Category Archives: Party Time

Wapiti Meadows Ranch

22 Tuesday Sep 2009

Posted by in Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipes, Things To Do

≈ Leave a comment


On 17 September through 20 September, Robin and I took some time to celebrate her birthday, celebrate her recovery from surgery and leave the TV, radio, computer and telephone in Boise while we traveled north. It was an awesome time at Wapiti Meadows Ranch – see the sidebar for a link. Diana and Barry Bryant are gracious hosts and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. However, due to the destruction of the habitat and environment for the elk in a 650000 acres fire in 2007 and the introduction of Canis lupius canadensis (Canadian wolf), the elk were heard but not seen. Too bad. I was there in 1994 and the elk were extremely plentiful. (I found a cache of 15 biface ceremonial blades dated at between 6000 and 8000 years). Here are some photos of the trip. Do enjoy!

Cheers!

Parma Ridge Vineyards Wine Maker Series

17 Thursday Sep 2009

Posted by in Food, Party Time, Things To Do, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

≈ 1 Comment


Here is another Wine Dinner event by Parma Ridge Vineyards and the The Orchard House Restaurant .

Orchard House Restaurant in Sunny Slope


Sunday, September 20, 6:30pm-9:00pm
Meet the Wine Maker, Dick Dickstein, and taste the Wines of Parma Ridge Vineyards Paired with a Gourmet Meal prepared by guest Chef, Jered Couch.
Limited seating. $65 per person. Click Here for Reservations or call (208) 459-8200 for reservations.

MENU:

Appetizer
Smoked trout potato skins with horseradish crème
Leek and corn veloute with prawns
Wine Pairing: Chardonnay

First Course
Ham and pear salad with parmesan, pine nuts, arugula and honey-apple cider vinaigrette
Wine Pairing: Gewurztraminer

Second Course
Crispy chicken with roasted grape relish and potato pancakes
Wine Pairing: Merlot

Entrée
Grilled lamb patties with fried green tomatoes, Feta yogurt and mint-tomato salsa
Wine Pairing: Syrah

Dessert
Pineapple Carpaccio with fennel and chive goat cheese
Honey-bacon-apricot corn bread with maple ice cream and syrup
Wine Pairing: Idaho Sweet Blush

Try not to miss this one. Call or E-Mail now for reservations. This will be an exciting night of wine and food! Cheers!

Idaho Salmon and Steelhead Days

11 Friday Sep 2009

Posted by in Celebrations, Food, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos, Things To Do

≈ Leave a comment


OK, so really, it’s not all wine and wine parties. Idaho is so lucky – we have Salmon! Fresh, wonderful, succulent salmon. Twice a year in the Boise area, there is a salmon feast: One in Meridian to support the Burn-Out Fund and then this one to help with the costs of the MK Nature Center. A beautiful natural center in the middle of Boise. Well, you be the judge. Look at these photos. And don’t be afraid to go full screen at the prompt.

See what you missed? Good salmon! Cheers!

"The Buzz" – French Wines Part II

09 Wednesday Sep 2009

Posted by in Appetizers, Classic Sauces, Dessert, Food, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

≈ Leave a comment


Once again, we were treated to some fantastic food and wines at The Buzz! On 8 September they presented their French Wines part II, and, as usual, it was an awesome presentation. And this bears repeating: If you have never been to one of their tastings/dinners, you really do need to go!! For $10.00 per person, it is one of the best deals going in Boise. Here is a link to their web site, The Buzz. They are located at 2999 N Lakeharbor Lane, Boise, ID 83702. (208) 344-4321. (Next to Idaho Fitness on West State Street) I can not do much more, except maybe pay your way – but that probably won’t happen.
OK, so what did we have. The numbers in parenthesis () are my scores out of 20. For wines, we started with a 2008 Collula Pinot Greigo Blanco (16). Not French. To me, it had an Ivory Flakes taste. Not good. We also had a 2007 Chateau de LaRoach Touraine, a sparkling wine (18). Sparkling wines are not my favorites. Sorry. But the Cucumber Salad, made with white wine vinegar, cucumber slices, sugar and dill was extremely good and went well with the Chateau de LaRoach.
Now, the Main Event! Boeuf Bourguignon in a Sourdough Bread Bowl. WOW! This was totally awesome! Rich. Tender. Juicy. Delicious! And the wines. A Gassier Sables D’Azur Rose that was pretty good – a (17). A 2007 Scarlet of Paris Vin de Pays (19), a Lurton Les Fumes Blanches (17). And then the heavy hitters! a 2004 Chateau Greysac Modoc (20) that was so well balanced, it was amazing. But really not to out done by a Cotes du Reussillon (20). These two wines took the show – Best of Show, Best Red, Best French, Best Wine of the Night. You name the award!

But wait! There is more! More you say? What ever could top this? Try a Creme de Menthe Bar. And which of the above listed wines went with this heavenly delight? I would have to say the Cotes du Reussillon. So perfectly balanced with the chocolate and the mint. Sooooooo lucious! An organoleptic delight!

If you are lucky and you want to try one of these tastings, you have the opportunity in October. On 4 October you will be treated to an evening with BRJ Distributors and a special dinner. And on 13 October, you will be treated to an All Idaho Wine evening and we are told that the dinner will be fabulous with Idaho products. But, and there is always a “but”, you must make reservations and soon. These tastings/dinners sell out quickly. The telephone and web link are listed above. Call now!!

I just have to mention this. If you make a reservation – and the staff of The Buzz hopes you do – please have the courtesy to cancel if you find you will not be able to be there. How would you feel if you had a big dinner and party planned for 40 guests and they all said they would be there and then no one showed up? You would have a lot of left-overs! Great for Hunters and Gatherers, but not especially for everyone else. Pretty wasteful and inconsiderate.

Hope to see you at the next event here at The Buzz! Cheers!

Idaho Salmon BBQ

07 Monday Sep 2009

Posted by in Food, Main Dish, Party Time, Things To Do

≈ Leave a comment


Do you like salmon? We do … almost any way you can prepare it. Would you like to go to a Salmon BBQ? Well then, here is your opportunity to have some really great BBQ Salmon. From the Idaho Fish and Game, we received the following information:

Idaho Salmon and Steelhead Days Barbeque
Thursday September 10, 2009 — 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

This is the 13th Anniversary of Idaho Salmon and Steelhead Days. Enjoy a delicious salmon dinner donated by Fred Meyer and prepared by Murphy’s Seafood Bar & Grill, followed by some tasty ice cream provided and served by Goody’s Soda Fountain and Candy Store. Activities during the BBQ include live music, gyotaku fish printing and Kids In the Creek. The Nature Center stream walk will be open for viewing live Chinook salmon and kokanee salmon.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids (salmon dinner) and $3 for kids (hot dog dinner) and can be purchased at Fish and Game Headquarters in Boise at 600 S. Walnut St., beginning August 17, Monday through Friday, 8 am-5 pm or at the MK Nature Center (located behind the headquarters building) Tuesday through Friday, 9 am-5pm; Saturday and Sunday, 11 am-5 pm. Tickets are limited and sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you would like more information regarding this event contact Cass Meissner at 208-287-2901 or by email.

Date: Thursday September 10, 2009
Time: 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Cost: $ 10.00 adult, $ 5.00 kids (salmon dinner), and $3.00 (hot dog dinner)

There you go, so hope to see you at the party. Cheers!

26 Wednesday Aug 2009

Posted by in Dessert, Food Prep, Party Time

≈ Leave a comment


It’s always nice to have people ask to post their recipes that they submit to us. Here is one from Helen (Kate) Sudmeir for Lemon Dessert. It really looks good.

“Mix 1 qt yogurt ‘ice cream’ (left out for 15-20 minutes) and 6 oz frozen lemonade thawed together and put in crust.

FREEZE at least 4 hours.

Top with whipped cream, a mint leaf and a twist of lemon and Voila! A wonderful, refreshing dessert.

I had a little of the filling left over so I put it in a dessert dish and froze it for a future easy dessert.”

Now that looks good, quick and refreshing. Cheers!

Edwards Greenhouse Tuesday Market

26 Wednesday Aug 2009

Posted by in Local Farmers Markets, Local Markets, Party Time, Photos, Things To Do, Wine and Food

≈ Leave a comment


Seems like every Tuesday from 5:30pm until dark, Edwards Greenhouse has a Market where you can purchase fresh and local produce and food products. Fact is, this would make a very enjoyable evening; Listen to a variety of music, visit the 12 or so booths, maybe purchase a dinner and some wine or bring your own picnic, lawn chairs and relax. Here are some photos. Enjoy.

Cheers!

"Quiet on the set, please"! "QUIET!"

14 Friday Aug 2009

Posted by in Beer and Ale, Food, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Pizza and Brew, Things To Do

≈ Leave a comment


Yea! Right! Good luck! “No pictures, please”! Yea! Right! Good luck! On 14 August 2009 at the Flying Pie Pizzeria here in Boise, they held a filming for an upcoming episode on the Travel TV channel. There were close to 100+ people there and it was elbow-to-elbow crowded, noisy and exciting. The pizza was still great, although – and understanding the “feeding frenzy” that was going on – the service was sloooooow. Here are some photos. I changed the background music to portray a more soothing tone, than the busy, hurry up “rhythm” of the pizzeria this afternoon. Enjoy and don’t forget to view these in full screen mode. You will have the opportunity to select Full Screen.

Anyone for a "Flying Pie"?

11 Tuesday Aug 2009

Posted by in Food, Party Time, Pizza, Pizza and Brew, Things To Do

≈ 3 Comments



Ahhh! Now this will be exciting!! Coming soon to Boise! Another TV spot for a local tradition! Flying Pie Pizza is being honored by the Travel Channel. (Go to their web page for the Gift Card. See link below.)

Man v. Food
Coming to Flying Pie
August 10th, 2009

The Travel Channel’s Man v. Food will be at Flying Pie’s Fairview location this Friday to film a segment on their famous Double Habanero Pizza.

Here is what they posted on their Facebook page:
We are excited to have the Travel Channel’s Man V Food show spend the day at Flying Pie to celebrate our 16th Habanero Season! We expect them to be at the Fairview location on Friday 8/14. They will be filming in the dining room from 12-2 pm and in the kitchen 3-5 pm. We hope you’ll come join the lively atmosphere, enjoy some pizza & beer, and experience the filming of Man V Food at Flying Pie Pizzaria!


Check out more about Flying Pie pies by clicking Here.

…and yeah, I am going to make it a point to have a slice of this hell pie sometime this month.

And when will Mr Joe be there? Might be nice to have a slice with him …. and maybe a brew? Hmmmm Hope to see everyone there from 12 noon ’till 2:00pm. Cheers!!

Bacon Fest, Nampa, Idaho

01 Saturday Aug 2009

Posted by in Food, Party Time, Things To Do

≈ 3 Comments


Yup! There really is a Bacon Fest! This one was held at Brick 29 in Nampa, Idaho. (If you have never eaten here, absolutely don’t miss it!!) But this was a special event and I think sponsored by Vande Rose Farms, Iowa Duroc Heritage Breed Pork. You can reach them, and order products, from their website, Vande Rose Farms. Bacon, bacon, bacon! A bacon lovers event. You can try bacon any way you can think of it.

Eggs and Bacon on Bread Triangles
Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms
Bacon Dip
Bacon Wrapped Mushrooms
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno
Bread stuffed with Swiss Cheese and Wrapped in Bacon
Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwiches (BLT)
Chocolate Covered Bacon

And then there is Bakon Vodka. Yup! You have not read it wrong … Bakon Vodka. This vodka is from New West Spirits. The original spelling of bacon came from the “… Old German (bakkon) and Old French (bako). “Bacon” or “bacoun” first appeared in the English language around the twelfth century, initially to describe pork in general”. (2009 Lauer, pg 20) So, what do you do with Bakon Vodka besides mix it with eggs and then scramble them? Try one of these:

1. Bakon Apple Martini
(Apple, Bakon and Rum)
2. Luau Martini
(Bakon, Pineapple and Butterscotch)
3. Irish Boar Martini
(Bakon, Kahlua, Baileys, Hazelnut and a splash of Cream)
4. Bakon Mary
(Killer Bloody Mary with Bakon)
5. Pemican Martini
(Bakon and Huckleberry Vodka. Robin came up with this one!)

It was nice to meet Heather Lauer author of Bacon: A Love Story and to have her sign her book. And there are some really nice looking recipes in the book like Bacon Frittata, page 116, and Hana Beach Breakfast Sandwich, page 118. But the book is not all recipes. There is really some delightful discussions of bacon folklore. And some lyrics from Bacon Love Songs, like in chapter 5, page 88. “A little bit of bacon, A little bit of life.” Or, “Beer and bacon waitin’ for my friends, They ain’t comin’ over, but I’m not stayin sober.” But I know, you’re waiting for a recipe. Well try this and it too, is a song lyric. “Bacon, lettuce and tomato … Try it with some Mayo … Fry it up, put the oil in a cup. Bacon.” And, as Ms Lauer states in the header of her first chapter in Bacon: A Love Story, let us not forget that “On the eigth day, God created bacon.” Hmmmm. Now, where is the corn?

I know. Waaaay too much fun! But then good food, good drink and warm friends make it that way. Cheers all! (Oh. I almost forgot. I do have some photos coming after a while. My camera is in the shop – too many falcon photos – so one of the waiters at Brick 29 who was taking photos said he would send some.)