11 Sunday Dec 2011
Posted in Recipe By: Robin Young, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?
We have been asked “where is the best Chicken Fried Steak in the Treasure Valley?” The Orchard House has it on both their breakfast and dinner menu. They assured us it is not the frozen commercial product, but one that they bread themselves. The Castle Ranch Steak House on Vista also lists Chicken Fried Steak on their breakfast and dinner menus. Now there are two great possibilities to try. Any other suggestions? Please let us know.
05 Monday Dec 2011
Here are two – now three, I added another – recipes that I think you will like. And just in time for the holiday season. The first one is Banana Cream Pie that is awesome. Rich banana flavor in a light and smooth banana cream custard.
The second one is a Spinach Bacon Onion Dip. Full of bacon. Great combination of the onion/spinach and bacon. Topped off with a lightly browned cheese. This will go fast! Enjoy!
And for turkey or chicken? Try this Robin’s Cranberry Orange Relish. It is a good alternative to the stand-by canned cranberry jelly. Tart, yet sweet.
01 Tuesday Nov 2011
Posted in Bread, Recipe By: Robin Young, Recipes, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?
We have just posted a recipe for a delicious Cheddar Soda Bread in the Master Recipe File found in the sidebar. This bread would be great with a Split Pea and Ham Soup. Cheers!
16 Sunday Oct 2011
Posted in Brats, Oktoberfest, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Robin Young
I am sure glad that BSU got their running game back and their passing game improved against Colorado State. BSU had 724 offence yards – a school record. Final score: BSU – 63, Colorado State – 13.
And while watching the game, Robin came up with this Bratwurst with Onions, Apples and Sauerkraut
Oktoberfest / Football and what a great dish it was. Here is her recipe. Enjoy it with a Deschutes Inversion IPA or a Stella Artois. Or maybe one of each. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 t Caraway seeds
1 t Fennel seeds
1 T Wondra flour
½ t ground Black Pepper
4 c Sauerkraut (preferably fresh), rinsed, drained, squeezed dry.
1 large Onion (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
3 large Golden Delicious Apples (about 1½ pounds total), peeled, cored, thinly sliced [2 GrannySmiths amd 1 Macintosh]
6 whole smoked Bratwurst (about 1 pound), pierced all over with skewer
4 Bay Leaves
1 c Beef broth [stock]
2 T Dry Vermouth [Pernod]
2 T Ketchup
1½ T Butter, melted with 1½ T
Pumpernickel bread or whole grain
Preparation:
Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F.
Place flour, pepper, caraway seeds and fennel seeds in spice grinder to blend.
Spread sauerkraut over bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle 1/3 of flour mixture over. Arrange onion slices over; sprinkle with half of remaining flour mixture. Spread apple slices over, then sprinkle with remaining flour mixture. Place bratwurst over apples, then arrange remaining apple slices around bratwurst. Tuck in bay leaves. Mix broth, vermouth, and ketchup in measuring cup. Pour broth mixture evenly over. Cover tightly with foil.
Roast bratwurst 45 minutes. Uncover; brush with melted butter. Roast uncovered until edges of apples and sausages begin to brown, about 25 minutes longer. Serve with bread and some great beer!
26 Monday Sep 2011
We had some bananas that were … weeellll … ready to be eaten. Great time to make some Banana Bread. Here is what Robin came up with. Really a good variation on an old “stand-by”. Slather some butter on this and you are in 7th Heaven. Try this. You’ll like it! Cheers!
Banana Pumpkin Bread
Recipe Source: Robin Young
Ingredients:
5 ripe Bananas, mashed
4 Egg Whites
½ c Butter, melted
1½ c canned Pumpkin Purée
2 t Vanilla
½ c Brown Sugar
3 c All-Purpose flour
2 c Whole Wheat flour
2 t Baking Powder
2 t Baking Soda
1 t Salt
2 t Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 t ground Cinnamon
¾ c Chocolate Chips (optional)
1 c Walnut Pieces (optional)Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF (175 ºC). Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan, maybe two.In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, egg whites, melted butter, pumpkin, and sugar. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pie spice and cinnamon, stir into the banana mixture until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts if desired. Pour batter into the prepared pan(s).
Bake at 350ºF (175 ºC) for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Don’t forget: Slather a slice of this with butter when it comes out of the oven. Enjoy!
25 Monday Apr 2011
Posted in Cookies, Dessert, Party Time, Recipe By: Robin Young
1 Cup raw Almonds-skins on
1 Cup granulated Sugar
2 egg whites, slightly beaten til frothy
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Pre-heat oven 300F Line a cookie sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
Grind almonds with sugar in food processor. Pour into mixing bowl. Add frothy egg whites, vanilla and stir all until it becomes a rather sticky paste. Drop Tbsp sized balls 1 inch apart on lined cookie sheet. They will flatten and spread. Bake 20-25 min til light golden brown. Remove with spatula while still warm to a rack to cool. Store in a tin if they last long enough. Made for Passover/Easter dinner April 2011.
04 Monday Apr 2011
Posted in Recipe By: Robin Young, Recipes, Special Events
Bob and I were discussing some of our favorite healthy embellishments.
The gremlins?
Note: A condiment made from finely minced parsley, garlic and lemon zest. Traditionally served with lamb and veal, it is also an excellent accompaniment for fish and seafood dishes.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:•1 bunch Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
•1 clove garlic, peeled
•1 lemon
•Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
1.Wash and thoroughly dry the parsley.
2.Remove the leaves and finely mince until you have about 2 tablespoons worth.
3.Finely mince the garlic.
4.Use a lemon zester to remove about 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.
5.Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper. You can pound the ingredients together with a mortal and pestle or just use the back of a spoon or the bottom of a glass.
Makes about 3 tablespoons, or enough to garnish 6 servings of shellfish, fish, lamb or veal.
This perks up many other dishes as well – pastas, rice, salads – you may end up feeling as Springy as a Leprauchan, energetic as Gollum or as adventuresome as a Hobbit! This condiment won’t weigh you down.
07 Monday Feb 2011
Posted in Dessert, Recipe By: Robin Young, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?
Ok. Ok! I know. Some of you have been turned off and you will no longer follow this blog. Tofu, you say? Yuk! But don’t be fooled by this. This pudding is awesomely delicious! It is smoooooth! It is chocolate! It has a slight bite! Robin can make this any time she wants. And from The Minimalist: Out Of The Wok at the New York Times, we learn this:
… I can almost guarantee you will be impressed by this dessert, a pudding that takes about as much time to make as hot chocolate. But there are a few qualifiers. Without chocolate, the flavor is unimpressive; it tastes like sweetened tofu. Add chocolate and a few Mexican spices, however, and you have a real winner. And certainly no one I’ve fed it to had any inkling that it was dairy free.
The texture of the pudding … is almost unbelievably good … Without mentioning names, let me just suggest that you use the highest quality chocolate — semisweet or bittersweet, please — you can lay your hands on. After all, it’s the flavor of the chocolate, not of the tofu, that will dominate.
To see the original recipe, Click Here. All of this information, and the original recipe, comes from the New York Times. But for now, here is how Robin adapted the recipe. Look at the changes. Give it a try. You’ll love it!
By: Mark Bittman, New York Times
Adapted By: Robin Young
Source: The Minimalist: Out of the Wok (May 20, 2009)
Yield: 8 to 12 servings.
Time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ chilling
Ingredients:
½ c Sugar
½ c Water
2 lbs Silken Tofu
8 oz Hersey’s Dark Chocolate
3 oz unsweetened Bakers Chocolate
1 T Vanilla extract
1½ T Cinnamon
1 t Ancho Chili powder, or more to taste (We made our own. Roast chilies, cool, grind))
1 lg Banana, ripe
Directions:
1. In a double boiler, combine sugar and cinnamon with ½ cup water; bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Add pieces of chocolate to melt and temper with the syrup. Cool slightly.
2. Put all ingredients in a blender and purée until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down its sides if necessary. Divide among 8 to 12 ramekins and chill for at least 30 minutes. If you like, garnish with chocolate shavings before serving.
Cheers and please let us know how you liked this or how you adapted the recipe. Why not count the calories as compared to a cream based pudding. Good luck!
07 Monday Feb 2011
Sunday evening found us at the Buzz for a great Super Bowl party! What a great place for family and friends to meet and just hang out and watch the game! Cristi and Tom supplied the bulk of the food buffet with brats, sauerkraut, pulled pork, cheese soup with popcorn, chips and dip and cup cakes. (I know I forgot something.) Then beer and wine were also available. The photo to the left is the buffet line.
Robin and I made some pickled cauliflower, string beans and carrot and some Super Bowl Tostados to add to the party. The tostados were different and really added to the menu. Easy to make. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!
Serves: 24
Oven Temp: 250 ºF
Ingredients:
½ lbs Sirloin steak
1 Lime
1 Lemon
1 Orange
Salt and Pepper to taste
16 Los Pericos Tostados, sodium free
8 oz Refried Beans
1 c Mexican Blend Grated Cheese
Embellishments:
Sliced Avocado Or Guacamole, Salsa, Pico de Gallo, Pickled Jalapeños, chopped Green Chiles, sliced Black Olives, shredded Lettuce and Sour Cream.
Directions:
Pound the steak to tenderize and thin. Salt and pepper to taste. Combine the juice of the lime, lemon and orange in a zip lock bag. Place the pounded steak in the bag and marinate for 2 – 8 hours in the refrigerator.
Bring the steak up to room temperature. Sear both sides of the steak and cook to medium rare, about 3 – 5 minutes on each side. Cool to room temperature before cutting. Slice thin and cut each slice into about 1” cubes.
Place 8 tostados on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Spread with refried beans and sprinkle about ⅛ cup of the Mexican cheese on top. Bake in the oven until cheese just melts. (We made two trays of these.)
Cut each tostado into quarters while still warm. They should not break if cut warm. Place a piece of beef on each tostado quarter. Serve on a platter with the embellishments listed above. Enjoy!
06 Sunday Feb 2011
Posted in Mushrooms, Recipe By: Guy, Recipe By: Robin Young, Soup, Special Dinners
Robin came across this awesome mushroom soup on one of her food blogs. She took the recipe and adapted it as listed. Do enjoy this soup.
Robin’s Mushroom Soup
Adapted From: Smitten KitchenIngredients:
1 c Farro or Barley
½ c Dried Mushrooms
2 c Water
6 Beef Bullion Cubes
1 lbs Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
1 Onion, diced
2 Carrots, Diced
3 cloves Garlic, diced
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 T Olive Oil
2 T Butter
1 pt Veal Stock
2 T Sherry Vinegar
2 T SherryDirections:
Place the farro and the dried mushrooms in 2 cups of water and the bullion cubes. Simmer for 2 hours, replacing the water as necessary.Place 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of butter and salt and pepper in a skillet. Sauté the sliced mushrooms until golden brown. Add to the dried mushrooms.
Sauté the onion, carrot and garlic, in the remaining olive oil and butter and salt and pepper, until soft and very slightly caramelized. Add to the pot of mushrooms. Add the veal stock. Bring the pot up to a low simmer.
Add the sherry vinegar and the sherry, Salt and Pepper to taste.
Serve with buttered toast and a 1988 Côtes du Rhône.
Boise Foodie Guild 