Number 7 out of 9 with Pinochle & Snacks, the Journey is Closing Soon.

BONUS POST...BONUS POST...BONUS POST....

Hello friends of Pinochle & Snacks, a bonus post for you!

It's Sunday night around 7 p.m. and we just finished dinner (BBQ chicken sandwiches laced withe sharp cheddar cheese and thin sliced red onion, ice cold PBR for me and cold, crisp chardonnay for my gorgeous wife) and three rounds of two-handed pincohle with the thrid round being the rubber match (Yep, I won a round...finally).

We played two rounds of pinochle where you deal each person one card, lay the deck face down and then each player picks two cards, one at a time, keeping the first card and discarding the secvodn or keeping the seocnd card and discarding the first to make eiterh a strong meld hand or a strong playing hand.  So in the first round, I was winning 70 to 41.  I have this round in the bag, right?  Think again Grasshopper, wifey-poo puts together 42 meld points, wins the bid with 26 (ugh) and crushes me once more to win by taking the first trick of the next hand.  So she wins the first round 128 to 96.  BUT..... I come roaring back in the second round, taking the lead with the first hand, taking the last trick everytime (which gets you an extra point) and winnign 112 to 70.

I highly recommend playing two-handed this way, it forces you to remember which cards you have seen (as you pick) and what has been played.  That's how I was able to take the last trick everytime.  We are getting so good at this, we are seriously considering taking our game on the road.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yshnhEHBtO4&feature=related

But we'll see....

We then played the rubber match to decide the overal victor since we had each won one round.  Foolishly we attempted to play the complicated verison where the rules are suspended in the beginning and then you meld in as you play, pick cards, etc...,etc...,etc...we got so lost we stopped.  This version is very hard and needs a lot of instruction.  I was so lost, this is how I felt...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww&feature=related yep, I felt that stupid.

So, class number 7 this Wednesday!  Look for the post.

BONUS POST: As you play, keep the instructions nearby, but try not to use them.  It helps to develop your confidence and skills to play from memory.

BONUS RECIPE: Boil a pound of Fingerling potatoes (small finger shaped potatoes) in a pot of salted water until just fork tender (about 10 - 12 minutes DO NOT OVERCOOK). Drain and cool. Meanwhile take one cup of Hellman's mayo, mix with 1/3 cup of Dijon mustard, about 1/4 cup of fresh finely minced dill, 1 small clove of VERY finely minced garlic and 3 to 4 TBSP of white wine. Place in serving bowl and chill. Slice cooled potatoes in half lengthwise and arrange on serving platter, place bowl of mayo/mustard dip in middle and serve. Cold Pinot Grigio goes great with this as the sweetness of the wine cuts the richness of the dip.