Firefly: The Game

You could hardly find a universe that is loved by geeks around the world more than that of Firefly's. Joss Whedon's short-lived sci-fi/western TV series's cult status was partially caused by the cancellation of the show after the first season but the truth is, its premise and cast was so exceptional, strange and yet well-done to just make it work. Cowboys in space became a defining moment in Nathan Fillion's and Summer Glau's careers and they had to work hard to get out of the same role in their following projects.

Anyway, Firefly is dead but it doesn't mean it is really, really dead. The fanbase of all things Whedon is strong and still growing and geeks everywhere are quite probably still finding about the show even now. It is a bit weird that the board game came out last year, ages after the cancellation. Is it worth joining the crew of Cap'n Mal and others or should we stop beating the dead horse?

Banana and Chocolate Bábovka

Bábovkas are one of the simplest things you can whip up in a short time and have it served in about an hour. Generally, there is nothing difficult about the recipes but if you are not careful with the amount of liquids, you can end up with a bábovka so dry that it could be as well made from the sands of Sahara, or worse, a bábovka with gooey center.

The specific shape of bábovkas is achieved with a traditional form that has a funnel in the center and ribbed outside. In theory, the hot air in the funnel should prevent the centre from getting gooey, but anyone that ever tried baking one with cream cheese or bananas will agree that is not always the case.

I've tried to make a banana bábovka several times and failed more often than succeeded. The right balance of flour, sugar, milk and bananas seemed crucial and it wasn't until my latest attempt that I finally struck gold. Eventually I decided to add melted chocolate into the batter because bananas and chocolate just work together in terms of flavour and it gave the final result a very nice tint and aroma.