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Here are two super dinners that we had. Both can be made within 30 minutes and are very easy to do. Enjoy and don’t forget to Rate these articles. Just click the Stars!
21 Friday Dec 2012
Posted in Captain's Shack, Food, Food Prep, Lamb, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Rice, Salad, Salads, Salmon, Seafood, Things To Do, Tomatoes, What's For Dinner?
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Here are two super dinners that we had. Both can be made within 30 minutes and are very easy to do. Enjoy and don’t forget to Rate these articles. Just click the Stars!
15 Saturday Dec 2012
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Today was the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl here in Boise at the BSU Stadium. So, we needed to have something for our small Tailgate Party. Maybe potatoes? Yes, but with what? How about with my Mom’s Chili Con Carne Modified over a good, baked potato. (The photo to the left is the dish in the crockpot!) Wow! It was great! and it did bring back some memories of her making the chili. I just had to modify it because Robin can not eat sweet green peppers. So I modified Mom’s recipe and used Poblanos that I fire roasted on the grill. And most of this was locally grown: the beef, potatoes, onions and peppers. The tomatoes were not. Here are some photos with the Chili over a fresh Baked Potato. Enjoy!
12 Wednesday Dec 2012
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December 11th found us at another fabulous Wine Dinner at The Buzz here in Boise. I think I enjoyed this monthly dinner as much as any that I have been to here at The Buzz. It was fantastic!
The crowd enjoyed themselves throughout the evening and really enjoyed the information that Cristi presented about Christmas around the world and some of the different customs associated with Christmas. For instance, did you know that the iconic image of Santa flying in a sleigh was created by the author Washington Irving in 1819 where he described St Nicholas soared across the sky in a dream?
Here are some photos of the evening and the wines that we had. Again, all are scored on the [20] point system. Enjoy and Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see view a larger photo.

Weisswurst
2011 Willamette Pinot Gris
13.0% alc, went very well with the spiciness of the sausage [17] $17.00

Pear and Pomegranate Salad (Awesome salad!!)
2010 Koenig Viognier
14.2% alc, loved this combination [19] $18.00

Honey Butter Ham
Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage
Carrot Casserole
2009 Bastie Cotes du Rhone
13.5% alc, great paring with the entrée. [18] $12.00

Bûche de Noël
Gingerbread
2011 Plunger Head Zinfandel
14.5% alc. this was really great with the chocolates. [18] $22.00
08 Saturday Dec 2012
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If you like roasted duck, but you don’t particularly like all of the grease, here is a method of cooking for you. Very easy and low maintenance, but it does take some time. Five hours to be exact. And no, it is not dried out! The breast meat is very moist and the skin is crunchy and browned. The photo here is the duck resting after roasting. And please do let it rest for about 20 minutes before slicing as this will re-distribute the natural juices. And now …. The recipe!
5 Hour Roasted Duck
Remove the neck and giblet packet from the duck. Reserve or freeze. Wash the duck and pat dry. Prick the skin of the duck with a fork all over. Add salt and pepper to taste. We also stuff the cavity with apple.
Place in a suitable roasting pan. Do not cover the duck. Place in a 300 degree F oven for 4 hours. At the end of each hour, flip the duck over. Remove any grease that may be produced and continue cooking.
At the end of 4 hours, raise the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to roast. At the end of the 5 hours, remove the duck from the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
We serve this with Black Rice and a Spinach Salad. Here is the dinner plated. Enjoy! We did.
07 Friday Dec 2012
06 Thursday Dec 2012
Ah yes! It is time again for the Buzz information for December, and it looks like a busy and full month for them. Let me remind you that no where in Boise, or any other place I suspect, will you find “… such a deal” when it comes to a great wine dinner for $15.00 per plate. A full five course plated meal and 6 or so wines. But, you do need reservations! The events sell out quickly. Stop by and see them for a reservation at 2999 N Lake Harbor Ln in Boise or call them at (208) 344-4321. Here is the information from Cristi! See you there!
We hope that the holiday season is finding everyone in top shape. We have a lot of fun things on the agenda for the month. December 11 and 12 will be our monthly wine dinners, they begin at 6:30 and cost $15 a person, reservations are required, we will be focusing on traditional Christmas foods from around the world and will be discussing the health benefits of food and wine. Great night out with friends during this busy season so make reservations and join us, (208) 344-4321 or email them at BuzzWine@cableone.net.
Music continues with wine tasting on the weekends, music schedule is Dec 7 Thunder Mountain , Dec 8 Todd Palmer, Dec 14 John Cazan, Dec 15 Johnny Shoes, Dec 21 Pat Foulkner, Dec 22 Wayne White, and Dec 28 Gayle Chapman. Music begins at 7 each night, no reservations needed so feel free to stop on by and enjoy some fantastically gifted musicians and fun wines, remember there is always a dinner special on the menu for music nights with dessert specials as well.
December 15 from 3-7 we will be hosting another sit, sip, and shop outing. Great gift ideas, special riedel wine glass sale this afternoon as well. No reservations needed just come on in and pick your last minute gifts. Buzz is also delivering Christmas baskets on Christmas Eve come by and see them displayed and place your orders for Christmas Eve delivery in Ada and Canyon County.
December 21 we will be celebrating the end of the Mayan calendar with fun wines and fun apocalyptic foods. Should be a fun night out again no reservations required.
December 24 from 7-9 we will be hosting our annual Christmas Eve treat party, show up with a tray of goodies and mix and match and take a tray of Christmas treats home with you. We hope to have some live Christmas music for you and your family to enjoy and will be serving gleuwine for the adults and hot chocolate for the kids. Games will be out and visiting will be encouraged.
Don’t forget if you need any special holiday wines we can order and or suggest anything for your gift needs.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good end of the year.,
Sincerely,Cristi and Tom Takeda
Buzz Coffee and Wine
03 Monday Dec 2012
Posted in Crab, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Seafood, What's For Dinner?
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This was an awesome dinner. The crab cakes were baked and not fried! We used a cupcake pan to put the crab in, then broiled for about 5 minutes then finished off in a 425 degree oven. They were wonderful! Left-Click the photo to see a larger view. Enjoy!
23 Friday Nov 2012
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Such a great dinner. It was great to have all of the family and extended family join us for the Thanksgiving dinner. Marnie, Mac, Sophia, Chris, Madison, Tessa and Maggie. These are the folks that made this day so great. Thank you all for joining us and for the salads, pie, deviled eggs, bread, potatoes and oyster stuffing. We did not go hungry. Enjoy this slideshow of the dinner. Cheers! The photo here are the place settings that Robin made.
Even Buddy had his Turkey Dinner last night – small portion! And then he could not stay awake. He couldn’t even wag his tail. He was so funny. Hope everyone had as great a Thanksgiving as we did. Cheers!! Now for Christmas.
07 Wednesday Nov 2012
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On November 6, Stu Smith from Smith-Madrone Winery and Vineyards, visited Boise and we were honored to go to dinner with him at the Cottonwood Grille. From the Smith-Madrone website, there is a link Here, we read that “Brothers Stuart and Charles Smith are the vineyard managers and winemakers of Smith-Madrone Winery. Their family lineage includes the Fetherolf family, German farmers from the Palatinate region, who came to America on the Good Ship Thistle in 1730 … He is an active member of the G.O.N.A.D.S. (the Gastronomical Order for Nonsensical and Dissipatory Society), founded in the early 1980s by a group of Napa vintners who meet for lively monthly lunches, chronicled in James Conaway’s books Napa: An American Eden and Napa: The Far Side of Eden … He enjoys barbecuing for guests at the winery; favorites are the (Smith-Madrone) Cabernet-marinated butterflied barbecued lamb and (Smith-Madrone) Cabernet Risotto (made on a camp stove as people gather around).” Here are some photos from the evening. Enjoy! We did. Be sure to Left-Click the photos to see enlarged. The photo here is the hearth at the Cottonwood Grille. Cheers!

Cristi Takeda from The Buzz in Boise, joined us for dinner and a lively discussion. Thank-You, Cristi for being there.

Also joining us for the special event, were Peggy and Eric Behrens. Peggy helps out at The Buzz at their Monthly Wine Dinners. Glad you and Eric could make it, Peggy.

Stu was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the 2006 Fraser Vineyards (ID) Cabernet Sauvignon. We pulled these three from our cellar to have a comparison tasting with the Smith-Madrone 2010 Cab. All of these wines were awesome.

Stu brought with him the 2011 Smith-Madrone Riesling and the 2012 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon. These were two excellent wines. Thank-You for sharing, Stu.

For appetizers, we each selected an appetizer we wanted and then shared it with the wines. Here is a cheese plate, CG Cheese Plate. An assortment of cheeses served with crostini, fruit, candied walnuts and crackers

And Crab Cakes, Fresh Pacific crab mixed with shallots and Pernod, cooked
crisp and served with lemon beurre blanc. We also had Croquetas, Traditional Basque fritters made with creamed béchamel and served with rumescu sauce
We also had North American Elk, Premium elk loin, sautéed, sliced and served with a green peppercorn sauce; Northwest Premium Buffalo, Fresh buffalo sirloin sautéed, sliced, and served with a rich Cabernet Sauce. It was over cooked. Lemon Roasted Chicken, All natural chicken roasted with rosemary and lemon pepper, served with a lemon scallion cream sauce. Different soups were also on out table. Overall, a good dinner, with few exceptions, and some terrific wines. Oh, almost forgot to mention. We opened the evening with a 2010 Pend d’Oreille Chardonnay from the Vickers Vineyard at Sunny Slope.
29 Monday Oct 2012
A perfectly delightful evening at Maggie’s Place on Sunday night. Chef Maggie did an awesome job with the Chicken and Dumplings, again! And as always, she served up the perfect chalice of Stella Artois. And Robin chipped in with a great Huckleberry Pie. I feel so lucky to have two super-duper Chefs. Well here, you be the judge and look at these photos. Be sure to Left-Click on the photos and see a larger view. Cheers and Goot Essen!

A super great and delicious salad. Who would have thought that avocado and sweet red onion would go so well together. (Go full screen on this one. The colors are so delicious.)

Huckleberry Pie fresh out of the oven. Another gastronomic delight! It is not often that one can get huckleberries.
So there you are. Such a treat. Such a joy! And if you clean your computer screen and go Full Screen to enlarge the photos, you could probably eat right off the screen. Try it. You’ll like it! Mikey would, if we could find him.