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10th Edition                                                   March 2008

 
In This Issue:
  1. A Letter From The Editor >>>
  2. Latest News >>>
  3. It’s Bunco Time >>>
  4. *Ask Babs >>>
  5. Bunco Recipes >>>
  6. Featured Group >>>
  7. Print a Copy >>> ( pdf- 10 pages - 764kb)

A letter from the Editor:

Have you ever been in a position where the strength of forgiving someone or even yourself seems too difficult a task? To be able to let go of what doesn’t serve others or ourselves and to forgive, is truly the highest form of love we can bestow.

Have you ever been on the other end where someone reconciled with, or forgave you? How did it feel: Glorious, right?

It should not ever be a question of who is right or wrong, but more an issue of peace: eternal, external and internal peace.

It is the Easter season and what ever your faith; being strong enough to absolve another, offering forgiveness, is the food and medicine for our soul and body.  

After all it has been done for us and felt glorious!

Kelly Rose Pion


Latest News:

Hello there WBA fans:

We finally did it; we hit over 300 dedicated Bunco ® players on www.buncospace.com, hats off to you all for loving the game and for enjoying the community.

The World Bunco Association is pleased to announce a partnership with the United States Army. Yes, you read that correctly! The promotion will be held at 55 Army installations around the world and is targeted at their Family Readiness Groups. They will host a series of three Bunco events. These Bunco nights will take place in April, May and June. If you are an authorized MWR patron over the age of 18 or know someone who is please click on the invitation link to gather more information.

To all of our armed forces, THANK YOU for all you do.

It is already March, WOW time flies!  We change our clocks on March 9th and spring forward an hour, St. Patrick’s Day is the 17th, and Easter is on the 23rd.  As the days get longer and we embrace spring, the growth of the World Bunco Association is extraordinary. I can’t wait to share with you (coming in April) some exiting WBA news. Stay tuned!

In the mean time: Happy Easter to you and your family,

Leslie Crouch

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It's Bunco Time:

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*Ask Babs:

For any game questions I can be reached at: babs@worldbunco.com

Hi Babs:

I am just wondering if you have had a large bunco game on record.  What is the most amount of people that you have had playing bunco at the same time?

Thanks for getting back to me.

 Stephanie

 

Hello there Stephanie:

The largest tournament so far has been over 2,000.  

Thank you for asking, Babs

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Hello Babs,

I am running a Poker and Bunco tournament to benefit a local high school athletic program and was wondering if you had a timeline or event planning guideline you would be willing to share with me?  Also, any words of wisdom to share regarding planning my first bunco tournament?  I play bunco each month, so I am familiar with the rules, etc., but just have no idea how to do this on a bigger scale and the logistics of a larger event.

Thank you for any information you can provide. 

 Best Regards,

 Natalie

Natalie:

You could look at the rules and other information, such as fundraising, on the WBA site. I would need a little more information regarding the event: the amount of people, will there be food, when is the event, are you involving the community to donate prizes etc..? Let us know. We will be happy to help you further.

Thank you for writing, Babs.

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Let the Good Times Roll:

I look forward to receiving your recipes at:

mac@ebunco.com


March Recipes
New wines sent every month! NutriSystem, Inc.

Arugula and Fennel Salad

1 large fennel bulb
1/2 red onion
1 bunch arugula
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small piece Parmigiano-Reggiano

Trim the fennel bulb and reserve the fronds. Cut the bulb in half and remove the tough inner core. Using a sharp knife or a mandolin cut the fennel into very thin slices and put them into a large bowl. Cut the onion into very thin slices and add them to the bowl. Add the arugula to the bowl and give it a good toss. Pour in the olive oil and lemon juice, season it with salt and pepper, and toss it again to coat all the ingredients; put the salad onto a large platter. Using a vegetable peeler, shave thin pieces of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and scatter them over the salad. Garnish with the reserved fennel fronds.


Beef Wellington

1 (3 1/2-pound) beef tenderloin, cleaned and tied with thin strips of bacon,
at room temperature
3/4 pound button mushrooms, chopped fine
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound pate de foie gras, (available at specialty foods shops) at room temperature
1 pound frozen puff pastry, thawed, plus additional for garnish, if desired
1 large egg, separated
1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup Sercial Madeira
2 teaspoons arrowroot dissolved in 1 teaspoon cold water
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons finely chopped black truffles (available at specialty food shops) if desired
Watercress, for garnish if desired

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a roasting pan roast the beef in the middle of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer registers 120 degrees F when inserted into the beef. Let the fillet cool completely and discard the bacon and the strings. Skim the fat from the pan juices and reserve the pan juices.

In a heavy skillet cook the mushrooms in the butter, salt and pepper over moderately low heat, stirring, until all the liquid they give off is evaporated and the mixture is almost dry. Add heavy cream and cook until cream thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Let cool completely.

Spread the fillet evenly with the pate de foie gras, covering the top and sides, and spread the mushrooms evenly over the pate de foie gras. On a floured surface roll 1 pound of the puff pastry into a 20 by 12-inch rectangle, or large enough to enclose the fillet completely. Slightly beat the egg white in a small bowl and set aside. Beat the egg yolk with the water to make an egg wash and set aside. Invert the coated fillet carefully under the middle of the dough, and fold up the long sides of the dough to enclose the fillet brushing the edges of the dough with some of the egg white to seal them. Fold ends of the dough over the fillet and seal them with the remaining egg white.

Transfer the fillet, seam side down to a jelly-roll pan or shallow roasting pan and brush the dough with some of the egg wash. Roll out the additional dough and cut out shapes with decorative cutters. Arrange the cutouts on the dough decoratively, brush them with the remaining egg wash, and chill the fillet for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

Bake the fillet in the middle of a preheated 400 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F, and bake the fillet for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the meat thermometer registers 130 degrees F for medium-rare meat and the pastry is cooked through. Let the fillet stand for 15 minutes. In a saucepan boil the reserved pan juices and the Madeira until the mixture is reduced by 1/4. Add the arrowroot mixture, the broth, the truffles, and salt and pepper, to taste, and cook the sauce over moderate heat, stirring, being careful not to let it boil, for 5 minutes, or until it is thickened. Loosen the fillet from the jelly-roll pan, transfer it with 2 spatulas to a heated platter, and garnish it with watercress. Serve the fillet, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices, with the sauce.


Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries

6 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
4 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in chunks
1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved lengthwise
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 pint fresh blackberries
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
1 prepared lemon pound cake, sliced
1/4 cup Lemoncello or Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

To make the lemon curd: Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a metal or glass heat-resistant bowl and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch, and continue to whisk. Keep working-out that arm and whisk it vigorously for a good 10 minutes, until the curd has doubled in volume and is very thick and yellow. Don't let it boil. Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the butter, a couple of chunks at a time, until melted. Refrigerate until the custard is cold and firm.

To build the trifle: put the berries in a mixing bowl and toss them together so they are evenly distributed. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled lemon curd to lighten it up into a mousse. Line a glass trifle bowl with pieces of pound cake to fit. Drizzle or brush the cake with the Lemoncello, spoon a layer of the lemon curd over the cake, and then a layer of mixed berries. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, the last layer looks best if it's the berries. Chill before serving. Garnish with fresh mint.

OmahaSteaks.com, Inc.

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Featured Bunco Group:

Here’s our Bunco group.  We started in 1975 and most of our group is the original members.  We are very blessed to have such a close knit group.  We laugh, we cry, we share, we pray.

Most of us are in our 60's now.  We've raised our kids and now enjoying our grandkids.

                                    Sue Fry



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