Reintroduce Moose

Let me start by saying that this whole meal was pleasantly surprising. When Mom Came to Visit she brought along some moose steaks with her. She has a staff of many natives who hunt them and bring her meat for free, so it's really hard to say no. I hadn't had moose meat since I was a kid, but I've become partial to gamey flavors as I've grown older, so I decided to give it another go. I wasn't going to do anything crazy with it so I could actually taste the flavor of the meat and distinguish any textural differences or whatever. The simply titled Browned Moose Steaks were fantastic! The meat was so tender! That could have something to do with me pounding it silly with a mallet and cooking it in butter, but it still caught me off guard. The texture was more pull-apart grainy than buttery, which I really enjoyed. Shannon wasn't into the game taste, but otherwise this was awesome. I certainly don't mind eating the leftovers. I should've had mousse for dessert, now that I think about it.

To get the basic and bland side dish out of the side, I made Corn and Walnuts. It's exactly what it sounds like; corn cooked with walnuts. I liked it because I like corn and walnuts, but don't expect any surprises. The original recipe (yes, there was an original recipe) called for black walnut oil which may have added a whole new dimension, or simply more walnut flavor. I've never seen nor heard of black walnut oil before, so I'm kind of curious now. I'm becoming painfully aware of my branching demand for once-unnecessary food items and utensils. I mean, I now have 10 different types of salt and 8 different types of vinegar (and I can't justify parting with any of them). I don't believe I'll be a true and complete food snob until I end up with cookware more expensive than our car or start buying truffles off EBay, but I can see that day coming.

Bannock. I don't think I've ever had bannock that wasn't cooked over a camp fire and it's just not as good on the stove top. However, it's essentially fried bread, so it's hard to really go wrong. Since it is so simple you can add basically anything to lean more towards the savory or sweet. Add some cinnamon, raisins and honey and you've got a dessert biscuit. Add some rosemary and/or thyme and spread on some garlic butter and you've got a good stew accompaniment and so on. Crispy and chewy and loaded with empty calories like every good bread is.

Things kept getting better with the Autumn Baked Butternut Squash. I could've sworn I made something similar to this before but could not find it in the database. Butternut squash is naturally sweet and mixed with apples, pecans and brown sugar this might as well be a dessert as a side dish. I think it's nice presentation and it's very easy to make, just time consuming for the whole roasting process. It's absolutely delicious though and I highly recommend it.

Finally, something titled Woodland Wild Rice. I find it hard to believe that canned beans and mushrooms are found in the wild, but aside from that, I quite liked this dish. I also especially like that I'm through with the four for a dollar canned mushrooms I picked up eons ago; never again. This is a super easy way to cram in some vegetables, however sodium laden, without feeling like you're eating vegetables. The flavor of chicken stock and wild rice masks any sort of canned vegetable flavor which I am incredibly thankful for.