“LusTea” Speciality Teas

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Cristine-Lusty-LusTea_CardDo you like tea? Speciality teas? Here is a great site to purchase some of those “out-of-the ordinary” teas. Look at LusTea for these teas. Owned and operated by Christine Lusty, married to Robin’s cousin, LusTea Cafe is located in Livermore, CA. Here is a brief description from the website. There is also a permanent link to LusTea in the sidebar. Look for their business card. Cheers! Christine’s updated EMail is Christine@LusTeaCo.com. The one here on the graphic is not correct.

LusTea prides itself on it’s simply elegant flavors, perfect for the refined palette that enjoys a distinct essence in their cup. Even those who profess they are not tea drinks have found a blend to invigorate their senses.
Excellent hot or iced down to sooth you on those sweltering afternoons, and with new teas being added regularly, LusTea is sure to have a something to seduce your senses.
We look forward to serving you soon!

New Look For the Buzz In Boise!

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TheBuzzApril_2Cristi and Tommy and all have been working very hard to “re-design” the interior of the Buzz in Boise. Personally, I like the new look! And they have installed a growler bar, which is fun and fantastic! We have two beer steins that I am going to take to the Buzz. Cristi said it would be OK to leave them there for use at the new growler bar. Maybe we can get a shelf to put them on.and use when we go to the Buzz. How many different types can we get? Let’s display our steins at the Buzz. Any takers? Enjoy this new look! Cheers!

Cristi is in the Growler Bar area. Check out those floors!

Cristi is in the Growler Bar area. This photo is along the North side, the State Street side. Check out those floors!

The center half-wall has been removed and it really opens the space up. This is looking as you enter the State Street door, the side door.

The center half-wall has been removed and it really opens the space up. This is looking as you enter the State Street door, the side door.

Tommy and Michelle show off the new Growler Bar.

Tommy and Michelle show off the new Growler Bar.

Salmon For Dinner; Ice Cream For Dessert

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Such a good combination. Such a good dinner!

Braised Salmon Patty On Spinach Bed with Herbed Hollandaise Fresh Garden Salad with Carrot and Cucumber Threads and Heirloom Tomatoes Lemon Olive Oil and Balsamic Dressing

Braised Salmon Patty On Spinach Bed
with
herbed hollandaise sauce

Fresh Garden Salad
with
carrot and cucumber threads
Heirloom Tomatoes
Meyer Lemon Infused Olive Oil and Balsamic Dressing

Mountain Huckleberry Ice Cream and Mango Sorbet with Fresh Raspberries

Mountain Huckleberry Ice Cream and Mango Sorbet
with
Fresh Raspberries

Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer!

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Hat-Ranch-Winery-LogoClear blue skies! Light, cooling breezes! 88 degree temperatures. Only thing missing is a tempting ocean breeze. We spent the day both at Hat Ranch Winery off of Plum Road in Marsing (their postal address is in Caldwell) and the Snake River AVA and then to a wonderful dinner at The Orchard House. Hat Ranch was releasing their Tempranillo, which is very good. The Orchard House has good meatloaf.
Hat Ranch Winery bought Vale Wine Co., as some of you might already know. Some of the Vale wines were there for us to try also. Their Chardonnay is really a good one and will pare well with foods that need a citru match. Not an oaky chardonnay. The appetizers that they had to accompany the wines, see the photo of the menu board below, were a perfect match. Enjoy these photos and if you are in the area, stop in at both Hat Ranch Winery and The Orchard House. You won’t be disappointed. Cheers!

Hat Ranch Winery, Tempranillo release party, menu board.

Hat Ranch Winery, Tempranillo release party, menu board.

A very good Redpepper Humus. Not overly spiced.

A very good Redpepper Hummus. Not overly spiced.

Good selections on the Antipasto Platter.

Good selections on the Antipasto Platter.

Some of the wines we tried. We also tried a Hat Ranch Merlot and Syrah.

Some of the wines we tried. The Tempranillo will pair with most foods, especially Italian or Spanish.

The Vale Wine Co., Chardonnay.

The Vale Wine Co., Chardonnay.

Orchard_House_Logo_2And then, we went to The Orchard House for dinner. Goodbye diet for today! We always enjoy the meals here. If I were to choose which meal I would constantly get here, it would definitely be the breakfast. It is just so satisfying. But today, we had a good Meatloaf dinner and an Idaho Trout dinner. This is one place that you can get a good meatloaf away from your own kitchen. The Orchard House is located at 14949 Sunnyslope Road, Caldwell (just outside of Marsing) in the Snake River AVA.

We had to check this bottle of wine out. It really is named for the Weiser Old Tyme Fiddlers Festival, which is just over for the year.

We had to check this bottle of wine out. It really is named for the Weiser Old Tyme Fiddlers Festival, which is just over for the year.

This is the back of the bottle. Good information. Left-Click this or any of these photos to see them enlarged.

This is the back of the bottle. Good information. Left-Click this or any of these photos to see them enlarged.

Robin had this good Idaho Trout dinner.

Robin had this good Idaho Trout dinner.

I had their Meatloaf Dinner. Just a good ol' down home dinner.

I had their Meatloaf Dinner. Just a good ol’ down home dinner. We did buy a bottle of Shane Weston’s 2009 Weston On The Lake Pinot Gris. Such a great day today. Super great tour of the area, of sorts, with Robin.

Pasta Salad For Dinner

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Last night we had this wonderful and light Bacon and Avocado Pasta Salad that Robin found. We only drifted from the original recipe a very little. The type of pasta used, heirloom tomatoes and garlic. Look at the recipe. Try it. The recipe is also permanently listed in the recipe file above. Serve it with a good Tuscan wine.

Bacon and Avocado Pasta Salad

Bacon and Avocado Pasta Salad

Old Almo Creamery, Almo, Idaho

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21sept2013_2_robins-bday-captains-shack_gumbo_getting-happyRobin came across this interesting post on the difference between homogenized and pasteurized milk. It is from Old Almo Creamery in Almo, Idaho. Here is a little about the creamery taken directly from their web site. Enjoy the reading and the information.

Old Almo Creamery is a family owned and operated dairy located in Almo, Idaho, in the shadow of the City of Rocks National Reserve. It is a third generation farm that has always strived to produce quality products. Our mission is to continue this tradition of excellence by providing fresh, quality dairy products to our local communities at affordable prices. We strive to maintain excellent land stewardship practices and efficient use of resources to ensure that this legacy can be passed on to future generations.
What We Offer
Our milk is natural, local, fresh, and creamline making it more like the milk you remember drinking as a child, with the cream floating on the top. It is slowly pasteurized in a vat, cooled, and then packaged in half gallon glass bottles. In addition to bottled milk, we offer a variety of cheeses, cheese curd and ice cream. We use great care to ensure the quality of all our products.

And here, also taken from their web site, is a little about their milk. From what I understand, you can order their products directly from the web site or see them at the Burley Farmers Market.

Why Creamline Milk?
Cream line milk is, simply milk that is allowed to be milk. Like the milk found on most store shelves, cream line milk is pasteurized. We do not, however, homogenize our milk. Homogenization is a process which breaks up the fat particles in milk so that they stay in suspension. The process of homogenization uses very high pressure to break down the fat molecules into particles so small that they can be dissolved into the rest of the milk. They lose buoyancy and thus, the cream never rises to the top of homogenized milk. We believe that homogenization diminishes the flavor and decreases many of the health benefits of milk.
Studies have shown that when fat molecules are forcibly broken up by mechanical means, an enzyme called Xanthine Oxidase is released and allowed to penetrate the intestinal wall. Once it gets through the intestinal wall, Xanthine Oxidase gets into the bloodstream and is capable of creating scar damage to the heart and arteries, which may in turn cause the body to release cholesterol into the blood as a means of protecting the scarred areas with fatty tissue. This can lead to Arteriosclerosis. When un-homogenized milk is consumed, Xanthine Oxidase is normally excreted from the body without much absorption. Our milk is also free of controversial growth hormones including rBST, and is free of animal byproducts. Cows were meant to eat plants not animals, thus the food they eat here contains no animal byproducts.

Milk is all natural — do you know where your milk comes from?

Lasagna Tonight

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1-Tuscan-Kitchen
 

Yes lasagna! And summer starts Saturday! Light snow around the Sun Valley area. 66 degrees F and light rain here today. So it really did taste good. Actually, we had to try some Trader Joe’s lasagna and it was pretty good. Add a nice glass of 2004 Collazzi Toscana and the meal was complete. Here is a photo of what we had. Enjoy, we did!

 

Lasagna Fresh Salad Greens with basil and carrot threads Acme Bake Shop Toasted Sourdough with garlic

Lasagna

Fresh Salad Greens and Tomato
with
fresh basil and carrot threads and Strawberry Vinaigrette

Acme Bake Shop Toasted Sourdough
with
garlic

2004 Collazzi Toscana

Boise AirBNB

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Are we proud? Yes you bet! Our Daughter Marnie and her husband Mac have turned their downtown home into a BNB. Well kind-of. Yes, you can expect everything that you get in a BNB, but not a prepared meal. You make your own meals in this BNB. The AIRBNB, and many more nationwide, have a new trend – You rent the entire home for a short period of time and you have all the conveniences of being at home. You can make your own meals. Do laundry. Have a quiet evening “at home”.
Enjoy beautiful Boise. Generally cheaper than a hotel, where you must purchase every meal. Check the link for more detailed information Marnie and Mac’s AirBNB. And after looking at the photos, make a reservation. The house has been completely remodeled inside and out. Completely fenced in yard. Enjoy!

Recently remodelled interior. (They jut got it done on June 14, 2014.

Recently remodelled interior. (They just got it done on June 14, 2014.

Close to downtown Boise; The Greenbelt where you can ride your bikes or just walk; Awesome restaurants or all cuisines. Boise Farmers Market for fresh local produce. Close to brew pubs and local breweries. Close to Idaho wineries.

Fish Sticks – Not Mrs. Pauls!

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In fact, these are made from some fresh salmon. Breading is totally different from the store bought “things”. The recipe follows the photo. Enjoy! We did. This is an awesome way to make salmon.

Housemade Salmon Fish Sticks Special Dipping Sauce Fanned Baked Sw2eet Potato with Garlic Butter Fresh Green Garden Salad wit5h Carrot Threads Full Sale LTD Lager

Housemade Salmon Fish Sticks

Special Dipping Sauce

Fanned Baked Sweet Potato
with
garlic butter

Fresh Green Garden Salad
with
carrot threads and “peachy” peach vinaigrette

Full Sail LTD Lager

And the recipe for both the salmon and the dipping sauce.

Parmesan Fish Sticks and Special Dipping Sauce


Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Total Time: 21 min Prep: 4 min Cook: 17 min Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Level: Easy

Ingredients:
1 (18-ounce) center-cut Salmon Fillet, about 9 by 4 inches, skinned
1/2 c All-Purpose Flour
1/2 t fine Sea Salt
1/4 t freshly ground Black Pepper
3 Egg Whites
1 c grated Parmesan
1 c seasoned Bread Crumbs
Olive oil, for drizzling
1/3 c Mayonnaise
1/3 c Plain Yogurt
1 T Dijon Mustard
1 T chopped fresh Parsley or Chives

Directions: For the Fish Sticks:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Rinse the salmon fillet and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the fish in half to make 2 fillets each about 4 by 4 1/2-inches in size. Starting on the longest edge, slice the fillets into 1/2-inch pieces. Lay the widest pieces, from the center, cut side down, and slice in half lengthways so all the pieces are equally about 1/2 by 1/2 by 4 1/2-inches in size.

Place the flour in a medium bowl and season with the salt and pepper. Place the egg whites in another bowl and beat until frothy, about 30 seconds. Combine the Parmesan and bread crumbs in a third bowl.

Coat the salmon pieces in the seasoned flour and pat to remove any excess flour. Dip the floured salmon in the egg whites and then into the Parmesan mixture, gently pressing the mixture into the fish. Place the breaded salmon pieces on a liberally oiled baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with the olive oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

Directions: Dipping Sauce:
Mix the mayonnaise, yogurt, Dijon mustard, and parsley (or chives, if using) in a small dipping bowl.
Arrange the fish sticks on a serving platter and serve with the dipping sauce.

Grilled Foods and Wine

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TheBuzzApril_2Another interesting night and wine dinner at the Buzz in Boise. And just in time for the summer season – Grilled foods and selecting the right wine to go with the food. Cristi also let everyone know that they are putting a a beer tap system for local beers and she wants our suggestions. My suggestion is (1) Cloud 9 Nano Brewery in the Albertson’s Shopping Center on State Street and (2) 10 Barrel Brewery in downtown Boise. Here are some photos from tonight’s dinner and my wine ratings. A perfect score is [20]. Enjoy and Cheers!

Peggy is grilling skewers for dinner.

Peggy is grilling skewers for dinner.

Wines prior to dinner. I did not particularly like the white one [11] and the red was just a little better [12]. I have had much better wines from both these wineries.

Wines prior to dinner. I did not particularly like the white one [11] and the red was just a little better [12]. I have had much better wines from both these wineries.

The best wine of the night was this one. I scored it a perfect [20]. Full bodied and went extremely well with the beef and chicken skewers and the corn on the cob.

The best wine of the night was this one. I scored it a perfect [20]. Full bodied and went extremely well with the beef and chicken skewers and the corn on the cob. 2011 If You See Kay

Pulled Pork Sliders 2010 Renwood Clarion a blend of Syrah and Zin [17]

Pulled Pork Sliders
2010 Renwood
Clarion
a blend of Syrah and Zin [19]

Peggy made the sauce for these and it was good. Almost a Carolina style with a hint of vinegar.

Grilled Romaine Salad 2012 Basal Cellars Estate Semillion  [17]

Grilled Romaine Salad
2012 Basal Cellars
Estate Semillion [17]

Roasted Vegetable Soup 2009 MontGras Antu Ninquen Syrah [18]

Roasted Vegetable Soup
2009 MontGras Antu Ninquen
Syrah [18]

This wine went very well with the soup. A good paring.

Chicken and Beef Skewers with Corn On-The-Cob 2011 If You See Kay [20]

Chicken and Beef Skewers with Corn On-The-Cob
2011 If You See Kay
Blend [20]

A superb wine offering tonight and a great paring with the skewers and corn.

S'mores Cake Fratelli Casa Rosa [18]

S’mores Cake
NV Fratelli Casa
Rosa [18]