bag of frozen fruit. (Oxford comma not withstanding.)

Edited October 12, 2021 by saber5055

[Prevailing Wind]

Blueberries in a ramekin with a wee bit of sugar, topped with a crushed Pecan Sandie. Nuke for a minute. Enjoy.

[shapeshifter]

I guess I'm the only old hippie here. No sugar. Just honey with my nuked fruit.

[saber5055]

You are not that much of a hippie. I don't even have a microwave. Or traditional oven.

Edited October 12, 2021 by saber5055

[shapeshifter]

47 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

You are not that much of a hippie. I don't even have a microwave. Or traditional oven.

😎 Cool. 

[saber5055]

Just need scores from @Ailianna and @Browncoat, then the Winner of Week 4 can be announced.

[Clanstarling]

7 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Well, I've been on a milkshake kick lately. Vanilla ice cream, milk, homemade chocolate syrup. Though I got a big bag of frozen fruit (wild blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and kale) and have been making smoothies with plain kefir (and chocolate syrup). So thick I eat it with a spoon. 😋

My daughter is on that kick too - just yogurt and mixed berries, no sugar added. She manages to suck it up with her silicon (silicone?) straws.

[Browncoat]

I could have sworn I posted my score!  Sorry -- 2/5 for me this week.

[SoMuchTV]

5 hours ago, saber5055 said:

9 hours ago, ams1001 said:

homemade chocolate syrup. Though I got a big bag of frozen fruit (wild blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and kale)

1. How do you make homemade chocolate syrup? and

Yeah, yeah, fruits are great and all, but I'm waiting to see a response about the homemade chocolate syrup!  Using cocoa powder?  Growing your own cacao (or whatever goes into chocolate)?  Inquiring minds...

[saber5055]

52 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I could have sworn I posted my score!

You probably did. I'm not the sharpest tool these days. In fact, I'm not even sharp any more, just a tool. But thanks for reposting. You now ARE on the score sheet!

[shapeshifter]

2 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

I'm not the sharpest tool these days. In fact, I'm not even sharp any more, just a tool.

I would save this somewhere to use for myself, but I would forget where I saved it. 😆

[ams1001]

6 hours ago, saber5055 said:

1. How do you make homemade chocolate syrup? and

2. LOL that kale is in your bag of frozen fruit. (Oxford comma not withstanding.)

(My Wegmans carries that one and another blend with mangoes but I don't like mangoes.)

5 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Blueberries in a ramekin with a wee bit of sugar, topped with a crushed Pecan Sandie. Nuke for a minute. Enjoy.

I don't eat nuts but maybe a shortbread cookie...

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

Yeah, yeah, fruits are great and all, but I'm waiting to see a response about the homemade chocolate syrup!  Using cocoa powder?  Growing your own cacao (or whatever goes into chocolate)?  Inquiring minds...

Ha, yes, I have a cacao tree in my spare bedroom. 😛

You'll find plenty of recipes if you google, but I originally tried two, then combined the ingredients of one with the method of the other (though I couldn't tell you which sites they were from now; they were all pretty similar, anyway) Then I started playing with different cocoas and sugars. 

The basic recipe:

• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Combine dry ingredients in a saucepan; whisk them together to break up any clumps. (I use a 2 quart saucepan; I wouldn't go smaller.)
2. Add water and over medium heat, whisk it all together until fully combined (it'll combine as it heats up; I stir pretty constantly until it does).
3. Bring to a boil (watch carefully; it will boil over quickly if you're not paying attention; I let it boil up to almost the top of the pan and then turn down the heat),
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally. It'll thicken a little as it simmers, but still be fairly thin.
5. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.
6. Pour into container of your choice, let cool for a while, then cover and refrigerate (I let it cool down so it doesn't get condensation in the lid); it'll thicken more when it's fully chilled. 

Makes about 2 cups. (I use a straight-sided pint canning jar, because it makes it easy to get the last bits out with a rubber spatula.)

You can use whatever cocoa and sugar you like (I don't know about sugar substitutes, though). The last several batches I've done I used regular Hershey's cocoa powder with half white and half light brown sugar. I've also done Hershey's Special Dark cocoa, and Sugar In the Raw. (Regular Hershey's cocoa and white sugar came out the closest to Hershey's Syrup, if you're going for that.) I've also used a brand (Saco?) that's half regular and half Dutched cocoa (I don't really know what that means, but it worked well), and Baker's brand which is "high fat cocoa" (it's 2g fat per serving vs .5g in Hershey's original cocoa powder); I don't know if that was the reason but it had a slightly odd flavor that I didn't like. (Gonna try that one in brownies one of these days, though...I mean I gotta use it up, right?)

[saber5055]

Oh, man, there really IS kale in your bag of fruit. Who knew!

[ams1001]

10 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Oh, man, there really IS kale in your bag of fruit. Who knew!

You didn't believe me?

[saber5055]

I wouldn't put kale on top of my granola. I guess that's just me.

[ams1001]

2 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

I wouldn't put kale on top of my granola. I guess that's just me.

Don't really notice it in a smoothie.

[Clanstarling]

11 hours ago, ams1001 said:

(My Wegmans carries that one and another blend with mangoes but I don't like mangoes.)

I don't eat nuts but maybe a shortbread cookie...

Ha, yes, I have a cacao tree in my spare bedroom. 😛

You'll find plenty of recipes if you google, but I originally tried two, then combined the ingredients of one with the method of the other (though I couldn't tell you which sites they were from now; they were all pretty similar, anyway) Then I started playing with different cocoas and sugars. 

The basic recipe:

• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Combine dry ingredients in a saucepan; whisk them together to break up any clumps. (I use a 2 quart saucepan; I wouldn't go smaller.)
2. Add water and over medium heat, whisk it all together until fully combined (it'll combine as it heats up; I stir pretty constantly until it does).
3. Bring to a boil (watch carefully; it will boil over quickly if you're not paying attention; I let it boil up to almost the top of the pan and then turn down the heat),
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally. It'll thicken a little as it simmers, but still be fairly thin.
5. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.
6. Pour into container of your choice, let cool for a while, then cover and refrigerate (I let it cool down so it doesn't get condensation in the lid); it'll thicken more when it's fully chilled. 

Makes about 2 cups. (I use a straight-sided pint canning jar, because it makes it easy to get the last bits out with a rubber spatula.)

You can use whatever cocoa and sugar you like (I don't know about sugar substitutes, though). The last several batches I've done I used regular Hershey's cocoa powder with half white and half light brown sugar. I've also done Hershey's Special Dark cocoa, and Sugar In the Raw. (Regular Hershey's cocoa and white sugar came out the closest to Hershey's Syrup, if you're going for that.) I've also used a brand (Saco?) that's half regular and half Dutched cocoa (I don't really know what that means, but it worked well), and Baker's brand which is "high fat cocoa" (it's 2g fat per serving vs .5g in Hershey's original cocoa powder); I don't know if that was the reason but it had a slightly odd flavor that I didn't like. (Gonna try that one in brownies one of these days, though...I mean I gotta use it up, right?)

Never even thought about making chocolate syrup - but copied and pasted this immediately. My daughter has done a lot of experimenting with cocoa lately (some very yummy experiments) and this sounds like a good one.

10 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Oh, man, there really IS kale in your bag of fruit. Who knew!

That just seems wrong. Don't get me wrong, I actually like kale (I was sad to discover my stomach did not) But berries and kale don't go together in my book.

[ams1001]

20 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

Never even thought about making chocolate syrup - but copied and pasted this immediately. My daughter has done a lot of experimenting with cocoa lately (some very yummy experiments) and this sounds like a good one.

It is and it's super easy. The worst part is measuring the cocoa without getting it all over the place. I swear the stuff just jumps out of the container to dust my countertop. Might try dark brown sugar one day and see what that does to the flavor. (I originally was looking for chocolate syrup without high fructose corn syrup, which Hershey does make one, but most of the results of my search were basically "make it yourself"; and also the bottles it comes in are a pain to get the last bit out of so I always feel like some gets wasted. Bonus, no plastic bottle to pretend will get recycled into something useful.)

20 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

That just seems wrong. Don't get me wrong, I actually like kale (I was sad to discover my stomach did not) But berries and kale don't go together in my book.

I thought so, too, but you really don't taste it when it's blended up. Don't think I'll be making my sauce for mixing into yogurt with it, though.

[Clanstarling]

11 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

It is and it's super easy. The worst part is measuring the cocoa without getting it all over the place. I swear the stuff just jumps out of the container to dust my countertop. Might try dark brown sugar one day and see what that does to the flavor. (I originally was looking for chocolate syrup without high fructose corn syrup, which Hershey does make one, but most of the results of my search were basically "make it yourself"; and also the bottles it comes in are a pain to get the last bit out of so I always feel like some gets wasted. Bonus, no plastic bottle to pretend will get recycled into something useful.)

I thought so, too, but you really don't taste it when it's blended up. Don't think I'll be making my sauce for mixing into yogurt with it, though.

I've been making my own frozen "dinners" for years. Well, lunches really. That way I can control the ingredients and make them less fattening. I make my own barbecue sauce too. We're a household of experimenters, and our diets are better because of it.

I don't drink my daughter's smoothies, though I might if it were ice cream instead of yogurt. Not that we can't do that...😉

[ams1001]

42 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I've been making my own frozen "dinners" for years. Well, lunches really. That way I can control the ingredients and make them less fattening. I make my own barbecue sauce too. We're a household of experimenters, and our diets are better because of it.

I want to do stuff like that but then I never do. Partly because I have no counter space to speak of and it's frustrating try to cook stuff. (Though if you have any simple go-to recipes to share, I'm all ears...)

Edited October 13, 2021 by ams1001

[Prevailing Wind]

Try this book... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0892729910/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[ams1001]

7 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Try this book... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0892729910/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

oooohhhhh...🤤 

[saber5055]

Back to the subject of this thread, the FJ Contest and discussion of FJ clues/answers. While I've yet to hear from @Ailianna, I'm ready to announce the Winner of Week 4.

Long-time players know I like number patterns and consistency, and this week the only and most consistent player is crowned Winner, with no one else being close. The Winner is revealed just inside this door ...

Open the door and voilá, here is the gift our Winner earned for having the exact same score for four (FOR FOUR!) weeks. Congratulations Consistent @Trey. Steady as you go! Wishing you many more weeks of consistent play. Here's a very special You Are A Contest Winner Gift to honor you:

[Mindthinkr]

Congratulations Trey 👏🏻👏🏻🎉

[SoMuchTV]

2 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Back to the subject of this thread, the FJ Contest and discussion of FJ clues/answers. While I've yet to hear from @Ailianna, I'm ready to announce the Winner of Week 4.

Long-time players know I like number patterns and consistency, and this week the only and most consistent player is crowned Winner, with no one else being close. The Winner is revealed just inside this door ...

Open the door and voilá, here is the gift our Winner earned for having the exact same score for four (FOR FOUR!) weeks. Congratulations Consistent @Trey. Steady as you go! Wishing you many more weeks of consistent play. Here's a very special You Are A Contest Winner Gift to honor you:

Bonus points if player Trey, like most Treys I know of, is actually a nickname for Something Something Something III.

[Trey]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

No bonus points though - Trey is just Trey.

Edited October 13, 2021 by Trey

[Ailianna]

So sorry to be late. I was out of town with no J! and just got caught up. 3/5, no asterisk. 

I promise to do better this week.

[Browncoat]

On 10/12/2021 at 6:40 PM, saber5055 said:

You probably did. I'm not the sharpest tool these days. In fact, I'm not even sharp any more, just a tool. But thanks for reposting. You now ARE on the score sheet!

Nope.  I went back to look for it, and it was nowhere to be found.  No idea what happened to it!  I probably forgot to click Submit Reply.

[Toothbrush]

Congratulations @Trey!! 

[labresq]

I can credit my baseball-loving father, mother, and brother for my being able to get FJ yesterday!  At first I said Dizzy Dean but corrected myself in time.  

 

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, labresq said:

I can credit my baseball-loving father, mother, and brother for my being able to get FJ yesterday!  At first I said Dizzy Dean but corrected myself in time.  

Mom would’ve known Yogi Berra. 

[saber5055]

5 hours ago, labresq said:

At first I said Dizzy Dean

Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese! I'm a big-time baseball fan and got Yogi before finishing the clue. Side note: I saw Johnny Bench play when we went to Cincinnati and bought tickets from a scalper.

[opus]

2/5

[ams1001]

Week 5: 

4/5* + M* (The Final Mattsterisk 🙁)

Petit four, anyone?

Edited October 16, 2021 by ams1001