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.
Genki Takoyaki Food Cart
19 Sunday Apr 2015
A novel idea – especially in Boise. Japanese food from a food cart. Rhett Atagi and Christy Beavers keep the food moving and the crowd happy as they prepare the dumplings and pass them out to the patrons at the Boise City Market. You can also find them at other events in the Boise area. Give them a call and see where they are located and at what event. Might be an idea to have them at a neighborhood gathering or family gathering. You will have to check with them. Good, classic Japanese dumplings. Give them a try.
Breakfast At “The Shack”
30 Monday Mar 2015
Posted in Beans, Black Beans, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Corn, Eggs Jasmine Tea Mock Fried, Ethnic Foods, Guacamole, Idaho Polenta Floriani, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Mexican Food, Photos By: Bob Young, Whats For Breakfast?
Ah yes. And a different one it was. When the Chef arrived, Robin ordered his black bean and fried polenta cake special. This plate comes with fried polenta cake, black beans with turmeric and cumin, pico de gallo and bean sprouts. Bob ordered the Chefs’ special fried polenta cake and jasmine tea mock fried eggs. Oh yum!! Here. Take a look and enjoy!
Scrapple – What?
29 Sunday Mar 2015
Scrapple is an acquired taste. It has been described as “everything from the pig except the oink!” We have our scrapple shipped in from Ralph and Paul Adams, Rapa Brand Scrapple in Philadelphia. I’m a purist. I like the original scrapple and will probably leave the turkey scrapple alone. Wikipedia says,
Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name panhaas or “pan rabbit,” is traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then pan-fried before serving. Scraps of meat left over from butchering, not used or sold elsewhere, were made into scrapple to avoid waste. Scrapple is best known as a rural American food of the Mid-Atlantic states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia). Scrapple and panhaas are commonly considered an ethnic food of the Pennsylvania Dutch, including the Mennonites and Amish. Scrapple is found in supermarkets throughout the region in both fresh and frozen refrigerated cases.
Preparation
Scrapple is typically cut into quarter-inch to three-quarter-inch slices and pan-fried until brown to form a crust. It is sometimes first coated with flour. It may be fried in butter or oil and is sometimes deep-fried. Scrapple can also be broiled; this is a good cooking method for those who like their scrapple crisp. Scrapple is usually eaten as a breakfast side dish. It can be served plain or with either sweet or savory condiments: apple butter, ketchup, jelly, maple syrup, honey, or mustard. The state of Maryland is particularly in favor of scrapple topped with grape jelly. In some regions, such as New England, scrapple is mixed with scrambled eggs and served with toast. In the Philadelphia area, scrapple is sometimes fried and then mashed with fried eggs, horseradish, and ketchup.
History and regional popularity
The roots of the culinary traditions that led to the development of scrapple in America have been traced back to pre-Roman Europe. The more immediate culinary ancestor of scrapple was the Low German dish called panhas, which was adapted to make use of locally available ingredients, and it is still called “Pannhaas,” “panhoss,” “ponhoss,” or “pannhas” in parts of Pennsylvania. The first recipes were created by German colonists who settled near Philadelphia and Chester County, Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries. As a result, scrapple is strongly associated with rural areas surrounding Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, eastern Virginia, and the Delmarva Peninsula. Its popularity on the Delmarva Peninsula is celebrated the second weekend of October during the annual “Apple Scrapple Festival” in Bridgeville, Delaware. In composition, preparation, and taste, scrapple is similar to the white pudding popular in Ireland, Scotland, and parts of England and the spicier Hog’s pudding of the West Country of England.
Why do I like it? Because I come from Delaware, about 15 miles south of Philadelphia, and my Dad was Pennsylvania Dutch. Here is how I make it. Remember – Use a good, non-stick pan to cook the scrapple and over high heat and about 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil, Crisco. Form a brown crust before trying to turn the scrapple over. If not, it may all fall apart. Here are some photos of scrapple preparation. Cheers!

Starting to fry in a hot pan. It is sizzling. Do not disturb until the crust is formed! If you do, it may all fall apart.
Our Visit to “Twin Dragon Restaurant” in Boise
20 Friday Feb 2015
Tags
Our recent visit – we have been there before – was OK. Nothing more. Just OK. 3-Stars out of 5-Stars. Twin Dragon, Boise, 2200 W Fairview Ave, Boise, ID 83702, (208) 344-2141 for take-out or reservations. One reviewer has stated that, “Twin Dragon is a local staple in Boise for classic Americanized Chinese food.” and I completely agree. The food has been Americanized. Another reviewer, from TripAdvisor, says that, “Like the sort of place you see in movies & TV from the 1950’s Old world classic American Chinese Nothing special, yet still nothing wrong in Boise….” Yup! That pretty much says it. But there are reviews that rave about Twin Dragon. Try it yourself and make up your mind. Here are some photos from our visit. Enjoy!
Disappointed in this. Hard to find the seafood. Taste was OK, but lacks some seafood. Robin and I got the Family Dinner #5. $11.00 per person. This photo, and the following ones, are what is included in this selection.
I think this was warmed over from earlier in the day. It had the consistency and flavor of “left overs”.
We still believe that Sushi Joy and Yen Ching far out shine the Twin Dragon Restaurant. The Chinese Buffet on Fairview at Five Mile is better, too.
Valentines Dinner – Chicken Marsala With Mushrooms
15 Sunday Feb 2015
Posted in 5-Stars, Beans, Capers, Captain's Shack, Chicken, Chicken Marsala, Classic Cuisines, Classic Sauces, Dessert, Dinner With Robin, Ethnic Foods, Green Beans, Housemade Pasta, Italian foods, Mushrooms, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes - Sauces, Special Events, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Italian
Salmon En Croûte
07 Saturday Feb 2015
We saw this reccipe on a competition on the Foodnetwork. Decided we needed to make it. Think of it like a Beef Wellington, only made with salmon. We adjusted the recipe for the two of us. That is, I used 2-4 ounce Copper River Salmon fillets instead of a 2 pound side of salmon. Here is the basic recipe. Adjust it as necessary. Salmon En Croûte. Here are some photos of the cooking and prep process. Take your time and all will come out just right. Have fun with the recipe. The recipe for the Hollandaise sauce is in the recipe file on this blog. Here it is, too: Hollandaise Sauce. Cheers!
In the culinary arts, the term en croute (pronounced “on KROOT”) indicates a food that has been wrapped in pastry dough and then baked in the oven. Salmon en Croûte is a popular recipe. Pâté and brie cheese are also frequently prepared en croute.
One of the classic en croute recipes is Beef Wellington, or in French, Boeuf en Croûte.
Traditionally, the type of pastry used for making Pâté en Croûte is a simple straight pastry dough called pâte à pâté, or pâté pastry. But today, puff pastry is frequently used for most en croute recipes.[http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/glossary/g/En-Croute.htm]
Super Bowl Vittles
01 Sunday Feb 2015
Well it was a good game, even though the Seattle Seahawks lost. But then, that was a weird call in the last 20 seconds and on the 2 yard line that probably cost them the game. 24-27 was a good score. The way a Super Bowl should end up.
I think our appetizers were much better. And 99% of it from Idaho products by local farmers. If you want to see these photos enlarged, Left Click the photo and it will go larger. Here. Take a look. Enjoy!
Steamed Shrimp with Housemade Tartar Sauce
Idaho Grits
A very good breakfast!
What you don’t see are the Steak Tacos that we made. Again, from scratch. They were yum! Actually the food all night was yum!
New Page On The Blog!
20 Tuesday Jan 2015
I am starting a new page on this blog called Boise Restaurant Guide – see the header. This page will include restaurants in Boise and the close surrounding area that we have tried. This will not be a rating page, but, out of a 5-Star rating system, these restaurants are at least a 3-Star eatery. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a 3-Star restaurant! Here is a link to the Boise Restaurant Guide. It is meant to inform you of the extremely varied cuisines available in Boise – Food Trucks, Italian, Pizza, Greek, Basque, Baltic, Persian, Asian, Mediterrean, Drive-Ins, Bistros, Brewpubs, Indian, Pakistani and many more.
I love it when people ask us, “Where is a good place to eat in Boise?” My stock answer is, “What do you like?” Boise is that varied for eating. So hopefully, this page will direct people to different restaurants and they will be able to at least find something they like. I might even include Carl’s Jr., McDonald’s, or Jacks. They are all available.
If you have a BNB in Boise, or know of someone that does, this list just might help our Visitors locate a good meal after traveling. Cheers!
Thailand Express by Chef Pong
19 Monday Jan 2015
Posted in 4-Stars, Asian Food, Brocolli, Buy Idaho, Dinner With Robin, Duck, Ethnic Foods, New Restaurant Trial, Oriental Food, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Recipes - Sauces, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Rice, Seafood, Shrimp, Singha, Soup, Special Dinners, Spring Rolls, Thai Food, Thailand Express, Vegetables, Vegetarian Foods, What's For Dinner?
Located at 2025 12th Ave Nampa, Idaho 83686. This was a very good surprise! Super food. Great Waite Staff. Ambiance was OK – open and more like a country cafe, not formal like Mai Thai in Boise. From their website, “Looking for mouthwatering Thai restaurants in Nampa, ID? Call Thailand Express at (208) 501-7975 and ask all about our menu that is chock-full of delicious Thai Food. Our chef has years of experience working in top tier restaurants and provides some of the best Asian food in the area. Whether you are looking for quick and easy lunch specials to share with coworkers or something a little fancier for dinner, you will find it here. We have both spicy and mild dishes for the whole family.” Here is a link to Thailand Express.
We found their food to be deliciously intriguing. Not spicy hot, unless you want it that way. Very large servings – Robin and I could have shared a bowl of the soup – no telling how large the pot size of soup was. Probably good for a family. Presentations were good. Prices were good for the quality and serving sizes. Watch their opening times as they are open twice daily, with a break in the afternoon when they are not open. “NEW BUSINESS HOURS – LUNCH —Tuesday-Friday–11:00a.m.2:30p.m., Saturday-Sunday–12:00p.m.-3:00p.m., Dinner –Tuesday-Thursday 4:30p.m.-9:00p.m., Friday-Saturday 4:30p.m.-9:30p.m., Sunday 4:30pm – 9:00pm. Monday Closed”
We rate this 4-Stars out of 5-Stars – on their FB site and their website they have a rating of 4 1/2-Stars. We will return to Thailand Express by Chef Pong. Enjoy these photos of the evening. Left-Click any of the photos to see enlarged.
Marinated roasted duck and fresh veggies wrapped in rice paper and served with special brown sauce.
4 pieces, $6.95 (Well presented and delicious!)
Thai Brown Sauce. This recipe is what we came up with after trying theirs. It is very close.
Coconut milk, chicken and mushroom in lime juice and fish sauce served mildly.
Bowl $3.95, Pot $8.95 (Robin had a bowl. Delicious!))
A traditional Chinese soup with homemade wontons and veggies, mixture of seasoned ground pork, minced shrimp, chicken and water chestnuts.
Bowl $4.95, Pot $9.95 (I had the bowl. Delicious!)
Half duck marinated in sauce and then roasted. Served with special honey sauce on top a bed of vegetables and jalapeno soy on the side. $13.95
(Robin made a really good choice with this.)
Your choice of pork, beef, chicken, veggie, tofu, shrimp or duck (Pork) stir fried in Thai peanut sauce and served atop a bed of stir fried broccoli. Jasmine rice on the side. $9.95 and worth every penny. There was none to take home!

Glad I tried this Thailand beer. Light and a refreshing lager that was a perfect match to the food. After a language lesson, it is pronounced “sing-ha” with a slight inflection on the “sing”. Our Waite Person was delighted that we asked how to pronounce this. She was very helpful throughout the meal. Thank-You!






























