Cloud 9 Nano Brewery, Boise

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17March2014_2_Cloud-9-Opening_FrontThe Cloud 9 nano brewery opend on March 17th in the Albertsons Shopping Center at 18th and State Streets, 1750 W. State St. It was a full house! In the following quote from their website – link above – we see that they are trying very hard to use locally produced products, both in their beer production and their food preparation. I know their hamburger rolls come from Gaston Bakery here in Boise.

We are Boise’s first nanobrewery, and the only certified organic brewery in the state, producing only four barrels per hand-crafted batch. We are focused on sustainable, local, and organic beers and our brewery also houses an amazing restaurant with a similar focus.
By keeping batches to only four barrels in size, we are able to vary our beers to match seasonal ingredients and provide a wealth of variety for craft beer lovers.
Expected Hours:
Monday – Closed
Tuesday – 11:00am to 10:00pm
Wednesday – 11:00am to 10:00pm
Thursday – 11:00am to 10:00pm
Friday – 10:00am to Midnight
Saturday – 10:00am to Midnight
Sunday – 10:00am to 9:00pm
Happy Hour from 4-6 with $1 off pints and a limited Happy Hour Menu is coming soon.

Their seasonal menu includes such items as Classic Burger – $9.50 and photo below, Chicken Pesto – $9.50, Roasted Veggie – $9.50, Shepard’s Pie – $10.50, Vegetarian Shepard’s Pie – $10.50, Corned Beef and Cabbage – $10.50 and Corned Beets and Cabbage – $8.50. I had the burger and it was very good. They use Gaston Bakery buns and 3/1 burgers (3 burgers to the pound).They also serve a wide variety of appetizers ranging from $5.00 – $7.00. Some of the folks there were getting their salads and they looked good. $2.50 – $8.95. They serve beer, of course, and their own made root beer which I had earlier and it was very good.
Good to see that they serve Idaho wines, Indian Creek Winery and 3 Horse Ranch Winery. Seating is limited, about 35 seats at tables and at the bar. They hope to have outside seating when the weather changes. Enjoy these photos and hope to see you there!

The bar area and menus.

The bar area and menus.

The menus and an empty Irish Dark Lager - good lager!

The menus and an empty Irish Dark Lager – good lager!

Irish Dark Lager

Irish Dark Lager

The beer menu. They do have samples and from what I saw, three different sizes of servings. Great idea.

The beer menu. They do have samples and from what I saw, three different sizes of servings. Great idea.

Classic Burger. Very good!

Classic Burger. Very good! I think I would rate this a 4-Star pub. Remember the size. It is small and not near the size of 10 Barrel Pub downtown or Kilted Dragon or Sockeye. The beer is good. The food is delightful and the service is good. Don’t be in a rush. They are just getting started and give them time. Enjoy!!

Breakfast Poblano

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Poblano cut in half and seeds and ribs removed. Beat eggs. Spoon into chillies. Sprinkle with cheese and lightly dust with turmeric. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes or until the eggs gel. Yum!

Robin made these this morning. Poblano cut in half and seeds and ribs removed. Beat eggs. Spoon into chillies. Sprinkle with cheese and lightly dust with turmeric. Bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes or until the eggs gel. Serve with toasted Acme Bake Shop Rye. Yum!

Creole Slow Cooker Pork Chops

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13Mar2014_1b_Captains-Shack_Cajun-Pork-Chops_PlatedIf you want to make a change in preparing bone-in pork chops, try this method. It is not a strong Cajun spice flavor, but you know it’s there. An interesting change. The recipe is posted in the Recipe File above, but here it is also: Creole Slow Cooker Pork Chops. This might also be good using chicken. Maybe the thighs? Enjoy the photos! Left-Click any of the pictures to see enlarged.

Bone-in pork chops getting happy with the Cajun Spice Blend that we make and which is also in the Recipe File above.

Bone-in pork chops getting happy with the Cajun Spice Blend that we make and which is also in the Recipe File above.

Cajun Pork in the crock pot.

Cajun Pork in the crock pot.

Wine and Cheese – An Oenophiles Dream!

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11Mar2014_1_The-Buzz_Wine-and-Cheese_Peggy-TommyThe Buzz had another great and different venue for this monthly tasting. Paring cheese with wine. Really a great way to present not only the wines, but the different cheeses and how to prepare the cheese in different entrees. Cristi has been doing some real “soul searching” to come up with some different venues. I like it. Even Tommy, Cristi’s husband, and Peggy Hands-Behrens are enjoying preparing the plates. Look at those smiles! Enjoy these photos. Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged.

Assorted Cheeses for an Appetizer.

Assorted Cheeses for an Appetizer.

Black and Blue Slider and Parmesan Crisp 2011 Tomero Malbec 14% alc. not a bad rating, but not good either. [16]

Black and Blue Slider
Parmesan Crisp
2011 Tomero
Malbec
14% alc. not a bad rating, but not good either. [16]

Spi8nach, Pear and Feta Salad2012 Vistalba C 14% alc. Best wine of the night. pared extremely well with the salad. [20]

Spinach, Pear and Feta Salad
2012 Vistalba C

14% alc. Best wine of the night. pared extremely well with the salad. [20]

Cheese Soup 2010 Renwood Clarion 15% alc. pared extremely well with the cheese soup [19]

Cheese Soup
2010 Renwood
Clarion
15% alc. pared extremely well with the cheese soup
[19]

Chicken Cordon Blue Asparagus 2012 Wente Chardonnay 13.4% alc. good match for the "non-matchable" asparagus. [17]

Chicken Cordon Blue
Asparagus
2012 Wente
Chardonnay
13.4% alc. good match for the “non-matchable” asparagus.
[17]

Berry Blintzes NV Baja Tanga Sparkling Wine 12.4% alc. I just don't think it went well with the blintzes. [14]

Berry Blintzes
NV Baja Tanga
Sparkling Wine
12.4% alc. I just don’t think it went well with the blintzes.
[14]

Rachel Sandwiches For Lunch

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No. That’s not a misspelling. You might think that I meant a Reuben Sandwich. No. A Reuben is made with corned beef and a Rachel is made with pastrami. Everything else is the same. You must use a Russian Dressing [PDF format], this is our recipe, and Thousand Island is a poor substitute. (There is also a copy of the Russian Dressing recipe in the Recipe File above.) Rye bread, we use only Acme Bake Shop Rye. This is a full bodied, full flavored rye, not a “rye swirl” bread that is a substitution for the “real thing”. Boars Head Brand Lacy Swiss Cheese and Pastrami. Kosher dill pickle. Sauerkraut is also a must. Again, we use our homemade kraut. I use a panini grill (George Foreman) to grill these sandwiches. The Stella Artois is an added bonus! Cheers and Gut essen! Left-Click to see enlarged.

Rachel Sandwich

Rachel Sandwich
pastrami, Russian dressing, sauerkraut, Acme Bake Shop Rye, kosher dill pickle
Stella Artois

Celebrate National Blueberry Pop-Over Day ……..

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09Mar2014_2_Captains-Shack_Blueberry-PopOvers_Out-of-OvenWe did!! These were awesome. Robin made these this morning and I do like blueberries. I did not know it was National Blueberry Pop-Over Day. What a surprise when Robin made these. I have the recipe that she used below. It is not hard, but it is precise. Enjoy these photos and the recipe. Cheers! But first, here is some interesting information about National Blueberry Pop-Over Day:

March 10 is National Blueberry Popover Day
Five things you should know about Blueberry Popovers
1) Native Americans once called blueberries “star berries,” because the five points of blueberry blossoms make a star shape.
2) They held blueberries in high esteem, believing that the “Great Spirit” created the berries to feed their hungry children during famine.
3) Blueberry juice had medicinal value for Native Americans as well and was used to treat persistent coughs and other illnesses.
4) American poet, Robert Frost, loved blueberries so he wrote a poem about them.
5) Blueberries are one of the only natural foods that are truly blue in color. [foodimentary.com]

Blueberry Pop-Overs

Blueberry Pop-Overs

These are the ones that Robin made this morning.


Here they are with confectioners' sugar on them.

Here they are with confectioners’ sugar on them.

The Recipe:

Blueberry Pop-Overs

Ingredients:
1¼ c All-Purpose Flour
¼ t Salt
3 eggs, room temperature
1¼ c Milk
1 T Butter, melted
2 T Butter, cut into pieces
1 c fresh or frozen Blueberry (if using frozen do not thaw)
Confectioners’ Sugar for garnish

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Grease a popover pan and heat in the oven for 2 minutes. While pan is heating combine flour, salt, eggs, milk and melted butter in a blender – mix for 1-2 minutes, or until mixture is the consistency of heavy cream.**
Remove pan from oven and place a piece of butter in each cup – return to oven until butter is melted and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Fill each cup with batter and sprinkle with blueberries.
Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
Remove from oven, dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve immediately.

People are intimidated by popovers – they are sort of like the soufflé of the bread world. You want a nice, tall “rise” and a hollow, yet cooked-through, interior. The truth is, popovers couldn’t be easier to make, as long as you follow a few simple rules:
Buy a popover pan. Popover pans are different from muffin tins. The cups are taller, for one, and they are separated from one another to allow for even heat circulation. This is critical for achieving a light, airy result. Can you use a muffin tin? Sure. But you won’t get popovers. You’ll get muffins.
Pre-heat the pan. Even if your recipe doesn’t call for it, do it anyway – for about 2 minutes. A hot pan is essential for that quick rise when the batter goes into the oven.
Your recipe should instruct you to melt a little butter in each cup just before adding the batter. Do NOT skip this step. As the butter heats up it pushes steam through the batter, creating the height that is the hallmark of a perfect popover.
You can make the batter the night before and keep it in the fridge. Just be sure to bring it to room temperature prior to baking.
Serve these babies immediately! Nothing is sadder than a “deflated” popover. Time it to serve them fresh out of the oven. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Fresh Made Chicken Pot Pies

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09Mar2014_1_Captains-Shack_Chix-Pot-Pie_OvenOur $7.95 whole chicken, just gave us 7 meals. That’s $1.11 per meal. Or, if you figure per person for the chicken, that’s $0.56 per plate. Guess we can get our meds this month! The chicken was a little over 6 pounds. Not one of Frank Purdue’s chickens (“It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken”) but it was good. The final meal was these Chicken Pot Pies that Robin made. The pies are ready to be placed in the oven in this photo. We use both round and rectangular bowls to make the dinner. Add to this a good Tuscan wine, and we had a good dinner. Here are photos of the final dish. Enjoy!

Robin's Chicken Pot Pie

Robin’s Chicken Pot Pie


Chicken Pot Pie in a rectangular dish. Works any way you want to make them. Delicious!

Chicken Pot Pie in a rectangular dish. Works any way you want to make them. Delicious!

Guess Who’s Coming To Our Neighborhood?

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Yup! You guessed it! Carl’s Jr at 17th and State where Burger King used to be. Ample parking and access in the Albertson’s parking lot. To open soon. Real soon, I hope! Stay tuned. Welcome to our neighborhood!
09Mar2014_1_Carls-Jr_17th-and-State

Lox and Scrambled Eggs for Breakfast

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Here is an awesome recipe for Robin’s Icebox Lox. It can also be found in the recipe file above. We had this for breakfast this morning. Yum!

Robin's Icebox Lox Scrambled Eggs Acme Bake Shop Toasted Sourdough

Robin’s Icebox Lox
Scrambled Eggs
Acme Bake Shop Toasted Sourdough

Trader Joe’s Boise Finally Open

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28Feb2014_1_Trader-Joes-Opens_Store-Window_OpenerYes! Finally the store is open! Not as big a crowd as I expected though. Weather was good … slightly cool but no rain. I am sorry that my request to attend the Media Day was rejected, Whole Foods was more than happy to have us and even went out of their way when they first opened here in Boise. But at least I got to attend the Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting. It was good. Here are some photos of the event, Trader Joe’s Opens.

Would you believe we started out as a small chain of convenience stores? It’s true. Way back in 1958. We were called Pronto Markets. In ’67, our founder, the original Trader Joe, changed our name (yes, to Trader Joe’s) and the way we do business.
1967 – The first Trader Joe’s opened its doors in Pasadena, California. Still there today – same spot, same parking lot.
If you were into wine – especially California wines – Trader Joe’s was the place to go. Still is. But back in the late 1960s, we sold every California wine there was.

Do enjoy the photos and Left-Click to see them enlarged. Cheers! The above quote is from the Trader Joe’s website.

The 6:30am group. Not yet a crowd but still very congenial.

The 6:30am group. Not yet a crowd but still very congenial.

As the morning awakened, the group became a small crowd.

As the morning awakened, the group became a small crowd.

"Trader Joer's"

“Trader Joer’s”

The rising sun brings activity to the store.

The rising sun brings activity to the store.

Boise's Mayor Dave Bieter opens the store. Thank-You Mr Mayor for taking time from your busy schedule and attending.

Boise’s Mayor Dave Bieter opens the store. Thank-You Mr Mayor for taking time from your busy schedule and attending.

Inside the store. Just one of many products. I like Lemon Curd. So does Robin.

Inside the store. Just one of many products. I like Lemon Curd. So does Robin.

I checked many of the produce items and most were 3000, 4000 and 9000 PLU series. That;'s good .... No 8000 series that I saw.

I checked many of the produce items and most were 3000, 4000 and 9000 PLU series. That’s good …. No 8000 series that I saw.

And of course, there is always a good wine selection.

And of course, there is always a good wine selection.

This is just one of the worldwide wine types available. All of the wines have a good price on them.

This is just one of the worldwide wine types available. All of the wines have a good price on them.

So that’s it for the Opening Ceremony. Short. Sweet. And Boise was ready for this to happen. A different type of grocery store from Whole Foods or Albertsons. I wish them great success.