Boise Farmers Market is Busy!

11 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Boise Farmers Market, Bread, Buy Idaho, Comfort Food, Heirloom Carrots, Idaho Pork, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Meadowlark Farms, Organic Foods, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Potatoes, Sourdough Bread, True Roots Produce, What's For Dinner?

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Boise Farmers Market, bone in pork chops, Homestead Natural Foods, indian creek winery, pork

Maybe some beets? If not, fresh tomatoes are available. It is really great to see such activity at the Boise Farmers Market. Full of busy, busy people all looking at the wonderful farm fresh products available to the shopper. Fruits are in … leafy greens seem to be on the decline, except, of course, for kale. But, buy some great beets or turnips and you can prepare the tops as greens. Carrot tops? Make a soup from them. So one does have options. Did you say corn? Yup! It is here and from Emmett. Enjoy these photos of the Market this morning. And as a note, the photo in the header I took this morning. Love the colors! It was great to see Indian Creek Winery in a booth this morning. Good to see you Mike McClure, winemaker.

A busy market just before none o'clock this morning.

A busy market just before nine o’clock this morning.

Even as unseasonably hot as it has been, the heirloom carrots are great!

Same photo as in the header, but delightful colors and products. Love those blue potatoes. Now all we need are some orange colored spuds!

Buy some awesome bread from the Acme Bake Shop! Super good Old World Rye and Sourdough.

No! These are not rib-eye steaks! These are Homestead Farms Pork Chops!!! Oh yum!

A Visit to Ruth’s Chris Steak House

21 Thursday May 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Beef, Bread, Caesar Salad, Coffee, Crab Cakes, Cream Sauces, Cuts of Beef, Dessert, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Mushrooms, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Salads, Sourdough Bread, Special Dinners, Spinach, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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Ruth's Chris Steak House, Steak House

And such a good visit it was. Daughter Marnie and her husband Mac gave us a gift certificate for dinner and we thank them for that. You can find more by clicking here Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boise. Make reservations online or reserve their Party Room. They have a full and extensive Menu that can be viewed online and get an idea of what they offer. Not ready for dinner? Try their Happy Hour Menu for lighter offerings. “… Our Sizzle, Swizzle and Swirl Happy Hour features $8 food specials and premium cocktails.” You will find the menu items either equal to or greater than Chandler’s Steak House or to the Cottonwood Grille. Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boise is definitely a 5-Star restaurant. Here is what we had. Two of us ate for $123.00 and it was worth every bite. Definitely a Special Occasion restaurant; Great for “Date Night”.. Enjoy!

The dining area. Formal and delightful. Soft background music.

Private dining area that will accommodate 12 people. The fee is $50 for the room.

We brought our own 2005 Ridge Zinfandel ($10 corkage fee), but they do have a wide selection of wines. They also offer sparkling water instead of “tap” water if you desire.

Good Blue Crab cakes, but I think these are over priced.

Blue Crab Cakes

Very good housemade Sourdough Bread.

Superb Caesar Salad with Tellicherry Pepper.

Petite Filet. “USDA Prime served sizzling on a 500° plate – every bite is as
delicious as the first.” This was delicious! Loved the way the sides came in their own bowls. The Creamed Spinach was super good with a touch of nutmeg. The Mushrooms accompanied the steak very well. Robin had Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Spinach.

The Petite Filet done to perfection.

Chocolate Sin Cake. A delicious finish to a grand dinner! “… Our desserts vary by location and are homemade daily by our expert
pastry chefs, using the freshest local ingredients.”

Olive Oil Tasting

28 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Baguette, Baguette, Bread, Cooking Oils, Gaston's Bakery, Olive Oil, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Events, Trader Joe's, What's For Dinner?, What's This Tasting?

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evoo, olive oil

There are wine tastings; there are salt tastings; there are pepper tastings and yes, there are olive oil tastings. If you ever get the opportunity to do a “comparative tasting” of some product, do it!
From Trader Joe’s, they do carry some good products and some hard to find products, there are some helpful hints for Tasting Olive Oil, or a Guide to Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Yes I know, this article is mostly about their olive oils, but the basics – tasting, cooking with or storing – are in this link. Here is some brief information on olive oil, these happen to be from Trader Joe’s. And sorry if this sounds like an ad for Trader Joe’s, it is not! It is good information, though.

Hippocrates called olive oil “the great therapeutic.” Homer called it “liquid gold.” For some, that’s reason enough to slap on a high price tag and call it a day. [We]seek out Extra Virgin Olive Oils from experienced producers in the world’s best growing regions — Spain, Italy, Greece, California… Then our tasting panel examines them from every angle: body, fruitiness, bitterness, pungency…

If you would like to organize and have your own olive oil tasting, here are some helpful hints for – Hosting and Olive Oil Tasting, and be sure to read and copy the section called Prep Your Tasters. Some things you might need, beside a variety of olive oils, are Tasting Sheets, [PDF], paper bags, permanent Marker, wine glasses, small bowls, spoons, pens, Granny Smith apples, sliced, sparkling mineral water, chilled and maybe baguette, warmed and sliced. Those are all suggestions from Trader Joe’s. Read the articles in the links and get more ideas for hosting your own olive oil tasting, or other kinds of tastings. Thanks to Robin for finding this link and sharing it. Cheers!

Breakfast Follows Dinner

13 Monday Apr 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Farmers Market, Bread, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Coconut Milk, Coconut Milk Bechamel, Dinner For Robin, Eggs, Healthy Eating, Idaho's Bounty, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Meatless Monday, Mushrooms, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Sourdough Bread, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?

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bechamel, coconut milk, fiddlehead ferns, mock fried eggs, Shiitake Mushrooms

Anyone for a waffle?

Well, maybe not this luscious Strawberry Waffle with Whipped Cream at the Boise Farmers Market, but then again ……. Maybe so! The dinner below, mixed some very good Chicken Meatballs with rice and the side of coconut oil sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms and Fiddlehead Ferns.
Breakfast then was a bechamel made with coconut milk and steamed spinach. The coconut milk added a rich and a little sweet component that went very well with the astringency of the spinach. Add some sourdough toast and a mock fried egg, and your breakfast will stick to your ribs. Enjoy these photos!

Housemade Maranara with Chicken Meatballs Acme Bake Shop Garlic Rubbed Sourdough Toast Coconut Milk Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms and Fiddlehead Ferns

Housemade Marinara with Chicken Meatballs
Organic Pasta
Acme Bake Shop Garlic Rubbed Sourdough Toast
Coconut Oil Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms and Fiddlehead Ferns

Coconut Milk Bechamel with Spinach Sourdough Toast Mock Fried Eggs

Coconut Milk Bechamel with Steamed Spinach
Sourdough Toast
Mock Fried Eggs

Sorry about the poor quality of this photo of the eggs as above. But it shows the layers of the breakfast.

Just Another Breakfast at the Captain’s Shack

16 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Acme Bake Shop Multi-Grain, Bread, Breakfast, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Captain's Shack, Classic Sauces, Dill, Eggs, Hollandaise Sauce, Icebox Lox, Local Harvests, Meadowlark Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes - Sauces, Seafood, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?

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Eggs Benedict, Hollandaise Sauce, icebox lox

I reported earlier that we received a luscious, fresh Alaskan salmon from our neighbor. Here are two breakfasts that we made. I updated the Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce and I think this one is a little better. Another layer of light flavor. Great on the Eggs Benedict with Lox we had. Would also be good on asparagus.
Both of the breakfasts below have Robin’s Icebox Lox in them. Again, this one really turned out great. Take a good look at the photos – enlarge them using Left-Click – and enjoy! Both of the recipes listed are really easy to do. The Hollandaise may be the most difficult of the two. And just to note: The Eggs Benedict is not an everyday breakfast, although it would be good!

Grilled Asparagus and Robin's Icebox Lox Omelet Fresh Fruit

Grilled Asparagus Omelet
Robin’s Icebox Lox
Fresh Fruit

Meadowlark Farms Eggs Benedict
Robin’s Icebox Lox
Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce
Acme Bake Shop Multi-Grain Toast
Fresh Fruit

2015 – Here We Come!

30 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5 Hour Duck, Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Appetizers, Bread, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Celebrations, Comfort Food, Crockpot, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Duck, Grilled Vegetables, Holiday Gatherings, Holiday Menu, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Meadowlark Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Slow Cooking, Special Dinners, Special Events, Tomatoes, What's For Dinner?

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new years day, new years eve

Well, 2014 has been a good year. We spent some time on a houseboat in Portland, OR. We saw my brother and sister in Jacksonville, FL – I had not seen them for “too many years”. We saw old high school classmates in Florida, too. Had a great time in the kitchen and will be making our own pasta from now on – we got a pasta machine for our Kitchen Aid – and we will be making our own pie crusts now. The store bought ones although being good, have too much salt in them. Buddy, pictured here with his Teddy Bear, is now 12 years old. Here is how we are preparing for the New Years celebrations – Our menu.

New Years Eve
East Coast Crab Dip
Stuffed Mushroom Caps
Fried Baby Artichokes with a Yogurt Dip
Bacon Wrapped Scallops

New Years Day
Open House at Meadowlark Farms in Nampa. We are making an Italian Pot Roast with as much local products as possible; Beef, onions, carrots and potatoes are all local.

Here are some photos of our meals for the past few days; Our New Years Prep meals.

Start off with

Shrimp Pasta
Acme Bake Shop Garlic Sourdough

5 Hour Chicken
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Creamed Onions and Spinach

We have done 5 Hour Goose, 5 Hour Chicken and the original 5 Hour Duck. The duck is by far the best.

Baked Ham
Grilled Zucchini Squash
Baked Yam

So there is our Lead-Up dinners and then our menu for New Years Eve and New Years Day. And of course, there will be wine from our cellar and Martinelli’s also. What are you having? Staying home? Going out? Be careful and have a Happy New Year! Cheers!

New Restaurant Visited: Blaze Pizza

26 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Holiday Breads, Acme Bakery, Beer and Food, Blaze Pizza, Boise Adventures, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Bread, Comfort Food, Herbs and Spices, Local Markets, New Restaurant Trial, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Pizza, Pizza and Brew, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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Acme Bake Shop, Blaze pizza, speciality pizza

One joy of writing and publishing these ideas, is that we get asked to go to new restaurants and and report on their fare. So today, since it is not snowing or raining but rather 61 degrees, we went to the Acme Bake Shop physical bakery – we have never been there – to pick up our Thanksgiving bread order. Then we went to a new pizza restaurant in Meridian, Idaho, Blaze Pizza. They are located at 2206 N. Eagle Rd., Meridian, ID 83646 (208) 855-9139. You can order online! Here are some photos of our visits. Enjoy!

Like I said above, we started off by visiting Acme Bake Shop in 221 W 37th Street, Suite B, Garden City, Idaho. (208) 284-5580. And we are still convinced that this is the best bread in the Boise area. That’s a bold statement but one we stand by. Their breads are baked daily and from local products. Their Rye is the old world style, full of caraway and not a swirl rye, which is a rye “wanna be”. Look at these photos of the bakery and of some of the breads we bought today. Enjoy!!

Acme Bake Shop entrance.

Soraya works on the orders.

The breads we bought – Pull Apart Dinner Rolls, Michael’s Sourdough, Rye, Hot Cross Buns and Cranberry Sourdough. Still warm! Sooooooooooo fresh! You can also find them at the Boise Farmers Market and at the Boise COOP.

Now off to Blaze Pizza, located at 2206 N Eagle Road, Meridian, Idaho. (208) 855-9139. A good selection of 11″ pizzas, from a Build Your Own to their Signature Pizzas. Here is a link to Blaze Pizza Menu. (You can download the menu, too.) See these photos of this new Meridian area restaurant. If you are in the area shopping, this makes for a great break. Stop in and have a speciality pizza and a cool drink.

Some of the dining area with the pizza making area in the background. My one critisism of the dining area is that it is very "noisey". The sounds echo off of flat, hard surfaces which amplifies the sounds. They need some sound buffers.

Some of the dining area with the pizza making area in the background. My one criticism of the dining area is that it is very “noisey”. The sounds echo off of flat, hard surfaces which amplifies the sounds. They need some sound buffers. It is distracting.

The hot oven works fine and gives the pizza crust a unique, fire-roasted flavor. I like that, especially on a thin crust. The Baker must be aware that this process can cause the crust to go to "cracker" consistency.

The hot oven works fine and gives the pizza crust a unique, fire-roasted flavor. I like that, especially on a thin crust. However, the Baker must be aware that this process can cause the crust to go to “cracker” consistency.

The Staff building the pizzas are really great with the customers – friendly and helpful. They smile!

Pizza assembly by skilled hands.

Our pizza, a Signature Meat Lovers. The lady constructing this pizza asked if I wanted some herbs – oregano. I said yes and she put about a pinch on this 11″ pizza. Also, I count 12 pieces of onion – there could really be more. And some garlic. There could also be more pepperoni and more sausage. I’m not saying cups more, but a small handful more. No space between the pepperoni. (Robin says you will probably need a bib – the pizzas are some what juicy.)

The Bottom Line: Great service people. Friendly, helpful and cheerful. Great to see. They seem to like their work. Very noisy environment – noises echo. Increase the amount of toppings, slightly. Cost of the product is good. Robin and I come from 20 miles south of South Philly! The Italian section. We grew up on pizza, subs, steak sandwiches and Bob Horn’s Bandstand. Our benchmark pizzas are Angie’s, Newark, DE. (No longer in existence.), Grotto Pizza, Rehoboth Beach, DE and Pittsburg, PA. PizzalChik, Boise, ID and Flying Pie Pizza in Boise. Blaze Pizza has big shoes to fill – a great challenge.

If you are in the Meridian area shopping, this will make a great stop. Out of 5-Stars, we rate Blaze Pizza 3-Stars for the reasons stated. We will return at some point in time. 3-Stars is not a bad rating, but we can see where they could use some improvement. Go and enjoy the pizza and be sure to let us know what you think. Cheers!

Awesome Dinner For The Boise Farmers Market

06 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Appetizers, Beef, Beets, Boise Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Bread, Butternut Squash, Buy Idaho, Cheese, Classic Cuisines, Coffee, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Healthy Eating, Heirloom Squash, Heirloom Tomatoes, Idaho Beef, Idaho Breweries, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Wine, Interesting Information, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Organic Foods, Party Time, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Rice Family Farms, Saint Lawrence Gridiron, Salad, Soup, Special Information, Vegetables, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wines - Idaho

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beef short ribs, eat local, micro greens, neckar coffee

Yes it was! And many thanks to all of the Boise Farmers Market producers for supplying the awesome meal items and the Saint Lawrence Gridiron, at 703 W Bannock in Boise (208) 433-5598, for supplying the space, the Waite Staff and an awesome Chef! Just a super, super night!
I do believe that this was the first of dinners like this to raise funds for the Boise Farmers Market. And I do hope that they continue to do this Fund Raising Dinner next year and many years to follow. When you look at the menu and photos below, you will see the superb meal that we had. Congratulations to all who worked so hard to make this a success! Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

The flyer for this year’s event.

Delightful table center pieces added to the Fall theme.

The wonderful menu!

Butternut Agnolotti with Sage Beurre Monté

Fraiche Tartine open faced gougere chipotle fraiche cucumber

Fraîche Tartine
open faced gougére, chipotle fraîche and cucumber

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho heirloom tomatoes brown butter crouton

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho
heirloom tomatoes and brown butter crouton

Harvest Vegetable Salad seasonal root vegetables candied walnuts local greens

Harvest Vegetable Salad
seasonal root vegetables, candied walnuts and local greens

Short Ribs
smoked and braised short ribs, Carolina grits, salt roasted carrots, braised leeks and pan jus

Apple Galette cinnamon custard brulee with fresh grated nutmeg whipped cream

Apple Galette
cinnamon custard brûlée with fresh grated nutmeg whipped cream

Neckar Coffee added some delightful coffee to our dinner. Thank-You!

Snake River Winery offered wines with the dinner and beer was also available from Woodland Empire Brewery.

The Check-In table

The Chef for the meal and on the right owner Brian Garrett. Thank-You both for this delightful evening.

Robin enjoys some Neckar Coffee.

Thank-You everyone for this event. It takes a lot of hard work to arrange this. Karen Ellis – Thank-You!

NW Wines and Food at “The Buzz”

10 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Beef, Bread, Buy Idaho, Cakes, Chocolate, Coffee, Cuts of Beef, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Idaho Wine, Local Harvests, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salad, Seafood, Shrimp, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - NW

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chocolate, NW wines, pot roast

Cristi and Tommy keep “adjusting” the floor plan of The Buzz. They have moved the wine bar around to be able to add more table space. You can see the “adjustment” in this photo.
The dinner tonight was OK. I have had better at the Monthly Wine Dinners. But, I have also had worse. I think that by tonights dinner – Wednesday, things will be adjusted. Many thanks again to Peggy Hands-Behrens and Joseph Geist for helping with the wine pouring, table settings, menu planning and bussing the tables.
Cristi opened the evening with a 2013 Split Rail Rosé of Tempranillo that was pretty good. I was surprised. Mellow and smooth with a long finish and good appeal. [17] $15.00. Here is what else we had. Enjoy! Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels A very good opener and I don't like Feta! There were none left ove3r on my plate. 2011 Iris Pinot Noir 13.5% alc. light on the body and balance. fair appeal [16]

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels
2011 Iris Pinot Noir
13.5% alc. light on the body and balance. fair appeal [16] $19.00

A very good opener and I don’t like Feta! There were none leftover on my plate.

[caption id="attachment_12654" align="aligncenter" width="524"]

Shrimp Louis Pasta Salad
2011 Willamette Chardonnay
12.5$ alc. very light on the bouquet but moderate balance and finish. [15] $21.00

The chardonnay went well with the salad. Good paring and good salad!

Vegetable Barley Soup
2010 Basel Claret
14.3% alc. good body and bouquet. moderate finish [15] $22.00

The soup, to me, was over spiced. It wiped the wine out and the wine emphasized the spiciness. The carrots and celery needed to be cooked a little more.

Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
2013 Saviah Creek Jack Syrah
14.1% alc. great bouquet, balance and body. mild finish [18] $16.00

Some servings of the pot roast needed to be cooked longer. They were tough. And again, the carrots and potatoes needed to be cooked a little longer. I missed some gravy with the pot roast. My two slices of bread – gravy soppers – were good. Thanks, Tommy!

Vanilla Cupcake with Coffee Buttercream
2009 Brian Cellars Byzance
14.3% alc. Awesome! great balance and finish with a good appeal. The wine was a perfect match. A winner! [19] $30.00

Cristi said she would work on the recipe for the Coffee Buttercream and post it. I hope so. It was that good. See the photo below for the wine bottle label.

Brian Carter Cellars Byzance – a blend of 53% Grenache, 23% Syrah, 18% Mourvedre, 4% Cinsault and 2% Counoise. A very good wine. We bought 1 bottle.

Joseph Geist brought these two wines for us to savor. I really liked the apricot. The pomegranate very tart. I did not care for this one.

Joseph Geist brought these two wines for us to savor. I really liked the apricot. The pomegranate was very tart. I did not care for this one.

Great Coconut Shrimp Soup for Dinner

07 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Acme Bake Shop Red Wheat Bread, Acme Bakery, Bread, Captain's Shack, Chowder, Cooking Styles, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Red Wheat, Seafood, Shrimp, Soup, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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bread, chowder, coconut shrimp, Coconut Shrimp Soup, recipe, seafood soup, soup

This soup, or chowder, Coconut Shrimp Soup really makes an awesome dinner. Rich and smooth with a slight hint of spice. If you like it hotter, just add more cayenne or paprika. I have also placed a link to the recipe in the recipe file above. Enjoy!