Author Archives: Bob and Robin

Yeast Question

23 Monday Aug 2010

Posted by in Food Prep, Help Needed, Interesting Information, Things To Do

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I received this question from Brooke Scoville via email.

Hi there-
I have recently been reading the recipes on the Boise Foodie Blog and would like to try some of them. I noticed that they required “fresh yeast”. Do you know where I can buy fresh yeast in Boise?

Thank you,
Brooke

My response to her was,

Hi Brook,
“Fresh Yeast” is the same as Fleischman’s Active Dry or Red Star also makes some. Usually the yeast will come in a jar and should be refrigerated after opening. Watch the expiration date printed on the top. Albertsons or any of the major food stores will carry it. You can buy bulk at the Boise Coop. Hope this helps.
Cheers!

I suppose Winco, Fred Meyer and several others that I can not think of just now, carry the yeast. It’s a pretty basic product for baking. I hope this helps.

Tillamook Cheese Baby Cheese Tour

22 Sunday Aug 2010

Posted by in Food, Food Prep, Things To Do, Tillamook Cheese

≈ 2 Comments


Some things are just fun. This looks like it could be. A lot like the Oscar Meyer Hot Dog Mobile in times past. Any way, here is some information if you are in Boise or planning to come visit. Look for the baby Loaf truck. Here is more specific information.

I received this email from Allie Korosi, “Tillamook’s Loaf Love Tour is coming to Boise! They arrive on Friday, August 27th (corrected) and will be rolling around the Boise area until Wednesday, September 1st. They’ll also be making a special stop at Boise’s 24th Annual ‘Alive After Five’ Concert Series on September 1st from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m., handing out free cheese samples, coupons and more. The baby buses will also be in attendance – definitely a sight to see. We hope you’ll help us in sharing the Loaf Love with Boise!”

TILLAMOOK® WANTS BOISE TO KNOW… ALL YOU NEED IS LOAF
First-Ever “Loaf Love Tour” Rolls Into Boise Bringing Tasty Cheddar to Cheese Lovers

WHO: Tillamook®, the 101-year-old, farmer-owned brand that has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s premier natural cheese makers.

WHAT: Tillamook invites Boise area residents to join the fun of its first-ever cross-country event, the “Loaf Love Tour”. The Loaf Love Tour will stop at grocery stores, farmers’ markets, neighborhoods and special events to spread the love of Tillamook’s cheddar to consumers. Event attendees will have the chance to learn about Tillamook while sampling their all-natural cheddars made in the Pacific Northwest using only the highest-quality milk from humanely raised cows not treated with the artificial growth hormones.

The Loaf Love Tour consists of a trio of mini-buses that are retrofitted from 1966 Standard VW Microbuses to resemble Baby Loafs of Tillamook cheddar. Overall, the “Loaf Love Tour” will visit 100 cities in 8 different states throughout the Western U.S.

WHEN: Friday, August 27th to Wednesday, September 1st at various Boise locations. Also, a special stop is planned in Boise at the 24th Annual Alive After Five Summer Concert Series on September 1st from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

WHERE: To see the tour’s schedule, please visit: Loaf Love Tour.

TILLAMOOK: The Tillamook County Creamery Association, formed as a farmer-owned co-operative in 1909, has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s premier makers of cheese. TCCA is a national marketer of naturally aged cheddar and a variety of other cheeses, butter, and an extensive line of premium ice cream, sour cream and yogurt. TCCA is most famously known for its internationally award-winning Tillamook® cheddar cheese, voted World’s Best Medium Cheddar Cheese at the 2010 World Championship Cheese Contest. For more information visit our Web site Tillamook Cheese.

Eggs ‘N Nests

22 Sunday Aug 2010

Posted by in Boise Adventures, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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So after the very, very exciting evening last night in the wind storm – winds peaked at 68mph and the record set on 24 July 1981 was 71 mph – it was time this morning to try some comfort food, sorta! (There was no damage noticed on this house. However, the electric and phone lines may be in jeopardy. I only got a recording at Idaho Power.)

So look at these eggs. Fun to make and I will probably change the procedure as Robin suggested. Bake the potatoes first and not broil them. Enjoy!

Shred 1 large potato. Leave the skins on. Grease (Robin says use bacon grease) the cup cake tins. Place the shredded potatoes in the cup. Press down in the center and bring up along the walls. Add a touch of salt and pepper. Bake off in a 400 degree oven until the potatoes are browned. Remove from oven a let cool slightly. Add some fresh cut chopped chives and fresh picked shredded basil to each cup. Place one egg in each cup. Broil until the eggs are set.

Gently remove each nest from the cups using a flexible, narrow spatula, trying not to break the “nests”. Plate with some un-burned bacon (oops!) and garden fresh sliced tomatoes topped with chopped chives.
These are fun to make and you can do almost anything with the eggs as you wish. Robin likes the soft cooked eggs, so that’s what we had here. I may try a scrambled egg next week with maybe some cooked Country Ham pieces in the egg. Hmmmm. Enjoy!

Dinner – Corn Pie!!

22 Sunday Aug 2010

Posted by in Local Harvests, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Vegetables

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There are certain things that we all remember from, our childhoods. I will submit that most of them have to do with food. In my case, one of several food items that I remember and cherish is Corn Pie among other things such as liver, which, Like Johnny Carson said, “Cook it any way you want. It’s still liver!” But that is another discussion. For now, it’s Corn Pie and Sliced Tomatoes for dinner. Here are some photos of the process. The recipe is listed above.

The Corn Pie getting ready for the oven.

Here it is just out of the oven. Notice the succulent golden brown crust.

And now, the dinner is plated.

Corn Pie

Sliced Green Zebra Tomato and Red Tomato
with
Basil Strips and Nasturtium Blossom

2007 Indian Creek Star Garnet Reserve
(This wine just tops off the dinner and goes fantastically well with the acid of the tomatoes)
——————————

Please note that the corn was local grown, the pie crust is locally produced, the tomato and basil is from our garden. That makes this a Locovore Dinner. Enjoy! And as it has been said before, Keep a song in your heart, Keep looking up and Cheers!

Icebox Lox

21 Saturday Aug 2010

Posted by in Lox, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Robin Young, Things To Do

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Robin made this awesome Icebox Lox. Not hard to do, just takes about 48 hours. Use only the freshest of salmon. Lay 1 whole side of rinsed fresh salmon – skin side down – in a rectangular glass dish large enough to hold the entire piece. If you need to cut the slab in half to have it fit the dish, that will work. Cover the meat with Kosher salt and sugar. Lay some fresh dill on the slabs. Either fold the slab in half so that the fleshy surfaces are facing, or lay the 1/2 cut piece on top. Cover with foil and weigh down with cans. Place in refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove from refrigerator and drain liquid. At this point, if you need to add more salt and sugar, do so. Flip the slabs over and return the curing lox to the refrigerator, covered and weighted. After the second 24 hours, rinse the lox, cut the flesh off the skin in thin slices. Small bits can be used later in cream cheese as a spread or in pasta dishes.

To Serve: Slice about 6 garlic/onion bagels in thin rounds [cut the rounds in half-moon shapes]. Lightly butter or rub with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and toast in an oven until lightly browned. (We like to toast our own bagels compared to the “store bought” bagel toasts.) Cool. On each slice of bagel, spread with cream cheese, a thin slice of fresh ripe tomato, a half ring or two of red onion that has been sliced thinly, soaked in cold water while toasting the bagels, and the slice of salmon and capers. You can use either size caper, small or large. Just remember to thoroughly rinse the capers to remove the vinegar and salt. The lox has enough salt in it.

Potato Encrusted Fish

20 Friday Aug 2010

Posted by in Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Seafood, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

≈ 1 Comment


I do like my breaded and sauteed seafood. So, here is a change that Robin made tonight. Really easy to do.
Potato Encrusted Halibut and Talapia
2 Filets of Talipia; 1 Filet Halibut.

Shred 1 potato. Mix with about 2 T Rosemary, fresh. Press potato mixture into fish.

Place equal amounts of butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Gently place filets in the skillet being careful not to loose any of the potato shreds. Cook until potato turns golden brown.

Using 2 spatulas, turn fish over and cook until browned.
Place 1/2 piece of the Halibut on a plate along with 1 filet of Talipia. Serve with Fresh Garden Relish and a slice of fresh cantelope.

This was an awesomely wonderful dinner. This is a great alternative to the popular breaded and fried fish. The shredded potato adds another dimention. And as we say in dance class, “Your turn!” Cheers!

A Corny Dinner!

19 Thursday Aug 2010

Posted by in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Vegetables, Wine and Food

≈ 1 Comment


A typical dinner. It must have one or all of these ingredients to qualify as a true and satisfying meal: (1) Bacon, (2) Butter and (3) Corn. This one has corn …. A lot of corn. Total of 3 1/2 cups of fresh corn.

Fresh Corn Cakes

Fresh Garden Relish

That’s the whole dinner. A lot like Fried Tomatoes (Ripe ones!). That’s it. But here are the recipes for the above pictured dinner.

If your garden is producing a lot of vegies, the relish will use up some of them. At any rate, enjoy these. Serve with a great NV Indian Creek Mountain Syringa White Blend. We did! And Mac did! Cheers!

Just Another Dinner!

17 Tuesday Aug 2010

Posted by in Chicken, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, What's For Dinner?

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So yesterday we had seafood – cod to be exact. So on Meatless Monday – or Red-Meatless Monday – what to have. So, we’re going to have chicken breasts. But not the same ‘ole mundane bird that is prevalent on most plates. Let’s spice it up. Dried mushrooms – soak and reserve water. Onion – caramelize. Tomatoes – 1 can plus 3 T Pico de Gallo. Fresh chives and basil.
Combine the canned tomatoes, basil, chives and Pico de Gallo. Set aside. Caramelize onions and place in the tomato mixture. Saute the mushrooms and place in tomato mixture. (Is the bowl full yet?) Braise the chicken breasts. Add the tomato mixture and reduce heat. Reduce by one-half. In the mushroom water, add 2 T cornstarch. Completely mix. When the tomato mixture is reduced, add the mushroom water. Stir until thickened. Remove from pan; place some tomato on plate; add chicken to top of tomato. See the plated dinner below. Cheers!

Braised Tomato Chicken with Wild Mushrooms

Wild Mushroom Sauce

Herbed Fresh Steamed Corn

Garden Fresh Green Salad

Indian Creek Mountain Syringa White Blend

The wine sure did balance out the subtle spiciness of the tomato mixture. Good choice, Robin! So that’s it. Not hard to do, just a little time. 45 minutes? At most. Enjoy.

For the Holidays – 5 New Appetizers

16 Monday Aug 2010

Posted by in Celebrations, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

≈ 1 Comment


Just think, in 2½ weeks and we in the US will be celebrating Labor Day! Then Halloween and Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years! Don’t blink ’cause you’ll miss them! Here are five suggestions for appetizers for the parties you will be having or will attend. The first three are new ones and the last two are re-visited superb appetizers. Enjoy them!

Do enjoy these! Cheers!

Poached Cod

16 Monday Aug 2010

Posted by in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Seafood, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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Actually, this Poached Cod (right side of plate)is pretty easy to do. The liquid to poach the fish is mango juice – we used Mango Snapple. Near the end of the poach, 4 minutes on each side – I cut up some mango slices and put it into the poaching solution. Plate with some of the mango and some fresh Pico de Gallo – Fresh red tomatoes and maybe some Green Zebra tomatoes, fresh jalapeno pepper, fresh onion, Mexican oregano and cumin. Serve with some steamed Kale with Onion, Baby Turnip and Garlic, left side of the plate. That’s the whole dinner. You don’t need anything else except maybe a good Idaho 2008 Indian Creek Winery Pinot Noir and now you have one super dinner. Have a good time with this one and serve it to someone special. Cheers!