Concert Jam at “The Buzz”

27 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Concert Jam, Dinner With Friends, Friends, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Events, Special Information, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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concert jam, Jen Drake, the Buzz

It is great to have Jen Drake – viola – bring some of the local philharmonic talent to the Buzz again this year for the 2nd year of Concert Jam! I think this program will be scheduled about every other month. If that is wrong, I will let you know. Such a great event and thanks to Jen Drake for “directing” the music. And the really great thing – If you play an instrument, bring it! Sit down with these folks! Have fun and play your heart out! Ages? If you can read music and you play an instrument, you can join in on the fun. I think the youngest this time was a 14 year old young lady on the violin. Such a great experience for them to play with such great talent. Enjoy these photos from the evening. Hope to see you at the next one! Cheers!

Here is another venue for the philharmonic group. This month the music will be Brahms. The program varies each month. Well worth the $10 donation. Robin and I will be there.

Great dinner tonight!

Pork Chops
with
Raspberry Sauce
Zucchini Cake
Steamed Asparagus

Chelli, new Assistant Director at the Boise Philamonic and Jen on the Viola.

Chia-Li Ho, new Assistant Director at the Boise Philamonic and Jen on the Viola.

Some of the jammers! All ages are encouraged to join in.

Jammers.

At the end of the evening ….. Dessert!

Pear Cobbler
Ice Cream
Whipped Cream

Cristi did a great job with this dessert. Hope to see YOU at the next event at The Buzz! Cheers!

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.

“The Buzz” Monthly Wine Dinner – Small Wine Regions

09 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Beef, Cooking Styles, Dessert, Dinner With Friends, Ethnic Foods, Finger Foods, Photos By: Bob Young, Salad, Soup, Things To Do, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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the Buzz, wine dinner

A very interesting selection of wines and food tonight. And as Erica Larsen said, “Great food and wine for $15. Bottles were $11 each! Delicious! Another dinner tomorrow if you are interested.” Wine selections from New Zealand, Germany, Hungary, South Africa and Portugal. And Cristi kept it interesting with the food parings. If you missed this dinner, there is another with the same fare and wines tonight, October 9. You just can not beat the price – $15.00 per person – and the food selections. Cheers and hope to see you at one of these dinners. Personally, I think this was one of the better Wine Dinners. Great job, Cristi!! Enjoy these photos. Left-Click to see them enlarged.

Silverware, A Menu and A Glass of Wine

Pastry Twist
Mint and Pea Pesto
Cheese Dates
2013 Walnut Block Sauvignon Blanc (NZ)
13% alc . one of the better wines of the night. great finish and appeal. superb paring with the appetizer [18] $16

Pumpkin Tortilla Soup 2012 St Urbans Reisling Germany)

Pumpkin Tortilla Soup
2012 St Urbans Riesling (Germany)
9.5% alc. not my favorite wine for the night. The soup was spicy and I enjoyed it, but this wine just did not match with that flavor level. The wine was good by itself as was the soup. [16] $18

Hungarian Potato Salad 2001 Bull's Blood 12.5% alc. This was a very light version of this wine. We have had it before and it was full bodied.

Hungarian Potato Salad
2001 Bull’s Blood (Hungary)
12.5% alc. This was a very light version of this wine. We have had it before and it was full bodied. It was light enough to go with this delicious version of potato salad. I liked the salad. Different. [17] $11

Pumpkin Beef and Mushroom “Salad”
Pasta and Chimichurri Sauce
2009 Sebeka Cabernet Pinotage (S Africa)
13.5% alc. good clarity and color. full bodied and good balance [18] $11
I really enjoyed this entree. Good flavors and a good paring with the wine. Spaghetti squash on the bottom with caramelized onion made a perfect match.

Double Chocolate Bundt Cake
Noval Tawny Port (Portugal)
19.5% alc. I don’t particularly like port, but this was WOW! great balance and body. [19] $20
This was a superb paring between the chocolate cake and the port. Well done!!!

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!!!

Fried Chicken and Steamed Fresh Turnips and Beets

24 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop Breads, Banana Bread, Beet Greens, Beets, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Captain's Shack, Chicken, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Sourdough Bread, Turnip Greens, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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cup cakes, lemon curd, red wine vinegar, rosemont estate, turnips and beets

This was such a good and different dinner tonight. Fresh young turnips and beets from the Boise Farmer’s Market this morning. Save the greens and steam them too. Add a little red wine vinegar to the steam water and you’ve got a good vegetable dish. And for dessert. Use up those bananas that were almost “gone”. Robin made great Banana Cup Cakes and topped them with some awesome lemon curd. Here. Look at this dinner. Enjoy …. We did!

Fried Chicken
Beets and Turnips with Greens
Acme Bake Shop Sourdough
2012 Rosemont Estate Traminer-Riesling

Banana Cup Cakes with Lemon Curd

Wow! A super dessert by Robin.

Chicken Marsala with Home Made Pasta

17 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Bread, Captain's Shack, Chianti, Chicken, Classic Sauces, Ethnic Foods, Herbs and Spices, Italian Food, Main Dish, Mushrooms, Photos By: Bob Young, Potato Bread, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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button mushrooms, chicken marsala recipe, olive garden chicken marsala recipe

This was a really good dinner. It took about an hour to make. The ingredients were as local as possible. Here is the photo of the dinner and a recipe. Enjoy!

Chicken Marsale with Home Made Pasta and Tomatoes and Parsley Acme Bake Shop Toasted Potato Bread 2001 Tiziano Chianto Reserva

Chicken Marsala
over
Home Made Pasta and Tomatoes and Parsley
Acme Bake Shop Toasted Potato Bread (Not pictured)
2001 Tiziano Chianto Reserva

Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Olive Garden Chicken Marsala Recipe

Recipe Adapted By: Bob Young
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts, boneless & skinless
½ c Flour
Sea Salt to taste
Cracked Pepper to taste
3 T fresh Oregano, chopped
4 T Olive Oil
4 T Butter
3 c fresh Button Mushrooms, sliced
1¼ c Marsala wine

Directions:
1. Pound chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap until about ¼” thickness.
2. Combine flour, salt, pepper and oregano in a mixing bowl. Dredge chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off any excess.
3. Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken breasts on medium heat for about 4 minutes on the first side, until lightly browned. Turn breasts over to cook other side, then add mushrooms to skillet. Cook breasts about 4 more minutes, until both sides are lightly browned. Continue to stir mushrooms. Add Marsala wine around chicken pieces.
4. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
5. Transfer to serving plate. Serve over lightly buttered or olive oil pasta with some diced parsley. This will go well with a Chianti. We had a 2001 Tiziano Chianti Reserva that was ready to be served and went well with the dinner.

Our Curry Hake Dinner Tonight

16 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Curry, Ethnic Foods, Food Photos, Green Beans, Hake, Indian Cooking, Local Harvests, Main Dish, Mushrooms, Photos By: Bob Young, Salad, Seafood, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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chantrell mushrooms, cinsault, coconut milk, costco, tomato salad

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

Coconut Milk Curry Hake
on a bed of
Roasted Quinoa with Chantrell Mushrooms and Raisins
Fresh Cucumber and Fresh Tomato Salad
Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic
2012 Sawtoth Winery Cinsault Rosé

Oh my! This was really good. Our supply of Hake was bought from Costco, comes from Namibia, South Africa. The mushrooms, green beans, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber were all from the New Boise Farmer’s Market.

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.

Sunday Night At “The Buzz” In Boise

12 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Beans, Bistro, Comfort Food, Finger Foods, Friends, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Events, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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fire storm, great friends, pot luck, two fires, vegetable platter

Great food and great friends gathered at The Buzz in Boise to convey our condolences to Cristi and her family for her loss. We were sitting outside and the fire storm from about 50 miles east of Boise and 25 miles north, presented an imposing image of the vastness of the fire. This morning on NPR I heard were the combined two fires was about 120,000 acres. Yuk!
As we gathered, we shared food as a means of bonding our friendships. Everyone who attended, was asked to bring some type of pot luck. And, if you desired, bring a wine. We took a 2010 Fujishin Family Cellars Viognier, a corn pie and grilled fresh herbed zucchini. (Photos are below) Others brought all kinds of wines, BBQ pork, beans, soup, vegetable platter, hot artichoke dip, brownies and different breads. It was a good gathering to show the extent of our friendship for Cristi and her family. Here are a few more photos. Left-Click any of the photos to see enlarged.

Grilled Herbed Zucchini Strips

Corn Pie

Plated pulled pork, homemade beans and corn pie.

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!