As a person with hardly an ounce of willpower and a crateful of curiousity, we’ve accumulated many different types of electronic gaming devices. I like to say that we have every shade of Apple, Nintendo and XBox (oh and also Canon, but that’s a whole ‘nother story that had nothing to do with gaming but my obsession with lenses).

Yes, I know these games are bad for my kids; I’ve heard everything from symptoms of shortness of attention span, hypertension, ADHD and carpal tunnel. But honestly, the symptoms could be WD-40, small feet syndrome, stubby middle fingers or tongue flapping, I still love me my games.

My favorite, of course, are the food-related games. Here’s a rundown.

Cooking Mama

This is a fun one, especially on the Wii, where you get to actually make the motions of chopping, shaking the pan, pouring, cracking an egg with your Wii remote thingy. The boys love this game, from learning how to make spaghetti with meatballs to even the cute Japanese girl’s accent.

Farm Story

Plant, plow, wait. And wait. And wait. Harvest. Sell. Repeat. (Yawn.) Pretty cute chubby graphics for kids, but we all got bored of this game really quickly.

Zombie Farm

Oh no you didn’t download this!

Oh yessiree I did! Okay, technically this doesn’t count as a pure food game; you’re cultivating both crops and zombies. Amongst the red-ripe tomatoes that you’ll harvest, you’re also building a zombie army. What kid doesn’t like zombies?! BRRRRAAAAIIIINZZZZZZZZ.

Cake Mania

I tried so hard to like this game, but we only had it for the Nintendo DS and its ittty bitty screen. I’m getting old. Has anyone played this on the Wii or any screen larger than my thumb?

Farm Frenzy

This game started off reallllly slow, collecting eggs that the hens lay, but after a few levels, things speed up and you’re off managing a farm. Grow grass, get water, collect eggs, spin wool, transport produce, sell produce. Any money you make goes right back into the farm, buying more animals and upgrading your farm. (Hey! Just like a real farm!)

We Rule

This is my newest obsession, and when I say obsession, I really mean that. Last night, I woke up at 4 a.m. to harvest my beans (if you wait too long, they spoil). You’re building a kingdom, complete with a castle and options to build a tailor shop, fishing pond and gladiator training center. Yesterday, I gave a shoutout to the game and asked if anyone else was playing. I think Twitter went down for 5 minutes as all these people started tweeting me their player IDs! It’s a fun game, perfect for OCD-ishy people like me.

Star Wars Cantina

This game could have been soooo much more … especially for $4.99 on the iPad! Okay, so it’s LucasFilm-licensed and you hear the cantina music from the movie, and the Storm Troopers look so cute you want to hug ‘em. You’re a waitress managing the bar with impatient and thirsty customers. Your job is to seat customers, serve drinks and collect money. Yep, that’s it.

 
Have you played any food video games? Tell me about them! I have yet to play Farmville … I’m scared I’ll get addicted!

 
 
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Jaden Hair is a food writer, television personality, and food photographer based in Tampa Bay, Florida. Find more of her recipes in her blog, Steamy Kitchen, where you can also read more about Jaden’s new book, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, and the rave reviews it’s received!

Memories can be triggered by the slightest thing: a touch, the sound of a voice, a familiar smell, or even just the first few bars of an almost-forgotten song. All of a sudden, you’re transported back in time, almost re-living moments all over again, just because someone mentioned your name a certain way, or was wearing an obscure cologne that reminded you of a faraway friend.

Each of our senses has that ability, so imagine the power of food, which often involves all our senses. It’s no wonder we often remember entire meals we’ve enjoyed years ago, and associate certain dishes with people close to us. Food is also one way we show someone that they matter to us, and getting together with friends and family typically involves breaking bread together.

We’ve all had our share of special meals or even just certain food items fraught with memories. We want to hear your stories! Tell us:

What food (for you) instantly triggers a cherished memory?

Maybe it’s a meal someone made for you, or that you prepared for someone else. Perhaps it’s something your mom or grandmother always made, or a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant. Maybe it was the snack you were always excited to find in your lunch box, or that after-school treat waiting for you when you got home.

My absolute favorite food-related memory dates back to when I was maybe around 4 years old or so. It’s not a particularly exciting-sounding meal (it involves sardines, bread, and coffee, among other things). But it was the meal my mom would make for me when I was sick. She’d carry me down to the dinner table and sit me on her lap, keeping one arm around me. With her other hand, she’d feed me, spoonful by spoonful, until I ate enough to keep me going. And it always made me feel better. To this day, sardines and bread always make me think of that, being warm in her arms, knowing that even though I felt horrible, she could make all of it go away.

I bet sardines never knew they had that much power.

Now we want to hear from you! Tell us what foods bring you back in time, and share those memories with us. We’re all ears!

I’ve always been envious of those who have backup meals neatly stashed away in their freezer, always ready to whip something out at a moment’s notice (like Ree’s Lasagna Rollups above). Those in the know have tricks up their sleeve and you can’t even tell the food was made ahead and cooked from frozen. Me, I’m not in the know. And that’s why I’m excited about today’s Kitchen Talk topic! Tell us:

Do you have any tips for freezer-friendly meals?

Any go-to recipes that are freezer-friendly? Tips and things to avoid when freezing food? Storage ideas? Favorite freezer-safe containers?

I have absolutely no tips to share because I’ve attempted to freeze meals twice, and both times I completely forgot I had them in the freezer. When I finally discovered them again, the food had practically fused with the container and I couldn’t remember what year I put them in there. So I cut my losses and said nothing to no one.

So maybe my tip about things to avoid when freezing is to not be like me.

Nanci says, “When we run the smoker, we usually load it up with several briskets or racks of ribs or chickens, then freeze the extras. It’s easier to run a full smoker than one that isn’t full. We do the same for grilled burgers—get that nice grilled flavor, then just freeze a couple so you don’t have to light up the grill on a weeknight.”

I need to learn more tips like that, so come share! Let’s hear all the freezer wisdom that I’m sure is out there and together, let’s freeze away! Or something like that.