Housemade Eggs Benedict

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OK. It’s been two weeks since I have been in the kitchen. Withdrawl!! Back to the comfort of our awesome kitchen. What to make. It’s Sunday morning – I usually make some special breakfast. OK. Just got fresh eggs from Meadowlark Farms in Nampa, ID. We have some ham and Robin bought some fresh English Muffins. We have lemon and cayenne and unsalted butter. How about Eggs Benedict? Sounds good to me. Make the Hollandaise from scratch with Russ’ recipe for Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce. And as long as it has taken me to write this, I could have made another batch. It’s that easy and that good! The recipe is also held permanently in the Boise Foodie Blog Recipes above. Here is the result of about 20 minutes in the kitchen. Yum-O!
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2014 Florida Trip – One Must Eat!

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26Dec2013_1_Captains-Shack_Recipe-HoldersLet’s see. We were in Florida for 14 days. With luck, that’s 28 meals plus. Nope, not going to post every meal, just some of the better ones. All of these restaurants rate at least 4-Stars out of 5-Stars. I am not going to list these restaurants in any particular order, i.e., worst to best. They all rate “Best”. And most of these will have links in the sidebar if available.

We were only allowed into one kitchen in all of the restaurant and that was in Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa. So the photo here is not from any kitchen in Florida … Actually it is our kitchen in Boise. Great way to hold your recipe in a skirt hanger, if you can get away with it. So read on and enjoy these epicurean delights. Cheers! And if you are ever around any of these restaurants, please stop in and say hello. Let them know you saw them here on this blog.

Front entrance to Chef Larry's Cafe, Titusville, Florida.

Front entrance to Chef Larry’s Cafe, Titusville, Florida.

My sister Peggy and her husband Jim and Robin and I with Chef Larry of Chef Larry's Cafe in Titusville, Florida.

My sister Peggy and her husband Jim and Robin and I with Chef Larry of Chef Larry’s Cafe in Titusville, Florida. A small restaurant that is full of local “color”. It looks like it is a hit with the local folks as well as tourists. There is a permanent link to the cafe in the sidebar. Good food. Enjoyable. Loved the Chef Larry’s Fresh Fruit Vinaigrette on the House Mixed Greens salad. All of our plates came with it.

Catch of the Day with the House Mixed Greens and Potatoes

Catch of the Day with the House Mixed Greens and Potatoes

Smoked Chicken with Shitake Mushroom Mayonnaise.

Smoked Chicken with Shitake Mushroom Mayonnaise.

Crabcake and Tomato Soup. All of these dishes are made in house!

Crabcake and Tomato Soup. All of these dishes are made in house!

Our next restaurant that we enjoyed was in Winter Park, Florida, was The Ravenous Pig.

The Ravenous Pig

The Ravenous Pig

Really good salads.

Really good salads. This one is called The Gatherer.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Porterhouse Pork

Porterhouse Pork

Scallops

Scallops

White Fish

White Fish

And then when we were in West Palm Beach, Lani took us to Guanabanas – Island Restaurant and Bar . Really good food with an island flair, both the design layout of the restaurant and the food.

This is well worth the trip if you are in the area. Good food and an exciting and different venue.

This is well worth the trip if you are in the area. Good food and an exciting and different venue.

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House Salad

House Salad

Crabcake with Fried Plantains. Most of these dishes came with Cuban Rice.

Crabcake with Fried Plantains. Most of these dishes came with Cuban Rice.

Crab

Crab

Burger

Burger

Catch of the Day and Roasted Corn.

Catch of the Day and Roasted Corn.

Then while we were in Jacksonville Beach, my brother Alex took us to Sliders Seafood Grille and Oyster Bar in Neptune Beach.
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In side Sliders

In side Sliders

And these were delicious!

And these were delicious!

Here they are before they get placed on the platter.

Here the oysters are before they get placed on the platter.

Seafood Manicotti. Super good!

Seafood Manicotti. Super good!

Peggy, Jim, Marge, Robin and Alex.

Peggy, Jim, Marge, Robin and Alex.

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And finally, Robin’s niece Kerstin Karlsson to us to Taste of Berlin German Restaurant in Brandon, FL. Delicious!! (The only link I could find for them is on FaceBook)
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The interior. Small and cozy and very clean.

The interior. Small and cozy and very clean.

Gotta have a beer! or two.

Gotta have a beer! or two.

Northern German Potato Salad. Yum-O!

Northern German Potato Salad. Yum-O!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Chicken like a Cordon Bleu chicken.

Chicken like a Cordon Bleu chicken.

Pork Shank. Most of the main dishes came with sourkraut, red cabbage, bread dumplings and a small carrot/cucumber salad.

Pork Shank. Most of the main dishes came with sauerkraut, red cabbage, bread dumplings and a small carrot/cucumber salad.

Schweinbratten

Schweinebraten

Sourbraten

Sauerbraten

Fruit Dessert

Fruit Dessert

Black Forrest Cake

Black Forrest Cake

German Chocolate Cake

German Chocolate Cake

So there is a smattering of some of the food we had while there. As I said above, all of them were delicious and worth a return trip. Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa was good, but so were these. Try them all if you get the chance. You will be happy. Cheers!

Two Awesome Meals Yesterday

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Such fun to make these. We had some Idaho trout and some Crown Roast of Lamb “left-over” and we had to use it. Here is what we did. The trout was left-over from the TVWS wine tasting and the lamb was the last that Brook, our neighbor, bought us for Christmas. Not difficult and very good. You can get the recipe for the Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce by clicking the hotlink or finding it in the recipe file at the top of this page. This Hollandaise is so very easy to make and only takes 5 minutes at best. Try it. Enjoy!

Scrambled Eggs Idaho Trout Housemade Hollandaise Sauce

Scrambled Eggs
Idaho Trout
Housemade Hollandaise Sauce

Crown Roast of Lamb Chops Fresh Grilled Carrots Balsamic Infused Brussels Sprouts

Crown Roast of Lamb Chops
Fresh Grilled Carrots
Balsamic Infused Brussels Sprouts

January At “The Buzz”

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13Aug2013_1_Buzz-Chile-Wines_CounterHere is the latest from Cristi at the Buzz here in Boise. (Check the sidebar for their link if you want more information.) This month’s Wine Club Dinner really sounds interesting and I know Tommy does a great job cooking. This will be an interesting evening, especially paring the wines with dinner. Sounds like fun. Hope to see YOU there, but don’t forget to call for reservations. Cheers!

We, at the Buzz, wish all the best in this new year for you and your family.

Just a reminder that the price for wine club dinners has changed slightly dinner is now $20.00 per person (with a $5.00 credit toward the featured wines). We will continue with the second Tuesday and the next day at 6:30 PM. The first wine club dinner for 2014 will be on January 14 or 15 and will feature Asian Foods. Don’t forget to make your reservations; buzzwine@cableone.net or (208) 344-4321.

Music in January will be:
1/10 John Cazan
1/17 Johnny Shoes
1/24 Sons of Thunder Mountain
1/25 Jean Cardena

Weekend wine tasting begins at 6PM on Friday and Saturday nights. Music starts at 7PM. We have appetizer, dinner, and dessert specials on Friday and Saturday Nights. No reservations required just stop in and say Hi.

Again Thanks and Happy New Year,
Cristi and Tom Takeda
Buzz Coffee and Wine

Statehouse Oyster Chowder on a Cold Day

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I thought this Statehouse Oyster Chowder was pretty good. Robin is not an oyster fanatic. I’m not a “fanatic”, but I do like them ever so often. Tonight, at 30 degrees and the inversion setting up, it tasted good and it was a treat to a cold body. If you would like the recipe, it is linked above. Thanks to my sister Peggy for sharing this.
03Jan2014_1_Captains-Shack_Oyster-Chowder_Plated Serve this with either a 2012 Ste Chapelle Special Harvest Riesling – Idaho Snake River AVA – or a 2012 Joseph Swan Vineyards Gewurztraminer, preferred, and you will have an awesome dinner on a cold, winter’s night. Enjoy the chowder. We did! Cheers. (Wonder if my Dad would have put Sherry in it. Hmmmm.)

2013 Boise Foodie Blog In Review

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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 17,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Thank-You every one who made this possible and for your support. Happy 2014!!

Boise Foodie Meet-Up: Bodovino Wine Bar

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28Dec2013_1_Foodie-MeetUp-Bonovino_Card-FrontOn December 28, the Boise Foodie Meet-Up group – see their link in the sidebar – visited Bodovino Wine Bar (an excellent website!) and the experience was a good one. Good food, really good service and a unique venue. You purchase a “card” with some dollar amount, and then you can visit up to 144 different wines (see photos below) and get whatever wine you desire and whatever amount you wish, 1oz, 3oz or 5oz. Each wine and each amount has a different price and they range from $1.00 to $12.00 (the highest I found).
The tapas that we had was very good. A nice selection of cheese, pasta (pizza) and antipasti. They have a full selection of menu items, including salads and sliders, and all seem to be reasonably priced. Overall – a good experience. I will rate them 4-Stars out of 5-Stars. The room that we were in, there are several, was very noisy and loud. Otherwise, good. We will probably return. Please enjoy these photos. You will get some idea of the ambiance and of the tapas. Cheers!!

"Still Life"

“Still Life”

Wine Bar overview.

Wine Bar overview.

Some of the 144 available wines. A unique idea for dispensing the wine.

Some of the 144 available wines. A unique idea for dispensing the wine.

French Cheese Selection

French Cheese Flight

Charcuterie Plate

Charcuterie Plate

"Baguette and Cheese"

“Baguette and Cheese”

Northend Pizza

North End Flatbread

Unique – Not New – Recipe Holders

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Some where on FaceBook a while ago, I saw this unique idea for holding a recipe “out of the way” while you are trying to create a dish. Easy enough to do and as you can see here, we have more than one in our kitchen. Give it a try. You’ll like it. (Mikey did!)

Recipe holder made from "skirt" hangers. Hang them where you are working and they are out of the way.

Recipe holder made from “skirt” hangers. Hang them where you are working and they are out of the way.

The Rib-Eye Christmas Dinner

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25Dec2013_3b_Christmas_Rib-Eye-People_Ornament-By-SophiaIt’s not as if there was not enough for everyone to eat. There was plenty!! In a previous post on this blog, Christmas 2013 Dinner Prep, I posted some photos of the Rib-Eye being prepared and I also posted the recipe for the roast. This was not a standard cooking time. But it turned out terrific! Look at the recipe. And check out this “neat” tree ornament that Sophia made for Marnie and Mac. Great idea, as we are all Ravenswood Winery enthusiasts, as Robin helped to start it back in the mid 1970’s. Here are some photos of the dinner. Enjoy ….. We did!

Rib-Eye Roast. It was awesome. Done to perfection, tender and juicy. Thank you Homestead Farms for such a great roast!!

Rib-Eye Roast. It was awesome. Done to perfection, tender and juicy. Thank you Homestead Farms for such a great roast!!

Ready to be served.

Ready to be served.

Rib-Eye Roast Twice Baked Potato (Marnie) Dried Corn

Rib-Eye Roast
Twice Baked Potato (Marnie)
Dried Corn

Dried Corn and Twice Baked Potatoes. Marnie did a great job on the variation to the potatoes.

Dried Corn and Twice Baked Potatoes. Marnie did a great job on the variation to the potatoes.

Marnie and Mac enjoy the dinner.

Marnie and Mac enjoy the dinner.

Sophia and Chris

Sophia and Chris

Margaret and Robin. It looks like everyone liked what they were eating. I did!

Margaret and Robin. It looks like everyone liked what they were eating. I did!

Robin's first time at making marshmallow. These were terrific!!

Robin’s first time at making marshmallow. These were terrific!!

Marnie made this great Pear and Almond Tarte. Beautiful colors.

Marnie made this great Pear and Almond Tarte. Beautiful colors.

Robin made the Linder Walnut Raspberry Torte. Another yummy!

Robin made the Linder Walnut Raspberry Torte. Another yummy!

And the candle started to go dim and the tree lights are subdued. The end of the day and a very great Christmas. Thank-You one and all! Cheers!

And the candle started to go dim and the tree lights are subdued. The end of the day and a very great Christmas. Thank-You one and all! Cheers!