It’s Been A Good 2 Weeks

15 Friday Apr 2022

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Birthdays, Bistro, Brocolli, Buy Idaho, Buy Local, Cakes, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Chicken, Classic Cuisines, Comfort Food, Curry, Dessert, en Papillote, Food - French, Food - India, Green Beans, Green Salad, Housemade Soup, Idaho Trout, Local Farmers Markets, Parma Ridge Winery Bistro, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Recipes - French, Recipes - India, What's For Dinner?

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chicken, curry, en papillote, French Food, India foods, kokanee, kokanee salmon, Papillote

First of all. I made it to 80 the first of April and I thank all who helped me make it an awesome day! Parma Ridge Bistro and Winery for a super great dinner as always and the German Chocolate Cake! And Marnie and Eric for opening their house and the Open House. Thank you one and all!

The kitchen has been slow and moderately successful. If I must throw away “leftovers” then that tells me that it was not especially liked. But that’s just my opinion. So lets start with the German Chocolate Cake and homemade Cupcakes. Thank you Stephanie and Michelle. And a very special thank you to the Love of My Life, Robin – you always make these time so special!

German Chocolate Cake from Parma Ridge Winery and Bistro http://www.parmaridge.wine/

Special Occasion Sweets by Michelle Smith, our Granddaughter-In-law Anna Shanner’s sister.

Now for the dinners. One of the better ones was a Salmon Papillote. Eric caught the Kokanee 2 days prior ton the meal and it was delicious! Moist and succulent.

Salmon Papillote plated with a Green Salad and Carrots and Broccoli cooked in the papillote

And next there was an Indian Style Butter Chicken, a Rachael Ray treat that I “tweaked” somewhat. http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Butter-Chicken.pdf. I added Kashmir Curry Powder that we make ourselves, which cuts the heat spice, somewhat. http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Kashmir-Curry-Powder.pdf I also added some Sake. Here it is.

And finally, we had some boneless, skinless chicken thighs leftover from the Butter Chicken, so I made some Chicken Rice Soup and I really liked it.

So there you have some of the menus we had in the past week or so. The “not so popular” ones are not included. But enjoy these. I did. There is no recipe for the papillote. From Wikipedia, “En papillote (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ papijɔt]; French for “enveloped in paper”), or al cartoccio in Italian, is a method of cooking in which the food is put into a folded pouch or parcel and then baked. This method is most often used to cook fish or vegetables, but lamb and poultry can also be cooked en papillote. It is a combination cooking method of baking and steaming.

The parcel is typically made from folded parchment paper but other material, such as a paper bag or aluminum foil, may be used. The parcel holds in moisture to steam the food. The pocket is created by overlapping circles of paper or foil and folding them tightly around the food to create a seal.

The moisture may be from the food itself or from an added moisture source, such as water, wine or stock. The choice of herbs, seasonings and spices depend on the particular e being prepared.

The parcel can be opened at the table to allow people to smell the aroma when it opens.”

Boise Farmers Market – Dee’s Rum Kãx

16 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in Asian Food, Boise Adventures, Boise Area Food Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Cakes, Chef Jake Sandberg, Chicken, Dee's Rum Kãx, Greens, heirloom vegetables, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Vegetables, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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Dee's Rum Kãx

And such a great morning it was. 50 degrees F and light winds. Snow in the mountains; None in the valley!

Six weeks and the market moves indoors to the Fulton Street building. But for now – Rum Cake from Dee’s Rum Kãx! And delicious it is! And some really great fruit – Israeli Melon from Rice Family Farms and some fresh Salad Greens from Ohana No-Till Farm. From Chef Jake Sandberg and Crispeats, an awesome Asian Salad. Here is some information about Dee’s Rum Kãx.

Business card. I did not find an email or web address.

Rice Krispie Bars and Rum Cake

The Rum Cake I bought. Delicious and moist!

Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

Yum Meals this Week!

28 Thursday Apr 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Asian Food, Asparagus, Blueberries, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Brussels Sprouts, Buy Idaho, Cakes, Captain's Shack, Classic Sauces, Dessert, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Eggs, Eggs Omelets, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Vegetables, Lamb, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Meadowlark Farms, Mushrooms, Mustard, Omelet, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, True Roots Produce, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?

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dump cake

Yum meals an fun to do! Breakfast and twoi dinners. As folks say, “You do eat well!” and yes we do. Meals from scratch make it so much fun, interesting and nutricious. You can pick and choose what ingredients are included in the dishes. We try very hard to eat local. And now that Spring has arrived, the Boise Farm,ers Market is open every Saturday and we get fresh and locally produced items.
Let’s start with Tuesday dinner. A wonderful Asian Grilled Salmon, although I did not grill the salmon thgis time but rather braised it in the Asian marinade. And as a note, most – not all – but most of the ingredients to these dishes are local products – Idaho grown!

Tuesday’s dinner –

Asian Salmon
Braised Mushrooms
Steameed Asparagus

Wednesday –

Mushroom Omelet
Fresh Fruit

Lamb Chops wsith Mustard Cream Sauce Mashedd Parsnips, Turnip and Blue Potato Steamed Brusssels Sprouits in Balsamic Vinegar and Sherry Reduction

Lamb Chops
with
chardonnay mustard cream sauce

Mashed Parsnips, Turnip and Blue Potato

Steamed Brusssels Sprouts
in
balsamic vinegar and sherry reduction with butter

Dump Cake with trawberry fan on whipped cream

Dump Cake
with
strawberry fan on whipped cream

Wonderful Easter Ham Dinner

27 Sunday Mar 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in Buy Idaho, Cakes, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Dessert, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Family, Easter Dinner, Holiday Gatherings, Holiday Menu, Idaho Greens, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Vegetables, Local Harvests, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Purple Sage Farms, Vinegars, What's For Dinner?, Wines - NW

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Easter ham, minted peas, The Chew, upside down cake

Such a great time having a meal with family. Robin, Marnie and Mac. We did miss Christopher and Sophia, but they got a “Care Package”. Hope they enjoy it. The photos below are what we had and some of the recipes are with the photos. Mac made some wonderful rolls and there are some left-over for ham sandwiches. A word about the recipes, especially the Holiday Ham recipe by Chef Michael Symon. When we watched him make the ham on the ABC program The Chew, he used a ham steak. I altered that somewhat and use a Shank Portion Smoked Ham. The same technique that Chef Symon used for browning the ham was used so I would have some pan “grameles” for the gravy. I roasted the ham in the oven at 350 degrees F but first, after cross hatching the skin and fat layer and rubbing it with some ground clove and ground allspice and then some good maple syrup. Not much, but enough to give the ham some sweetness. The recipe for the Holiday Ham and the Parsley Salad are permanently located in the recipe file above. It turned out superb. Here are some photos of the dinner. Enjoy!

Parsley Salad with Shaved Radish and Fresh Miners Lettuce

Again, another recipe adapted from Chef Michael Symon. We did alter it by adding honey, radish and miners lettuce. Enjoy the recipe – easy to do and so refreshing. Parsley Salad

Oven Roasted Shank Portion Smoked Ham
Ham Gravy
Smashed Garlic Blue Potatoes
Steamed and Minted Sugar Snap Peas

Mac made some awesome rolls to go with the ham. We also had a 2014 Estancia Pinot Grigio that went very well with the dinner.

Pineapple Carrot Upside Down Cake Marnie made this. She found these individual "cake pans" that worked very well for her. Basically, sliced pineapple on the bottom with brown sugar and then carrot cake batter on top and baked. It was super! Thanks Marnie.

Pineapple Carrot Cake Upside Down Cake

Marnie made this. She found these individual “cake pans” that worked very well for her. Basically, sliced pineapple on the bottom with brown sugar and then carrot cake batter on top and baked. Iced with the standard Carrot Cake Icing. It was super! Thanks Marnie.

Pineapple Carrot Cake Upside Down Cake

Icing is on the bottom! Told you it was an upside down!

Oktoberfest At “The Buzz”

15 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bacon, Beer and Food, Cabbage, Cakes, Celebrations, Classic Cuisines, Dinner With Friends, Ethnic Foods, German Food, Oktoberfest, Photos By: Bob Young, Photos By: Robin Young, Pork, Special Beers, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners, Wines - German

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Benedictine Abbey Weilhenstephan, Oktoberfest, Smit & Van Wyk

A good party at The Buzz last night for the October Wine Dinner – Oktoberfest! A little bit of a change in the program. There were two beers offered that were pretty good, especially the Weihenstephaner, which was a light and refreshing lager. Very drinkable. From the Smit & Van Wyk blog, “The world’s longest continuously used trademark goes to the Benedictine Abbey Weilhenstephan in Germany, which has been using the mark Weilhenstephaner to identify its beer since 1040 AD When Britain enacted its trademark registration statute in 1876, beer was first and second in line, Bass’s Red Triangle became U.K. Reg. 1 for pale ale, and its Red Diamond for strong ale became U.K. Reg. 2.” A fun night. Hope to see you7 next month on November 11 and/or 12 for “Party Foods to Prepare Ahead” along with “Holiday and Gift Wines”. Then Beaujolais Nouveau Night on November 20. Cheers!!

Brats, Pretzels, Mustard and Zwiebelkuchen
Weihenstaphaner Beer
7.7% alc. great with these appetizers. light and refreshing [19] $6.00, 16oz

“Zwiebelkuchen, which literally means onion cake in the German language, is either a one-crust pie made of steamed onions, diced bacon, cream, and caraway seeds on a yeast dough or a leavened dough that is particularly popular in the German wine-growing regions mostly of Rhenish Hesse, the Palatinate, Franconia, Baden and Swabia (a similar pie called Flammkuchen is also eaten in Alsace), or a quiche variant in Switzerland, traditionally eaten in Basel during the Carnival and in Bern for the Zibelemärit.” [Wikipedia]

Cucumber Salad
This was an awesome salad and Cristi said so very easy to make.
2015 Star Lane Sauvignon Blanc
14.2% alc. really good with this salad. [18] $22.00

Erbsensuppe mit Speck (Pea Soup with Bacon)
Il Canapone
14% alc. an OK wine that still went well with the soup. [16] $18.00

I think Cristi used ground pork. Speck is, “Speck Alto Adige PGI (German: Südtiroler Speck) is a dry-cured, lightly smoked ham (prosciutto in Italian), produced in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Parts of its production are regulated by the European Union under the protected geographical indication (PGI) status, also known as Tyrolean Speck.”

Pork and Apples with turnip and potato gratin and red cabbage 2011 Il Canapone 14% alc an OK wine that went pretty good with the pork [16] $18.00

Pork and Apples
with
turnip and potato gratin and red cabbage
Rye Bread
2011 Il Canapone
14% alc an OK wine that went pretty good with the pork [16] $18.00

German Chocolate Cake 2013 Monga Zin Carol Shelton [17] $21.00 good paring with the chocolate

German Chocolate Cake
2013 Monga Zin Carol Shelton
14.9% alc.good paring with the chocolate [17] $21.00

An interesting comment from Cristi about Oktoberfest mugs (steins) and attendance at the event. "Consumption about 5 million, 1-liter mugs [of beer] filled. Mugs are to be returned; Fine for stealing one is $60 US; security usually catches 150,000 each year, but the Hofbrau tent alone looses about 35,000 a year...6.3 million guests attended the 2014 Oktoberfest. 112 oxen, 48 calves and 6.4 million liters of beer were consumed. Tent security stopped 112,000 people from taking their mug home with them."

An interesting comment from Cristi about Oktoberfest mugs (steins) “Consumption about 5 million, 1-liter mugs [of beer] filled. Mugs are to be returned; Fine for stealing one is $60 US; security usually catches 150,000 each year, but the Hofbrau tent alone looses about 35,000 a year. ..6.3 million guests attended the 2014 Oktoberfest. 112 oxen, 48 calves and 6.4 million liters of beer were consumed. Tent security stopped 112,000 people from taking their mug home with them.” No, this is not one of “those” mugs!

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.

Memorial Day/Graduation Celebration

27 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beef, Beer and Food, Blueberries, Bradley Smoker, Cakes, Captain's Shack, Celebrations, Comfort Food, Cookies, Corn, Dessert, Dinner At Marnies, Dinner With Family, Fruit, Grillin' and Chillin', Holiday Gatherings, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Slow Cooking, Smoking and Grilling, Special Dinners, Special Events, What's For Dinner?

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Bradley smoker, grilling, recipes, smoker

Such a great party to celebrate Memorial Day and Sophia graduating from Boise High School. Congratulations Sophia!!And absolutely great food from everyone – Mac for the hamburgers, Marnie for the strawberry cake, Chris and Madison brought the cookie pictured here and Robin’s awesome Tuscan Orange Cake and Blueberry Pie. Super great eats, everyone. And it was good that Mac’s Mom and Dad, Linda and Jim, drove all the way from Virginia to be at the party. Enjoy these photos! Cheers.

Sophia graduates! Congratulations and hugs Sophia.

Cricket is thinking, “Which way do I go?”

Eat dessert first, life is too short!!

Chris and Madison look at that awesome cookie!

Robin made this Tuscan Orange Cake and made these decorations. Great job, Honey!

Robin made this Tuscan Orange Cake and the decorations, too. Great job, Honey! Here is the recipe for the Tuscan Orange Cake (Schiacciata Alla Florentina).

Robin also made this Blueberry Pie. I do like blueberries!

Marnie made the Strawberry Cake. This was really good.

Now that dessert is over, we can eat the main meal. Yummers!

Robin and I made these Baked Beans totally from scratch. The Lyle’s Black Treacle is a Scottish addition.

Great corn, Marnie, for this early in the season. Did not need and salt, pepper or butter.

And the ribs just coming out of the smoker. Top Two Shelves - Memphis Rub. Middle Shelf - Casey's Hot Sop and the bottom shelf, Regular rub or garlic, onion and salt and pepper.

And the pork ribs just coming out of the smoker. Top Two Shelves – Memphis Rub. Middle Shelf – Casey’s Hot Sop and the Bottom Two Shelves, Regular rub – garlic, onion and salt and pepper.

Great Easter and Birthday Dinner

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Birthdays, Caesar Salad, Cakes, Captain's Shack, Celebrations, Ethnic Foods, Italian Food, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Seafood, Special Dinners, Special Events, What's For Dinner?

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chocolate hazelnut torte, cilantro pesto, food, restaurants, seared sea scallops, shrimp risotto

Such a great Easter Sunday! Robin in her RabbiT ears and me a year older. Good to have Marnie, Mac, Chris, Madison, Sophia and Maggie with us. Robin spent most of Saturday making a Chocolate Hazelnut Torte that was delicious. There are some photos of the cake below. Thank-You to everyone who was at this dinner party. Thank-You, too, for the cards and gifts. I appreciate all of you and the gifts. Here’s what we had for dinner. Left-Click any of the photos to see a larger view. Cheers! Of course, we had to have some wine. And don’t forget to Vote above. Thanks.

The wines we pulled for our dinner and party!

Making the Chocolate Hazelnut Torte. Yum!

Making the Chocolate Raspberry Hazelnut Torte. Yum!

The finished product.

Yum!

Here are some appetizers we had.

Rollingstone Chevre with Pansy’s

Seared Sea Scallops
Mashed sweet potato, spicy cilantro pesto

Grilled Shrimp
Risotto cakes, basil cream sauce

Olive Selection

Cavatappi
Roasted cauliflower, capers, thyme, fontina cream

And salads, too!

Beet Salad

Caesar Salad
Hearts of romaine, anchovies, parmesan, croutons.

And here are some of the entrees we had.

Clams
Pancetta, pepperoncini, white wine sauce, linguine

Cassolet

Linguine
Light tomato-herb sauce

Boar
Broccoli rabe

A delightful party and dinner. Don’t you think?

Mandlebrot Cookies

12 Wednesday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Anthropology of Food, Cakes, Side Dishes, Special Information

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Here is really different food blog, Shiksa In The Kitchen. There is an ethnology that goes with the blog and the blog writer. She divulges personal connections with food in an interesting style. Be sure to read it. And from that blog we get this Mandlebrot Cookie Recipe. So, you ask, what are Mandlebrot Cookies?
From the blog, “Mandelbrot cookies are an Ashkenazi Jewish dessert dating back to the early nineteenth century. Mandelbrot are closely related to the Italian cookies known as biscotti, which were first made in the Middle Ages. The word mandelbrot means almond (mandel) and bread (brot) in both German and Yiddish. In America, these tasty little cookies are known as mandel bread. Typically mandel bread are twice-baked, which makes them crispy and crunchy. They’re perfect for dipping in your tea or coffee. Because most of the moisture is baked out of them, they also have a fairly long shelf life.

The origin of Jewish mandelbrot is a bit of a mystery, though there are many theories on how and when the cookie was adopted by Ashkenazi Jewish cooks. In the wonderful book Jewish Cooking in America, Joan Nathan writes about the history of mandelbrot cookies and their similarity to other cookies made in Europe and Eastern Europe: “With a large Jewish population in Piedmont, Italy may have been the place where Jews first tasted biscotti and later brought them to Europe where they called them mandelbrot, which literally means almond bread. In the Ukraine, a similar cookie not necessarily with almonds but made at home, thuskamish, was served. In Italy they are often eaten as a dessert dipped into wine or grappa. In Eastern Europe Jews dipped them into a glass of tea, and because they include no butter and are easily kept they became a good Sabbath dessert.” (The Shiksa In The Kitchen blog)

If all of this sounds intriguing, then follow the link above to the recipe and some more information on the treats. Give it a try. It sounds good!

Ode To A Fruitcake

28 Tuesday Dec 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Cakes, Dessert, Recipes

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There have not been many fruitcakes that I have thoroughly enjoyed, but here is one! And besides that, the comments on the recipe are great! This is definitely a Holiday Treat, but be aware that it takes some time to make it properly. Take your time and use a good rum or whatever you choose. Cheers!

Gail Says …. I am going to put this recipe in my Family Cookbook with Robin’s poem included. That is such a super poem—what a talent!

And then there are some great comments by Robin:

Robin´s Comments and Poem: Your Fruitcake is “The Redeemer” of all the fruitcakes I have ever tasted – Yours brings a quality of respectability that resurrects my faith in fruitcake. Yours being an honorable substance – worthy of lingering and analyzing – and then writing at least a salute if not a sonnet.

And here is her poem. It is awesome. Enjoy!

Ode To A Fruitcake
By Robin Young

Fruitcake, fruitcake, oh where have you been all my life?
Handmade maiden friend of a famed critic’s wife.
Golden and cunning with nuts barely tropical,
Aged in the juice of southern Caribbean,
Tender assortment of fruits once dried, now revived.
I know at last why I am glad to be alive!

Oh yes! Here is The Recipe. Thank you so very much Gail for sharing this. It is truely awesome.