“Chopped” In the Kitchen

31 Thursday Mar 2022

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, AirFryer, Beef, Beets, Cabbage, Chicken, Eggs, Greens, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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airfried chicken, beets, cabbage, chicken fried steak, Martin's Swiss Dressing, meatloaf, seafood alfredo

It is always fun to see what is in the refrigerator or in the kitchen, in general. This week was no different. No particular recipe, “Just Do-It!”. And I don’t usually post an advertisement within a post. But there are exceptions. This is one of them. “Oma & Popies” is very local to Boise, and is very good. But, Swiss Hibiscus, https://swisshibiscus.com/made-in-portland-oregon is a superb dressing and is totally produced in Portland, Oregon. You can call them at (503) 477-9224 and place an order, or use the link. If you are in Portland, or in the area, their address is 4950 NE 14th Ave, Portland, OR, 97211. This dressing is great on salads, but I like to dip French Fries in it or use it on baked salmon. Yum-O! OK. Enough of the ads (They don’t know I have this blogged!)

BP_30Mar2022_1d_Captains Shack_AF Fried Chix and Cabbage

Daughter Marnie, said she had some chicken and would make dinner. There was some cabbage that needed to be used so she made this delicious AirFryer Chicken with steamed cabbage. It was delicious!

There was some sea scallops – those are the big ones – and large, 16-20 count, shrimp, parsley and parmigiano that was begging to be used. So how about making a Scallop and Shrimp Alfredo. Easy one pot meal. Made it with fettuccini and and some white wine and served with chopped parsley.

Wife Robin asked for Chicken Fried Steak one night. Had some steak that needed to be used and some crushed saltines (won’t use saltines twice for this!), but they did not adhere to the steak like I wanted. Served with baked potato and peas and carrots. Good, but not Earth shattering.

And finally, meatloaf. Hard to find a good meatloaf. This was good, but a little too loose. This is what the crushed saltines were originally used for. A cup of milk in the mix is a little to much. Need to cut back to a half cup. Flavors were good. The salad was some canned beets from last summer, spinach and lettuce blend and had cooked eggs. All-In-All, a good, flavorful dinner. http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Meatloaf.pdf

Chopped In The Kitchen

11 Friday Mar 2022

Posted by Bob and Robin in Apple, Apricots, Buy Local, Cabbage, Classic Sauces, Dinner At Marnies, Dinner For Robin, Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Food Photos, Food Prep, Grilled Pork, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Grains, Idaho Pork, Idaho Potatoes, Krusteaz, Lark and Larder, Latkes, Local Markets, Main Dish, Malheur River Meats, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork Belly, pork chops, Potatoes, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes - Sauces, Sauces, What's For Dinner?

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cabbage, caramelized apple, fried potatoes, Hollandaise Sauce, pork belly, potatoes, recipes, strawberry, waffles

So you have some “stuff” still in the refrigerator that you don’t quite know what to do with. Don’t throw it out, unless, of course, it’s green and fuzzy. It’s not exactly Réchauffé – a dish of warmed-up leftovers, but more like Utiliser les restes – using leftovers. We have strawberries that need to be used, so we make Strawberry Waffles. And there is some Pork Belly, “… pork belly is uncured meat (while) bacon is a cured meat…(it is) the boneless cut that remains after the loin and spareribs are removed.” (pork.org) Just in case you wanted to know. So why not make an Idaho Benedict or a sautéed cabbage and apple to go with a Malheur River Meals ( https://malheurrivermeats.com ) pork chop? (Or you can get their products at the Boise Farmers Market or at Lark and Larder in Boise Good idea! So let’s take a look. Bon appetit!

Strawberry Waffles are so delicious. I have made waffles from scratch but here I used Krusteaz, because I had some that needed to be used. Just altered it slightly with strawberry jam and 1 egg in the batter. Then when I cooked it, I put sliced strawberries in the batter plus more sliced strawberries on top of the waffle before serving. A dusting of powdered sugar, too. You can use other fruits, also, like blueberries.

Malheur River Meats Pork Chop with Braised Apple and Cabbage

This was a yum dinner. A Smoked Bone-In Pork Chop with Braised Apple and Cabbage. Caramelized the apple first in butter and brown sugar over med-high heat and watched it carefully so as not to burn the apple. Just golden brown. Then added some chopped cabbage and caraway and sautéed it all together. There were no left-overs from this dinner!

This was so differently good! If you like Eggs Benedict, try this version. Instead of a toasted English muffin, I used a potato pancake, of sorts. More like a latke than a pancake. I had the “cake” keep its shape and form by using an egg ring. Worked well. Cooking was a challenge to keep it from burning. Med high heat and used the rendered pork belly fat – some of it – to cook the potato in. Turned it over carefully when I noticed some browning on the edges. It really came out fine and was cooked all the way through. Then for serving, placed potato on plate, then one strip of thick cut pork belly broken in half, poached egg and finally Hollandaise Sauce. ( CIA Basic Hollandaise Sauce )

So there you have it. Another fun week in the kitchen!

Surprise Meals

04 Friday Mar 2022

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop Baguette, Bombay Grill, Buy Local, Carrots, Classics, Eggs, Eggs Omelets, Food 0f India, Food Photos, Fruits, Green Peas, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Potatoes, Lamb, Mango, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Shepards Pie, What's For Dinner?

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candied pecans, lamb, Mango, mango lassi, pecans, recipes, shepards pie, shrimp, shrimp omelet

I think this week we really hit the Jackpot with some meals that we made. These are a real surprise and delicious. We liked them all! But then too, Shepard’s Pie is a favorite of every ones. I don’t particularly like yogurt, but the Mango Lassi that I had at a local Indian restaurant, the Bombay Grill in Boise, was absolutely delicious. And the Shrimp Omelet for dinner was a treat. Look at these. Enjoy.

The Breakfast for Dinner was simply a Shrimp Omelet with Campfire Potatoes, Toasted CROW Bread from Acme Bakeshop here in Boise and some Mandarin Orange sections. A standard 2 egg omelet, some 16-20 count shrimp cut into fourths and sauteed in butter with garlic powder and Old Bay seasoning and Eric’s Campfire Potatoes. No particular recipe. Play Chopped of the Kitchen and make do with what you have. I use an 8″ porcelain skillet for mine and clean the pan between omelets. (We have been on 5 cruises and I always watched the Line Chef make omelets to see how it is done. They always used a fresh skillet between omelets!)

I do not like yogurt. But now, I can’t really say that anymore. This was delicious and I was introduced to it at the Bombay Grill, an Indian restaurant, here in Boise. The recipe, Mango Lassi, is really easy and the ingredients are probably available at your local grocery store. You can use either fresh mango or you can use mango pulp. Just remember that mango pulp has sugar added, so taste the pulp before adding sugar in the blender. Chill the drink and enjoy! It’s delicious!.

Celery, Candied Pecan and Apple Spring Mix Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Now this salad is absolutely delicious. The celery is cut super thin on the bias and the apple is sliced thin also. Not a difficult recipe and including getting everything prepped, it it takes about 30 minutes to make. Love the Spring Mix greens. Different flavor levels and textures. The recipe, Celery, Pecan, Apple Salad. And the recipe calls for Candied Pecans, so make your own Candied Pecansf. Not hard to do. You will love this salad. We have pared it with a Classic Shepard’s Pie as pictured above.

And this Classic Shepard’s Pie was fantastic! Here is the recipe Classic Shepard’s Pie Such a classic meal and one that we all like. Easy to do. Traditionally it was made with lamb, but some folks mix 50/50 lamb and beef. They also use 100% beef. But we prefer the traditional lamb way. The potatoes are not peeled and are cut into small chunks to cook. Makes them easier to mash when they are smaller pieces. Just make them creamy smooth so they spread on the top easily.

Enjoy these meals and sides. We did.

Beef Stroganoff

05 Thursday Aug 2021

Posted by Bob and Robin in Avocado, Beef, Breakfast, Buy Idaho, Buy Local, Captain's Shack, Classic Sauces, Comfort Food, Cream Sauces, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Family, Eggs, Food - Russian, Food Photos, Heirloom Tomatoes, Idaho Beef, Idaho Vegetables, Local Farmers Markets, Mushrooms, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Pinot Noir, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, What's For Dinner?

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mushrooms avocado herbs, recipes, Stroganoff

We recently made/created a version of the classic Beef Stroganoff as pictured above. (The recipe can be found here – http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Stroganoff.pdf). The original recipe did not call for vodka. But this is a Russian dish, so vodka is a must. We did not, however, use the traditional potato based vodka, but rather a corn based. An entirely different flavor level and profile. Seems to me to be more inline with White Lightning. The button mushrooms cut into about 1/4″ slices. Also, we added some chopped fresh rosemary, which was awesome.But look at the recipe and see what you think. We are always open to suggestions.

And then one morning, Robin asked for an Avocado and Tomato Omelet. Never thought of this combination, but it was really good. No, did not cook the avocado or the tomato, Serve with a good fresh fruit mix. In this case, blueberries and cantaloupe. CROW bread toasted from Acme Bakeshop in Boise. Great combination.

Two Great Meals

04 Friday Jun 2021

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Chef Lou, Corn, Dill, Edible Flowers, Eggs, Fennel, Food - Frozen, Food - Make Your Own Meals, Food Photos, Food Prep, Green Peas, Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbs and Spices, Housemade Salad Dressing, Idaho Dairy, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Trout, Idaho Vegetables, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Made From Scratch, Main Dish, Marsing, Mustard, Onion, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Potato Salad, Potatoes, Prep Work, What's For Dinner?

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Acme Bakeshop, Boise Farmers Market, edible flowers, heirloom tomatoes, shrimp, sourdough bread

Two Great Meals

This potato salad,the recipe is located here Chef Lou’s Potato Salad, is full of vegetables. (Pictured above) You can use veggies, or not, or choose your own. The salad has an awesome dressing of mayo, apple cider vinegar and Dejon mustard. I also added some fresh lovage to add to the “celery” flavor. Try it. Easy to make. I chilled the cooked potatoes before adding them to the sauce/vegetable mix. I also cut the potatoes in “bite sized” pieces before cooking them. Try using new potatoes and quarter them.

The second wonderful dish we made was a Shrimp Salad. (Pictured above) This was a great, summer salad and it can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Full of vegetables and shrimp and with a creamy sauce. I added frozen peas and corn to this salad which gave a a nice texture and flavor. I also used some fresh lovage in this, too. You could probably use lobster instead of shrimp, if you are so inclined. We served it with baked Orange Kokanee – salmon – (7 min at 375 degrees F) for 7 minutes. Toasted Sourdough Wedges with butter and garlic.

Well there are two meals you can play with. Have fun and enjoy! Just don’t forget: If it is on a plate, it is edible! Don’t ever put something on a plate that is not edible.

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Cream of Asparagus and Leek Soup and Bobotie

29 Thursday Apr 2021

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Apple, Apricots, Asparagus, Bacon, Basmati rice, Beef, Bobotie, Captain's Shack, Cast Iron, Chutney, Eggs, Falls Brand Bacon, Food - African, Food Photos, Fruit, Garlic, Lamb, Photos By: Bob Young, South African, What's For Dinner?

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apricots, Bobotie, lamb, recipes, South African, yellow rice

Cream of Asparagus and Leek Soup

We came across this awesome asparagus and since we have a contact to pick some – 75 pounds worth – and after some were canned, we made this awesome soup. Changed it slightly, I added some bacon for another layer of flavor and it was super. Not hard to do. Great with the fresh asparagus you are picking. Here is the recipe. Try it and see what you think, http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Asparagus-Soup.pdf

Bobotie – A South African dish

Then we tried this South African dish, Bobotie. We like it with lamb, even though the recipe calls for beef. And we change the chutney to apricot jam and julienned dried apricots. We also made our yellow rice with turmeric. The rice: For this Basmati rice, which we browned in butter before we added water, and then brought it to a boil, reduced the heat to a slow simmer and covered it. Took about 15 minutes to cook it. Here is the recipe. Enjoy! http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Bobotie.pdf

From Wikipedia, “Today, bobotie is much more likely to be made with beef of lamb, although pork can be used. Early recipes incorporated ginger, marjoram and lemon rind (zest); the introduction of curry powder has simplified the recipe but the basic concept remains the same. Some recipes also call for chopped onions and almonds to be added to the mixture. Traditionally, bobotie incorporates dried fruit like raisins or sultanas (yellow raisins). It is often garnished with bay leaves, walnuts, chutney and bananas. Although not particularly spicy, the dish incorporates a variety of flavours that can add complexity. For example, the dried fruit (usually apricots and raisins/sultanas) contrasts the curry flavouring. The texture of the dish is also complex, the baked egg mixture topping complementing the milk-soaked bread which adds moisture to the dish. Bobotie is usually served with “yellow rice”, which is rice cooked with turmeric.“

The Boise Farmers for 1 Hour Tomorrow!

14 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beef, BFM, Boise Area Food Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Boise Food Adventures, Buy Idaho, Buy Local, Chicken, Eggs, Green Salad, Greens, Herbs, Herbs and Spices, Idaho Beef, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Vegetables, Lamb, What's For Dinner?

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Boise Farmers Market – Pick Up, PopUp, a 1 hour special, tomorrow 15 Feb 2020 at the Shoreline location. Limited products. See you there!

Great Birthday Sunday at Parma Ridge and Elsewhere

16 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Acme Bake Shop Red Wheat Bread, AirFryer, Bistro - Parma Ridge Winery, Boise Food Adventures, Boise Foodie Guild, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Brunch at Parma Ridge Winery, Captain's Shack, Chef Storm Hodge, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Dessert, Dinner At Parma Ridge Restaurant, Dinner at Parma Ridge Winery and Bistro, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Family, Dinner With Friends, Eggs, Eggs Omelets, Food Photos, Idaho Chefs, Mushrooms, Parma Ridge Specials, Parma Ridge Winery, Parma Ridge Winery Bistro, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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Captain's Shack, Parma Ridge

Happy Birthdays –

Myra

Chris

Robin

And to Robin – we have some feeders attracting the hummingbirds – Happy Birthday!

And here are some things that Stephanie and Chef Storm Hodge made for us. Delicious! Thank-You!

The Bomb. 2016 Big Red

Coconut Shrimp

Romaine Caesar Salad

Mushroom Omelet

Wine Lovers Chocolate Cake

And earlier this week, I made Robin –

AirFryer Shredded Wheat with Caramelized Sugar and Fruit

Avocado Sandwich on Toasted Acme Bakeshop Whole Wheat, Garlic, Avocado and Heirloom Tomato Slice

And this, too!

Chicken Potpie

Chicken Potpie. And all from Scratch!

Awesome Special Meal at Parma Ridge Bistro

07 Sunday Apr 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, BBQ Pork, Beef, Beef - Braised, Bistro - Parma Ridge Winery, Carrots, Celebrations, Chef Storm Hodge, Classic Sauces, Dinner At Parma Ridge Restaurant, Dinner at Parma Ridge Winery and Bistro, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Eggs, Eggs Omelets, Fennel, Idaho Wine, Mushrooms, Mushrooms - Local, Parma Ridge Specials, Parma Ridge Winery Bistro, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Photos By: Parma Ridge Winery, Restaurants To Try, Special Events, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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braised beef, brisket

Oh yes. And some awesome new wines! Chef Storm and his friend Chef John Mercer (see This Post) did a super, awesome job preparing these goodies. This was a special dinner put on by these two very talented Chefs. It will not be available at all times. Their Prime Rib, though, is just as good. Look at what we enjoyed today. (Left Click any of these photos to see them enlarged!)

Chef John and Chef Storm

2016 Reserve Merlot was awesome and went very well with the pork and brisket.

Omelet with Local Mushrooms was terrific!

Double Cut Pork Chop Mostarda $24.95
A Smoked and Seared Double Cut Pork Chop with House made Green Grape Mostarda
(a savory Italian Jelly made with fruit, sugar and horseradish),
Sweet Potato with Gnochetti in a Brown Butter Sauce and Sautéed Carrots and Fennel

Even the leftover pork chop was great!

Wine Braised Brisket alla Giudia $24.95
8-oz Cut of Brisket Slow Braised in Sweet Red Wine with a Crown of Fried Artichoke, Sweet Roasted Garlic and Sautéed Carrots and Fennel

Boise Farmers Market Opens!

06 Saturday Apr 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Arugula, Big Lost River Meats, Boise Adventures, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Boise Food Adventures, Chef Jake Sandberg, Comfort Food, Crispeats, Desert Mountai Grass Fed Beef, Eggs, Ethnic Foods, Fruits, Greens, Hard To Find Foods, Homemade Stock, Idaho Beef, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Pork, Idaho Vegetables, Idaho's Bounty, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Meadowlark Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Rice Family Farms, Seafood, Snake River AVA, Sourdough Bread, Spinach, Spring Greens, Spring Plants, Spring Vegies, What's For Dinner?

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Yea! The BFM (Boise Farmers Market) opened today for it’s 2019 season at their new location at Shoreline Drive and Americana in Boise. It was cold. No rain, though. And it was crowded. They did have treats for everyone as pictured here – Ham and Cheese Croissant – and other “goodies”. Dignitaries were there – Head of the Boise Chamber of Commerce, the BFM President and Mayor Dave Bieter. Great to have them all at the Grand Opening. Thank-You!