Woah, Nelly!

Thankfully, most things in DC are shut down today, so we don't have to be at work. :)

It was rainy and blustery this morning when I got up, but the wind and rain are really getting strong now -- we're hopeful that our power will stay on, but I'm prepared just it case it doesn't: I hit the gym this morning, the most critical elements of our laundry pile have been washed and dried, there's chili in the crock pot, and I pre-cooked some soup for tomorrow (just in case!).

The chili, I have to admit, is a point of serious amusement for me.  First of all, it sprung from a totally random craving: bison.  When I was at the grocery on Thursday night, I was struck by an overwhelming desire to have bison.  Now, this would make sense if I'd ever eaten bison before -- but I haven't had it once in my 31 years.  

Hello, sir.  I don't believe we've met before.
Well, I take that back: we've met - just not at dinner. (Source)

 I've learned to listen when I get random cravings, since my body seems to have some sort of weird mutant superpower in terms of knowing exactly what it needs, even if I haven't had it before.  I know: it makes no sense to me, either.

Case in point: a few months ago, I was having some problems with my estomago -- and all I wanted was GT's Kombucha.  Now, I'd never touched the stuff before in my life, but because I'm a mutant, for a good three days my only discernible thought was "Must.  Have.  Kombucha."  So finally I caved, and lo: it made my stomach feel better within the day.

So, all that is to say that when random cravings arise, I've learned to heed their advice.  And this craving for bison wasn't letting up.  The only logical explanation is that you can take the girl out of Colorado, but you can't take the Colorado out of the girl.

Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam...
Okay, now I'm getting homesick.

We picked some up a few days later, and I originally planned to make bison burgers with BBQ sauce.  However, the weather gods and the grilling gods conspired to make this impossible, since Frankenstorm's impending violent winds necessitated pulling our grill inside.

They say the worst is yet to come -
can we please talk about how glad I am that I don't have to be outside in this mess?

It was time to improvise, so I scoured the cabinets and the fridge.  I wound up throwing a bunch of stuff together in the crock pot for a few hours, and to my great surprise (and giddiness), it was freaking delicious.

And thus, Frankenstorm Bison BBQ Chili was born.  I'll post the recipe in a few days once I figure out (read: guestimate) what the measurements were.

In the meantime, Brandon and I are catching up on all the stuff piling up in our DVR while listening to the wind howl stronger and stronger - here's hoping the power stays on tonight!