08 Wednesday Aug 2018
Posted in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Boise Farmers Market, Boise Food Adventures, Bread, Brunch with Robin, Captain's Shack, Chicken, Classic Cuisines, Classis Sauces, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Homemade Pasta, Homemade Sauce, Idaho Vegetables, Idaho's Bounty, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?
I have had several questions on what is the difference between the types of French bread. Here is a good graphic from Cooks Country. Hope it helps. Left-Click the graphic to see it enlarged.
And then why not have some of the bread with garlic and butter and a good Spaghetti Carbonaro.
Spaghetti Carbonaro
Or actually with any of these dishes!
Shrimp with Pasta
Chicken Devine
Zucchini and Beets in Brown Butter over Pasta
11 Monday Jun 2018
Posted in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop, Apple, Boise Farmers Market, Brown's Buffalo Ranch, Buffalo, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Dessert, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Friends, Eggs Benedict, Garlic Scapes, Herbs and Spices, Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Buffalo, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Vegetables, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Pinot Noir, Purple Sage Farms, Recipes, Roasted Vegetables, Rutabaga, Salads, Special Dinners, Spring Vegies, True Roots Produce, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food
This was such a delightful meal to make for friends Krista and Jess – Krista helps weed the flower beds. And she even gave us a beautiful White Daisy plant for the front bed. – A couple of weeks ago, we made breakfast for Donna who also helps us in the garden. The breakfast was Eggs Benedict! – The buffalo was local from Brown’s Buffalo Ranch in Nyssa, Oregon. Phone: 1-(541)-372-5588 or 208-741-5449, 720 Stephens Blvd., Nyssa, OR 97913. Hump roasts can be tough. But this one cooked for 6 hours on low in the crockpot 1/2 cup bone stock and 1 cup sherry and it was awesome! Spring vegetables – baby carrots, baby turnips, spring onions and rutabaga – were placed in the broth at different times. Here are some photos. Enjoy!
Eggs Benedict
Fresh Beet Salad
Buffalo Hump Roast and Fresh Garden Vegetables. Served with Acme Bakeshop Garlic Scapes and Rosemary Bread.
Skillet Apple Pie with Cinnamon Fresh Whipped Cream (Recipe – Skillet Apple Pie)
The dinner
14 Saturday Apr 2018
Posted in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Alaskan Salmon, Asian Food, Avocado, Bacon, Blue Crab, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Buy Idaho, Crab Cakes, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Eggs Basted, Eggs Fried, Eggs Omelets, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Bacon, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Polenta Roys Calais, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Markets, Omelet, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?
Just a little cloudy and cool, but still fun to see all of the “new”, fresh produce. Great to see some new vendors, too. And with new vendors, comes new “kitchen” ideas and menus. And here are just a few. And with that, comes some new products. The first is Lions Mane Mushrooms. CAUTION: Know your wild mushrooms and the distributors before eating. Some are toxic!
Hericium erinaceus (also called lion’s mane mushroom, monkey head, bearded tooth mushroom, satyr’s beard, bearded hedgehog mushroom, pom pom mushroom, or bearded tooth fungus) is an edible and medicinal mushroom belonging to the tooth fungus group. Native to North America, Europe and Asia it can be identified by its long spines (greater than 1 cm length), its appearance on hardwoods and its tendency to grow a single clump of dangling spines. Hericium erinaceus can be mistaken for other species of Hericium, all popular edibles, which grow across the same range. In the wild, these mushrooms are common during late summer and fall on hardwoods, particularly American beech. [Wikipedia]
Common name: Lion’s Mane, Bearded Tooth, Hedgehog Mushroom, Satyr’s Beard, Old Man’s Beard, Unbranched Hericium.
Description: The bearded tooth fungus is white when fresh and yellowish with age. It has long spines. The fungus is 4-10” (10-25 cm) across. It is an oval to rounded solid mass of spines which hang in a beardlike fashion. The spines cover the sides and are formed in lines. This fungus is attached to the tree by a tough, thick, root like structure. The spines are .4 – 1.5 “ (1-4cm) long.
Ecology/associated hosts: The bearded tooth can be parasitic, found on living trees; especially oak, maple, and beech, and saprotrophic, found on decaying hardwoods. The season is from August – November.
Harvest: Harvest of bearded tooth mushrooms can be difficult as often the fungus is growing high in a tree. The best method is to cut the fruit body at the base, close to the tree and thus remove it in one piece.
Many wild picked Hericium mushrooms may house various tiny beetles and/or sawdust, appearing like bits of decayed wood. Thorough cleaning by shaking and hand removal of such nuisances is often needed. If the mushroom has begun to discolor to a yellowish tone, it is too old and likely will have a sour or unpleasant flavor after cooking. [Midwest Mycology Org]
With all of this information in mind, here is one use – A Lion’s Mane Mushroom Omelet!
Lion’s Mane Mushroom and Garlic
Sautéed Lion’s Mane Mushrooms with Garlic
And then there is seafood. I grew up on seafood – which I did not particularly like at the time. But it was either seafood or liver. I really don’t care how you cook liver or what you do to it – It’s still liver! If you like crab cakes, and Robin and I do, here is a recipe we came up with. Give it a try. CS Crab Cakes. These are mostly East Coast Style, less the saltine crackers. But still made with Blue Crab (Phillips). It’s an Atlantic thing.
Crab cakes in egg rings and getting ready to cool down. The cooling is important!
But you can not have dinner without breakfast. Here are two to try. Differently good!
And the good thing about all of these meals? 95% of the ingredients came from the Boise Farmers Market or their vendors. (Eggs, lamb, polenta, micro greens, bread, bread crumbs (from Acme Bakeshop sourdough bread), mushroom, etc. We eat well and know where our products come from. Thank-You BFM and vendors!
31 Saturday Mar 2018
Posted in 5-Stars, Beef, Bistro - Parma Ridge Winery, Chef Storm Hodge, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Dinner At Parma Ridge Restaurant, Dinner at Parma Ridge Winery and Bistro, Dinner With Family, Food Photos, Idaho Chefs, Northwest Clam Chowder, Pacific Salmon, Parma Ridge Specials, Parma Ridge Winery, Parma Ridge Winery Bistro, Party Time, Photo By: MJ Shaner, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Potatoes, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Seafood, Snake River AVA Sojourn, Sous Chef Magan, Syrah, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinner at Parma Ridge, Wines - Idaho
It’s been a while since we were here last. But just to let you know, this is still a superb, 5-Star bistro. Superb food. Superb wines. Superb staff. Our many thanks to Chef Storm and Sous Chef Megan and their staff for a great dinner. Stephanie and her servers were awesome and service and friendliness was super. Chef Storm made a post on FaceBook that shows you how dedicated Storm and Stephanie are. “It’s always exciting when you get a surprise visit from the health inspector. It’s even more exciting when you get 100% and they say they’re going to come back and have dinner with their spouse!!!”
And if you are planning to go to the Parma Ridge Winery and Bistro tomorrow for Easter, and you do not have reservations, I was told yesterday that they are sold out! But if you are going to visit them – and I sincerely hope you will – here is some information that you will need: “We are open Friday,12-9 p.m., Saturday 12-5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. with wine tasting and our regular menu all weekend long. You can now text us at 208-946-5187 to make a reservation.” And if you still need information, here is their blog post (it changes weekly) on the Snake River AVA Happenings Blog: AVA Happenings at Parma Ridge.
OK. Here is what we had. Enjoy! We did! (Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.)
Robin’s brother Brian came to visit.
Pork Sliders with Rosemary Fries
Storm’s Salmon
Rib-Eye Steak (To die for!)
An awesome Mushroom Soup
Superb “Northwest Clam Chowder”
A beautiful location. “Storm Clouds”.
12 Monday Feb 2018
Posted in 5-Stars, Appetizers, Beef, Bistro, Bistro - Parma Ridge Winery, Buy Idaho, Classic Cuisines, Cream Sauces, Dinner At Parma Ridge Restaurant, Dinner With Robin, Food Photos, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Wine, Idaho's Bounty, Lobster, Mushrooms, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork Belly, Risotto, Seafood, Special Dinners, Special Events, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinner at Parma Ridge, Wine Dinners, Wines - Idaho
We have been to several 5-Star restaurants in Boise – Richard’s, Chandler’s, Cottonwood Grill, Andrae’s (when it was open) and Bern’s Steak House in Tampa, FL – and the dinner that Chef and Winemaker Storm Hodge and Sous Chef Megan Hartman prepared for us, and 50+ others, last night at the winery, gives any of these restaurants a very serious challenge. This dinner was every bit a 5-Star dinner. It was amazingly delicious. Kudo’s to the Chefs, their kitchen staff and the wait staff! I sincerely urge any of you who are in the area, to visit the Bistro on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday Brunch and have superb meal. (Here is more info at Parma Ridge Winery – Snake River AVA Happenings) Look at what they prepared and we enjoyed! (Left-Click any of the photos to see them enlarged.)
Let’s start with the way the butter, for bread, was presented. Beautiful.
27 Monday Nov 2017
Posted in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Bacon, Baking, Boise Farmers Market, Brine, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Cheese, Classic Cuisines, Dessert, Dill, Dinner At Marnies, Herbs, Herbs and Spices, Housemade Gravy, Housemade Pie Crust, Housemade Sausage, Idaho Bacon, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Vegetables, Idaho Wild Game, Mascarpone, Onion, Oysters, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Recipes, Recipes - Dinner, What's For Dinner?
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And a good Thanksgiving it was! Marnie had us all down to Marsing, ID for dinner. Robin, Chris, Eric, Emmet, Marnie and me. Beautiful view across the Snake River to Lizard Butte. Sunny and warm. We ate on her back porch. Served dinner buffet style. Much easier.
Eric made some fresh venison summer sausage so we had cheese and sausage to start. And yes, there was a variety of wine and drinks for those who do not drink wine. Emmet made a wonderful Pecan Pie and Marnie made Port Poached Pears. Oh yum! Robin and I made the turkey and some trimmings, including Crockpot Mashed Potatoes, a wonderful and easy way to make mashed potatoes. Chris made the Dried Corn for the first time. Good job, Chris. If you want to see these photos enlarged, Left-Click them.
Lizard Butte from Marnie’s front porch.
Robin on the porch.
The turkey is brining. Here’s how to brine the turkey – How To Brine a Turkey
Robin’s Orange Cranberry. (The recipe is on this site. Don’t leave home without it.)
Marnie, Chris and Eric in the kitchen at Marnie’s house, including Lola waiting patiently!
In the kitchen.
Marnie and Eric making Wilted Lettuce Salad.
Chestnut Stuffing ready for the turkey.
Dilly Bread is ready. Robin’s Dilly Bread
Candied Orange Peel
Dinner is plated.
Emmets Pecan Pie. It was good.
Marnie’s Port Poached Pear with Mascapone
18 Saturday Nov 2017
Posted in 5-Stars, Black Beans, Boise Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Boise Food Adventures, Breakfast, Brine, Brunch, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Crockpot, Eggs, Eggs - Huevos Rancheros, Ethnic Foods, Garlic, Ham, Homemade Sauce, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Potatoes, Interesting Information, Local Farmers Markets, Meadowlark Farms, Mexican Food, Potatoes, Recipes, Recipes - Breakfast, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Mexican, What's For Dinner?
It seems as though everytime a holiday comes around, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter for instance, that those traditional family gatherings arrive with questions. Especially, questions from the kitchen. What shall I make for a special breakfast? Or, is there a different way to make mashed potatoes? Or, how do I brine a turkey?
All are good questions and I suppose there are many, many answers. After searching the web and aking questions from some Chef friends and venders at the Saturday Market, here are three suggestions. I’m going to try each one of these and I really believe that they will turn out really good. So here are the three recipes for “How To Brine A Turkey“, “Mashed Potatoes in a Slow Cooker” and “Salsa Ranchera” for Huevos Rancheros. Enjoy and if you use any of these, tell us how it came out. Cheers and Happy Holidays! Left-Click these photos to see them enlarged.
Ingredients
1 turkey
4 quarts water
1 cup coarse kosher salt, or 3/4 cup table salt
Aromatics: bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, juniper berries, allspice berries, orange peels, lemon peels, etc.
Equipment
1 large pot or bucket with a lid
Measuring cups and spoons
Paper towels
Instructions
1) Find a pot and make fridge space: Find a pot or food-safe bucket large enough that you will be able to entirely submerge your turkey. Next, clear some fridge space and make sure your pot will fit.
2) Place the turkey in the pot: Unwrap your turkey and remove the giblets, then transfer it to your pot. Add any aromatics you’d like to use.
Mix the brine solution: Heat 1 quart of water in the microwave until warmed — it doesn’t need to come to a boil, just be warm enough to dissolve the salt. Add the salt and stir until the salt has dissolved. Let the liquid cool slightly; it’s fine if it’s still a touch warm.
Pour the brine solution over the turkey. Pour the remaining 3 quarts of water over the turkey: This dilutes the salt solution to the best ratio for brining and also helps further cool the solution.
2) Make sure the turkey is completely submerged: If necessary, prepare additional brine solution at a ratio of 1/4 cup per quart of water to completely submerge the turkey.
Cover and refrigerate: If the turkey floats, weigh it down with a dinner plate. Cover the pot and place it in the refrigerator.
3) Brine for 12 to 24 hours.
4) Rinse the turkey in cool water and pat dry. Clean your sink thoroughly after doing this step to avoid cross-contamination. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Dry for another 24 hours for crispier skin.
Optional: If you have time, let the turkey air-dry overnight in the fridge. Place it on a roasting rack set inside a roasting pan and cover loosely with plastic bags to avoid cross contamination. This drying step will give your turkey crispier skin.
5) Roast as usual, but check your turkey early: You can roast the turkey either immediately after brining or after air-drying. I’ve found that brined turkeys tend to cook a bit more quickly, so cook as usual, but start checking the turkey’s temperature an hour before the end of your estimated cooking time.
Ingredients:
5 lbs Russet Potatoes
3 to 4 cloves Garlic, optional
1 t Celtic Sea Salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground Tellicherry Black Pepper, to taste
3 to 3½ c Whole Milk, or a mixture of milk and cream
½ c unsalted Butter
Directions:
Peel and chop the potatoes: Lightly grease the slow cooker insert with butter or cooking spray. Peel the potatoes and chop into small pieces about 1 inch to a side. The smaller the potatoes, the faster they will cook, obviously. Transfer the potatoes to the slow cooker.
Add the seasonings: Smash the garlic cloves, if using, and drop on top of the potatoes. Stir in the salt and a generous quantity of black pepper.
Pour in 1½ cups milk: Pour in 1½ cups milk and stir the potatoes once.
Cook until tender: Cover the slow cooker and cook 4 to 5 hours on HIGH or until the potatoes are very tender and soft. Turn the heat to WARM.
Melt the butter: When the potatoes are done, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.
Warm the dairy: Stir 2 cups milk, or a mixture of milk and cream, into the melted butter and warm gently over low heat.
Mash the potatoes: If you used garlic but don’t want the potatoes super garlicky, remove the garlic cloves and discard. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard any browned bits on the sides of the pot. Use a potato masher or ricer to mash the potatoes right in the pot.
Slowly stir in the dairy: When the potatoes are as smooth as you like, slowly stir in the warmed dairy and butter. The potatoes will look soupy at first but the potatoes will quickly soak up the liquid. Add an additional ½ cup of milk or cream if you want them to be even creamier.
Taste and season: Taste and season with additional salt or pepper if desired.
Keep warm: To keep the potatoes warm, leave in the covered slow cooker on the WARM setting for up to 4 hours.
Salsa Ranchera
Source: adapted from mexgrocer
Preparation: 10 Cook Time: 1 Servings: 6
Ingredients:
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
½ white Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, diced
1 T Vegetable Oil
Serrano chile as desired
2 1/2 T Oregano
1 t Cumin
Juice of half a Lime
Celtic Sea Salt
Directions:
Submerge the tomatoes in boiling water for a few seconds. Peel them, dice them and put them in what will be your salsa bowl. Chop up the onion, chili, and garlic and mix with the tomato. Add the oil and the lime juice and sprinkle with oregano.
Huevos Ranchera
Source: adapted from mylatinatable.com/best-huevos-rancheros/
Ingredients:
2 lg Eggs
2 Corn Tortillas
¼ Onion, chopped
BlackmRefried beans (homemade or store bought)
2 med Potatoes
Thick cut Ham, cut into cubes
Salsa Ranchero
Celtic Sea Salt, fresh ground Tellicherry Black Pepper to taste
Queso Fresco and Cilantro to garnish.
Directions:
Sauté the potatoes, onion, and ham in a small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Lightly fry the tortillas, and pat dry. Put on a plate. Warm up the refried beans, and spread onto the tortillas.
Fry an egg to your preferred level of doneness, and put on top of the tortilla and beans. Top with salsa ranchero, queso fresco, and fresh cilantro. Serve with the potato, onion, and ham mix.
06 Sunday Aug 2017
Posted in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Atlantic Salmon, Avocado, Bacon, Baking, Baking - Papillote, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Boise Food Adventures, Breakfast, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Chicken, Cooking Styles, Crab, Curry, Desert Mountai Grass Fed Beef, Dessert, Dinner For Robin, Eggs, Eggs Over Easy, Eggs Poached, Eggs Sunnyside Up, en Papillote, Heirloom Beets, Heirloom Carrots, Heirloom Tomatoes, heirloom vegetables, Herbs and Spices, Homemade Sauce, Housemade Sauces, Ice Cream, Idaho Bacon, Idaho Chicken, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Grains, Idaho Trout, Idaho Vegetables, Korean BBQ, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Martin's Swiss Dressing, Meadowlark Farms, Oma and Popie's Sauces, Oriental Food, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Sauces, Salads, Salmon, Sausage, Teriyaki, What's For Dinner?, Yakitori
Ah yes! Life in the kitchen in one of the hottest July’s on record at The Captain’s Shack (The Shack). But so much fun to make and serve. Some of these dishes are “eye candy”, too. Some have recipes; Some don’t. (If you want a recipe, just let me know. I’ll see what I can do.) As with most photos on this blog, Left Click them and see them enlarged. Enjoy these photos and if you make any of the recipes, let us know how you liked them. Thanks and Cheers!
Fruity and sweet with a moderately spicy component. Great with seafood.
We modified the Yakitori sauce somewhat and have our own Teriyaki sauce that we use. Here are the recipes: Sauce Recipes.
And if you are interested, here are some of the main sauces we use. Enjoy.
15 Saturday Jul 2017
Posted in 5-Stars, Avocado, Beef, Bistro - Parma Ridge Winery, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast With Robin, Captain's Shack, Celebrations, Chef Storm Hodge, Dinner At Parma Ridge Restaurant, Dinner With Robin, Eggs, Idaho Wine, Local Markets, Parma Ridge Specials, Parma Ridge Winery, Parma Ridge Winery Bistro, Party Time, Shackmade Salsa, What's For Dinner?
Oh my! Such a great weekend. And such a great 34 years with the Apple of My Eye! Thank you Robin for those years. Here is a little bit of how we spent – ate – our way through the anniversary days.
On Friday, July 14th, we went to Parma Ridge Winery and Bistro. And once again, we were not disappointed! This is still a 5-Star bistro! This is their new sign along Hiway 95.
The Love of My Life and 34 wonderful years!
And for dinner, we both had a superb
And a full flight of wonderful wine. Robin and I both agree that Chef Storm’s Prime Rib is the best in the Boise area. Even better than Chandler’s in Boise. And that is not an easy task to accomplish.
And then, Saturday morning, after coming home from the Boise Farmers Market at 10th and Grove, we were watching Chef Rick Baylis on PBS and he made what looked like a fantastic Huevos con Salsa de Mango y Aquacate. I thought that I could duplicate that. I did. Here it is and all from scratch!
This is what I made for Robin. Had to use some of her left-over Prime Rib!
This is what I made for myself. Really yummy and very easy to do. One could very easily make this for a breakfast party.
So there you have it. Eating our way through our anniversary weekend. And it’s only Saturday!
02 Sunday Jul 2017
Ah yes, so much fun to make these dishes. Some of the recipes are available and printed here. Enjoy! And yes, Idaho does raise shrimp and Australian Sea Bass. Look for Garden Creek Farms, Challis – “…Natural, Fresh, Sustainable Fish and Produce Production – Aquaculture and Aquaponics …”, ID (208) 339-4326 or email at jdoraz1963@gmail.com. Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.
Mix all together
Place the butter/herb mixture on Saran (plastic) wrap.
Roll into a 2″ dia log and freeze.
Braised Pasta
(break pasta – thin spaghetti – into 3″ pieces. Add butter to pot and “fry” the pasta. Add water and cook as usual)
Diced Fennel Frons
Fresh Raw Cold Salad – Fresh Beet Threads
Fresh Raw Carrot Threads
Martin’s Swiss Dressing
Jasmine Rice
(brown Jasmine rice in butter; add water, 1T butter and Jasmine tea leaves. Cook over low heat covered until tender)
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Boise Foodie Guild 