20 X 20 Affair at Red Feather Lounge in Boise

22 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Local Harvests, Locavore, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Red Feather/Bittercreek, Things To Do

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20% of your food purchased and consumed from local farmers and restaurants by 2020! That should really be possible. I know Robin and I really do try to adhere to this. As an example, I can 13 items each year of which 8 are produce totally from the products of the local farming community or from our garden or friends gardens. That’s 62! We get our freezer packed full of local lamb each year from a local 4-H farmer. And we use buffalo raised at the Brown’s Buffalo Ranch in Nyssa, Idaho.

This past weekend, we had the delightful experience to attend the 20X20, 20 course dinner for $20.00 at the Red Feather Lounge in Boise. (The photo on the right shows part of their wine cellar. Pretty photo, but not necessarily part of this program. ) The idea was to raise funds for the Sustainable Community Connections. Furthermore, the Treasure Valley food Coalition states on their web site that, “The Treasure Valley Food Coalition, a program of Sustainable Community Connections, is a network of community members working together to create a sustainable local food system.

Statement of Purpose
Supporting sustainable agriculture, our local food system and community food security in the Treasure Valley. All Treasure Valley citizens deserve access to affordable, fresh, local, sustainably produced food.” With all of this in mind, please do visit these two web sites and enjoy the photos of the meal that we were served. Many, many thanks to the Red Feather Lounge and their staff for closing the restaurant to the public and allowing us to have this program. Thanks too, to the Service Staff! Enjoy the photos! Left-Click any photo to see full screen.

Friends of ours, who we have not seen in several years, Robert and Annie Malcolm Moore.

Check this menu out. And yes, the drinks were included. The drinks I likes best? Number 1, Fuzzy Leopard (vodka, basil, lemon/lime) and Number 7, Arancita Bebida (gin, orange and olive oil)

Chicken Salad Tea Sandwich

Tomato Apricot Crostini

Soft Boiled Egg and Anchovy Aioli

Summer Squash Fritters and Pesto

Cucumber and Lox

Grilled Halloumi with Cherries
(I liked this one as one of the best)

Papas Bravas with Garlic Aioli

German Meatballs (Pork and Beef)

Pastry Cream and Fresh Market Berries
(I liked this one as one of the best)

Raspberry Red Velvet Cake

I planted this Quince bush in our Alley Garden last year. This is the first of the quinces that the bush produced. It has nothing to do with this dinner except to let the readers know that you can plant a productive garden any place!!

I know, we need Smellivision to get the full effect of these photos. Just believe me: It was delicious! Cheers! And remember: Think Local! We do.

Memorial For Debbie Haydon

16 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young

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On the afternoon of August 14, the Buzz and Tommy and Cristie Takeda opened their doors to memorialize Debbie Haydon who passed away July 29, 2011. Here are some photos from that gathering of friends.

Forget the
former things,
do not dwell on
the past.
See, I am doing
a new thing.

Tommy

Chistie looks at photos.

Jan

Bailey and friends. Great photo of you, Bailey.

Some of the crowd that was there.

And where there is a gathering of friends, there is always food. Look at some of the “Pot Luck” offerings that were presented. Debbie would be proud and very happy! Thanks to everyone who brought a dish. This is just a sampling of what was served. And from what I understand, Cristie is moving ahead with plans for the cookbook that Debbie was putting together. Now that should be one great cookbook!

Fruit tray

Shrimp, Cucumber Salad and Corn Salsa.

Guacamole

Tortilla Casserole

Cakes, many cakes! And great brownies, Bailey!

Some people brought wines from their “stashes”. And I know that The Buzz had their offerings, too. Look at some of these.

Like the food photos, this is only a sampling of the wines that were there. I did not have enough film with me to photograph all of the food and wines.

So that was the evening. A really sad way to gather for food and wine, but Debbie would have wanted it this way. Yes, we will miss her and her skillful and delightful kitchen abilities.

It broke our hearts to
lose you But you
didn’t go alone For
part of us went with
you that day god
called you home.

Grilled Moroccan Pork Chops With Salad

12 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Vegetables

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Since Robin and I watch pretty close our red meat intake – that’s not to say that we don’t eat red meat, we just watch the amounts we eat – pork is the “other white meat” and does not affect us as does beef. (I do love a good rib-eye steak!) But look at what we had tonight, and it was really good. Enjoy the recipe and try this pork. Here is a Printable Recipe for the pork and here is a Printable Recipe for the Broccoli Salad. Both of these recipes can also be found in the blog’s Master Recipe List. The link is in the Sidebar. Enjoy!

Grilled Moroccan Center-Cut Pork Chops

Time: 3:20
Yield: 2 servings
Yield: about 1/2 cup of the spice mixture
Adapted From: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/11/dining/the-minimalist-gravlax-without-fear-a-stunning-dish-just-looks-hard.html?pagewanted=4&src=pm

Ingredients:
2 Center-Cut Pork Chops, about 1 inch thick
1 T Fennel seeds
1 T Anise seeds
1 T Caraway seeds
1 T Coriander powder
1 T Celery Seeds
2 t Cumin seeds
3 Whole Cloves
4 Cardamom pods, seeds removed
1 t Ground Cinnamon
3 T Sugar
1 T Sea Salt
2 T fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
1. Place the fennel, anise, caraway, coriander, cumin, celery, clove and cardamom in a dry skillet, and toast over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, until the mixture is aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Grind all the spices together, then mix with the cinnamon, sugar, salt and pepper. Rub about 1 Tablespoon of the spice mixture on each side of two center-cut pork chops. Use the rest of the spice mixture to make gravlox. (See below) Place in a zip lock bag and refrigerate for about 3 hours.

2. Bring up to room temperature before grilling.

3. Over medium grill heat, about 300 degrees F, cook these pork chops for about 5 minutes on each side – “middle finger to thumb” doneness. The center should be light pink to whitish when done. The outside will be slightly blackened. The trick is to cook these chops slowly!

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:
1 small head of broccoli, florets removed
2 strips bacon, diced and fried crispy
4 cloves Garlic, sliced and sauteed until caramelized
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
3/4 T dried Lemon peel

Directions:
1. Steam the broccoli florets until a bright green.

2. Place the bacon into a large bowl. Add the cooked broccoli, caramelized garlic and the pan liquid, lemon juice and lemon peel. Toss gently and serve either warm or chilled.

——————————

So there you have an easy and delightful summer dinner. Our dinner also included a 1993 Rose Creek (ID) Johannesburg Riesling, Woodridge Vineyards. This winery was owned by Jamie Martin, a relative of Robin’s. Jamie is now the winemaker at Cold Springs Winery in Hammett, Idaho. If you can not find this particular wine, almost any good Johannesburg Riesling should work well.

And after you finish this delightful dinner, think about using the remaining rub on a 2 pound, skin on and boneless salmon fillet. Wrap and refrigerate for 48 hours. Before slicing very thin, gently wash the rub off. You have just made a Moroccan Refrigerator Gravlox. Cheers!

Grilled Lamb Chops

05 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Lamb, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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Can’t say there is a much better dinner than what we had last night. Check this out and look at the photo as the menu is presented!

Mediterranean Grilled Lamb Chops
grilled center cut lamb chops marinated in olive oil, salt and pepper, fresh chopped rosemary, fresh chopped mint, fresh chopped oregano, diced garlic

Carrots in Brown Butter
steamed carrots in a rich brown butter sauce

Fresh Garden Artichoke Salad
fresh picked Romaine lettuce, marinated artichokes, fine diced celery in olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon dressing

2008 Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon
42% Mendocino County, 40% Lake County, 18% Napa County

Now that was an awesome dinner!

Ling and Louie’s Restaurant

04 Thursday Aug 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Chinese Food, Ling and Louies, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

≈ 4 Comments

On August 3, 2011, we went to a new restaurant in town. Actually in Meridian at the St Luke’s complex on Eagle Road. It is called Ling and Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill. You can view a complete menu and get more information on their web site at Ling and Louie’s. We had a good experience, but I am sorry that they are not local, but rather a chain. With that being said, I will still rate them as a 4-Star – out of 5 – restaurant. The food that we had, pictured below, was really good. We went for the meatloaf. It was good, but it was not Mom’s. We shared both that and a Wango Mango Shrimp dish that was awesome. Full of not overly done shrimp over brown rice – you have a choice between Brown or Jasmine rice. I would definitely have that again. But look at these photos. Then try them out. Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see full screen.

Water feature in the Main Dinning room.

Wango Mango Shrimp
sweet and tangy wok’d shrimp with diced mango, fresh chopped spinach and Thai basil

Ling’s Meatloaf
homemade meatloaf with a savory Asian brown gravy, wasabi mashed potatoes, Szechuan green beans

Chocolate Volcano
flourless chocolate cake served warm and topped with fresh strawberries, vanilla bean ice cream and raspberry sauce

Banana Caramel Spring Roll
spring roll filled with banana cheesecake and dusted with cinnamon and sugar with fresh strawberries, caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream

The remains of the banana spring roll. It was that good! But then so was the chocolate volcano, but there was nothing left to photograph of that one!

This was a good experience for us and we recommend it to you for you to try. The address is 1210 E Louise Drive, Meridian, Idaho 83642. They do serve Idaho wines and a fantastic and very refreshing Ginger Lime Margarita. It was good to meet Andy, the Manager and the Assistant Manager Noah. Our waite person, was Vince.

So there you have our opinion. Do try them out. We think you will like Ling and Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill. Cheers!

Baked Halibut with Sour Cream/Dill Sauce

23 Saturday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Seafood, What's For Dinner?

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This is one awesome way to prepare halibut, outside or course from Halibut Beurre Blanc! This is not a difficult recipe to follow or to create. Thank-You Margaret for sharing the wonderful, fresh halibut with us. It is greatly appreciated. I would, however, stay with the fresh ingredients and not used dried dill, for instance. I bet this would be good with cod, also. We might have to try that. The cod may go very well with the dill. Here is the menu as picture to the left. Enjoy!!

Baked Halibut with Sour Cream/Dill Sauce
Snow Peas Sautéed in Brown Butter
Fresh Celery and Fennel Salad

The Recipe

Baked Halibut with Sour Cream/Dill Sauce

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Adapted From: The Low-Car Comfort Food Cookbook, Michael R Eades, M.D., Mary Dan Eades, M.D.

Ingredients:
8 oz White Wine. Viognier works well + 2 teaspoons
4 5-oz Halibut Steaks or Fillets, skinned and boned
1 t Coarse Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper to taste
1 c Bread crumbs, fresh made
½ c Mayonnaise
½ c Sour Cream
¾ c Red Onion, chopped fine
2 t Fresh Dill, chopped fine
4 sprigs Cilantro

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 ºF

Butter four individual 4¾x2½x2” ceramic pâté dishes. (See photo to left) Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the wine on the top of the butter and swirl around to cover the butter. Set aside.

Wash the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Soak the fish in the 8 oz of wine mixed with salt and pepper for about 30 minutes.

Place the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Dip the wet halibut fillets in the bread crumbs, coating them thoroughly. Transfer the steaks to the buttered pâté dishes.

Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion and dill thoroughly. Place one-quarter of the mixture over each halibut fillet. Bake the fish for about 15 to 18 minutes or until tender. Garnish with the cilantro.

Serve with Fresh Garden Snow Peas Sautéed in Brown Butter and a Fresh Celery and Fennel Salad.

Shangri-La Tea Room and Cafe

22 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Main Dish, Meatless Monday, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Shangri-La Tea Room, What's For Dinner?

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To be honest, a vegetarian restaurant or cafe or bistro just isn’t my first choice. But, the Shangri-La Tea Room and Cafe is awesome! The ambiance of the cafe with its low, but colorful lighting and decor, is great. And then, the entertainment that we heard, the Fleet Street Klezmer Band played some really different, but interesting music.

And when you pull into the parking lot, you are greeted by this, and some other, art work. What a tree! This is a really fun place to go and eat. I have placed a link on a more detailed review below. Go to Shangri-La and enjoy the treats!

Fleet Street Klezmer Band. A mix of Romanian, Gypsy, Jewish and Mediterranean music. A good band!

An open invitation for everyone to dance!

Belly Dancer. Great entertainment.

Drummer

Gypsy violin. Awesome music and smile!

And then, along with all of this great entertainment, there is Mediterranean food. I am by no means a vegetarian, but this meal really was good. It hit the spot. You can find a review of the food at Shangri-La Tea Room and Cafe by clicking the link. I rated the Shangri-La a 3-Star, but I may have to change that when we return. Here are some photos I took of the food. Enjoy! We did!

Mango and Ceylon Tea and Granger IPA

Cold Coconut Cream Soup
cucumber, carrot, cayenne, mushroom, avocado, cilantro

Wild Mushroom Miso
porcini, Chilean boltet, black trumpet, golden oyster, eryngii, reishi, straw, portobello, shitake mushrooms
onion in a miso-garlic broth

Baba Ganouj and Pita
eggplant, spices

Available teas.

Veggie Burger
whole grain bun, mango peach salsa, spring green and tomato
(I had a Tofu Burger in Berkley at the West Brae Deli that was simply awesome. This veggie burger was at least as good. I will go back just for this burger!)

Chocolate Overload Torte and Homemade Green Tea Ice Cream
Rich and decadent. A chocolate lovers dream come true.
WOW!

Pecan Tea Cake
Awesome!

You really do have to go and try this food. It is that good. Cheers and Enjoy!!

Not Meatless Monday, But Close!

20 Wednesday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Meatless Monday, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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This is not Monday. It is Tuesday. But on Meatless Monday we did have, sorry there is no photo –

Grilled Talapia with Cucumber Lemon Sauce
Fresh Corn
Fresh Broccoli
1983 Mercurey Clos des Barraults

Pretty good for a Meatless Monday. But then tonight, we pushed the thresh hold with chicken and prociuto. Here is a photo and the menu –

Chicken Stuffed
with
Prociuto and Lacy Swiss Cheese
in a
Cucumber Lemon Sauce

Garden Fresh Steamed Broccoli

Garden Fresh Yellow and Red Tomato Salad
with
Garden Fresh Sauteed Red Onion

2010 Tertulia Cellars Viognier

It was fun to make after a day re-designing part of the backyard. Cheers!

Need an Oyster Knife?

17 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Oyster Knife, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do

≈ 1 Comment

Tired of using those flimsy and inexpensive oyster knives? Look at this Wild Boar Tusk Oyster Knife. Totally handmade and hand designed. Let us know if you are interested and we can have one made for you at a very reasonable cost. The quality is awesome! Left-Click for a full screen view. Cheers!

Two Twin Falls, Idaho Restaurants

17 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Italian Food, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

≈ 8 Comments

On July 15, 2011, Robin and I were in Twin Falls, Idaho. We had made reservations at two places: The first was Elevations 486 located on the south rim of the Snake River canyon, where we had an awesome view of the golf course on the northside. This area of land at one time belonged to Robin’s G-Grandfather, IB Perrine.. The view of the canyon was better than the food. To start with, they have advertised on their web menu that they have Trout Ceviche. They did not. Robin had to do with a Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche, which they forgot to bring. I had a hamburger that was pretty good. Left-Click the photos to see a larger view. I would rate this restaurant a 3 Star out of 5.

We had an excellent Cold Springs Winery Chardonnay.

Robin is being served the wine by Travis.

Robin points to the IB Perrine Blue Lakes Ranch. Part of the property now belongs to Blue Lakes Country Club and golf course.

An overview of the ranch area. There used to be fruit orchards on both sides of the Snake.

The IB Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho crossing the Snake River.

On the other hand, we had a fantastic Italian dinner here at the Cucina Gemelli – Handcrafted Italian Cuisine and Fine Wines. I have to agree with Guy Hand, a local NPR food critic, friend and locovore, when he says, “The most memorable food in the Magic Valley”. For restaurants in Twin Falls, I would rate this a high 4-Star, out of 5. Well worth the time to go and visit them and to have a great Italian dinner. Lynn Sheehan, Chef Proprietor, is a very friendly person. It is great when the Chef/Owner visits each table in the restaurant and makes sure you are satisfied. Look at these photos and visit them if you are in Twin Falls. And to think of it, a great place to go for dinner if you are in Sun Valley or Haley, Idaho. Enjoy!