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January 2026 SFFBC's Recipe for ModMadness
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Breakfast:
Canadian Summer Oatmeal Apple Quickbread - Direct Descendant
Appetizers:
Hadfield's Migration Game Pie - Exodus
Main Course:
The Omega View - The Last Watch
Medicinally Spiced Ribs with Conspiracy Sauce - Titanium Noir
Desserts:
Castagnole di Campana Noce - The Mask of Mirrors
Arctic Scotch Shortbread - Always North
Coppery Dulce de Leche Brownies - Eartheater
Drinks Menu:
Apiki Punch - Hammajang Luck
Wendigo Flambe - Cold
Possession, a cocktail - The Incandescent
Mod
Canadian Summer Oatmeal Apple Quickbread - Direct Descendant
Ingredients: 2 plucky female protagonists, 1 Tbs manipulative grandma, 1 Tbs of coerced sacrifice, 4 cups of Dark emissaries, several town guardians, 1 tsp baby eldritch horror, 12 oz inhabited lake, family connections
Instructions:
Begin by making a pact with dark, eldritch forces. Leave to rise for several generations.
Add the first plucky protagonist with the coerced sacrifice. Then introduce the second plucky protagonist with a manipulative grandma. Knead together your 2 plucky protagonists, being careful to not overmix. Let the plot rise on it’s own for 2 nights using the heat from a romantic encounter.
Add (1 at a time only) the emissaries, guardians, and family. Baste with baby eldritch horror, then bake in battle.
Cut with silver utensils. Serve while still hot.
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Recipe: Hadfield's Migration Game Pie - Exodus
Serves: Fans of sprawling space operas, technology-heavy sci-fi, and anyone hungry for cosmic-scale drama.
Prep Time: A few chapters to warm up.
Cook Time: Long enough for timelines to braid, factions to clash, and the Doomsday Weapon to simmer ominously.
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Ingredients
• 1 gigantic universe, thoroughly world-built, with the edges crisped to perfection
• 2–3 complex plotlines, diced finely and interwoven
• A generous drizzle of hard science, especially regarding cosmic engineering, astrophysics, and big, bold tech
• Several cups of political tension, slow-fermented
• 1 MacGuffin, massive, mysterious, and capable of altering the flavor of entire star systems
• A handful of protagonists, each marinated in their own motivations
• Pinches of philosophical seasoning — identity, destiny, survival
• A dash of chaos, added late in the process for maximum spice
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Instructions
1. Preheat your imagination - You’ll want your mind nice and warmed before the narrative complexity hits.
2. Begin by sautéing multiple character threads over medium heat.
Don’t worry if they look unrelated at first; This chef always brings them together by the final course.
3. Fold in the technological descriptions slowly.
These are rich and dense, so whisk well to prevent clumping.
Allow them to thicken the texture of the universe.
4. Introduce the MacGuffin — the star ingredient.
Let it simmer ominously in the background, releasing flavors of dread, wonder, and massive-scale consequence.
5. Season with political intrigue and existential stakes.
Taste frequently.
You’re looking for a balance between high-concept tension and character-driven grounding.
6. As the plot reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat slightly and enjoy the way threads converge. We’re in no rush here.
7. Finish with a powerful, expansive finale.
Expect lingering aftertastes of awe, ambition, and “Oh no, I guess I need the next book.”
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Chef’s Notes
• This dish is not for readers who prefer light, minimalist sci-fi fare.
It’s hearty, elaborate, and best consumed when you’re ready to fully commit.
• The complexity of flavors rewards careful attention.
Skimming is about as safe as opening an airlock mid-flight.
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The Omega View - The Last Watch
Ingredients:
1 collapsing universe (preferably at the peak of entropy)
2 tablespoons of rusted metal
1 outcast genius (preferably misunderstood)
3 cups of interstellar genetics (with a dash of forbidden science)
A pinch of rebellion
4 teaspoons of misunderstood leader
1 ancient secret (wrapped in a genetically engineered enigma)
A handful of broken alliances
1 Distant star system (with unresolved history)
Instructions:
Prepare the Universe:
Start by taking your collapsing universe. It should be on the brink of imploding, full of tension and unresolved cosmic chaos. Add a light layer of instability, then stir in the conflict of a divided galaxy—planets at war, factions vying for control, and old grudges simmering beneath every star. Let it simmer slowly until the alliances begin to fracture.
Add the Outcast Genius:
Drop in your outcast genius, someone with a mind that can unravel the very fabric of the universe but is ostracized for their unconventional methods. Stir them into the conflict, ensuring their brilliance both illuminates and complicates everything around them. Their isolation is key—don’t let them be distracted by alliances or friends.
Mix in Genetics:
Now, incorporate the interstellar genetics. A concoction of human, alien, and mysterious DNA—possibly from a now-dead species, with the potential to change the course of the universe. The genetic elements should have subtle, unpredictable effects. Watch carefully as the outcast genius experiments with these, unraveling the secrets of creation, destruction, and rebirth.
Notes:
This recipe is best enjoyed by those who love intricate, world-building space operas with high-concept science fiction.
Keep an eye on the outcast genius—too much solitude might make them unpredictable!
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Medicinally Spiced Ribs with Conspiracy Sauce - Titanium Noir
Ingredients for Medicinal Spice Rub: 1 tablet of high-end designer drug, a pinch of inconclusive evidence, 1 Tbs ancillary death, 1 tsp corrupt cop, 1 Tbs mutant gangster, and 2 systems of justice
Ingredients for Conspiracy Sauce: 1 cup unrequited love, 1 cup redemption quest, 4 versions of the same story, 1 Tbs hidden file, 1 enlarged liver and lung, a handful of missing memories, 1 ex-girlfriend with connections
Instructions: Preheat the oven with a mysterious death.
Make the Medicinally Spiced Rub:
Combine the high-end designer drug, inconclusive evidence, ancillary death, corrupt cop, and mutant gangster with the 2 systems of justice. Rub onto both sides of the meat. Marinate over a short hospital stay.
Make the Conspiracy Sauce:
Place an unrequited love, a redemption quest, 4 versions of the same story, a hidden file, an enlarged liver, an enlarged lung, and a handful of missing memories in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, stir occasionally until the plot thickens. Add the ex-girlfriend with powerful connections to sweeten the narrative.
Baking instructions:
Place ribs in a single layer on your baking tray. Add bullet wound putty. Keep the putty clean. Pour a thick layer of conspiracy sauce over the ribs. Baste and bake; baste and bake; baste and bake. Repeat until you have to choose sides.
Cut and serve the ribs with the remaining conspiracy sauce. Garnish with the high-end designer drug.
Mod
Castagnole di Campana Noce - The Mask of Mirrors
Finger foods and revelry go, well, hand in hand. This particular treat, fried to perfection and stuffed with a succulent midnight-ash dark chocolate is rich enough to make you lose your mind. Historically this velvety soft sweet tucked inside a hard, flaky pastry is delicately flavored. The campana noce though breaks with tradition, favoring instead a complex, romantic profile that plays with a deep bitterness cleverly masked in smoky sweet unctuousness.
There are elements here of mistaken identity, poisonous ambition, and a prismatic, multi-faceted social component.
This critic appreciated the strong currents of found family, the intriguing bite of mystery, the cultural clash of ideals and of course the highly stylized finery of the decoration which elevates this otherwise classic treat
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Arctic Scotch Shortbread - Always North
For a journey as long and arduous as the trek to an inhospitable place, one needs sustenance that endures. Something sturdy, yet delicate enough to crumble just so on the tongue. Enter this literary Scotch Shortbread, a recipe that, at first glance, relies on the classic trio of sci-fi staples: introspection, moral and ethical quandaries, and an atmosphere so thick you could cut it with a knife. But ah! This cook has a (at first) secret ingredient up her sleeve.
The process begins with a gentle warming of introspection, our protagonist simmering in her own thoughts as she faces the morals of her choices. The heat is low, the pace deliberate. Then, with a deft hand, the chef sifts together her moral and ethical questions with the atmospheric writing - layer upon layer of frostbitten landscapes and relentless sunlight, each grain of prose carefully measured.
But here’s the twist: halfway through, a secret fourth ingredient is folded in: some speculative technology. It’s finely grained, almost imperceptible at first, so the aspiring foodie only realizes its presence bit by bit, long after the first bite. After the last crumb, the consumer is left wondering just how much was really there, and how much was conjured by their own imagination.
The atmospheric writing is sprinkled all over, with a light touch; never overworking the dough, lest it turn tough. And, of course, the chef remembers to poke holes in both the dough and the story, leaving just enough space for doubt and curiosity to seep in.
Preheat the oven - unlike the world outside - and bake for 20 or 30 minutes, or until the edges are just golden enough to suggest hope, but not so much as to promise it. The result? A shortbread that lingers, both in the mind and on the palate, long after the last crumb is gone.
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Coppery Dulce de Leche Brownies - Eartheater
For this critic, few recipes demand as much precision - or yield as much reward - as this genre of dishes. When a cook nails it, the result is nothing short of revelatory.
First, the foundation: a batch of brownies, dense and unyielding, built on a strong base of social themes and systemic violence. The recipe leans heavily into magical realism, its roots tangled in local folklore, giving each bite a weight that lingers. Into this, the cook folds a generous dose of identity and loss, with just a whisper of coming-of-age - enough to remind you that even the heaviest stories begin somewhere fragile.
These brownies are rich, filling, like the earth itself - grounded in the very soil that cradles the tale.
But the true magic lies in the topping. The cook crafts their Dulce de Leche with care: a dark, haunting atmosphere, swirled with local witchcraft and the bitter sweetness of justice. It’s the kind of topping that commands attention, much like the protagonist’s powers - feared, revered, and reluctantly wielded in the name of what’s right. A reluctant witch, forced to confront what others ignore, her gift both a burden and a necessity.
The final step? Spread this Dulce de Leche generously over the brownies, letting it seep deep into the cracks, into the earth, into memory. The result is a dish meant to be consumed slowly, savored—not just for its flavor, but for what it forces you to remember. And for that, this critic is utterly, deliciously captivated.
Mod
Apiki Punch - Hammajang Luck
1 long stint of hard time
2 families torn apart
300 ml of pluck
750 ml of payoff
1 stick of explosives
In a shaker, muddle one romantic feeling. Add the hard time, families and pluck. Dry shake first to combine and wet shake after to chill the tension. Strain. Pour into any receptacle that looks like it's probably clean enough (though running shoes are preferred) and add the payoff slowly. Garnish with explosives. Enjoy!
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Wendigo Flambe - Cold
Two indigenous chefs and one professor come together to make a culinary masterpiece, combining hockey skate shaved ice, matted fur and body parts all set alight with some fine aged bourbon.
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Possession, a cocktail - The Incandescent
Ingredients: risk assessment forms, incident forms, 4 talented students, imps and demons of various sizes, and an enchanted sword.
Instructions: Start with an empty campus. Combine the risk assessment and incident forms with the students, imps, and demons. Do not use any large demons or the container will over-flow and a student may get hurt. Mix thoroughly using the power of teenage angst.
Mix again, but add human insecurity, poor judgment of character, an illicit fling, and a past mistake to atone for. This will chill the drink and strengthen the foam.
Garnish with a magic discipline of your choosing stabbed through by an enchanted sword. Drink alone or with co-workers.
Note: This recipe is best enjoyed by those who prefer their academia dark, their protagonists middle-aged, and relationships central to the plot.
Mod
Don't worry, as books are guessed, and certainly before voting time, the actual titles will be revealed! Have fun and chow down!
I don't know who designed this menu, but it's really cute!
I envy creative people, that looks awesome ^^
The drinks seem pretty normal. Maybe the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster is a secret menu item?
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The menu has a bit of a retro lay - out. I love it! I'm very curious about the Scifi Extravanganza.
Whoever designed this bad boy, NICE work!
I want to cry, it's so pretty, good job! ^_^
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There is still something hidden in there. Look to the left.
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Don't worry, as books are guessed, and certainly before voting time, the actual titles will be revealed! Have fun and chow down!
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Some menu teasers are now posted in message #2.
Begin guessing ... if you dare.
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I guess that Canadian Summer Oatmeal Apple Quickbread is Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell.I’m sorry I can’t help myself. I’ll walk away now. 😂
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Melanie wrote: "PS: Don't walk away. Your perseverance brings me joy."Well if you insist… I could maybe hazard another guess before bed with Direct Descendant by Tanya Huff (again for Canadian Summer Oatmeal Quickbread) which has a Canadian author and is set in Toronto, mentions a Lake Argen, eldritch horrors/bargains, town guardians and some sapphic romance between a baker (Quickbread!) and a PI.
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Sarah wrote: "Melanie wrote: "PS: Don't walk away. Your perseverance brings me joy."Well if you insist… I could maybe hazard another guess before bed with Direct Descendant by [author:Tanya Hu..."
Woo, excellent guessing Sarah!
Is the Chef for The Omega View already on the Shelf? And is The Omega View part of a series?
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Whether you partake of breakfast, appetizers, main course, dessert, or just stop by the bar, the SFFBC Restaurant is proud of all that we've cooked up for you in the mod shack.
PS: If you are new to the club, this is when you begin guessing what book each recipe represents, or ask for clues, or speculate about which mod made the meal.
I need some of ya’ll to jump in here and help me out and save me from obsessive googling.Is Wendigo Flambé Cold by Drew Hayden Taylor?
Mod
Is Wendigo Flambé Cold by Drew Hayden Taylor?"
Bottoms up! You are correct, so have a drink on us!
Sarah wrote: "I need some of ya’ll to jump in here and help me out and save me from obsessive googling.Is Wendigo Flambé Cold by Drew Hayden Taylor?"
More good guessing, Sarah!
I finally had some time to do some obsessive googling myself!
Meredith wrote: "Is Possession, a cocktail The Incandescent?"YAY! Another one down! Way to go Meredith!
I'm inhumanely busy and got hit with influenza A (I'm vaccinated, I'll live), so I can't dig into any of these delicacies :´( but I'm doing a quick drive-in/by. Hopefully the answers to these questions can help someone else figure out what to order!Has the recipe for Castagnole di Campana Noce been translated from Italian?
Were the Coppery Dulce de Leche Brownies created by a Latine chef?
Mod
No, it has not been translated. But something in the title might let one make that connection.
Anna wrote: "Were the Coppery Dulce de Leche Brownies created by a Latine chef?"
Yes, you are correct. Addishionally (see what I did there?), this dish has been translated.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Titanium Noir (other topics)Titanium Noir (other topics)
Titanium Noir (other topics)
Exodus (other topics)
Exodus (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Vicki Jarrett (other topics)Drew Hayden Taylor (other topics)
Drew Hayden Taylor (other topics)
Drew Hayden Taylor (other topics)
J.S. Dewes (other topics)
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SFFBC's Restaurant: The Grand Speculative Kitchen
Imagine a kitchen where chefs collaborate to bring you the best possible selection!
Welcome to the kitchen of literary delights, where the knives are sharper than the criticism and the pots are hotter than the debates! Our chefs are simmering up a feast of a menu: While some season their recipes for epic tales, others are already honing their blades for the perfect plot twist. The critics? They’re already seated with sparkling eyes, ready to savor every bite and dissect every course - from the appetizer of intrigue to the dessert of revelation.
So, napkins out, utensils at the ready ... let the guessing begin!