So… week 12 is upon us! I thought it was time to have a little news update. It is one of the pinnacles of the challenge this month, as we drop to the other side where there is less time left, than has transpired. It is the end of the beginning, to somehow paraphrase or maul a Churchill quote.

Of course the “news bulletins” have been less frequent now, that the actual digests are coming out, with the models and paintjobs that this thing is actually about. But I thought we could sneak a single bulletin in here.

It will roughly follow the model from the others, giving you an update on the discord and other stuff, and end with a recipe for gamer’s grub.

From the discord

So what are people doing. We are 22 peeps left, and they are hard at work! Showing their stuff on the discord every now and then.

The Eldarios always show up in force in these challenges and this time is no different. Viden has gone an interesting path with his Eldar going for a more obscure painting scheme than the regular Eldar seen everywhere. The Eldar fluff clearly states that they don’t do uniforms and a great variation is seen between them. Very enjoyable!

Ted Gunnerson has been painting a Dreadnought piece by piece in a slow an methodical approach. I finished wanted to join in on the dreadnought fun, but haven’t found the inner fume yet to achieve this painting. Meanwhile Tom Reynold’s is painting 3 figures this month and doing a loooot of highlighting! As it should be!

TJM took his dedication to the next level, starting on a game board to finish his month 5/6 “play a game with what you got” subgoal! Wow!!!

Vanhallan Winter is working a LOT of tanks this month, and is not too keen on keeping them sparkling… so instead he’s opted to go all in on weathering! Oh boy!

Lastly a big shout out to Tain who went into surgery for an ailment. In his classic style of oil and boils he made a veritable ‘mike drop’ before leaving posting a host of well-painted miniatures with ‘is that all you got!?’ kind of attitude. All the best and speedy recovery from your fellow challengees mate!

Nacho volcano!

Vanhallan Winter sent me the following fascinating recipe for a piece of gamer’s grub! Keep napkins readily available!

“Hey all, thought I’d share a copy of a family dish used for large games, both table top and sporting events (Super Bowl in the pictures shown below). 

This takes a bit of preparation if you make you own chips [crisps] but it will feed a small army. It reheats pretty well, though the lettuce doesn’t play well with heat.

Bear in mind the amount listed is enough for 4-6 people, this can easily be scaled up or down and you can freely add other ingredients like chopped jalapeno peppers/guacamole/Salsa, etc. per personal choice. I choose add some extra chips alongside some salsa and queso on the side for people to dip into.Ingredients-

 Metric/UK units in brackets-40 to 60 White Corn Tortillas, Store bought is fine ( I used La Banderita White)

* You can opt for about 2-3 large bags of tortilla chips [crisps] instead of making your own*

-1 Gallon [3.78 L] of Canola oil

-1 to 2 x 16oz [0.47L] jars of store bought Queso/Nacho cheese (I used on the border cheese Salsa-Con-Queso)

-2 x diced Red Globe Tomatoes

-1 x Diced large white onion

-1 head of shredded iceberg lettuce

-approximately 1lb [.45kg] of either ground beef, strips of flank steak or diced/shredded chicken breast. (I used stir fry cut strip steak that a trimmed into smaller chunks)

-1 x 16 oz [.45kg] can of refried beans (I used Old El Paso)

-1/2 lbs [.23kg] Medium Cheddar cheese, shredded

-1/2 lbs [.23kg] Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

-12oz of sour cream, regular or light works

– 2 tsp [5g] of generic taco seasoning, I use Old El Paso

– 2/3 Cup [0.16L] of Water

– Kosher SaltMaking chips [crisps] –

*Leave the tortillas out overnight if you’d like the chips [crisps] to be crispier, though it will be fine straight out of the bag*

-heat the Canola oil to 350°F [177°C] in large pot

-Cut the Tortillas into quarters and place into the canola oil on the stovetop for 1 minutes for soft and 2 minutes for very crispy chips [crisps].  The chips [crisps] will continue to darken after cooking. While the chips [crisps] are still hot, season them with kosher salt. Repeat this step with the remaining tortillas. Then, drain the chips on paper towel lined baking sheets or aluminum pans. I like to make a mixture of crispiness to keep things interesting. Taco meat- 

Follow the taco seasoning package recommendation, but this will work in general

-Place the meat (shredded chicken/cut up steak/ground beef) into a medium rimmed pan and sear on medium heat until cooked through, about 4-6 minutes.

-Drain the juices from the pan and add in the taco season and water.

-let simmer on low heat until the water evaporates

Construction-

-Pre heat your oven to bake at 350°F [177°C] 

-In a large rimmed baking pan, place a layer of chips [crisps], layered about 2-3 chips [crisps] deep, directly on the baking sheet. Follow this with a layer of both shredded cheeses mixed together. After that add in some warmed up Queso, taco meat, heated refried beans, diced tomatoes and onions into the mix. *Layering like this uses the shredded cheese as a shield to keep the chips [crisps] from getting soggy.*

-Repeat the process starting with another layer of chips [crisps] until you run out of ingredients.

-Place the baking sheet into the oven for 20 minutes

-after removing from the oven add the lettuce and sour cream.

-Serve as a platter with smaller plates and any dips you’d add to the sides.

Enjoy!”