martini

Bison makes an excellent burger, but you have to prepare it a bit differently. Bison isn't as fatty as beef, so it dries out faster.

Start with good quality, fresh bison if you can get it. Put it in a bowl, and add some liquid to it to keep it moist. Worcestershire sauce is always good, but you could try a dash of red wine, scotch whiskey, Coca Cola(!) or anything else you might have lying around. Don't add too much, you just want a few tablespoons or so.

Now, if you like onions, I suggest some sweet vidalia onions, chopped fine and added directly to the meat. Make sure to add some kosher salt and pepper, and perhaps some garlic powder if you like.

Mix everything together, but be careful not to knead the meat to much. Use your hands to blend the meat  loosely, and then form it into patties. Remember, you don't want to work it too much, this will make the patties too dense. Generally speaking, you can get 3 or 4 patties from a pound of meat, just like with ground beef.

Pan fry or grill (the best way) the patties over high heat. They won't take as long to cook, so for 1/4 pound patties you're looking at 3-4 minutes per side.

My favorite topping for bison burgers is a big slab of quality blue cheese- the pungent, creaminess of the cheese is a perfect compliment to the slight gaminess of the bison. Enjoy!

I'm not sure how the demographics on Giant Bomb skew, but I assume that most members are younger and/or childless. But for those of us who are a bit older and have kids, I thought it would be cool to talk about the games you play with your kids. I've got two children, both under the age of 5, and I play videogames regularly with them.

Super Mario Galaxy, aside from being an almost perfect game in its own right, is the current favorite of my kids. The second player control, which can be used for collecting star bits and stunning enemies, is a fantastic mechanic for younger kids- it doesn't require the sort of fine motor skills that make precise control difficult for the 3-5 year set.

And not to mention the fact that SMG is colorful and joyous in its presentation, which is immediately captivating for children. Funny how Mario, the character that gives me some of my fondest childhood memories, still has the power to delight kids today. The game is almost entirely visual, and the expressed premise of each level is clearly understood to pre-literate kids. Even though the construction and internal logic of each level may be nonsensical and silly, my kids intuitively grasp the concepts in play.

Most "kids' games" are generally terrible, but with SMG we have a game that appeals to both my kids' sense of play and my own more sophisticated appreciation for level design, mechanics, and skill.

What games do you regularly play with your kids?