Such a good time here. Good breakfast and wonderful rooms. We were lucky enough to make reservations – Thousand Springs BNB and Feathered Winds Wine – and be there for their monthly wine dinner. This particular dinner featured wines from south of the equator. Good and interesting food paring with the wines. Great time talking to the folks at our table and at other tables. Enjoy these photos and Left-Click to see them enlarged. If you go to Thousand Springs BNB, let them know you saw this blog post. Cheers!
pared with
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)
The grilled lemon – peel and all – was delicious grilled like this.
pared with
Jacob’s Creek Moscato (Australia)
Other wines served with dinner were: Shingleback Black Bubbles (Australia), Jacob’s Creek Sweet Red (Australia), Massimo Malbec (Argentina) and 2012 Santa Rita Cabernet (Chile). Then the next morning, we had breakfast – no wine, although we could have had some.
3 Lucious Meals
06 Wednesday May 2015
Posted in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bakery, Avocado, Bacon, Beans, Black Beans, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Brown Basmati Rice, Captain's Shack, Cinco de Mayo, Comfort Food, Corn, Dinner With Robin, Eggs, Feta Cheese, Focaccia, Herbs and Spices, Idaho Pork, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Meadowlark Farms, Omelet, Party Time, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Pork Tenderloin, Puerto Rican Food, Puerto Rican Recipe, Purple Sage Farms, Salad, Sofritto, Spanish Food, Special Dinners, Spice Blends, Spinach, Steamed Clams, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?
It was a good Cinco de Mayo! At least meal wise. All from scratch, which really makes it fun, and then from mostly local products. Pork. Sofrito. Brown Basmati Rice. Mango Margaritas. Rhubarb Red Sauce. Black Olive and Rice Salad. Mostly fit the occasion; the holiday.
The photos below will give you an idea of these meals. Left-Click any of them to see enlarged. What did you do fro Cinco de Mayo? What did you cook? Have to eat? Anything special? Let us know. Spread the delicious words;photos. Cheers!
Avocado and Tomato Salad
Brown Basmati Rice and Black Beans
Mango Margaritas
Good Cinco de Mayo dinner and fun to make!
with
strawberries and whipped cream
Our neighbors brought this to us, just because. Thank you! See why we love Boise?
Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb BBQ Sauce
03 Sunday May 2015
Posted in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Acme Bakery, BBQ Sauce, Boise Farmers Market, Brocolli, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Cast Iron, Cheese, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Feta Cheese, Focaccia, Green Salad, Idaho Pork, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Pork Tenderloin, Purple Sage Farms, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Recipes - Sauces, Salad, Turnip Greens, Turnips, Watermelon, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho
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An interesting and adventuresome dinner tonight. Here is the recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb BBQ Sauce and an interesting side to this BBQ sauce, it also goes with chicken and beef. We had it with pork tenderloin and it was fantastic. The recipe calls for oven roasting the tenderloin for 15 minutes. Ours was big enough that it probably should have gone 25 to 30 minutes. You too, may also have to extend the oven time. Enjoy the photo and you can Left-Click the photo to see it enlarged. The recipe is also a permanent entry to the Recipe File listed above. Cheers.
Wonderful Römertopf Chicken
30 Thursday Apr 2015
Römertopf chicken is so easy to do and it is wonderful! Crispy skin. Moist. From Wikipedia, we see that,
Different cultures have different techniques of cooking food in pottery. Some design pots that are fully finished by burnishing and therefore don’t require the pot to be soaked each time before use. Some are unfinished and work well when soaked for about 30–45 minutes in water, each time before use. The design and shape of the pot have been slightly modified from one culture to another to suit their style of cooking. Seasoning is an essential part of cooking in clay. Seasoning is done by making a broth with flour (rice or wheat) and vegetable cooking oil. These ingredients are mixed to the water in the pot and brought to a boil…The food inside the pot loses little to no moisture because it is surrounded by steam, creating a tender, flavorful dish. The evaporation of the water prevents burning so long as the pot is not allowed to heat until it is completely dry. Because no oil needs to be added with this cooking technique, food cooked in clay many times is lower in fat compared with food prepared by other utensils. Pots also seal all the nutrients inside the pot by locking steam in. The unglazed pottery utensil made from clay is inert or non-reactive and does not leach into food. Earthenware cooking pots are made from special clay that can withstand heat in an oven or on the stovetop.
Here are some photos of the Chicken Römertopf that we made. And as a note, using a Römertopf is very similar to using a tagine in Moroccan cooking. Both techniques, and several other clay pot techniques, use steam to maintain the moisture. Enjoy!
with
lemon, thyme, salt and pepper
Cooked covered at 400 degrees F for 90 minutes then 30 minutes uncovered.
Rolled Chicken Breasts
17 Friday Apr 2015
Posted in Asparagus, Avocado, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Cheese, Chicken, Classic Sauces, Coconut Oil, Cooking Oils, Cucumber, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Eggs, Greens, Ham, Ham and Cheese, Housemade Hollandaise Sauce, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Oils, Photos By: Bob Young, Spinach, Sriracha Chili Sauce, What's For Dinner?
Seafood Potpie For Dinner
28 Saturday Mar 2015
Posted in Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Green Peas, Housemade Pie Crust, Idaho Wine, Lobster, Onion, Photos By: Bob Young, Potpie, Reel Foods, Sea Scallops, Seafood, Shell Fish, Shrimp, What's For Dinner?, Williamson Vineyards and Orchards, Wine and Food, Wines - Italian
This was an awesome recipe from Ina Garten for Seafood Potpie. Although I did alter it slightly. I could not find lobster meat – my seafood shop, Reel Foods Fish Market here in Boise was out of it – I used three small lobster tails. (We are really lucky here in Boise to have such an outstanding seafood market that brings in some really fresh product.) I removed the lobster meat from the shell and then stewed down the lobster shells and shrimp shells to make my own seafood stock. It made a fine rich stock. I also used a small jar of clam juice with the stock. Add to this dinner a wonderful glass of 2012 Williamson Vineyards Blossom, 100% Sangiovese Rosè, and we had a great dinner. Try the recipe. Let us know how you liked it and/or if you altered it at any step. Enjoy these photos. Cheers!
Pan Seared Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary, Balsamic Orange Sauce
23 Monday Mar 2015
Such a great way to serve a scrumptious pork tenderloin. A little involved, but nonetheless delicious. The orange sauce really adds to this dish. I did not have any chicken stock, so I used turkey stock and I think it came out just fine. Then we served it with 2010 Syringa Winery Sangiovese and the paring was super good! I used this wine in the sauce, too. The original recipe came from the Cooking Channel, Kelsey Nixon. I adapted it slightly.
As sides we had a Fresh Green Salad, Steamed Asparagus and Housemade Pasta with Artichoke in a Cheese Sauce. Here are some photos of the dinner. Enjoy – We did! I will probably post the recipe in the Recipe File above. Cheers!
Mai Thai Visited
18 Wednesday Mar 2015
We have been to Mai Thai several times, but this is the first time for the lunch buffet. They are located at 750 W Idaho Street, Boise. (208) 344-8424. Such a treat! They continue their outstanding cuisine. With just a small comment: The duck could have had more of the fat removed and the connective tissue trimmed. The vegetable tempura was good, but slightly soggy and cold. For those reasons, I can only rate this visit a 4-Star, out of 5-Star, meal. The ambiance is terrific. The Waite staff is very attentive and polite. The price, $11.95 for the buffet, is extremely reasonable for the amount of food that is available. Mai Thai is well worth the trip to go there. If you like Asian cuisine for lunch, this is the place to go. It is just a little more of a formal setting than most of the other Asian places in Boise. Give it a try. I have also listed Mai Thai on TripAdvisor. Here are some photos we took. Left-Click any of the photos to see them enlarged. Enjoy!!
Happy 1 Year Birthday Cloud 9 Nano Brewery!!
17 Tuesday Mar 2015
Posted in Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Birthdays, Boise Adventures, Brew Pubs, Buy Idaho, Cloud 9 nano Brewery, Cod, Comfort Food, Dessert, Dinner With Robin, Fish and Chips, Idaho Breweries, Local Farmers Markets, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Restaurant Reviews, Seafood, Shepards Pie, Special Events, What's For Dinner?
And it was a rousing St Patrick’s Day celebration and birthday party!! The turn out was superb. The food was awesome as usual and the beer/ale was outstanding! Glad they are so close to us – about 1 1/2 blocks. A nono brewery produces less than 5oo cases per year. They are small but they are sure delicious! Here are some photos from the evening. They had to put a tent up outside in addition to the patio seating. It must be a Rite of Spring, because it sure did feel like it. Happy Birthday Cloud 9! Here’s to many more! You are definitely a 4+-Star Pub (Out of 5-Stars). Love it!
The Orchard House and Williamson Vienyards
07 Saturday Mar 2015
Posted in Appetizers, Brocolli, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Idaho Trout, Idaho Wine, Local Markets, Locavore, Meatloaf, Orchard House, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Salmon, Seafood, Special Dinners, Special Events, The Orchard House, What's For Dinner?, Williamson Vineyards and Orchards, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho
What a great time last night at The Orchard House for dinner and Williamson Vineyard and Orchards serving their wines. The Orchard House is a favorite of ours when we are in the Snake River wine area. And Williamson Vineyards have some fantastic wines and their fruit in season is awesome! We highly recommend these two businesses. Here are some photos from the evening. Truly a Homestyle meal! Enjoy.

(L-R) 2010 Williamson Viognier and a 2012 Williamson Blossom, a rosé of Sangiovese. Both are delightful wines.

I know. No one makes a Meatloaf like your Mother. And you can not find a good meatloaf when traveling. Until now. Outside of my kitchen, and my Mother’s kitchen, this has got to be the best anywhere. And if you are here for lunch, try the Meatloaf Sandwich!
What else can I say? The meal was a Plus 4-Star dinner (out of 5-Stars) and the wines went extremely well with the dinner. If you are in the area, stop in at both places. You may need reservations at The Orchard House – they get very busy for dinner. And try their breakfast or lunch. And don’t forget the appropriate wine with dinner. Say Hi to Kris for us! Cheers!





































