Just checking in...

For the handful of people who have been kind enough to follow my blog, I apologize for the lack of posts. Work has been a bit crazy, and then I was stricken with the cold for a good 5 days. I have a few ideas for posts in the works, so I'll try and get something up soon.

In the meantime...

For your viewing pleasure I have a photo of my FM Hi-Power, taken in the very professional environment of my kitchen counter top - the closest thing I have to a seamless background at the moment. Oh, how I miss having a studio to work in.

(click to enlarge)

A Most Delicious Game

Talking on #gunblogger_conspiracy the other day, we got on the topic of venison recipes. I mentioned that I had some great success with chicken fried venison. I figured this to be a relatively simple recipe and not really outstanding. Judging from the remarks in the channel, apparently no one was familiar with the preparation process I use.

I actually learned the basics of my hand breading techniques during my short stint in the fast food industry, and have refined my process through my years of bachelor cooking. This particular recipe was an instant hit with my girlfriend, who is quite the picky eater, and was put off by the thought of eating game meat before she knew me.

I use whatever pieces of meat I have on-hand. The prep for this post was done with shoulder and front leg meat. The reason this recipe is a good for these pieces of meat is because you can work with small parts. These parts of the deer tend to have a lot of tendon and connective tissues that need to be stripped out of the meat for cooking. Keep in mind that the finished product will be around 3 times the length and width of the original piece of meat (and much thicker). My fryer is relatively small, so I can't make the Texas-sized pieces I'd like to.

This recipe should work for pan-frying as well, though you may have to adjust cooking time a bit.

Chicken Fried Venison

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of venison, divided into pieces.
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 generous pinch of rubbed sage


Preparation:

Heat your fryer to 350 degrees Farenheit.

Before starting, it is important to wash your hands and clean your fingernails well. This breading method is improved by getting the coating on your hands and then rubbing off the stuck batter back into the flour mix as you work. This will create more "crispies".

Venison pieces should be around 3-4 inches in diameter, though this can be adjusted more or less, depending on how big you want to make your steaks. Tenderize the venison pieces thin and flat with a tenderizing mallet.


In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the milk and egg using a fork or whisk.

In another medium-large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, and sage - mixed loosely to make sure spices are spread throughout the flour.

Take a tenderized steak and coat it thoroughly in eggwash. Transfer it to the flour coating bowl and place it in the center. Pile flour from around it on top, and push the flour downward into the steak with your fist or heel of your hand. Flip and press flour in again. Repeat the eggwash/flour process.


Place the steak in the fryer for around 5 minutes, turning over after 3 minutes. The steaks should be lightly browned when ready. Remove steak and drain oil off, then place on a napkin-covered plate to remove excess oil.



Serve with cream gravy and your choice of vegetables.
Recipe serves 3-4.

Random Hilarity

Sorry for the lack of posts, gunny or otherwise. I'm cooking up a game recipe post to put up in the next day or two. I've also got an extensive gun-related post in the works.

I am sure by now everyone has seen the YouTube video of the little kid in the back seat of a car drugged up after a visit to the dentist. If you haven't, you've been living under a rock. For those of you rock-dwellers, below is the video. Watch it and then continue. Everyone else, skip on to the next part.



Someone thought it fitting to make a parody of the above video. This time, it's Darth Vader who is coming home from the dentist. I nearly shot coffee out of my nose watching it. Here's the video:



[EDIT] If you watch both videos at the same time, giving the Vader clip a 5 second head start, you get an extra dose of synchronous hilarity!

Overheard in Austin

Texas conservatives and gunnies often like to comment (generally in a derogatory way) on the political and social climate of my hometown, Austin. A bastion of liberal hedonism, replete with the lack of personal responsibility and respect for the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, it is often called.

Funny thing about that. I came into my love for guns in this town, surrounded by folks who would be immediately pegged as through-and-through modern liberals by those residing in the rest of the state. My first experience with rifles and pistols was under the guidance of a local friend who frequents the same coffee shop as I do. I've gone to the range with "liberals" who'd get no respect if they wandered into a Republican fundraising event.

The assumption that Austin is a place that simply going to hate guns and the RKBA is simply proving itself untrue the more of my gun-owning life I live here.

I was sitting at a table at my favorite local coffee house with a friend, tapping away at my laptop. A young lady acquaintance of my friend shows up and they start a conversation. The subject matter turns to recent local criminal activity, with references to particular predatory and violent crimes against persons in the neighborhood area of our location as of late.

What caught my interest was a statement from the young lady:

"It's gotten to the point where I got a gun, and I carry it with me."

I'm sure a little smile planted itself on my face. The only response I could give was "good".

Folks, when the coffee-swilling liberals in Austin coffee houses are recognizing the fundamental need to go about armed for personal protection, things are looking up. There's been a lot of defeatist chatter on the gun blogosphere and forums about the inevitable gun bans coming from Obama and Congress and how the country is going to hell in a handbasket. I think they watch too much TV.

There are a lot more of us out there than most folks realize.

Obamicon

I've seen several people posting their own creations on the Obama propaganda art theme, so I though I'd make one of my own.

I think I may revise the graphics to match the fonts used in the original propaganda, but here's my first attempt.


You can check out the propaganda generator over at Obamicon.me.

Is that a pistol in your pocket...

Taking a cue from Brigid, I'm not sufficiently inspired (and lack the time anyway) for a proper post, but am making a (yet another) quick meme post. As Brigid put it, "Empty Your Pockets". So... here's a picture of exactly what sits in my pockets during the day.

Everything is pretty self-explanatory. That black thing at the right is a portable knife sharpener that goes with me everywhere I go. This actually caught me on a light day - I will usually have a sharpie, usb flash drive, and some other assorted items with me. There's, of course, the point-and-shoot which generally travels with me, but was taking the picture. Now, what's in your pockets?

A Photographer's Taste In Art

At risk of becoming a meme-poster, I read Bayou Renaissance Man's recent What Your Taste In Art Says About You quiz results post and decided to take the quiz myself. The results are somewhat expected, and as a photographer - the ideals of impressionism in reflecting reality in one's art are kindred to the visual nature of most photographic work.

There are exceptions in more abstract photography techniques, but even those are generally extrapolations of visual reality. One such technique is called Camera Tossing, a movement headed up by my good friend Ryan Gallagher, which involves capturing the natural physical motion of a tossed camera during flight. You can view much of his own work at Kinetic Photography. Go ahead, click the links - it's quite beautiful and intriguing stuff. I'll make a more extensive post devoted to the technique and my own camera toss work soon.

Anyhow, here's my results:

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.

7 Impressionist, -4 Islamic, 3 Ukiyo-e, -25 Cubist, -19 Abstract and 7 Renaissance!

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects. Impressionist paintings are balanced, use colored shadows, use pure color, broken brushstrokes, thick paint, and scenes from everyday life or nature.

People that like Impressionist paintings may not alway be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy