William Sonoma Grilling Seminar

09 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in BBQ Class, Classes, Classics, Cooking Programs, Cooking Styles, Food Prep, Grilling, Photos By: Bob Young, Seafood, Special Events, What's For Dinner?

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cooking, cooking shrimp, food, himalayan salt, salt block

A good seminar tonight. Next time I’ll remember (1) To take my other camera, and (2) Bring my notes home with me!!! Duh! Overall, a good evening and very well attended. I’m glad I went a little early. Food was good of which I liked the shrimp the least – way to salty for me; It was cooked on a Himalayan salt block. The pulled pork was good, but the pork tenderloin was the best. I will get another copy of the recipes tomorrow and post them. But for now, here are some photos from tonight. I did sign-up as an alternate, for their late June 2 hour seminar. Enjoy these photos.

Chef Chad roasts spices.

Searing the pork loin.

Pulled Pork

Cooking shrimp on a salt block. Personally, I think it is way too much salt.

Shrimp plated.

Pork Loin. I’ll post the recipe for the sauce tomorrow.

Grilled Lamb and Good Friends Start the Summer Season

25 Saturday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bakery, Appetizers, Asparagus, Baked Onion, Boise Farmers Market, Captain's Shack, Cooking Styles, Friends, Grillin' and Chillin', Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Locavore, Main Dish, Onion, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Special Dinners, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wild Game, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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chocolate liquor, food, grilled lamb chops, lamb chop, vanilla ice cream

It is always a “great start” to any event when you are joined by friends. Geno and Debra (pictured here) were in town, so we had them over for a grilled lamb dinner. The weather was super good and we ate outside. Most of the food was local, too. The lamb was and the onions and asparagus were from Washington. The wine was from California. Still, a delightful time. I even helped Debra with her blog. She is doing fine with it. So here are some photos of the food that we had. Enjoy and please cast your VOTE above. Thanks. Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged.

Asparagus Stuffed Walla Walla Onions getting ready for the oven.

This wine was awesome with the lamb. We have more of the wine.

Robin made this super Mousse d’Phaison and Chukar Pâté with Toasted Acme Bakery Rye Wedges (not pictured). Those are fresh chives from our garden.

Grilled Lamb Chops
Fresh Green Salad
Asparagus Stuffed Walla Walla Sweet Onion

Geno enjoys a lamb chop.

French Vanilla Ice Cream with Idaho Peach Half and Chocolate Liquor Cup . What a great dessert!

Morel Mushrooms in Dry Sherry and Leek Fondue For Dinner Tonight!

20 Monday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Classic Sauces, Food, Food Prep, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Main Dish, Morels, Mushrooms, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipes, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?

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dinner, food, morel mushrooms, tbs dijon mustard

Wow! Poached Morel Mushrooms. Awesome dinner and then add some of the super Acme Bakery Baguette and some sherry, and ………………………………..
Here is the recipe. Enjoy! The mushrooms were fresh from the Boise Farmers Market. Left-Click the photo, grab a fork and enjoy.

Morel Mushrooms in Dry Sherry and Leek Fondue

Adapted from Chef Jon Mortimer, Boise, Idaho

Ingredients:
3 c Morel Mushrooms
1 c dry Sherry (1/2 Amontillado and 1/2 Dry Fino)
1 c Heavy Cream
3 T Dijon mustard
½ c sliced Leek (white part only, rinsed well)
1 T Canola Oil
½ t ground Black Pepper
Kosher salt to taste

Directions:
Carefully pick through the mushrooms, inspect them, brush any sand or grit off with a soft brush, remove any long stems with a pairing knife. In a thick bottomed non-reactive saucepan heat the oil and blanch the leeks, stirring frequently and cooking till soft (about 2 minutes).

Strain off any excess oil and return the leeks to the pan and the pan back to the heat. Add the sherry and allow to come to a boil. Reduce the heat and whisk in the cream and Dijon mustard.

Allow to reduce by ½ at a simmer. Add the morels and poach them in the liquid for 2 minutes or just until they begin to soften. Spoon the mushrooms and the sauce into bowls. Serve with crusty bread, like Acme Bakery Baguette (pictured below), Boise, Idaho.

Grand Opening-New Boise Farmer’s Market

04 Saturday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise, Boise Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Hard To Find Foods, Herbs and Spices, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Events, Special Information, What's For Dinner?

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fiddlehead ferns, food, Goat Cheese, potted flowers, tomato plants

The New Boise Farmer’s Market at 10th Street and Grove in downtown Boise, held their Grand Opening today – it rained the day they had originally scheduled the Grand Opening. Today was crowded, no rain and sunny, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the food, the produce, the beef and buffalo and lamb and chicken. Fresh herbs are also available along with fresh tomatoes and tomato plants. Do you like goat cheese? See the Rollingstone Chevre booth for fresh made goat cheese. All types. Bleu Goat Cheese is coming in about 3 weeks. Here are some photos from today. Enjoy. Left-Click the photo to see enlarged and don’t forget to VOTE above. Thanks.

Potted flowers. Here are some Pansy’s.

Food is available at the market. Here is a Waffle Stack.

Fiddlehead Ferns

Fresh, hard to find mushrooms.

Wild West Bakery and Espresso

28 Sunday Apr 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Baking, Breakfast, Brunch, Comfort Food, Miss Donna, New Restaurant Trial, Pastries, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Special Events, Special Information, Tillamook Cheese, What's For Dinner?

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assorted goodies, blueberry muffin, food, mint bar, restaurants, sprinkler guy

We went to the Wild West Bakery and Espresso in Eagle today for brunch. And as Robin says, “Today, April 28, we met Marnie and Mac at the Wild West Bakery and Espresso shop in Eagle – just 10 miles west of Boise – for brunch – When Bob worked with ‘The Sprinkler Guy’ – his boss Bob Scrivner and Donna Scrivner almost always sent home a bunch of baked treats made by Donna as she ‘manned’ the office at home – making appointments and communicating with the guys out in the field who were installing and fixing sprinklers. She found her dream job as a baker for Wild West and still loves it – and she sent us home with a box of assorted goodies she baked.” A scrumptious home cooked brunch and pastries! Yum. Look at these photos and decide for yourselves. Personally, we’d go back for brunch and may have to try their regular menu. This is easily a 4-Star restaurant for home style cooking. Enjoy these photos – Left Click to see an enlarged view – and please VOTE above. Thanks.

Pansys greet you at the front door. They are beautiful.

Miss Donna, Baker, presents some of her creations. Yum!

Miss Donna’s Blueberry Muffin.

Or how about an M&M Cupcake.

Or maybe a Chocolate Mint Bar. All are her creations.

Robin had Eggs Benedict.

Miss Donna said to try the omelet that the Chef makes a good one. Yes he does. Just look at this one and make one from many fillings. You choose.

This was really a good brunch. You really should try it. But go early as it fills up quickly. The patio is open now and a welcome relief to eat outside. Check the link above for menus and times that they are open. Cheers and I hope you enjoy the Wild West Bakery and Espresso!

10 Barrel Brewery, Boise First Visit

24 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in 10 Barrel Brewing, Acme Bakery, Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Caesar Salad, Celebrations, Comfort Food, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Special Beers, Special Events, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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10 Barrel Brewery, brew pubs, food, IPA, restaurants, siberian kale

Finally. After all this waiting, 10 Barrel Brewery in Boise opened! The photo here is of the front of the pub on Bannock Street at 9th, across from the Chinese restaurant, Yen Ching.
The restaurant space inside iss large and open. The noise level is tolerable. It is busy noise, not loud music or TV. That will work for us. And when the weather changes, they will probably open some very large doors and have an area where one can site on the sidewalk, but be served inside. Left-Click the photo on the left to enlarge and look at the right side of the photo. You will be able to see the stools.
And yes, they serve Apocalypse IPA. In my not so humble opinion (IMNSHO) one of the best, if not The Best, Ipa’s made. We had a Caesar Salad and a 10 Barrel Burger and the IPA went very well with both. Good beer, like good wine, is meant to be consumed with food. It might be made with barley and other grains, but it still needs food. It is nice to report too, that they try their best to use local products, i.e., the Acme Bakery for their buns and rolls. Enjoy the photos posted here that I took on our First Visit. There will be a Second Visit and probably more. Hope to see you there. Well worth the trip. The food is good and the beer is …………. well ………. Super! Cheers and Enjoy!

Inside the brewery in a portion of the dining area. The chairs are very heavy, so be careful moving them.

The “Brewing Center”.

“Reflections”

Caesar Salad
romaine, Siberian kale, cherry tomato, shaved Parmesean cheese, croutons $6.00

10 Barrel Burger
custom ground beef patty, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle, mayo, bacon. Served on Beer Bun by Acme Bakery, Boise $11.00
A really super burger and a great bun. The French Fries, though, were a little salty and came close to over powering the burger. I let the Wait Staff know. The beer in the background is an Apocalypse IPA $4.50

Overall, a good experience. Out of 5 Stars, probably one of the better pubs in Boise so I rate it a 4 Star pub. Great job, 10 Barrel! They have a complete menu of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pizza and sweets. Stop in and say Hello for us and let them know you saw this article here. Thanks and please VOTE above. Cheers.

Chandler’s Steak House, Boise

18 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Chandler's Steak House, Crab, Friends, Photos By: Bob Young, Seafood, Special Events, Tuna, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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ahi tuna, food, mustard sauce, restaurants, seafood appetizer

We went to Chandler’s Steak House this past Wednesday to a Wine Meet-Up Group party. The food was good, although I think over-priced. We did not get it, but the seafood appetizer platter was $90.00. We did get the crab cakes though, and they were good. Not over filled with bread crumbs. It’s just hard to beat a good, Eastern Shore, Blue Crab crab cake. That’s my real benchmark. Robin and I each decided on a tuna appetizer. Great presentations and both dishes tasted good, although I liked the Tower of Tuna the best. Left-Click the photos to see enlarged and enjoy the photos. Please VOTE above. Thanks.

Black Orchid Tuna
Sashimi grade ahi tuna seared rare; sliced and served with the signature “Black Orchid” mustard sauce. $18.00

Tower of Tuna
Fresh ahi and hamachi tuna, diced and towered with avocado, tomato, red onion, red chili, ginger, and sesame seed vinaigrette with Asian sesame crisps. $14.50

Eat-In April 7: The Power of the Fork

04 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Healthy Eating, Lamb, Mahi Mahi, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, Things To Do, Thought For The Day, What's For Dinner?

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brussels sprouts, food, lime curd, mango salsa, Power of the Fork

Don’t get me wrong. Robin and I really do like to eat out. And we do! But we also like to prepare our own meals – from scratch. And we do! But there comes a time when we really need to look at what we eat. The amount of processed foods that are consumed is phenomenal. “… Imagine if, just for one day, we all chose to buy only fresh, whole, real, sustainably-raised or harvested food, food that heals both our body and our environment. If we only buy foods without labels, foods that come from nature, and avoid any food made or processed in a factory or altered from its original state [GMO]. Imagine if we cooked and ate all those meals at home with family and friends (or made them at home and brought them with us to work or school)…”. (Mark Hyman, M.D.) Here is a good article on The Power of the Fork. It is not difficult to prepare a meal as pictured here in these two photos. In 45 minutes, you can be sitting down to a scrumptious, home cooked meal. The photo above is Broiled Lamb Chops (could be Pork Chops), Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and a Green Salad. The photo to the right is Broiled Lime Curd Mahi Mahi, Mango Salsa, Waldorf Salad and Carrot, Asparagus and Onion Medley. Prepare a meal that you control what ingredients to use, like we did here. Not some pre-packaged or pre-prepared boxed food.
Try making your own dinner just one day a week and start with Sunday, April 7. Read the article that is linked above. You may not agree with all of it – I don’t – but the one quoted statement that is used above, makes a lot of sense. To me. probably the most powerful statement in the article is this one: “Imagine if we cooked and ate all those meals at home with family and friends (or made them at home and brought them with us to work or school).” Just imagine. Thanks for listening and think seriously about April 7 and preparing your own meal that one day.

Robin’s Lemon Cookies

02 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Cookies, Food Prep, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Robin Young, Recipes, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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cool whip, dessert, food, lemon cake mix, lemon cookie

Here is a lemon cookie that Robin came up with and it is delicious! Lemony and sweet with the powdered sugar on it. Yum!

Robin’s Lemon Cookies
1 Egg, beaten
1 – 8oz Original Regular Cool Whip
1 box Lemon Cake mix
Powdered Sugar

Beat the egg in a bowl. Fold in the cool whip. Fold in the cake mix. Roll 1 tablespoon (I think she used 2 tbl) of the dough mix in powdered sugar. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree F oven until edges are brown, about 10 – 20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool. Yummy!!

Great Easter and Birthday Dinner

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Birthdays, Caesar Salad, Cakes, Captain's Shack, Celebrations, Ethnic Foods, Italian Food, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Seafood, Special Dinners, Special Events, What's For Dinner?

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chocolate hazelnut torte, cilantro pesto, food, restaurants, seared sea scallops, shrimp risotto

Such a great Easter Sunday! Robin in her RabbiT ears and me a year older. Good to have Marnie, Mac, Chris, Madison, Sophia and Maggie with us. Robin spent most of Saturday making a Chocolate Hazelnut Torte that was delicious. There are some photos of the cake below. Thank-You to everyone who was at this dinner party. Thank-You, too, for the cards and gifts. I appreciate all of you and the gifts. Here’s what we had for dinner. Left-Click any of the photos to see a larger view. Cheers! Of course, we had to have some wine. And don’t forget to Vote above. Thanks.