Boise Farmers Market Fall Fundraiser

21 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beef, Boise Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Brats, Carrots, Comfort Food, HDR, Heirloom Squash, Herbs, Idaho Wine, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Events, Squash, Tapas, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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Homestead Farms, Meadow Lark Farms, New Boise Farmers Market, Purple Sage Farms

Yes, even The New Boise Farmers Market must have funds to operate. And since it is not privately funded, the funds must come from the public sector. That’s you and me!! So Robin and I did attend. It was held at the Purple Sage Farms outside of Middleton, ID. A beautiful Fall day as you can tell from some of these photos.
Robin and I try very hard to eat local products and we are totally committed to the “Buy Idaho” and “Support You Local Farmers” programs. We are at the New Boise Farmers Market every Saturday and we will follow them indoors on November 2, 2013 to their winter home at the Fulton Street (Boise) location. So we were very pleased when we got the opportunity to attend this gala event at the Purple Sage Farms. Enjoy these photos and please, please support your local farmers. From the New Boise Farmers Market web page,

Vision: The Boise Farmers Market is a community marketplace where local food and agricultural products are available year round and where the community can learn about and become engaged in food system issues. The Market is a catalyst and incubator for local food-related activities in the region, and helps to build personal and community self-reliance.

Mission: The Boise Farmers Market supports a regenerative, healthy food and agricultural system by operating a vibrant marketplace featuring locally grown and crafted products.

Tim Sommer and his son Mike, owners of the Purple Sage Farms, talk to the crowds that were there.ike3 loves to work on and with the land. They use only their own compost and their water supply is from the Payette River.

Tim Sommer and his son Mike, owners of the Purple Sage Farms and our hosts today, talk to the crowds that were there. Mike loves to work on and with the land. They use only their own compost and their water supply is from the Payette River.

Daughter Arie Sommer and Grandmother Ava Latteman

Daughter Ariie Sommer and Grandmother Ava Latteman

Bill Gates, Homestaed Farms whose beef were pasturing directly across the road, talks to the folks about his years of experience of raising cattle, among other livestock. Their products can be found at the New Boise Farmers Market and in Whole Foods. It is some very good beef!

Bill Gates, Homestead Farms whose beef were pasturing directly across the road, talks to the folks about his years of experience of raising cattle, among other livestock. Their products can be found at the New Boise Farmers Market, of course, and in Whole Foods here in Boise. It is some very good beef!

Karen Ellis and Janie Burns discuss the program for this afternoon.

Karen Ellis and Janie Burns – Meadow Lark Farms – discuss the program for this afternoon.

Here are some photos of some of the greenhouses that Purple Sage Farms use for winter production of their vegetables and herbs. Temperatures during the summer may reach well above 100 degrees, so they whitewash the outsides to reduce the intensity of the sun.

Greenhouse Row. There are about 10 houses here.

Greenhouse Row. There are about 15 houses here.

Rosemary and Lettuce

Basil

I think these are carrots.

With all of the available source for different foods, look what they served.

Stuffed Peppers

Delicioso Squash. (I am not a squash fan, but this was delicious!)

Pepper Bruchetta

Kabobs with Zucchini

Hot Dogs

Brats

What a great afternoon! Interesting. Informative. Delicious. Thirst quenching.

Liquid Refreshment is served.

It Was A Foodie Weekend!

29 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop Breads, Bradley Smoker, Breakfast, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Crockpot, Cuts of Beef, Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Food Prep, Grillin' and Chillin', Mexican Food, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Sourdough Bread, What's For Dinner?

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chile rellenos, german potato salad, sauerbraten, smoked pork ribs

And it all started on Saturday morning …… Early, for me! 5am. It was a tailgate weekend as BSU was playing Southern Mississippi (BSU won! 60 – 7). Seeing as how we did not have a “tailgate”, we renamed this Saturday event as a “Backgate Party”! We do have a back gate. Started the smoker at 5:30am and smoked 3 racks of pork ribs for 2 hours. But before I could do anything, we needed breakfast. Look at what I made.

Shrimp and Asparagus Omelet with Hollandaise Sauce and Toasted Acme Bake Shop Sourdough

Shrimp and Asparagus Omelet
with
Housemade Hollandaise Sauce
Toasted Acme Bake Shop Sourdough

And then to prep for the game. But it does not start until 8:30pm. Lots of time. Smoke the ribs for 2 hours in Alder. Then finish off some of them in the oven and the others in the crock pot. Slow … Slow … Slow cooking and low heat.

Smoked Pork Ribs

Finished off in the oven for 7 hours at 200 degrees F.

Paleo Smoked Ribs

Finished off in the crock pot on low for 7 hours. Yum!

Add to the ribs some Slaw, Baked Beans, Beer, Apple Crisp (thanks Marnie), Brian, Marnie and Mac and we’ve got a party. It was a long day for me. From 5am until close to 12 mid-night. Brian made breakfast on Sunday morning. Robin has this awesome recipe for Chiles Rellenos and Brian used it. Super job, Brian!

Brian preparing the Chile Rellenos.

Chile Rellenos

But then, next Tuesday we have a Board meeting with the TVWS. October finds the group trying beer! Yes, beer! Not wine this month. And to keep in the “bier frame of mind”, we are also doing an Oktoberfest theme. This should really be fun. For the Board meeting, we are trying some Samuel Adams Oktoberfest Bier, German Potato Salad, Acme Bake Shop Rye Bread and I know some other goodies. (It pays to be a Board member!) I am making a Sauerbratten, click the link for our recipe. Busy, busy, busy. But fun, fun, fun! Tonight we are going to some friends house for dinner. Going to take them some wines and stuffed cream puffs. Cheers!

French Wines At The Buzz

11 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Classics, Croissant, Dinner With Friends, French Foods, French Wines, Friends, Healthy Eating, Locavore, Party Time, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Quiche Lorraine, Salads, Special Events, Traditional Food, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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food, quiche lorraine, salad nicoise

Another in a series of good wine dinners at the Buzz last night. Some very interesting wines, presented blind, and good food. Our friend Maggie, pictured here, came along with us and it was great to see that she was feeling chipper enough to join us. We always like to have her join us in these adventures. I
This was a good meal. Not particularly the best I have had at the Buzz, but very good. I am very salt conscious, and there were two dishes that could have had a little more salt and/or pepper. I will list those dishes below. All in all ….. a fun night with good friends and good food. Glad to hear and see that Bailey is doing OK after her bike fall. Enjoy these photos of the dinner and the commentary. Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see them larger.

Robin is studying the wines and the dinner menu.

Quiche Lorraine
2009 Baron de Hoer Alsase Riesling
12.5% alc. went well with this appetizer, but light. [15] $14.00

Salad Nicoise
(Could have used a little cracked pepper and olives. But still good.)
2012 Sable d’Azure
12.5% alc blend of grenache, mouvedre and petite syrah. this went well with the salad [17] $13.00

Vegetable Trimbale
(Needs a very light sprinkle of Sea Salt)
2011 Chat du Pape Cote de Rhone
14.5% alc. big wine but went well with the trimbale. [15] $13.00

Beef Bourgogne
(This was the best part of the dinner. Full of flavor and seasoned perfectly!)
2010 Gigondas
14.5% alc. a big red that went very well with the beef and onions. [17] $22.00

Cream Puff and Apple Crepe
(Good job on the cream puffs, Cristi!)
Veuve du Vernay Sparkling Chardonnay
11.0% alc. a great choice to pair with this dessert. [18] $12.00

This review may sound harsh to some. It is not. Cristi and I talked about some of these comments and I think she accepted them as positive. Like I stated at the start, I really try to watch our salt intake, even if the food seems to need additional salt. And I know Cristi tries very hard to limit the amount of salt in her dishes. This was just one of those times when a little more would have enhanced the dishes. It was still a good dinner. Hope to see you at the next one. Cheers!!!

WHIP Nite at The Buzz and September Events

30 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Finger Foods, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Events, Tapas, What's For Dinner?

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food, photography questions, wine flights

The first WHIP Night at the Buzz was a good success. There were about 15 people there with all types of camera questions. I hope they all got answered to their satisfaction. The pasta salad pictured here was part of the dinner menu with appetizers. (None are left on this plate – they were that good!) The WHIP program will be held the last Thursday of each month from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. Each program will have someone in to talk about or explain about a specific topic.

For August and the first in the series, Cristi explains the event as, “Buzz Coffee and Wine is hosting our WHIP night each month on the last Thursday of the month. This is a time where We Help Inspire People (WHIP). This is a come and go event where each month we will have a guest that is very knowledgeable about a certain subject here at the Buzz to answer questions. This month we are pleased to have Bob Young coming to help us with our photography questions. Bob authors several blogs and has published a book with photographs of birds. Bring your questions and join us anytime between 5 and 8 on Thursday August 29. We will have flights of wine featuring women winemakers and food specials, no reservations required. Tell your friends and stop by.”

The September schedule of events at the Buzz is as follows.
“Buzz Coffee and Wine
September Events
Contact Us
2999 N Lakeharbor Lane
Boise, Idaho 83703

Whip Night
Bring your friends and your photography questions down to the Buzz August 29 from 5-8 (drop in anytime); and meet Bob Young and ask him questions about photography. We will have wine flights featuring women wine makers and food specials throughout the evening. Come any time, no reservations required.
We Help Inspire People.

Wine Club
We are focusing on France this month. Wine club is September 10 or 11 at 6:30 PM. Reservations required. Cost is $15.00 per person, includes dinner and wine tasting. Featured wines are 10% off after dinner. Please let us know of food allergies or intolerance with your reservation; buzzwine@cableone.net or 344-4321.

Bounty of the Harvest
On September 29 at 6:30 we will have our quarterly wine dinner. This quarters theme is the bounty of the harvest. This is a five course dinner with two different wines chosen to go with each course. The cost is only $30.00 per person and includes dinner and wine. All wines will be on sale 10% off after dinner. Reservations are required. Please let us know of food allergies or intolerance with your reservation; buzzwine@cableone.net or 344-4321.

Music in September
Music on Fridays from 7-9. Wine tasting and dinner specials each night.

8/30 Wendy Matson
9/6 Blaze and Kelly
9/13 Pat Foulkner
9/20 Wayne White
9/27 John Cazaan

No reservations required just come and enjoy.

Thank you for your patronage and we hope to see you soon

Sincerely,
Cristi and Tommy Takeda
Buzz Coffee and Wine

(Coupon)
————————————————————————————————————————————
Save 20% Order a case of wine (12 bottles) can be a mixed case, and get 20% off our regular shelf price. Case orders can be picked up the next evening.
Offer Expires: September 30, 2013
————————————————————————————————————————————

Sushi Joy With Margaret and Robin

21 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Chicken, Chinese Food, Comfort Food, Ethnic Foods, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Seafood, Sushi, Sushi Joy, Traditional Food, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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asian restaurant, pot stickers, sushimi, tea ice cream

Robin and I keep asking Maggie what we can make for her to eat. Yesterday, she said she wanted to go to Sushi Joy, a really good Asian restaurant featuring Chinese, Japanese and American dishes, 3 blocks from our house. So today, for a late lunch, Maggie, Robin and I all went to Sushi Joy. Enjoy these photos of our entrees.

House Salad

which Robin and I get every time we go.

Pot Stickers

Sushimi

Mango Chicken

Green Tea Ice Cream

Hake Dinner

16 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Hake, Healthy Eating, Herbs and Spices, Indian Cooking, Main Dish, Party Time, Quinoa and Grains, Recipes, Seafood, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?

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food, hake, massachusetts division of marine fisheries, trash fish

That’s right – Hake. But what is it. I actually thought it was Oriental in nature. Wrong! Hake is a white fish that lives 200 – 300 meters below the surface of most oceans found here on Earth. Pacific Ocean, both the northern and southern oceans, Atlantic Ocean, both the northern and southern oceans, the Mediterrean and Black Seas. Off the coast of the USA, Argentina, Chile and South Africa to name a few. According to the Boston Globe in an article Sunday Super – Hake Goes From Trash Fish to Treasure, Hake has become a very popular seafood. In fact, it has been over-fished off the coast of Argentina. In the October 13, 2010 article, the Globe states that,

Hake, once called “trash fish,” because few people wanted it, may be the last bargain in the seafood case. “Yesterday’s trash fish may be tomorrow’s food fish,” says Mark Szymanski, assistant biologist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Carl Fantasia of New Deal Fish Market in East Cambridge sees a lot of hake when he goes to buy fish at the wholesale houses. “I recommend it quite often to people who are looking for a white, flaky alternative to cod or halibut,” says Fantasia. Gavin Egbert, seafood coordinator for the North Atlantic Region for Whole Foods Markets, says that hake has not been ranked by the Blue Ocean Institute, a scientific organization that collects data. No one is really certain whether there are sufficient stocks of this locally caught, sweet, white fish so that you can buy it guilt free.

Our supply, bought from Costco, comes from Namibia, South Africa. We are going to make a Coconut Milk Curry Hake with Roasted Couscous and Green Beans tonight. Here is a recipe link printed by the Boston Globe for Hake Wrapped in Prosciutto. The photo here comes from that recipe. Enjoy this “new found” seafood. Cheers!

Chilean Wines At The Buzz

14 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Carrots, Chicken, Chilean Food, Ethnic Foods, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Shrimp, Soup, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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butter scotch, shrimp soup, the Buzz, wine club

In spite of all the troubles this past month or so for Cristi, this was an exceptional Wine Club Dinner. (And all for $15 per person!!) Cristi had some superb support – Paul Colwell from BRJ Distributors did a great job in matching the wines with the dinner. And Peggy Hands-Behrens did an awesome job in finding the menu ingredients and preparing this feast. Thank-You both for helping Cristi.
With that in mind ….. The wines that Paul choose went well with the dinner. Cristi’s Choice, not chosen by Paul, was a malbec from Bodega Elena from Mendoza. A good red from the 2011 vintage with an alcohol level of 14.5. A little hot, but good. I rated this red an [18] out of [20]. You can get a bottle for $11.00. Here is what else we had. Enjoy! Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged.

Pan Con Palta

An avocado breakfast dish in Chili. I don’t particularly care for avocado, but Peggy did a great job with this.
2012 Arenal Artnot Carmenere
14.0% alc. One of the better wines of the evening. Went very well with the avocado and the olives. [19] $13.00
(Robin and I both liked this appetizer. She even made it for breakfast this morning using Acme Bake Shop Sourdough.)

Ensalada Chilena
(This was a great salad.)

2011 Tabali Sauvignon Blanc
13.5% alc. Hints of celery, cedar. The cilantro in the salad overpowered the wine. [17] $14.00

South American Shrimp Soup
(I really liked this soup!)

2011 Iyzaguerre Cab/Merlot Blend
13.5% alc. full bodied and went well with the soup. [19] $12.00

Pollo Arvejado

2011 Tabali Chardonnay
13.5% alc. butter scotch and lemon. Not my favorite. I don’t think it went with the chicken. [16] #15.00

Torta De Hojas
(A good and different dessert.)

2011 Tabali Cab/Syrah
14.5% alc. French oak. full bodied and a great ending to the evening

As you can see, this was a great dinner and some great wines to go with it. If I were to give this event a rating, it would easily be 4 1/2 Stars out of 5. It was that good and the “Step Up Help” did an awesome job. I can not emphasize that enough. Thank-You one and all. Here are some of the wines that were served tonight.

Joesph Geist brought this to share.

These were Cristie’s Choice.

These were some of the wines that were served with dinner.

Happy Hour At Highlands Hollow Brewhouse

05 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Beer Tasting, Comfort Food, Highlands Hollow Pub, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Pubs, Special Beers, What's For Dinner?

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dark ale, doolie, harrison hollow, star pub, vegetarian sandwiches

Highlands Hollow Brewhouse, formerly known as Harrison Hollow, was thee site of a Meet-Up group tonight. We only ordered appetizers, namely the Loaded Fries, which are really loaded, and the Black Bean Nachos which were very good! Both are pictured below. We also had a beer sampler of 10 samples. Personally, I liked the Doolie’s best. To copy from their menu, “Doolie’s is a dark ale with ruby overtones which show up if you hold it to the light. A slightly roasted flavor profile and the darker color comes from the use of three different specialty malts that are roasted in varying degrees, to stringent specifications.” The food was good, understanding that it was Happy Hour Fare and the service was good. It would be interesting to order something from their main menu. The food and the sampler that we got was $22.00 for the two of us. They have a full menu of salads, pasta, a variation of entrees, vegetarian, sandwiches burgers and desserts. Our visit here was good and we will probably return. Where 10 Barrel and Table Rock are 5-Star pubs, Highlands Hollow is a 4-Star pub. Enjoy the photos.

Black Bean Nachos

Loaded Fries

The sizes of these two appetizers is really quite large. We probably could have had just one between the two of us and shared it. You can visit their website at Highlands Hollow Brewhouse.

Grilled Meatloaf

05 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Bread, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Grillin' and Chillin', Grilling, Main Dish, Meatloaf, Orchard House, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Ravenswood Winery Zinfandel, Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipes, Sourdough Bread, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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forestville ca, garlic mashed potatoes, meatloaf, ravenswood winery, russian river valley

The late Joe Swan, winemaker Swan Vineyards, Forestville, CA in the Russian River Valley, once said that you can not get a good meatloaf away from home or in a restaurant. (The Orchard House in Marsing, ID makes an awesome meatloaf!!) After I made this meatloaf, Robin said, “Joe would have loved this!” That is the greatest compliment I could ever receive. The photo above, is the meatloaf on the grill cooking. It was not wrapped in the aluminium foil. The foil was just laid there to reduce the flare ups. It worked. First hour at 350 degrees F – low heat. The second 45 minutes to an hour, raise the temperature to 450 degrees F. Look for a probe temperature of 165 – 175 degrees F. Let rest before cutting. Here is the menu. Enjoy!

Grilled Meatloaf
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Green Salad with Fresh Garden Tomatoes
Lyonnaise Sauce
Fresh Acme Bake Shop Sourdough Bread
2009 Ravenswood Winery (Sonoma, CA), Old Hill Vineyards, Zinfandel

Yum-O!! If you would like the recipe, look here for Grilled Meatloaf. Cheers and enjoy!

Breakfast At Crooked Fence Barrelhouse

04 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in 10 Barrel Brewing, Breakfast, Brunch, Buy Idaho, Crooked Fence Barrelhouse, Eggs Benedict, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Beers, Special Events, What's For Dinner?

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bacon and eggs, brewers association, english muffin, food, passport program

Thought we would give this a try. Plus we signed up to be with the Meet-Up Group, but did not really see them. I think they were in another room. But we did have Marnie and Mac with us. Mac was a little upset that they did not honor his Idaho Brewers Association Passport Program. Can’t say that I really blame him because the program is supposed to cover all Idaho breweries. Can’t say that the visit was all that great either with service being somewhat slow and the food was not up to the standards of 10 Barrel Brew Pub in downtown Boise or Table Rock Brew Pub. (10 Barrel is the best of all three of these places in my opinion.) Here are some photos of our visit. I will rank this visit as a 2 1/2 Stars out of 5. Not a good showing.

The beer flight was good. Just the right size. Robin liked the Picket Porter best and I liked the Bonneville Brown best. Robin liked the Bonneville least and I liked the porter least. That’s not a real surprise. But we did rate the Rye Sing IPA even at 3rd place.

Bacon and eggs. This probably would have been good had the "toast" had more ofv a brown color to it. It was more like dried out bread. I didn't know that you had to request butter on the toast either. Not good and cost them serious points.

Bacon and eggs. This probably would have been good had the “toast” been a little more brown. It was more like dried out bread. I didn’t know that you had to request butter on the toast either. Not good and cost them serious points.

Eggs Benedict. The Hollandaise was pasty and the eggs probably should have been done a little more. The whites were close to being transparent. The English Muffin should have been toasted a little more, too. They seem to have a problem making toast and the food had an abundance of salt on it! We probably will not be back for another meal here.