Grilled Lamb and Good Friends Start the Summer Season

25 Saturday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bakery, Appetizers, Asparagus, Baked Onion, Boise Farmers Market, Captain's Shack, Cooking Styles, Friends, Grillin' and Chillin', Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Locavore, Main Dish, Onion, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Special Dinners, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wild Game, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

chocolate liquor, food, grilled lamb chops, lamb chop, vanilla ice cream

It is always a “great start” to any event when you are joined by friends. Geno and Debra (pictured here) were in town, so we had them over for a grilled lamb dinner. The weather was super good and we ate outside. Most of the food was local, too. The lamb was and the onions and asparagus were from Washington. The wine was from California. Still, a delightful time. I even helped Debra with her blog. She is doing fine with it. So here are some photos of the food that we had. Enjoy and please cast your VOTE above. Thanks. Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged.

Asparagus Stuffed Walla Walla Onions getting ready for the oven.

This wine was awesome with the lamb. We have more of the wine.

Robin made this super Mousse d’Phaison and Chukar Pâté with Toasted Acme Bakery Rye Wedges (not pictured). Those are fresh chives from our garden.

Grilled Lamb Chops
Fresh Green Salad
Asparagus Stuffed Walla Walla Sweet Onion

Geno enjoys a lamb chop.

French Vanilla Ice Cream with Idaho Peach Half and Chocolate Liquor Cup . What a great dessert!

Let’s Eat Our Way Thru Election Day

22 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in 10 Barrel Brewing, Breakfast, Brews and Brew Pubs, Burger and Brew, Comfort Food, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

brew pub, local elections, team logo, watch team

Yes, election day here in Idaho, at least parts of it. Local elections, so you can guess how the turn-out was. All I will say is that if you did not vote, you don’t have any complaint. But we started out in the morning at the Wild West in Eagle for breakfast where we met up with our friend Deborah Cantrell – her husband Geno was working. It was good to see the baker, Donna again, too. We are waiting for the notice that she has perfected the Coinut! Pictured above, is one of our breakfasts – a Breakfast Croisant. Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged.

Breakfast Wrap at Wild West

And then later that afternoon we voted then ended up at 10 Barrel Brew Pub for a meeting – after work of course – with some of the folks about the Fledge Watch Team this year in Boise. While we were waiting, Robin and I had a beer sampler.

10 Barrel Beer Sampler. A couple of ounces to try.

But you cannot have beer, or wine for that fact, without some wonderful food. Especially, when it consists of Beer Buns from Acme Bakery here in Boise. Great job, Mike!

Standard Burger.

10 Barrel Pub Burger. Both of these went extremely well with the beer sampler.

And we met with Bill Bosworth and Bill Heinrich about the Fledge Watch program this year. We are starting to assemble a team. Fun stuff! It’s going to be a great season.

The Boise Fledge Watch Team logo by Shawn Carman.

Bill Heinrich and Bill Bosworth

Bob Young and Bill Heinrich

Morel Mushrooms in Dry Sherry and Leek Fondue For Dinner Tonight!

20 Monday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Classic Sauces, Food, Food Prep, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Main Dish, Morels, Mushrooms, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipes, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

dinner, food, morel mushrooms, tbs dijon mustard

Wow! Poached Morel Mushrooms. Awesome dinner and then add some of the super Acme Bakery Baguette and some sherry, and ………………………………..
Here is the recipe. Enjoy! The mushrooms were fresh from the Boise Farmers Market. Left-Click the photo, grab a fork and enjoy.

Morel Mushrooms in Dry Sherry and Leek Fondue

Adapted from Chef Jon Mortimer, Boise, Idaho

Ingredients:
3 c Morel Mushrooms
1 c dry Sherry (1/2 Amontillado and 1/2 Dry Fino)
1 c Heavy Cream
3 T Dijon mustard
½ c sliced Leek (white part only, rinsed well)
1 T Canola Oil
½ t ground Black Pepper
Kosher salt to taste

Directions:
Carefully pick through the mushrooms, inspect them, brush any sand or grit off with a soft brush, remove any long stems with a pairing knife. In a thick bottomed non-reactive saucepan heat the oil and blanch the leeks, stirring frequently and cooking till soft (about 2 minutes).

Strain off any excess oil and return the leeks to the pan and the pan back to the heat. Add the sherry and allow to come to a boil. Reduce the heat and whisk in the cream and Dijon mustard.

Allow to reduce by ½ at a simmer. Add the morels and poach them in the liquid for 2 minutes or just until they begin to soften. Spoon the mushrooms and the sauce into bowls. Serve with crusty bread, like Acme Bakery Baguette (pictured below), Boise, Idaho.

Lamb Riblets For Dinner

18 Saturday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Lamb, Main Dish, Mataki Mushrooms, Mushrooms, Photos By: Bob Young, Ravenswood Cabernet Sauvignon, Salads, What's For Dinner?

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

lamb riblets, mataki mushroom, mushrooms

Lamb Riblets
Baked Mataki Mushrooms
Asian Salad

One culturally mixed dinner tonight, but delicious!

Lunch at Ben’s Crow Inn – Dinner at Home

17 Friday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bakery, Beer and Food, Boise Adventures, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Eggs, Halibut, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Seafood, Steamed Clams, What's For Dinner?

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

restaurants, rye toast, steamed clams, taste of the sea

Great meals today! Started out lunch at Ben’s Crow Inn just east of Boise. This place has been around for years and has not changed much. So why do people go here? Clams. Steamed clams. They smell and taste of the sea. They are that good ….. even here in landlocked Boise. And it was good to have Maggie join us for lunch. Here are some photos. Enjoy and please VOTE above.

Ben’s Crow Inn – Steamed Clams

Ben’s Crow Inn Halibut Plate

Our House – Dinner
Scrambled Eggs with Pancetta
Fresh Pear and Strawberry Mixed Fruit
Acme Bakery Rye Toast

Pacific Northwest Wine Dinner at the Buzz

16 Thursday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Chicken, Cooking Styles, Main Dish, Miner's Lettuce, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Salmon, Seafood, Special Dinners, Special Events, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bryan carter, strawberry rhubarb crisp, tomato salad, wine dinner

This was an interesting wine dinner. Differently good! One does not often get spinach at a wine dinner. Hard to pair with the wine. The roasted tomato salad was good. There was no Miner’s Lettuce in it. The Miner’s Lettuce pictured here in in our garden. Here are the photos of the dinner and you be the judge as to whether it was different from the norm of wine dinners. I will score the wine on a [20] point rating system. Left-Click on any of the photos to see them full screen. And please VOTE above. Thanks and Cheers!

Salmon Canapes
Potato and Mushroom Apple Cake

2011 Iris Pinot Grigio
12.5% alc. a good wine with a full taste and long finish. went well with the appetizer. [18] $15.00

Pea Soup
(Interesting and good!)

2011 G3 Chardonnay
13.7 alc. nice gold color but lacking in taste. went well, however, with the soup [17] $15.00

Roasted Tomato Salad

2010 Willamette Whole Cluster Pinot Noir
13.5% alc. sand and clay on the nose. not a big Pinot as some are. it did pair well with the salad and the dressing. [17] $23.00

Huckleberry Chicken
Creamed Spinach
Biscuits

2010 Bryan Carter Abracadabra
13.8% alc. really went well with the chicken and especially the spinach. great body and taste and finish. [19] $19.00 2011

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Sawtooth Syrah
13.3% alc. Idaho’s first 91+ nationally scored wine and I can see why. the aroma was a little lite but everything else was superb. congratulations to Sawtooth Winery. [19] $15.00 (Great buy!)

And just as a closer, here are some spring flowers that Robin likes that are planted in our garden. Enjoy.

Columbine

Bleeding Hearts

Breaded Mahi Mahi For Dinner ….. Warm Beet-Orange Salad Recipe

13 Monday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Asparagus, Beans, Captain's Shack, Mahi Mahi, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipes, Seafood, Special Information, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

ahi Mahi, beets, homemade tartar sauce, leon millot, Mahi Mahi

Yes we did have Braised Mahi Mahi tonight. But first ………….. I was showing the wine cellar to a friend, Mike from Acme Bakery in Boise (Mike makes awesome bread and his rolls are the ones used by 10 Barrel Brew Pub in Boise, for their burgers) when I noticed a seriously leaking bottle. Yes, it was the one shown here. Almost 75% of the wine was gone – most evaporated. But now the question is, how many of the readers here have ever had a wine made from the Leon Millot grape? I never had one. Here is some information from House of Vines blog.

This is another little hybrid that was developed in France. In fact it is has the same parentage as its more well known sibling Marechal Foch. Two other hybrids came from this same cross including Marechal Joffre and Lucy Kuhlman. Leon Millot is an early ripening black grape with small bunches, often 2-3 per shoot the largest usually about 70-80 grams.

It is cold hardy to approximately -25 to -30 c and while bud break is relatively early it is a little later than Foch making it appealing to those where later spring frost can be an issue. It is also known to ripen a few days earlier than Foch but these accounts appear somewhat subjective. Typically it ripens in 135-140 days, with flowering to harvest being about 85-90 days. What is known is that it regularly ripens to the same brix as Foch but does not have the high acidity problems that Foch can have in some years. In fact the juice chemistry is often excellent for wine making. [House of Vines]

Braised Mahi Mahi
with
homemade tartar sauce and bread crumbs
Rosemary White Beans
Onion and Asparagus with Morel Mushrooms

Here is the beet salad that Marnie made for Mother’s Day. She got the recipe from the food Network. Enjoy!

Warm Beet-Orange Salad

Place 1 pound beets on a large piece of foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 3 tablespoons water; close into a packet. Roast at 400 degrees F until tender, 50 minutes.

Peel the beets and cut into wedges.

Whisk 1/3 cup orange juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt to taste in a bowl.

Add 2 segmented oranges, the beets and 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts and toss.

Enjoy the information and the recipe. Thanks Marnie for sharing this. Please VOTE above. Thanks!

Lobster Sliders

06 Monday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Baguette, Bread, Captain's Shack, Lobster, Main Dish, Miner's Lettuce, Photos By: Bob Young, Relish, Salads, Sandwiches, Seafood, Slider, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Acme Bakery, Baguette, black bean and corn salad, Miner's Lettuce, tartar sauce, yellow tomato

A good dinner tonight! Lobster Sliders Fresh made tartar sauce fresh picked miner's lettuce yellow tomato

A good dinner tonight! Left-Click to see larger image. VOTE above. Thanks!

Lobster Sliders
fresh made tartar sauce, fresh picked miner’s lettuce, yellow tomato, fresh baked Acme Bakery baguette

Homemade Black Bean and Corn Salad

Broiled Lamb Chops with Asparagus Stuffed Sweet Onion

05 Sunday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Asparagus, Baked Onion, Captain's Shack, Herbs and Spices, Lamb, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Side Dishes, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

broiled lamb chops, sweet onion

We wanted to try something different tonight with broiled lamb chops. So we decided to stuff a sweet onion with fresh asparagus and just a “tad” of cheese. (Photo to the left.) There was enough liquid in the onion and cheese to keep this very moist. Baked it off for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees F. When we make it again, I will remove more of the interior of the onion – make thinner walls – and add more asparagus. It was quite good! Here is the plated dinner. Left-Click to see enlarged. Enjoy and please VOTE above. Thanks!