By Pat Ponzo
Would you like to make money to have fun? If yes, read through this entire article and I’ll tell you about one possible way of doing that. Moving on!
Every Thursday night—well, almost every Thursday night—Tony and I, along with our friends Karen and Darrell, and Kerry and Mark, take turns hosting game night. We cook dinner, play games, enjoy dessert, laugh way too much, and everyone is home by 10 or 11 p.m. It’s one of the highlights of our week.
This Thursday was our turn to host, and we decided on a Mexican theme. I sent the invitations in Spanish, which forced a few people to use AI to translate them! I even dressed in my best Mexican outfit to keep the theme going. Why not have a little fun with it?
We always start with appetizers. This week we served roasted chickpeas seasoned with chipotle and maple syrup, from my daughter Erika’s cookbook along with cheese dip and tortilla chips.
Tony made an amazing Chicken Colorado. It was so good I have to share the recipe!
Tony’s Easy Chicken Colorado
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (10 oz.) mild red enchilada sauce
- 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
- 1 small can diced green chiles
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Brown the chicken in the olive oil for about 3–4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan.
- Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, broth, cumin, oregano, and chili powder.
- Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and return it to the pan.
- Cover and simmer for 25–30 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
- Serve with rice and beans and warm tortillas.
My contribution was the rice, beans, fresh tortillas, and a salad topped with Mexican dressing.
A nice, healthy, low-calorie meal…don’t you think? 😂
Before we even think about playing games, we settle into what has become our unofficial tradition—comparing doctor visits.
Hey, we’re seniors. This is what we do!
Someone always has a new ache, new medication, a new Band-Aid somewhere or some strange medical condition that we have to discuss. After years of getting together, we pretty much know everyone’s health history: diabetes, heart issues, blood disorders, 3 of us wear hearing aids!, hip replacements…you name it.
This week we had some breaking news: Darrell ran into a forklift!
What??!!
He is fine, but it gave us something to talk about!
And for some reason, Kerry was wearing two watches! I guess she wanted to keep precise track of time.
Of course, the conversation eventually shifts to our favorite topic – our grandchildren. Somehow, no matter what we were talking about before, we always end up pulling out our phones to show the latest photos.
Eventually, it’s finally time to play.
Our collection is pretty impressive: Farkel, Party, Sequence, Polish Poker, Chinese Checkers, Taboo, Pictionary, Bocci Balls – Kerry and Mark actually installed a court in their yard…the list goes on.
Since we were hosting, I picked Aggravation. There were a few groans, but once the marbles started moving, everyone got competitive.
The goal of the game is to get all your marbles around the board and back Home. My favorite part is knocking someone else’s marble all the way back to the beginning, so they have to start over.
That’s when Tony yells, “Bocce Balls!”
Naturally, that makes everyone else decide I need to be the next victim!
But you know what? That’s what makes the game fun!
If you’ve never played Aggravation, I highly recommend it. It’s easy to learn, perfect for adults, and just as much fun with grandkids. We play it all the time with ours.
Then comes dessert—because apparently our “healthy” dinner wasn’t enough.
This week’s indulgence was a chocolate dump cake.
After dessert, everyone is full, we’ve laughed a lot, and it’s time to call it a night.
Next Thursday we’ll be guests instead of hosts…which means someone else gets to cook.
Now that’s something to celebrate!
Did You Know?
And speaking of getting together with friends, here’s something you may not know about your Medicare Advantage plan. If you belong to a Medicare Advantage plan, your plan may offer rewards for certain healthy activities—including, in some cases, social activities.
Our plan gives Tony and me $10 each—not a fortune, but we’ll take it! Every plan is different but if you haven’t already, check it out with your plan.
There’s a reason many health plans encourage activities that keep us active and connected with other people. Our insurance plan rewards us for many healthy activities, such as getting together with others, walking, vaccinations, doctor visits, and more.
Check it out! You might be surprised at what your plan offers.
What’s Your Favorite Game?
What games do you enjoy playing with family or friends? We’re always looking for a new favorite, so leave us a comment at the bottom of this page. We’d love some recommendations!
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Until next time,
Pat
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