Bison Horns

Cut open for you to see.

Though you'd never believe it, sometimes, when it comes to dinner, I'm very uninspired. Sometimes its just going through the motions to make your stomach quiet down.

But sometimes, a meal just makes your heart sing. Sometimes you create a masterpiece so magnificent that you strap on your brand new pair of TrekSports*, climb atop your roof, thrust your fists into the sunset clouds hanging in the air above, and shout "I LOVE THE GRILL FAR MORE THAN I HAVE EVER LOVED ANY SENTIENT BEING!"

Despite working in a lovely store that I am very proud of, I often get tired of the manufactured 'hype' surrounding any one product. One week its one feature, the next week it is forgotten for a thing. However, when Hatch peppers come into season in Texas, I can't help but get all giddy. So there I was, bumping into everything with my pushing my awkwardly shaped cart through a crowded grocery store in Fort Worth, Hatch pepper riding in the upper basket toward its destiny. I bought many things. Many strange things. I hadn't been in that store in a long time, and everything seemed to pique my interest and weasel into my cart. They had Elk! ($33.99, though, so I looked at it longingly and moved on.) Everyone was quite nice in that store, but I gotta say, I hate the way they package your seafood and meat. I despise plastic bags-- and these were not just ordinary 'annoying-level' plastic bags, these were the 'contaminated-by-raw-something-so-that-you-may-never-reuse-or-recycle-them-level' plastic bags.

I digress. Are you still here? Awesome. Because this is going to get good, fast.

Skip forward. I am home, and I have brought home ground bison and my little hatch, and a shallot. I already had cheddar & goat cheese in my refrigerator, as well as some garlic. I told you-- this is going to get good, fast.



Bison Horns

Hatch Pepper ... 2
Ground Bison ... 1/4 lb
Shallot ... 1/2 small, minced
Goat Cheese ... 1/2 TB
Cheddar Cheese ... some, chopped
Garlic ... 1 or 2 cloves, chopped
Butter ... just a bit, melted (or soft enough to smear)

Cut the tops off of the hatch peppers and use a spoon to get the cores and seeds out. You can choose mild or hot peppers-- I chose mild.

Mix the rest of the ingredients and massage with hands until well incorporated. Cilantro and black pepper are also good in there.

Stuff the peppers with the meat mixture. I used a chopstick to make sure it got all the way into the bottom! Coat the outside of the pepper in butter (real, yeah?) and wrall them up (I just made that up, wrap/roll. I'm so creative I'm going to pass out) to make sure they're really well sealed! Hang on... do this next thing too.
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Grilled Veggie Mix

Green Beans ... 2 or 3 cups, clipped and cut in half
Okra ... 2 cups, sliced long and short ways
Tomato ... 1 large, chunked
Garlic ... 3 cloves, minced
Butter ... 1 tsp-1 TB, cold, chopped

Put them all on a foil sheet and sprinkle the tiny butter chunks in there. Crack black pepper all over the top. Wrap it up in the foil and seal it really well, then wrap again, then wrap again. Three times, the wrapping. OK, now where were we?
________

An Den?

You put your grill on medium or medium-low and you lay these foil packets on there. Cover the grill. I don't have cover, so I put foil over the whole thing... its a bit funny. Leave'um for 8-10 minutes. (10 mo bettah) Now, flip them, then leave them for another 8-10 nervous (maybe you think the first 10 minutes was too much and do 8 this time). Gingerly remove the foil packets, don't pierce them now, and leave them in a casserole pan or something to cool. I don't care where you put them. Get something good and cold to drink and clean up.

Now, break the foil and pull these guys open so excitedly. The smell leaking out of the veggie packet made, yeah, me weak in the knees. Good heaven almighty. Holy culinary amalgamation. Sweet baby Zorak. This is powerful good. I almost ate the entire packet of veg alone... and then is the bison horn. You know what? No descripción. You eat it.

Pancetta Fancy Shrimp & Paprika Artichoke Hearts

Pancetta Fancy Shrimp
Originally uploaded by CaptainShen

On the dawn of my graduation, I found myself in the mood for an entirely planned, carefully contemplated, totally 'fancy' dinner. Of course, being that I was indeed upon the dawn of my graduation, I did have reports and things to do. So, it became a fancy lunch. But it was meticulously thought through, I promise. I delighted in making it for a friend and myself.

Fancy Shrimp

10 Shrimp, peeled and deveined
Pancetta (rolled type), 5 slices
Goat Cheese, a bit
Avocado, Sliced small
Horseradish root
Ground Black Pepper

These guys are very simple. More of the process can be seen on the flickr at the other end of that link, there.

Slice the pancetta peices in half. Spread some goat cheese on-- I just took a pinch with my fingers to warm and soften it, then smeared it a little. Lay down a shrimp right up beside a slice of avocado and roll him up in there, together, all snug. Oh my goodness, you're done. You quick thing, you.

Broil or grill the fancy buggahs until crisp or done, then top with fresh ground black peppercorns and freshly grated horseradish (seriously, go get a root and grate it!).

The artichoke hearts were simiple from a can (what?! I can only be so fancy at one time, on the dawn and all!), tossed with paprika, and grilled and broiled with the shrimps. Try topping them with good butter-- I didn't, I had already eaten them.

Have a happy dinner!

Hakusan Fancy Drink : Creamy and Sparkling

Hakusan Fancy Drink
Originally uploaded by CaptainShen

Simple drink. Truly, all you need to do is pour about a tablespoon of heavy cream into the bottom of a glass and pour sparkling water over it.

I usually drop in flavors of liquid stevia (like English Toffee).

This one was chocolate raspberry flavored with a frozen strawberry dropped in :).

Life is good, sometimes, from such simple delicacies!