10 Thursday Oct 2013
I am not a squash fan, but this soup was good and easy to do.
08 Tuesday Oct 2013
Nothing better than finding use for the left-overs in your refrigerator. In our case, Lamb and Buffalo Meatloaf, at least for dinner. Breakfast was a little different. Here, take a look. Enjoy!
A really yummy dinner!
05 Saturday Oct 2013
30 Monday Sep 2013
Great on this rainy, cool Fall day. Just hit the spot and very easy to make. I asked Robin what she wante for lunch and she said, “Tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich.” No tomato soup in the house. But a few fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, a little whole milk, salt and sugar and you’ve got a tomato soup. Grilled cheese was easy to make. Pull the fresh tomatoes from the Alley Garden and the fresh basil, too. Make a grilled cheese and ham on fresh sourdough from Acme Bake Shop. Comfort food!
29 Sunday Sep 2013
And it all started on Saturday morning …… Early, for me! 5am. It was a tailgate weekend as BSU was playing Southern Mississippi (BSU won! 60 – 7). Seeing as how we did not have a “tailgate”, we renamed this Saturday event as a “Backgate Party”! We do have a back gate. Started the smoker at 5:30am and smoked 3 racks of pork ribs for 2 hours. But before I could do anything, we needed breakfast. Look at what I made.
And then to prep for the game. But it does not start until 8:30pm. Lots of time. Smoke the ribs for 2 hours in Alder. Then finish off some of them in the oven and the others in the crock pot. Slow … Slow … Slow cooking and low heat.
Finished off in the oven for 7 hours at 200 degrees F.
Finished off in the crock pot on low for 7 hours. Yum!
Add to the ribs some Slaw, Baked Beans, Beer, Apple Crisp (thanks Marnie), Brian, Marnie and Mac and we’ve got a party. It was a long day for me. From 5am until close to 12 mid-night. Brian made breakfast on Sunday morning. Robin has this awesome recipe for Chiles Rellenos and Brian used it. Super job, Brian!
Brian preparing the Chile Rellenos.
But then, next Tuesday we have a Board meeting with the TVWS. October finds the group trying beer! Yes, beer! Not wine this month. And to keep in the “bier frame of mind”, we are also doing an Oktoberfest theme. This should really be fun. For the Board meeting, we are trying some Samuel Adams Oktoberfest Bier, German Potato Salad, Acme Bake Shop Rye Bread and I know some other goodies. (It pays to be a Board member!) I am making a Sauerbratten, click the link for our recipe. Busy, busy, busy. But fun, fun, fun! Tonight we are going to some friends house for dinner. Going to take them some wines and stuffed cream puffs. Cheers!
25 Wednesday Sep 2013
Ever want to know how to make a Hollandaise Sauce for your asparagus or Eggs Benedict? Here is a really great and easy recipe for making this Mother Sauce. No cooking! The photo here shows the sauce with Eggs Benedict. Thank you Russ Terrell (Boise) for this recipe. Cheers and enjoy!! Left-Click the photo to see an enlarged view.
Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce
Source: Bob and Robin Young
Recipe Source: Russ Terrell, Boise, ID
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients:
3 Egg Yolks
1 T fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
½ t Sea Salt
⅛ t Cayenne (Optional)
10 T unsalted Butter (If using salted butter, skip the added salt. Bob used the microwave on Defrost for about 1½ minutes 3 times to melt the butter. Came out fine.)
Directions:
1. Melt the butter slowly in a small pot. Try not to let the butter boil – you want the moisture in the butter to remain there and not steam away. See the note above using a microwave.
2. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt (if using) and cayenne (if using) into your blender. Blend the egg yolk mixture at a medium to medium-high speed until it lightens in color, about 20 – 30 seconds. The friction generated by the blender blades will heat the yolks a bit. The blending action will also introduce a little air into the mixture, making your Hollandaise a bit lighter.
3. Once the yolks have lightened in color, turn the blender down to its lowest setting (if you only have one speed on your blender it will still work) and drizzle in the melted butter slowly while the blender is working. Continue to blend for another few seconds after the butter is all incorporated.
4. Turn off the blender and taste the sauce. It should be buttery, lemony and just slightly salty with a slight bite from the cayenne. Adjust to your liking. (Robin and I added a little more lemon.)
5. Store until needed in a warm spot, like on or next to your stovetop. Use within an hour or so. Great on eggs, as pictured, or on fresh asparagus.
21 Wednesday Aug 2013
Robin and I keep asking Maggie what we can make for her to eat. Yesterday, she said she wanted to go to Sushi Joy, a really good Asian restaurant featuring Chinese, Japanese and American dishes, 3 blocks from our house. So today, for a late lunch, Maggie, Robin and I all went to Sushi Joy. Enjoy these photos of our entrees.
which Robin and I get every time we go.
12 Monday Aug 2013
Don’t be afraid! They will not explode. To the left is a photo of the chicken rolled and on the grill. Not very hard to do, but it does take a little time and a little care. Look at the recipe below. A fun and very good way to prepare chicken. Almost like a Cordon Bleu, at least for the stuffing practice. But do try it. Adjust the recipe as necessary and remember that the recipe as listed is for 10. No problem in cutting it in half. One Chicken Bomb is probably plenty for one person. Serve this with a great Hendrick’s Gin, Gin and Tonic. Enjoy!
Chicken Bomb plated with Baked Corn
Makes 10 Chicken Bombs
Ingredients:
5 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
5 jalapeño peppers
20 strips of bacon
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated colby jack or cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup BBQ sauce (I look for low sugar — always )
Directions:
Slice chicken breasts in half width wise (Each half will make 1 Chicken Bomb). Place between two pieces of wax paper and pound to 1/4 inch thickness. *A rolling pin also does the trick. Season each with salt a pepper.
Slice jalapeños in half, length wise and remove seeds, ribs, and the end with the stem. In a small bowl, mix your softened
cream cheese with your grated Colby jack.
Fill each jalapeño half with about 1 Tbs cheese mixture. (Sometimes I use more)
Place 1 jalapeño half at the end of each pounded breast piece. Roll over and together. *It doesn’t always close the way you think it should. No worries! The bacon will pull it all together.
Wrap each breast piece with 2 slices of bacon. I do 1 at a time (obviously), and just sort of wrap tightly and tuck the
ends of the bacon under the strips. It all comes together in the cooking process. I promise you do not need toothpicks!
Preheat your grill to 350 degrees. Cook over indirect heat for 20-25 minutes; turning every 4-5 minutes. Baste chicken with BBQ sauce each time you turn it. Giving it one final basting right before it’s done. Chicken is ready when it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, pierce chicken with a fork. If juices run clear, it’s done!
The Chicken Bomb opened up to see the jalapeno stuffing.
This is not a hot – spicy – meal. I removed the ribs and the seeds to keep the heat low. If you want more heat, leave the ribs and seeds in. And I only used 1 piece of bacon per bomb. It held up very well. Cheers!
12 Monday Aug 2013
Great food and great friends gathered at The Buzz in Boise to convey our condolences to Cristi and her family for her loss. We were sitting outside and the fire storm from about 50 miles east of Boise and 25 miles north, presented an imposing image of the vastness of the fire. This morning on NPR I heard were the combined two fires was about 120,000 acres. Yuk!
As we gathered, we shared food as a means of bonding our friendships. Everyone who attended, was asked to bring some type of pot luck. And, if you desired, bring a wine. We took a 2010 Fujishin Family Cellars Viognier, a corn pie and grilled fresh herbed zucchini. (Photos are below) Others brought all kinds of wines, BBQ pork, beans, soup, vegetable platter, hot artichoke dip, brownies and different breads. It was a good gathering to show the extent of our friendship for Cristi and her family. Here are a few more photos. Left-Click any of the photos to see enlarged.
Grilled Herbed Zucchini Strips
Corn Pie
Plated pulled pork, homemade beans and corn pie.
08 Thursday Aug 2013
Mac and Marnie gave us two huge heirloom squash. I picked some tomatoes from out alley garden and sweet peppers are always great with a good stuffing. What a great couple of days working in the kitchen and coming up with a different stuffing blend and a heirloom Green Zebra Tomato Verde for the stuffing. The photo here is the squash getting ready to be put into the oven. I used an instant read thermometer to check the cooking process and took it out at 175 degrees F. This was very good, even if I do say so myself. The stuffed peppers were for Maggie and Trish whereas the stuffed tomatoes were for Robin. Here are some more photos. Left-Click to see the photos enlarged and don’t forget to Vote above. Enjoy!
Robin can not handle green peppers or almost any peppers so I made her a stuffed tomato.
This I made for Maggie and Trish tonight. I hope they enjoy it.
Boise Foodie Guild 