Kin Diet

Rodent meat ( such as mice and rats ) vary from breed to breed. Depending on what they eat, they can taste anywhere from sweet to muddy. In my experience, however, rats and mice often just taste like rabbit. Please do not eat the mice and rats you catch at home, if you can not find a provider they often sell mice and rats as food for snakes. Eating rodents you find in your house can be dangerous, not only do you not know what they have been eating but you don’t know what diseases they may be carrying. 

My favorite way to cook rodents is to simply skin them ( I found a recipe that says you blow torch their skin than scrap off the the remains with steel wool, but I buy my rat preskinned so I don’t know if this actually works. )

cut them into desired chunks ( like how you would separate fried chicken )

Put chunks in a jar of marinade of what ever you want ( I like a mixture of cilantro, mint, red chilli powder, garlic, and tamari ) let rodent marinate in the fridge for 5 hours - over night

Deep fry rodent in butter and peanut oil mixture until brown. 

but here are some recipes that is sure to make your mouth water.

( taken from http://bertc.com/subfive/recipes/cookingrats.htm )

Creamed Mice Skin, gut and wash some fat mice without removing their heads. Cover them in a pot with ethyl alcohol and marinate 2 hours. Dice a piece of salt pork or sowbelly and cook it slowly to extract the fat. Drain the mice, dredge them thoroughly in a mixture of flour, pepper, and salt, and fry slowly in the rendered fat for about 5 minutes. Add a cup of alcohol and 6 to 8 cloves, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Prepare a cream sauce, transfer the sauteed mice to it, and warm them in it for about 10 minutes before serving.

( taken from http://www.rense.com/general27/ram.htm )

SHEPHERD’s PIE Not every shepherd can dice a lamb every time his belly rumbles. So many have learned to make do with DICED FIELD MICE. Take 4 potatoes, boil, mash, season, add cream, mash some more, line 8” pieshell with them. Boil six medium sized mice. Rats are ok if you know what they’ve been eating. No Buick upholstery or graveyards. If the rodents are the right size, you should have a cup of rat meat (depending if you’ve cleaned the carcasses well enough.) Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, add l cup blanched, chopped almonds, l cup cracker crumbs, l egg, (reserve l tsp for topping) making a burger. OPTIONAL: bell pepper, onions, cilantro, parsley, thyme, oregano, l can creamed corn, water chestnuts, chopped olives, a dash of catsup or tomato sauce. Fill the pie. Cover with more potatoes. Use egg/cream to wipe down pie so it toasts brownish in oven.
Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 - 40 minutes)

Here is a recipe for my bird of prey kin, and maybe a few adventurous canine kin.  Rattlesnake is a mild meat that is great in almost any type of dish. Soup, salad, or just grilled on the BBQ. This is a meat you should cook all the way through.

An easily recipe is just:

1 large rattlesnake, freshly skinned, and cleaned 
BBQ sauce 
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut snake into 4-6 inch sections. marinat snake in barbecue sauce several hours. Wrap sections in tinfoil and barbecue over charcoal for 45 minutes. To keep meat from drying out, baste with barbecue sauce every 10 minutes.

But if you want to get a little fancier:

Spicy Rattlesnake Pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 28 oz can Italian tomatoes

1 dried hot red chilies, minced

1 tbsp. oregano

2 tsp. dried basil

2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. salt

juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 lb. rattlesnake meat

1 lb penne or pasta of choice

Simmer rattlesnake in water and lemon juice for 1 hour, remove and separate meat from bones.

Combine de-boned meat with the rest of the ingredients (except pasta) in large saucepan and simmer for 1/2 hour.

Cook pasta as normal and serve over cooked pasta.

( taken from http://www.rattlesnakerecipe.us/ )

Another simple drink recipe!

You will need:

• Pomegranate soda
• Blackcurrant liqueur (often sold as crème de cassis)

Make sure both the soda and the liqueur are chilled. Fill a glass about three quarters of the way full with soda, then top it off with the liqueur. Garnish with a flower if so desired.
The liqueur should mix with the soda a bit before settling to the bottom half of the glass; this results in the top of the drink being comparatively light and sweet, then becoming stronger and more alcoholic as you drink.
For best results, use a clear glass.

This is a really simple thing I made: not really a recipe, but I thought it might belong here.

It’s just a bento box filled with mixed nuts, sunflower seeds, grapes, and blueberries. There was also a side dish of pomegranate seeds:

A nice light snack to take to school or work, to satisfy your bird self. It also can work for any small animals who eat mostly nuts and fruits…

This is a very simple flower drink made of hibiscus flowers (available in Jamaican or Mexican markets; sometimes called Jamaica flowers or sorrel blossoms).

For one jug, you need

• 8 cups water
• 2 cups hibiscus flowers
• 1 cup sugar, or to taste
• Rum to taste (optional)

Bring the water to boil in a stainless steel pot. Add the hibiscus and stir it in. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to steep for around four hours. Strain and sweeten. Serve chilled, plain or with rum.

♥ Recipe submitted tchy, Thank you for the submission  

( taken from http://weirdfoodclub.blogspot.com/ )

Here is another blood recipe for my carnivores out there. Veriohukaiset ( translated into Blood Pancake i do believe) is a delicious Finnish recipe that I just tried out a few days ago. I hope you enjoy it!

Also, I will be adding the ability to submit your own recipes here shortly! So start sending them in! also, take pictures of any food you tried out so I can post them to the page as well.

( taken from http://www.dlc.fi )

400 ml pork blood *)
400 ml milk
400 ml rye flour
2 tbsp dark molasses
½ - 1 tsp salt
pinch of white pepper
(pinch of dried marjoram)
1 small onion
butter

If the blood is frozen, let it thaw overnight in refrigerator. Whisk together the blood and the milk. Add the molasses, salt and pepper (and the marjoram). Gradually whisk in the flour and stir until the mixture is smooth.

Cover the batter and let it rest for at least an hour, so that the flour will swell. Meanwhile, finely mince the onion and sauté it in a little butter until softened and translucent. Add the onion into the batter.

Heat a pancake pan until very hot. Generously butter the pan and pour a first batch of the batter in the rounds. Fry until the bubbles on the batter surface begin to set and flip the pancakes over. Continue frying with the rest of the batter. Serve the blood pancakes hot, accompanied by lingonberry jam or sugared lingonberries.

( image taken from http://www.taste.com.au )

This recipe is for my fae and herbivore kin out there. Instead of doing a full scale recipe, I am going to talk about how to make your own recipe to fit your individual taste. So lets talk flowers shall we? Flowers can be fragile; but if prepared carefully you can make a fun, delicious salad that you will absolutely love.

Just like any new food, watch out for allergies. If you notice any changes in your well-being after eating or touching a product, call a doctor immediately.

Below you will find a list of good flowers ( with information on how to grow your own ) as well as a good recipe for a vinaigrette that taste good on any flower salad. Flowers can be placed upon any type of lettuces, or simply eaten by themselves. (  but one of my favorite treats is Bachelor’s button petals, a tiny bit of sage, thinly sliced cucumbers, and nasturtium petals drizzled with lemon juice and honey. It is very tasty on a hot summers day )

( Below was taken from http://www.sunset.com with notes from me in italics )

Bachelor’s button (Centaurea cyanus)

Flavor/texture: Cucumberish, with a fun, frilly texture. Can eat either the whole bloom or the petals only.

Growing tips: Annual. Sunset climate zones 1–24, H1, H2. Full sun. Moderate water. Upright growth to 1 ½ ft. Narrow, gray-green leaves and flowers about 1 ½ inch across in shades of blue, purple, pink, rose, and white. More compact varieties, such as ‘Jubilee Gem’, are also available. Sow seeds in autumn in the desert, elsewhere in spring.

Borage (Borago officinalis)

Flavor/texture: Delicate cucumber taste, with hints of melon. To eat, pull out the hairy sepals in the center. The leaves are edible as well, though older ones have unpleasant spines.

Growing tips: Annual. Zones A2, A3, 1–24, H1. Full sun or light shade. Moderate water. Tolerates poor soil. Clump-forming European herb with rough-haired gray-green leaves and sprays of star-shaped true blue flowers. Reseeds abundantly, but doesn’t transplant well because of its deep taproot. Start from seed in spring after frost damage is past. Good cut flower too.

Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

Flavor/texture: Mildly tangy; thin, paperlike petals. Best eaten as petals.

Growing tips: Annual. Zones A2, A3, 1–24, H1. Full sun. Moderate water. Prefers rich soil but will tolerate other types if it has good drainage. Its daisylike orange and yellow flowers add glowing color to the garden over a long period ― late fall through spring in mild-winter areas, and from spring through midsummer in colder climates. Long-lasting cut flowers, too. Sow seed in place in late summer or early fall in mild-winter climates (spring elsewhere), or buy nursery seedlings.

Carnation (Dianthus)

Flavor/texture: Sweet and spicy. Best to eat only the petals; taste each flower, as some are bitter.

Growing tips: Annuals, biennials, perennials. Zones A2, A3, 1–24 for most species. Full sun; afternoon shade in the desert. Regular water. Most like light, fast-draining soil and neutral to slightly alkaline conditions. Plants vary from rock-garden miniatures to tall cut-flower types. Flowers are single, semi-double, or double, in shades of pink, rose, red, and white, often with fringed edges and/or contrasting eyes and margins. Many are highly fragrant. Plants are widely available in nurseries in spring; in mild climates also in fall. Species Dianthus are also easy to grow from seed.

Herb flowers (basil, chives, oregano, rosemary, sage)

Flavor/texture: They taste like the herb’s leaves, but often with a touch of sweetness. They can be tiny and delicate, so pick right before using, or snip the entire blossom stem and put it in water until ready to use.

Growing tips: Most of the common perennial culinary herbs are Mediterranean in origin. Their frost tolerance varies, but otherwise their needs are similar ― full sun, good drainage, and light to moderate irrigation. Annual culinary herbs generally need more water and perform better in enriched soil, especially herbs of tropical origin, such as basil. Although a perennial, garlic chives also need regular water.

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

Flavor/texture: Hands down the tastiest flower. Peppery and mustardy, with a honeyed undertone. Colors range from yellow to reddish orange, with variegations too. The petals are thin and fragile, and seem to melt on the tongue. The peppery leaves are edible too.

Growing tips: Annual. All zones. Full sun or light shade. Regular water. Needs well-drained soil; sandy is preferred. There are two types; the more commonly grown dwarfs, which are compact (1 ½ ft. high and wide) and bushy; and the climbing types, which trail over the ground or climb via coiling leafstalks to 6 ft. In mild-winter, hot-summer areas, sow seeds in fall; elsewhere, sow in early spring.

Stock (Matthiola incana)

Flavor/texture: Use flowerets. Warmly spicy flavor.

Growing tips: Short-lived perennials grown as annuals. Zones 1–24. Full sun to light shade. Regular water. Likes moderately rich soil with good drainage. Plants are bushy and upright and have lance-shaped gray-green leaves and clove- and cinnamon-scented single or double flowers in shades of white, cream, pink, red, and purple. Plant nursery seedlings in early spring in cold winter climates; early fall in mild winter climates.

Violas, including pansy (Viola cornuta, V. x wittrockiana) and Johnny-jump-up (V. tricolor)

Flavor/texture: Faint lettucelike taste; velvety texture. All are edible (pansies are the largest; the littlest are Johnny-jump-ups).

Growing tips: Perennials usually grown as annuals. Violas and Johnny-jump-ups grow in all zones; violas 1–10, 14–24. Full sun to partial shade. Regular water. Prefer rich, well-drained soil. Low-growing bushy plants with five-petaled flowers. Violas come in many solid colors as well as “whiskered” patterns; larger-flowered pansies often have dark, velvety blotches, creating the familiar pansy “face”; Johnny-jump-ups have tiny ½-inch-wide purple-yellow or blue-yellow flowers, and bloom profusely. Set out nursery plants in spring in cold-winter climates; plant in autumn in mild climates.

Vinaigrette taken from www.taste.com.au

• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 5 jasmine flowers
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Place lemon juice, jasmine flowers, mustard, vinegar and oil into a small bowl. Gently mix to form a creamy dressing (the flavour from the jasmine flowers will add a touch of sweetness to the vinaigrette). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Whisk well before putting on salad.

( picture taken from Drfogg at photobucket.com )

Here is a recipe for my vampire and carnivore kin out there. Blood pudding ( also called black pudding and blood sausage ) is a traditional ( and delicious ) breakfast accompaniment that has been eaten across Europe for centuries. This meal is a good meal for any kin that has a need for blood, or simply a need for a delicious breakfast sausage.

( Below was taken from http://www.grouprecipes.com with notes from me in italics )

Ingredients

• 1 quart pig, lamb or goose blood ( I recommend lamb )
• 16 oz milk
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb. shredded suet ( suet is the fat found around the loins and kidneys of an animal, I find it tastes best with lamb )
• 2 large onions, minced
• 1 oz oatmeal, toasted
• a length of sausage skin to stuff

How to make it

• Bring a large stewpot 3/4 full of water almost to a boil
• Pour the blood into a deep bowl
• Add 1 tsp salt, stirring constantly
• Strain with a seive
• Add milk, mix well
• Add suet, minced onions, toasted oatmeal, 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp black pepper and mix well
• Fill skins using a sausage stuffing machine or a funnel with a large opening, making the sausages the length you require. Do not overstuff or the sausages will burst when cooked
• Cut each sausage leaving a length of skin on each end in order to tie them off
• Put the finished sausages in the water for a few minutes
• Prick each sausage with a cooking fork and turn them in the water
• Cook gently for about 2 hours
• Remove from pot and hang to let cool
• When cool, slice and fry

Picture taken from http://www.kaceyskitchen.com

I started this food blog for the many non human kin out there who have trying to change their lifestyle so they can feel closer to the “other” part of them. Because most kin seem to be carnivores or omnivores, I decided to start out with a nice steak tartare for you to try.

When making a tartare; please remember to ALWAYS use the freshest, highest grade of meat and eggs as you can. This is so you are less likely to have bacteria that may be in your product. If you have a low immune system, please consult your doctor before attempting a tartare.

( Below was taken from http://allrecipes.com with notes from me in italics )

Ingredients

• 1 pound finely ground beef tenderloin ( you can also start with veal or any type of beef you would like, just make sure it is a high grade and is FRESH)
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (e.g. Cholula™ ), or to taste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon brandy ( like Calvados )
• 1 pinch salt, or to taste
• ground white pepper to taste
• 1 egg ( a good grade please~! )

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the beef, mustard, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brandy, salt, pepper and egg until well blended. Arrange the meat in a neat pile on a glass dish, and cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve as a spread on crackers or toast. ( or, eat it with a spoon! I also know many therians like to warm up their tartare in the microwave for about a minute so that it is warm like fresh prey would be. Steak tartare is something you can change up quite a bit. Add two eggs, add a little bit of olive oil, use bison or deer meat instead of cow, there is so much you can do with this dish. As long as the eggs and meat are fresh and are a high grade- you can do almost anything you want with it. Try it at home and send me pictures so I can see the beautiful tartares you created at home ♥  )