Seafood Stirfry
14 Thursday Apr 2016
14 Thursday Apr 2016
27 Sunday Mar 2016
Posted 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
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!
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
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.
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.
14 Monday Mar 2016
Posted in Ahi Tuna, Asian Food, Asparagus, Avocado, Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Classic Sauces, Dinner For Robin, Ethnic Foods, Heirloom Carrots, Herbs and Spices, Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Hollandaise Sauce, Idaho Greens, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Vegetables, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, What's For Dinner?
Tags
And that mean “Party-Hearty”! Time for lamb. Or Laphroaig. Or Glendronach. Or maybe some Corned Beef with some Cabbage. I am going to make some Irish Soda Bread, or maybe an Irish Brown Soda Bread, for a St Patrick’s Day party on Saturday. Gonna wear my kilt, too! And the socks that my niece Beth made me. We just made some Irish Stew, that turned out pretty darn good. Just need to tighten the sauce a little. Doesn’t this just look scrumptious? And yes, the Boise Farmers Market at 10th and Grove in Boise opens up on April 2, 2016! Yea!!!

Prep for the Irish Stew. Carrots, celery, lamb cubes (Local Felzien lamb!), Red onion, green onion and spices.
And the other night we had this delicious beef dinner. The beef was just OK. Nothing to brag about. But the dinner was good.
And then we also had,
16 Tuesday Feb 2016
Posted in 5-Stars, Bearnaise Sauce, Blueberries, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Celebrations, Chef Lou, Classic Cuisines, Classic Sauces, Dessert, Dinner For Robin, Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Herbs and Spices, Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Béarnaise, Housemade Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Beef, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Wine, Kitchen Adventures, Lamb, Meadowlark Farms, Mushrooms, Onion, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Chef Lou, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Recipes - Breakfast, Recipes - Dessert, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Sauces, Snake River AVA, Special Dinners, Valentines Dinner, Vegetables, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?, Zhou Zhou Winery
Such a wonderful Valentines weekend spent in the kitchen making the meals for Robin and I to enjoy! And that we did! “And if you [read this article] in the next 5 minutes, we’ll include a link to the recipes!” where you can find some of the recipes for some of these treats. Boise Foodie Blog Recipes! Enjoy these photos and the recipes. And yes, the Hollandaise and Béarnaise Sauces were all made from scratch! Most of the items here are Idaho products. Zhoo Zhoo Winery Claret was served with the Valentines Dinner. 2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Rebecca’s Vineyard Pinot Noir was used in the bœuf bourguignon (French Beef Stew). Cheers!
And as an added bonus, here is Chef Lou’s Orange French Doughnuts. I worked several years with Chef Lou at the Westside Drive-In in Boise. Great experience. Enjoy!
Source: Chef Lou Aaron, Westside Drive-In, Boise, ID
Yield: 12 doughnuts
Ingredients:
5 T Butter, room temperature
½ c Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
1/3 c Milk
½ c Ricotta Cheese or Cream Cheese, softened
Juice and Zest from one orange
2 c All Purpose Flour
1 t Salt
1 t Nutmeg
¼ c melted Butter
1 T Cinnamon mixed w/1 T Sugar
Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar; add egg and mix well. Add Milk and Ricotta, or cream cheese, to the mixture alternately w/dry ingredients. Mix in orange rind and juice.
2. Fill greased muffin cups to ½ full. Baked in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly and pop doughnuts out of pan.
3. Roll doughnuts first in melted butter, then in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
For variation, you can also garnish with strawberries & whipped cream.
14 Saturday Nov 2015
I was asked this morning, “Why do you come to the market?” I told him: I go to see the people. To visit with the farmers. To support our local farmers as much as possible. To make “my rounds” at the above listed farmers. And I miss the Market between December 20th and March 1st. I totally believe in Buying Local and I support that philosophy as much as possible.
22 Thursday Oct 2015
Posted in 5 Hour Duck, 5 Hour Duck Sauce, Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Beans, Boise Farmers Market, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Classic Sauces, Cooking Styles, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Duck, Heirloom Carrots, Local Farmers Markets, Photos By: Bob Young, Ravenswood Winery Zinfandel, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Sauces, Side Dishes, What's For Dinner?
Yes, I know, I have made another post about this 5 Hour Roasted Duck. And it is always a great way to make duck – not greasy or fatty, yet moist and succulent. This time we have a twist. We made a Cherry, Cranberry and Rosemary Sauce (aka: 5 Hour Duck Sauce) for this entree. It was a perfect match! (It probably would go quite well with pork, too!) The cherry sauce is sweet, yet tangy from the cranberry. And the rosemary adds a really good flavor level that pairs well with the duck. Cooking the duck slow and low, really enhances it and creates a wonderful crispy skin. Here are some photos. Enjoy!

The duck after two hours at 300 degrees F. The duck is not covered throughout the entire cooking process.
06 Tuesday Oct 2015
Posted in Appetizers, Asian Food, BBQ Chicken, Boise Farmers Market, Brocolli, Bronco Nation, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Chicken, Chicken Wings, Chinese Food, Coconut Rice, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Gameday, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Mushrooms, Mushrooms - Chanterelles, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Recipes - Seafood, Sea Scallops, Seafood, Shell Fish, Shrimp, Slow Cooking, What's For Dinner?
Such a good meal combination. No! Not all at once but over three days. The recipe for the chicken wings and the stir fry are listed permanently in the recipe file. The link to that file is at the top of this page. But for now, here is the link to the Shrimp, Scallop and Pineapple Stir Fry recipe and the recipe for the Robin’s Chicken Wings, that would be great at a Tailgate Party! Here is some information about chanterelle mushrooms –
Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle, golden chanterelle or girolle, is a fungus. It is probably the best known species of the genus Cantharellus, if not the entire family of Cantharellaceae. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, it has gill-like ridges that run almost all the way down its stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap. It emits a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots and a mildly peppery taste (hence its German name, Pfifferling) and is considered an excellent edible mushroom. Though records of chanterelles being eaten date back to the 16th century, they first gained widespread recognition as a culinary delicacy with the spreading influence of French cuisine in the 18th century, where they began appearing in palace kitchens. For many years, they remained notable for being served at the tables of nobility. Nowadays, the usage of chanterelles in the kitchen is common throughout Europe and North America. In 1836, the Swedish mycologist Elias Fries considered the chanterelle “as one of the most important and best edible mushrooms.”
Chanterelles as a group are generally described as being rich in flavor, with a distinctive taste and aroma difficult to characterize. Some species have a fruity odor, others a more woody, earthy fragrance, and still others can even be considered spicy. The golden chanterelle is perhaps the most sought-after and flavorful chanterelle, and many chefs consider it on the same short list of gourmet fungi as truffles and morels. It therefore tends to command a high price in both restaurants and specialty stores.
There are many ways to cook chanterelles. Most of the flavorful compounds in chanterelles are fat-soluble, making them good mushrooms to sauté in butter, oil or cream. They also contain smaller amounts of water- and alcohol-soluble flavorings, which lend the mushrooms well to recipes involving wine or other cooking alcohols. Many popular methods of cooking chanterelles include them in sautés, soufflés, cream sauces, and soups. They are not typically eaten raw, as their rich and complex flavor is best released when cooked.
Next meal, wonderful Seafood Stir Fry. Look at this!

Scallops, shrimp, celery, broccoli and pineapple in a wonderful stir fry. See the recipe and enjoy. Here it is cooking.
And finally, awesome tailgate fare with these chicken wings. (Recipe above) Don’t bypass marinating the wings for the 2 hours or so. Enjoy!
17 Friday Jul 2015
Posted in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop, Anniversary, Appetizers, Apricots, Beets, Boise Adventures, Boise Restaurants, Bread, Buy Idaho, Carrots, Celebrations, Chardonnay, Classic Cuisines, Dinner Reviews with Robin, Dinner With Robin, Food Photos, Friends, Heirloom Carrots, Heirloom Squash, Idaho Greens, Idaho Potatoes, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Salads, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners
Tags
I could, and probably should, fill up this page with the word awesome, but that would be boring! If you are in Boise and have been here for awhile, do you remember Andrae’s? That definitely was a 5-Star restaurant. And so is State and Lemp. It is every bit as good as Andrea’s was; If not better. But I can only give 5-Stars and State and Lemp earned every one of those stars. From the local art on the wall, as pictured here, to the outstanding service. Also outstanding was the plating of the different food offerings. We eat with our eyes first, and as you will see, the presentations were super good! The seating is limited to about 28 people, so call for a reservation. We did like the way they have the tables set, it gave us time to chat with our table “neighbors”. Here are some photos from the evening. Enjoy! We will return for another special celebration, whatever that may be!

It is great to see that they use as much local products as possible. Here is Acme Bake Shop Sourdough Bread. For a complete list of their local farmer suppliers, check their web site.
In our effort to showcase local and regional farmers, ranchers, and artisans we have utilized the following…
Purple Sage Farms /purplesagefarms.com – Waterwheel Gardens /waterwheelgardens.com – Rice Family Farms / ricefamilyfarms.com – Sweet Valley Organics / sweetvalleyorganics.com – Peaceful Belly / peacefulbelly.com – Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters / dawsontaylor.com – Malheur River Meats / malheurrivermeats.com – Ohana Farm Inc. Frostenson Farms – Acme Bread Co. – Double R Honey Farm – Cloverleaf Creamery …. Ownership and management will maintain a constant presence on the floor as we interact with guests to ensure an unforgettable experience. We provide continuing education and training for all team members in order to better enable them as they assist guests with decisions. Additionally, we seek to advance all team members and enable their growth as hospitality professionals.
15 Wednesday Jul 2015
Posted in Anniversary, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Classic Cuisines, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Ethnic Foods, Fennel, Food Prep, Fruits, Ginger, Green Peas, Green Salad, Harissa, Herbs and Spices, Idaho Lamb, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Main Dish, Olive Oil, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Raisins, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes -Tagine, Salads, Special Dinners, Special Events, Spices of Morocco, Tagine, Tagine Cooking, Tagine of Lamb, Tomatoes, Traditional Food, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?
Tags
A happy 32nd anniversary dinner tonight! Thank-You Robin for all that love and those many years! The gardenia pictured here is on our front porch. Last century, when Robin and I would go to a formal dance, I would get her a corsage of gardenia. This plant is fitting and brings back many fond memories.
The dinner tonight, Tagine of Lamb with Peas and Fennel, is a very traditional Moroccan dish and tonight we prepared it in a traditional way – in a tagine.
A tajine or tagine (Arabic: طاجين tajin from the Arabic: طاج) is a historically North African Berber dish that is named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. A similar dish known as tavvas is found in Cypriot cuisine. The traditional method of cooking with a tajine is to place it over coals. Use of the tajine can be compared to stewing.
Ceramic tajines.
The traditional tajine pot is made of pottery, which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts: a base unit that is flat and circular with low sides and a large cone- or dome-shaped cover that sits on the base during cooking. The cover is designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. Tajines can also be cooked in a conventional oven or on a stove top.
Tajine is traditionally cooked over hot charcoal leaving an adequate space between the coals and the tajine pot to avoid having the temperature rise too fast. Large bricks of charcoal are purchased specifically for their ability to stay hot for hours. Smaller pieces of charcoal are reserved for cooking brochettes (barbecue) and other grilled meats.
Other methods are to use a tajine in a slow oven or on a gas or electric stove top, on lowest heat necessary to keep the stew simmering gently. A diffuser – a circular piece of aluminium placed between the tajine and burner – is used to evenly distribute the stove’s heat. European manufacturers have created tajines with heavy cast-iron bottoms that can be heated on a cooking stove to a high temperature. This permits the browning of meat and vegetables before cooking.
Tajine cooking may be replicated by using a slow cooker or similar item; but the result will be slightly different. Many ceramic tajines are decorative items as well as functional cooking vessels. Some tajines, however, are intended only to be used as decorative serving dishes. [Wikipedia]
22 Friday May 2015
Posted in Alley Gardens, Arugula, Boise Farmers Market, Capers, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Chicken, Classic Cuisines, Dill, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Garlic, Green Salad, Healthy Eating, Heirloom Carrots, Herbs, Herbs and Spices, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Morels, Onion, Party Time, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Potatoes, Römertopf, Römertopf Cooking, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Rice Family Farms, Roasted Vegetables, Salad, Salt, Things To Do, Traditional Food, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?
Yes indeed, another good Römertopf Roasted Chicken. Love using this style of cooking – Römertopf or Tagine; slow, steamed in it’s own liquid. I like to place chopped carrots, onion and potato on the bottom of the Römertopf to keep the chicken off of the bottom of the cooking pot and keep it from burning. Make a gravy from the liquid and use the roasted vegetables as a side. I cooked this one covered at 375 degrees F for about 1 1/2 hours, plus 1/2 hour uncovered at 400 degrees F.
And we do like to keep the ingredients as local as possible: Potatoes from Rupert, Onions from Nyssa, Carrots from Boise, Herbs from our herb garden. Look at what we did and enjoy. We did! Serve with a good Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio. Left Click the photos to see them enlarged.

One of our herb gardens. All four are about this size. The front space between the sidewalk and the street is chock full of herbs – No Grass or otherwise known as a No Mow Lawn.

The 6# Römertopf Chicken is resting after cooking. Stuffed with garlic – a whole bulb cut in half – onion quartered, thyme, rosemary, sage, Morel mushrooms, sea salt and Tellicherry pepper. The skin is rubbed with unsalted butter, sea salt and Tellicherry pepper. Thyme and sage leaves are scattered on the skin.