It's time to beat feet.

Today's subject is shooting stance. There are a few accepted methods to be discussed, but before we get there it's important to note that our focus thus far has been on defensive handgunning. The wise say no one rises to the occasion, rather we all sink to our level of training. What you practice at the range will probably go out the window if you ever find yourself in a situation that you might have to shoot your way out of. Technique will be the last thing on your mind, which is why we practice skills to the point that we don't think about what we're doing. We just do it. So let's do it.

Get a Grip.

Welcome to shooting 101. We're going to talk about the basics of handgunning and there's a few points to cover: stance, grip, sight picture, and trigger control. Today's post is about proper grip. Like golf, bowling and a host of other sports, grip is important.  There's no substitute for hands-on experience, so I won't bore you with expansive descriptions of other's methods. Instead we'll look at some pictures and video and use these as a basis for practice.

The Four Rules.

I've got more gun stuff coming up soon, and it's going to be good and simple. Like any other Martial Art, shooting as a discipline requires technique and practice, which become skill through repetition. My thoughts on technique begin where they should, the basics. Before we get into any of that, let's talk about the rules.

1. All guns are always loaded. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. (Don't point it at anything you don't want to shoot.)
3. Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target. This is the Golden Rule. Its violation is directly responsible for most negligent discharges.
4. Identify your target, and what is behind it. Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified.

People may paraphrase the words, but not the concepts. Some of the rules are easier to follow than others. Conditioning yourself to keep your finger off the trigger seems to be difficult for most people, probably because it instinctively rests there. It's far easier to remember to identify your target, while at the same time it seems easy for people to forget about their backstop. TV has long handicapped people by bathing us in false, unrealistic and often dangerous notions about firearms. Speaking directly to backstop; Hollywood suggests that good guys never miss, and bullets penetrate but never exit. The truth is quite different. It's easy to miss the target, even up close, if you don't align the sights correctly. With regards to penetration, I've seen rifle bullets easily penetrate all the way through 14” trees that targets had been tacked to. Seeing splinters where bullets have forcefully exited an otherwise solid mass is enough to give pause. 

Whether shooting at meat or paper, you're responsible for every bullet you fire, no exceptions.

In short, be safe, respect your tools, and stay tuned for shooting 101.

This curd go either whey.

Have you ever made your own cheese?


Neither have I.     Why would we? 


Cheese is available in countless varieties at the nearest grocery store... Though not every cheese is in the dairy case, as I recently found out. It started with some great Indian take-out that came home the other day. It was a vegiterian dish called paneer saag, made of curry spinach in cream with chunks of fried cheese. It was delicious, and prompted me to attempt it in my humble kitchen. I was going to make saag with chicken but decided at the last minute that paneer was easy enough after a friend lent me an Indian cookbook.

Fiesta Friday!

An inside joke becomes a weekly event

Ah, Fiesta Friday.  It's a weekly holiday around here.  You see, I love Mexican food.  It's easily my favorite foreign cuisine, if you can call it foreign.  If you consider how much of the Southwestern US used to be Mexico, or how much of the current US is de-facto Mexican territory it kind of blurs the lines a bit...  We'll leave politics aside for now.  Mention of the border war, with it's associated quagmire of talking points leaves a bad taste in my mouth.


This week's Fiesta Friday was a real treat.  The event was hosted by another couple so I had minimal work to do in the kitchen.  We were served a huge plate of ground turkey nachos to start, and they were wonderful.  The main course was a great looking casserole dish filled with chicken enchiladas.  Shredded chicken, corn, tomatoes and spices rolled in flour tortillas covered with sauce and cheese.  Along the way there were dishes of guacamole, salsa, queso dip, and mounds of chips.  Everything was delicious, but I was blown away by the our host's first attempt at traditional flan.  

Between the homemade caramel, the delicate egg custard, and the hint of kahlua, I was speechless.  In truth, I was speechless because I devoured the rest of the flan with a fork after I made quick work of the two portions I was actually served.  My apologies to anyone that wanted more; I was a force to be reckoned with.  I'm not sure how I managed to eat so much of everything... perhaps the bottles of Dos Equis amber lager I downed along the way provided the necessary lubrication.


My thanks again to our hosts!  You set the bar high, and I'll have to step it up when next we meet.  That brings me to today's recipe, one of my favorite dishes from my favorite cuisine. There's a small but well known Mexican restaurant in Kalamazoo called The Big Burrito and they offer two types of tacos.  The first taco is familiar to most; meat, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sour cream...  The second is more traditional and not on the main menu.  (Delicious) research tells me that they are usually referred to Tacos de Carne Asada, but The BigB calls them Tacos Mexicanos. Out of respect I refer to my version as Tacos Mexicanos as well.  Here they are:

(stock photo. not my tacos, but close.  you get the idea)

1 lb flat iron steak (you need a marbled cut of steak, more on that later)
1 large yellow onion
3 limes
1 bunch cilantro
bundle of small corn tortillas


Chop the steak and onions into small chunks of similar size.  Toss'em into a large zip-top bag with the juice of one lime, 2t ground cumin, a heavy pinch of salt, fresh ground pepper, and 1T oil.  Seal well and knead the bag to thoroughly mix the contents.  Leave the bag on the counter to come to room temp; about an hour.  Chop the cilantro, slice the limes into wedges and set both aside.  Place a stack of tortillas between two plates or in your fancy tortilla warmer and heat to soften.  The microwave or a 200°F oven will do.

Now comes the HOT smoky part.  At The Big Burito, they have a big hot griddle (with a hood) for cooking.  HOT is key, because you want to sear the meat.  If you don't have enough heat, you get cooked food with no delicious brown crust.  My solution to this problem clearly isn't provided by the electric cooktop.  We need HEAT, get it?  The only solution is also the simplest one, a large cast iron skillet on the bbq grill.  All the smoke stays outside, and delicious food cooks fast.  Pre-heat the skillet on the grill until it a squirt of oil smokes in the pan.  Add the contents of the bag and watch for flare-ups.  Brown the goods and kill the heat.  Bring the pan back inside and start an assembly line.


Serve a scoop of meat and onions on doubled up tortillas. Top with cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.  There's nothing like it.  The next time I cook them, I promise a "boots on the ground" report with pics.  Good thing it's less than a week away!

Mmm, tastes like chicken...

I promised poultry, so let's establish the pecking order. First, we'll talk about roasting a whole bird, then we'll make indian food with chicken parts you might be more comfortable buying, and finally a great recipe for turkey burgers. I'll warn you now; it's hard to argue with the cost and flavor of one of those rotisserie chickens you can buy from your local supermarket for around five bucks. I won't try to dissuade you from a fast meal of someone else's labor if you so choose. Nanny's can raise good kids too, but where's the satisfaction in that?

Disclaimer aside, lets get to it. I love roast chicken. The presentation is pleasing, and the smell that graces your kitchen would be nearly worth it alone. As leftovers, nothing makes better soup. With regards to sandwiches your chicken has a far more honest quality about it than packaged, processed cold-cuts from whichever plant keeps their Salmonella counts down long enough to ship product. This isn't meant to be the definitive procedure on chicken roasting; more my collection of finer points and variations from the sheer tonnage of information available in cookbooks and on the web. Here are some things I do that many others don't:

Blade: Trinity

Don’t worry, there will be no mention of tax-evading action stars or heart-throb vampires, though our subject has drawn it's share of blood. We will be talking about the world of cutlery, one of Man's oldest tools. I use edged tools in many aspects of life, and i've broken them down into three distinct arenas: Cooking, Camping, and Every Day Carry. (EDC) We'll explore all of these topics in good time, as well as steel types, designs, functions and more. Today's focus is on camping tools, specifically the hatchet.