Rattlesnake Chili Winter Bite

I consider myself a pretty daring or open-minded eater. I've eaten some things that some folks, maybe most folks, might consider pretty offensive or at the very least, provacative. I've eaten snails, insects, brains, eyes and even testicles. But, I had not until tonight ever sunk my fangs into anything so venomous as a snake. So, when I saw rattlesnake at the butcher counter, I didn't think twice about putting the serpent reptile right alongside the eggs, garlic and ginger beer already in my shopping cart. I bought this prairie eel frozen and shipped in from wherever they round these things up from. It's an ugly creature even without it's fangs and rattle and I wasn't quite sure what to do with it once I got home. Another guy in the market district was telling me a lot of people like to make pasta sauces, but he preferred just to saute the cubed meat in a little butter and garlic. Neither sounded all that enticing and I started thinking about the animal and what it represented. Jalapenos immediately came to mind. I thought of cumin and onions and lime and beer and, alas... chili! Sounded like the right idea to me. I researched a little more about cooking rattlesnake and learned that it's meat though similar in taste to chicken, was a bit more chewy in texture. I par boiled it for about two hours in chicken broth and lemon juice and some herbs. Later, after I let it cool. I decided to pull the meat off of the bones. This wasn't the easiest thing to do as there are so many bones in a snake. I used a pair of needle nose pliers and de-boned it much like you might a fish. Once the meat was separated, I chopped it and pan cooked it in garlic and butter before throwing it in with the tomatoes and beans. I added a bay leaf, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, a jalapeno pepper, a bell pepper, chicken broth and fresh lime, salt and black pepper. I simmered for about two hours and really let the flavors blend. The chili turned out delicious, and to the curious delight of everyone who had the opportunity to try it. Ultimately it was served with a little shaved cheese and fresh tomatoes with a Pacifico cerveza and a shot or two of premium tequila on the side. This was a great meal and a lot of fun.

Thyme for Chicken Soup

It's winter. It's cold. My throat hurts. My stomach's hungry. Grandma's dead and I want some chicken noodle soup. Mmmmm, chicken noodle soup.

Carrots, celery stalks, onions, throw in some parsnips and turnips. Chop everything. Add garlic, salt, peppercorns, a table spoon or two of olive oil, throw a bay leaf into the chicken stock, egg noodles and, oh yes... fresh thyme. I love thyme and use it a lot, but often forget to think about it's medicinal qualities. The healing properties of thyme have been know for centuries to the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Before antibiotics, it was used in bandages. It is also an antiseptic and used in teas to aid in the healing of cough, inflammation of the throat and bronchitis. It was used to incense temples and in the middle ages, it was given to knights because it was believed to bestow courage upon them. Why wouldn't you put this in your soup? I feel better already.