06 Monday May 2013
A good dinner tonight! Left-Click to see larger image. VOTE above. Thanks!
Homemade Black Bean and Corn Salad
05 Sunday May 2013
We wanted to try something different tonight with broiled lamb chops. So we decided to stuff a sweet onion with fresh asparagus and just a “tad” of cheese. (Photo to the left.) There was enough liquid in the onion and cheese to keep this very moist. Baked it off for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees F. When we make it again, I will remove more of the interior of the onion – make thinner walls – and add more asparagus. It was quite good! Here is the plated dinner. Left-Click to see enlarged. Enjoy and please VOTE above. Thanks!
Asparagus Stuffed Sweet Onion
Green Salad with Beets, Tomato and Carrot Strings
Serve with a good, light red wine as pictured here.
20 Saturday Apr 2013
Robin wrote this good review of the Wine Meet-Up Group Party at Le Cafe de Paris in Boise yesterday. The photo here is of some of the appetizers we had. (Here’s a link to a good Slide Show.)
“Christian presented some diverse and reasonably priced wines from Mediterranean France – new to many. From the refreshing 2011 Picpoul Blanc- a perfect wine for oysters and other shellfish to an oak aged white with great body – Doria 2009 from Luberon in the Languedoc, great with the artichoke dip. A beautiful 2012 100% Aramon Rose’ paired nicely with pate’ and will satisfy many summer culinary creations. The 2004 La Mascaronne from Provence shows the new blending styles of a Cabernet mixed with Rhone grapes – all the rage now for a serious lamb dinner wine and finishing the tasting with the huge 2008 Orca from old vines in Ventoux is a great match for BBQ’s yet to come.
A bit crowded, but just the right mix of interesting people at our end of the table. The appetizers were creative crostini with a fresh tomato and basil mix, wonderful bread from Gaston’s Bakery in the basement with a hot cheesy artichoke and spinach dip, I enjoyed a slice of Mathieu’s especially flavorful pate’ with cornichons and mustard and who stole my cheese? By the time the cheese plate arrived at our end of the table, there were a few craisins and nuts and only two skinny slices of Brie!
We ordered a salmon plate and a roast stuffed pheasant for dinner, but it took such a long time to arrive, that our seats had become nearly numb from the very uncomfortable chairs. We had out meals boxed ‘to go’. We love Mathieu and his concept of fine French dining, however he needs to buy some more comfortable chairs and stabilize the rocking tables.”
04 Thursday Apr 2013
Don’t get me wrong. Robin and I really do like to eat out. And we do! But we also like to prepare our own meals – from scratch. And we do! But there comes a time when we really need to look at what we eat. The amount of processed foods that are consumed is phenomenal. “… Imagine if, just for one day, we all chose to buy only fresh, whole, real, sustainably-raised or harvested food, food that heals both our body and our environment. If we only buy foods without labels, foods that come from nature, and avoid any food made or processed in a factory or altered from its original state [GMO]. Imagine if we cooked and ate all those meals at home with family and friends (or made them at home and brought them with us to work or school)…”. (Mark Hyman, M.D.) Here is a good article on The Power of the Fork.
It is not difficult to prepare a meal as pictured here in these two photos. In 45 minutes, you can be sitting down to a scrumptious, home cooked meal. The photo above is Broiled Lamb Chops (could be Pork Chops), Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and a Green Salad. The photo to the right is Broiled Lime Curd Mahi Mahi, Mango Salsa, Waldorf Salad and Carrot, Asparagus and Onion Medley. Prepare a meal that you control what ingredients to use, like we did here. Not some pre-packaged or pre-prepared boxed food.
Try making your own dinner just one day a week and start with Sunday, April 7. Read the article that is linked above. You may not agree with all of it – I don’t – but the one quoted statement that is used above, makes a lot of sense. To me. probably the most powerful statement in the article is this one: “Imagine if we cooked and ate all those meals at home with family and friends (or made them at home and brought them with us to work or school).” Just imagine. Thanks for listening and think seriously about April 7 and preparing your own meal that one day.
01 Monday Apr 2013
Tags
chocolate hazelnut torte, cilantro pesto, food, restaurants, seared sea scallops, shrimp risotto
Such a great Easter Sunday! Robin in her RabbiT ears and me a year older. Good to have Marnie, Mac, Chris, Madison, Sophia and Maggie with us. Robin spent most of Saturday making a Chocolate Hazelnut Torte that was delicious. There are some photos of the cake below. Thank-You to everyone who was at this dinner party. Thank-You, too, for the cards and gifts. I appreciate all of you and the gifts. Here’s what we had for dinner. Left-Click any of the photos to see a larger view. Cheers! Of course, we had to have some wine. And don’t forget to Vote above. Thanks.
The wines we pulled for our dinner and party!
Making the Chocolate Raspberry Hazelnut Torte. Yum!
The finished product.
Yum!
Here are some appetizers we had.
Rollingstone Chevre with Pansy’s
Seared Sea Scallops
Mashed sweet potato, spicy cilantro pesto
Grilled Shrimp
Risotto cakes, basil cream sauce
Olive Selection
Cavatappi
Roasted cauliflower, capers, thyme, fontina cream
And salads, too!
Beet Salad
Caesar Salad
Hearts of romaine, anchovies, parmesan, croutons.
And here are some of the entrees we had.
Clams
Pancetta, pepperoncini, white wine sauce, linguine
Cassolet
Linguine
Light tomato-herb sauce
Boar
Broccoli rabe
A delightful party and dinner. Don’t you think?
22 Friday Mar 2013
What a great evening of music, dance and food! And such a great restaurant for the celebration – Kabob House, located at Maple Grove and Emerald in Boise. So what is “Nowruz”? To quote from a flyer they gave everyone, “Nowruz means “New Day” in the Persian language (Farsi), and is widely referred to as the Persian New Year. It also corresponds to the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the Persian calendar … Nowruz is celebrated on the day of the astronomical Northward Equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or the the previous following day, depending on where it is observed”. “…Originally being a Zoroastrian festival, and the holiest of them all, Nowruz is believed to have been invented by Zoroaster himself, although there is no clear date of origin. Since the Achaemenid era the official year has begun with the New Day when the Sun leaves the zodiac of Pisces and enters the zodiacal sign of Aries, signifying the Spring Equinox. Nowruz is also a holy day for Sufis, Bektashis,Ismailis, Alawites, Alevis, Babis and adherents of the Bahá’í Faith.” [Wikipedia] Interesting. Did you know that in 1752 England and it’s Colonies (the American Colonies) changed the new year from March 25 – the English calendar – to January 1 – the “New Style” calendar? (Connecticut State Library) The March 25 date also corresponded to the spring and the appearance of new plants. Left-Click any of these photos to see a large view. Here are some photos of the celebration. Cheers!
Yes, there were dancers! And there are rules as to where to place the dollar bill. The Dancer explained to me that there is no “set routine” to many of the dances, but rather the music “tells” them what movements to make. The dancer interprets the music. Much like a Latin Rhumba, for example, where the dancer interprets the music.
!["Nowruz celebrations last for many days, during which people visit with relatives and friends. Gifts are exchanged and parties are hosted. There is even a special display [pictured here] known as "Haft Seen" (the Seven 'S's) with items beginning with the Persian letter for "s" that have special symbolic value." (Kabob House)](https://boisefoodieguild.blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/21mar2013_1i_kabob-house_table.jpg)
“Nowruz celebrations last for many days, during which people visit with relatives and friends. Gifts are exchanged and parties are hosted. There is even a special display [pictured here] known as “Haft Seen” (the Seven ‘S’s) with items beginning with the Persian letter for “s” that have special symbolic value…The tradition of placing seven items in a display dedicated to the New Year (typically March 21) has its origins in the pre-Islamic Zoroastrian faith of the Persian civilization, and each item represented seven of the Zoroastrian divinities. The coming of Islam resulted in the adaptation and replacement of many Zoroastrian customs, and the haft sin table setting evolved to include the following:
sabzeh: wheat, barley, or lentil sprouts growing in a dish – symbolizing rebirth.
samanu: a sweet pudding made from wheat germ – symbolizing affluence.
senjed: the dried fruit of the oleaster tree – symbolizing love.
sīr: garlic – symbolizing medicine.
sīb: apples – symbolizing beauty and health.
somaq: sumac berries – symbolizing (the color of) sunrise.
serkeh: vinegar – symbolizing age and patience.
In addition to the above, however, you will also find a number of other haft sin items that harken back to Nowruz’s Zoroastrian origins. These items may include a mirror (symbolizing sky), candles (symbolizing fire), rose water (symbolizing water), goldfish (symbolizing the beginning of a new year), and painted eggs (symbolizing fertility) — a rather interesting coincidence for those who celebrate Easter.” (Kabob House)
One section of the restaurant is decorated in traditional fashion.
Traditional Nowruz fruit drink. Walnuts, pistachios, raisins, apricot, immature date and almonds to name a few.
Wonderful Green Salad
Sabzi Chalow: Sauteed Fresh Spinach with Basmati Rice.
Chai with Hael – Persian tea with Cardamom
Chicken Kabob: Tender chunks of chicken breast, marinated in special herbs, spices and broiled over the grill.
Tekka Kabob: Lamb (or beef) pieces marinated in special herbs and spices and broiled over the grill.
Rib Kabob: Lamb chops marinated in herbs and spices and broiled over the grill.
The two green “dips” as pictured here and above, have a spicy component but go extremely well with the entree. The onions are slightly pickled.
Baklava: Now who can pass this up? Not me.
Robin had a Shir-Berenj, a Persian rice pudding made with rose water.
So there you have our celebratory New Year Nowruz dinner party. Fun and delicious. Great to see Soraya, Michael Moss and his wife and Barbara and Patrick Myhre. The food was super and the price was nominal. You see everything that we had, except for the chicken kabob which was Patrick’s, and we paid about $20.00 per person. I think that was a very good price. We will return to Kabob House. And from their FaceBook page, “Enjoy cuisine representing the culinary cultures surrounding the legendary Khyber Pass, with an extensive menu of Persian, Afghan, Indian, and Central Asian dishes. Buffet daily from 11am – 2pm. Dinner from 3:00 – 9:00pm.” They are located at 9140 W Emerald St Boise, ID 83704. (208) 995-0915 Cheers!
18 Monday Mar 2013
Salt and Pepper HDR
Starting the party off right. There was more and there was wine and punch.
Root vegetables getting ready to be roasted.
Cupcakes being assembled. Yum!
Corned Beef, Cabbage, Irish Soda Bread (Thanks Mac) and Roasted Root Vegetables.
Gail’s Chocolate Guinness!
The completed cupcakes.
17 Sunday Mar 2013
Last night the Buzz had Leta Neustaedter for an evening of gentle music and a great voice. The special for the evening was a Reuben Sandwich with a side of Potato Salad. The sandwich was very good. Good taste and flavor. However, my pet peeve with Reuben Sandwiches generally here in the Boise Valley is that the sandwich does not come with a New York Kosher Dill Pickle. A while back we did a small survey – a search, if you will – for the best Reuben in Boise. There are some really good ones, Seasons In Eagle, which is now closed, and Cucina di Paolo on Vista in Boise, which makes their own Russian dressing. BUT …. neither place had the traditional dill pickle. You can see our deeper discussion of the Reuben, and Rachel, Sandwiches by Clicking Here. The Reuben at the Buzz was good, don’t get me wrong. The flavors were all there and the rye was good. Just no pickle. Let’s move on!
We also had, before the Buzz, a Butterfly Panko Chicken Breast, Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes and a nice Green Salad. I think we are getting ourselves ready for the big dinner today to celebrate St Patrick’s Day with Gail and Bob Parker and their family. This is always a great event. Lot’s of food – Corned Beef, Potatoes, Roasted Root Vegetables, Freshmade Soda Bread, among other great delights! Good friends and conversation! A maybe a wee bit of Whisky! Hmmmmm. Just a wee bit! I’ll see if I can remember to take some photos and post them here. Cheers!
13 Wednesday Mar 2013
Another great wine dinner at the Buzz on March 12, Tuesday, and then repeated on March 13, Wednesday. Italian Wine Dinner and some scrumptious entrees along with the wines. The wine pictured here, 2010 Montepulciano Cantina was but one of the selections for the event. This wine went very well with the light spice of the Italian Sausage Soup. It countered, without over powering, the soup. Great paring! I score this an [18] out of [20]. And Paul presented one awesome Merlot before the party started. A 2010 Luna Merlot from the North Coast. 14.1% alcohol. [19] $16.00. I went back for more! Here are the other entrees and the wines. Enjoy!! (Left-Click to see an enlarged view.)
Antipasto Platter
NV Zonin Proseco
11% alc. not my favorite wine. [16] $16.00
Italian Sausage Soup
(delicious!)
2010 Montepulciano Cantina
13.0% alc. one of the best for the night [18] $16.00
Skillet Braised Chicken Bundle
2008 Monrosso Chianti
13.5% alc. really good with this entree [18] $17.00
Caesar Salad
2011 Altanuta Pinot Grigo
12.5% alc. I missed the anchovy in the salad dressing. wine went well with the salad [17] $20.00
Canolli
(Yum!)
NV Moscato Primo Amore
7.0% alc. super with this chocolate dessert. [18] $11.00
08 Friday Mar 2013
Here is one very awesome seafood chowder. And if you are familiar with Tom’s Cove Clam Chowder, the very best ever from the Ocean City, New Jersey area, then you may know what this chowder is like. This chowder, is smooth and creamy with an awesome goût de la mer, taste of the sea. Absolutely, without a doubt, worth the time that it takes to make this. With the prep and everything, count on about 1 1/2 hours. Click the link for Fish and Shellfish Chowder and enjoy a great meal. Here in Boise, we got our fresh seafood from our favorite fish store, Reel Foods, now on Capital Blvd across from the City Library. Enjoy this meal in a bowl!
Boise Foodie Guild 