Boise Crockpot Pot Roast

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13Jan2013_1_Pot-Roast_CookingPersonally, I think this was one of the best Pot Roasts I have ever tasted. The Demi-Glace Sauce hit the spot and makes a wonderful gravy that the roast and the vegetables cook in. The sauce thickens as the roast cooks. The original recipe came from Whole Foods here in Boise, but we changed it somewhat. Here is a link to the recipe. You might be surprised as to what we have added. Enjoy! Boise Crockpot Pot Roast. Serve this dinner with a good Pinot Noir wine, such as a 2010 Castle Rock Sonoma County Pinot Noir. That is only a suggestion as there are some other very good Pinots that will go just as well with this dinner.

Boise Crockpot Pot Roast

Boise Crockpot Pot Roast

Bouillabaisse Party

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11Jan2013_1_Wine-Meetup-Dinner_Victoria-SavageSuch a great Bouillabaisse Party on this cold and wintry night in Emmett, Idaho. Thank-You Victoria and Jeff for opening your home to this event. Victoria is pictured here. They have done a fantastic job on remodeling their home. There were about 15 people that enjoyed the Bouillabaisse, the wine and the crepes! Here are some photos of the evening. You can Left-Click any of the photos to enlarge. Cheers!

A novel way to construct a pot rack. From a Stop sign post.

A novel way to construct a pot rack. From a Stop sign post.

Jalapeno Dip

Jalapeno Dip

11Jan2013_1c_Wine-Meetup-Dinner_BouillabaisseBouillabaisse is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille. The French and English form bouillabaisse comes from the ProvençalOccitan word bolhabaissa, a compound that consists of the two verbs bolhir , to boil) and abaissar , to reduce heat, i.e., simmer.
There are at least three kinds of fish in a traditional bouillabaisse, typically scorpionfish (fr: rascasse); sea robin (fr: grondin); and European conger (fr: congre); and it can also include gilt-head bream (fr: dorade); turbot; monkfish (fr: lotte orbaudroie); mullet; or silver hake (fr: merlan) It also usually includes shellfish and other seafood such as sea urchins (fr: oursins), mussels (fr: moules); velvet crabs (fr: étrilles); spider crab (fr: araignées de mer) or octopus. More expensive versions may add langoustine (European lobster). Vegetables such as leeks, onions, tomatoes, celery and potatoes are simmered together with the broth and served with the fish. The broth is traditionally served with a rouille, a mayonnaisemade of olive oil, garlic, saffron and cayenne pepper on grilled slices of bread.
What makes a bouillabaisse different from other fish soups is the selection of Provençal herbs and spices in the broth; the use of bony local Mediterranean fish; the way the fish are added one at a time, in a certain order, and brought to a boil; and the method of serving. In Marseille, the broth is served first in a bowl containing the bread and rouille, with the seafood and vegetables served separately in another bowl or on a platter.

Bouillabaisse Plated with Homemade Sourdough Bread

Some wine and some of the 15 people who were there.

Buzz Wine Club Dinner – Argentina Wines

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April Schedule at the BuzzWow! It was great to see a Full House last night. The first in a while. This year, Cristi’s theme for the Wine Club Dinners is “Wines From Around the World” and she started out with the wines from Argentina. Awesome wines. Awesome dinner. Great job, Cristi!! And I would be remiss if I did not mention the coupons that are available for these dinners. It’s like buying 6 dinners and getting one free! Robin and I have the year covered!! A great buy, if you so desire. Just ask Tommy or Cristi for the details.
Below are some photos of the night and the wines we had to accompany the food. A top score is [20]. Enjoy and Cheers!

Faina and Provoleta
(Nutty, peppery flatbread made with chickpea flour.)
2012 Fabre Montmayou Rose
13.0% alc. Great with these appetizers. Best wine of the night. [19] $13.00

Locro
(Navy bean and corn soup. Superb.)
2008 Duriguti Bonarda
13.9% alc. Went well with the spiciness of the soup. [18] $14.00

Sorrentinos and Fugazzeta de Verdura
(Round ravioli with ham sauce)
2010 Martino Old Vine Malbec
14.0% alc. Good old vine wine. Smooth and supple  [19] $16.00

Pasta Frola and Torta Negra Galesa
2011 La Yunta Torrontes
12.5% alc. Good with the desserts, but not my favorite. [18] $12.00

Janjou Pâtisserie Opens In Boise

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09Jan2013_1b_Janjou-Patisserie_Front-SignRobin and I treated ourselves to a great experience. We went to the Janjou Pâtisserie at 1754 W State Street, Boise this morning. (I have added their link in the sidebar and a hot link there also.) This is some of the best Quiche I have eaten, and I have had some good Quiche. Goat Cheese and Leek Quiche ($8.99). I do not like goat cheese but this was awesome and I will get it again. The Bostock pastry ($3.50) was awesome with just a hint of rose-water. Robin had an 8 oz Mocha coffee ($3.65) and I had a 12 oz Americano ($2.95). Both of these coffees were great and went very well with our “treats”. Husband and wife team, Chuck Gabbitas – Owner and Moshit Mizrachi-Gabbitas – Owner/Chef are doing a super great job for only being open for 7 days. For an eatery of this type, they definitely rate a 4-Star (out of 5) and maybe a 5. We will have to return. They are planning to offer in the future, maybe wine, soups and sandwiches. That would be interesting. Their website is Janjou Pâtisserie and is worth looking at. Call your order in and pick it up at the pâtisserie. Here are some photos that Robin took. Enjoy and let them know you saw this review here. Cheers! (Left-Click to see a larger view of the photos.)

Chuck Gabbitas preparing a treat.

Chuck Gabbitas, Owner, preparing a treat.

Inside of Janjou Pâtisserie

Inside of Janjou Pâtisserie

Goat Cheese and Leek Quiche. Delicious!

Goat Cheese and Leek Quiche. Delicious!

Cooking With Yvonne Anderson-Thomas

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Valentines Special at Brown Shuga!If you would like to learn the intricacies of Soul Food, here is your chance. One of Boise’s finest Soul Food Chefs is giving a series of classes in Nampa. Here is the Nampa schedule and costs. There will be other classes in other locations.

Chef Yvonne Anderson-Thomas

Chef Yvonne Anderson-Thomas, Brown Shuga Soul Food

The cooking class will be in Nampa @ 223 East. Amity (behind NNU) Nampa, Id on

15th of January,BBQ class,

22nd of Jan- Soul Food class#1 and

29th of Jan- Soul food #2

5th of Feb and 12th of Feb- Romantic valentines dinners/desserts

Cost is $40.00 per class or January special $140.00 per series of 4 classes saving you $20.00!

If you bring friend save 10% on your fee.

Call Yvonne for more info or inbox me with more questions 208-794-0605

advance registration required!

Truffle Butter Sauteed Pheasant and Chukar

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06Jan2013_1_Captains-Shack_Chukar-And_Pheasant_Place-SettingAnother delightful dinner. A change from the “Old Peoples” Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Peas Sunday fare. This was awesome!

Cream of Idaho Potato and Leek Soup
Truffle Butter Sauteed Idaho Wild Chukar and Pheasant
with
mustard cream sauce
Mashed Garlic Carrots and Potatoes
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
with
kumquat dressing
2010 Castle Rock Winery Mendocino Pinot Noir
2010 Castle Rock Winery Sonoma Pinot Noir
2010 Castle Rock Winery Monterey Pinot Noir
Cream of Idaho Potato and Leek Soup

Cream of Idaho Potato and Leek Soup

Truffle Butter Sauteed Idaho Wild Chukar and Pheasant with mustard cream sauce Mashed Garlic Carrots and Potatoes Tomato and Cucumber Salad with  kumquat dressing

Truffle Butter Sauteed Idaho Wild Chukar and Pheasant
with
mustard cream sauce
Mashed Garlic Carrots and Potatoes
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
with
kumquat dressing

Steamed Idaho Trout For Dinner

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05Jan2013_1_Captains-Shack_TroutSuch a great dinner tonight. I don’t particularly like fresh water fish, but this was great!!

Wine Steamed Idaho Trout
Green Beans with Garlic and Sliced Carrots
Rice and Spinach Salad
2007 Cinder Viognier

Such a yummy dinner!

January At “The Buzz”

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Heredad Ugarte Wines at the Buzz

Yes, it’s that time again. The start of a New Year. And the events at The Buzz in Boise are off to a fantastic start. Here are the latest words from Cristi! Hope to see you at these events! Cheers!

Events at the Buzz
January 2013

We, at Buzz, hope that everyone had a safe and fun filled holiday season. We look forward to getting together with all of you in the new year. Some fun events planned to kick off 2013 in style. Music on January 4 is Tomorrow Never Knows, Wine Club Jan 8 and 9, and Blaze and Kelly January 11. Carter Freeman will be joining us January 18 and we will Celebrate our 6th Anniversary that night. Saturday nights will be game nights at the Buzz with a new game featured every week (always a big choice of games to play), bring some friends down enjoy wine tasting and learn a new game. Bountiful Baskets starts again on January 12 (orders to be placed on the 7th and 8th), and Grab Your Groceries is now open for business.

Don’t forget we have a large selection of catering ideas for any size gathering drop us a line or an email and lets talk about how we can help take the stress out of entertaining for you.

Hope to see everyone soon.
Sincerely,
Cristi and Tommy Takeda
Buzz Coffee and Wine

Wine Club
As many of you know, we do not just send you a shipment of two bottles of wine which you know nothing about. We all get together on the Second Tuesday or Wednesday of the month at 6:30, and learn about the wine and food. This is a dinner and wine tasting, with an educational component with all the wines being on sale after dinner. The cost is only $15.00 per person and Reservations Are Required. It is a plated meal so please let us know of dietary issues when placing reservations. This year we are going to focus on the wine regions of the world. Starting with Argentina. Reservations can be made at buzzwine@cableone.net or (208) 344-4321.

About Us
Thank you for your continued support of the years and we look forward to an exciting and event filled 2013.

Buzz Coffee and Wine
2999 N Lakeharbor Lane
Boise, Idaho 83703

Happy 2013 Everyone!

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31Dec2012_1_Captains-Shack_NewYearsEve_Red-Cabbage-And-Baked-PotatoWe do hope that everyone has a great 2013! And that you also had an exciting New Years Eve party. Robin and I did. Very quiet. But very delicious. Started out, somewhat, with this Red Cabbage and Sausage over a Baked Potato. It was yummy. Then we went to more of a party mode with the finger foods we made pictured below. Left-Click the photos to seed enlarged. Enjoy!!

A table full of Finger Foods.
Various Crackers and Chips
Steamed Shrimp
Crab Dip
Various Byrd Cookie Company Delights
Fresh Grapes
Shrimp Sauce
Stella Artois Goblets
Moscato d’Asti

A plateful of Yum!

A plateful of Yum!

Crockpot Sausage and Cabbage

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29Dec2012_1a_Captains-Shack_Crockpot-Sausage-Cabbage-Wine_BetterIt’s snowing outside. Started this afternoon. And Robin said she wanted to make Sausage and Cabbage in the crockpot. This was scrumptious!! We used 1/2 head of red cabbage large chopped, 6 Falls Brand Smoked Sausages, 1 cup of a good white wine like a chardonnay or pinot gris, 1 onion large chopped, 3/4 cup of a flavorful sauerkraut (we used what we made), 1 can of whole beets and 1 T Fennel seeds. Place all in the crockpot, except for the beets, and cook for 4 hours on high. At 3 1/2 hours, add the drained beets. Serve with a 2009 Bedrock Winery Cabernet Sauvignon and you have an awesome. Dinner. Cheers!