When she was ten, my younger sister Peaches firmly announced that air drying dishes was the most efficient, economical. and sanitary way to approach the task. Since we had a dishwasher and washed mostly pots and pans by hand, Mom decided to go along with it. As long as we put everything away by bedtime. Do you believe that air drying is more sanitary than towel drying?

Thus, our family unwittingly entered into the Dish Drainer Jenga craze. DDJ is best played using a plastic dish drainer that sits in the sink. Like regular Jenga, DDJ requires the building of a tower. Unlike regular Jenga the Tower in DDJ is constructed of a variety of wet kitchen items stacked at unpredictable and precarious angles. Do you know anyone who routinely overfills their dish drainer (or for that matter, dishwasher)?

In traditional Jenga, everyone helps build the Tower. Everyone tries to remove game pieces without crashing the Tower. In DDJ, players are likely to take on very specific roles. My daughter is a dedicated tower builder- never removing items. Mr. Desk traditionally takes on an NPC (non-player character) role- only ever leaving dishes in the sink or on the counter waiting to be washed. My approach is more varied. I routinely remove dry dishes and put them away, then add more dishes to the tower to dry. And routinely try to fish out that pesky, still wet lid to the coffee carafe from its nest in the center of the pile. Without toppling the Tower or breaking a juice glass. Do you know anyone who tends to let dirty dishes pile up in the sink?

Before you ask. Yes. We have- and use- a dishwasher. But there are things that don't belong in a dishwasher. My acacia cutting board and olive wood utensils. The good chef's knives. Non-stick cookware. Collectible cups from wherever. Some pottery coffee mugs. Mom's wedding china and silver. Because "dishwasher safe" is not the same as "dishwasher recommended." Do you put any of these items in your dishwasher?

A single game of Dish Drainer Jenga can go on for years! At our house, I call game over each Christmas Eve. Insist everything be put away. Breakfast (fruit salad and an egg & sausage casserole) are in the fridge ready to slip into the oven or a serving bowl, and love waking to a perfectly tidy kitchen. It's a special gift from the family to me :) Anyway. Gotta ask. Do you play Dish Drainer Jenga?