Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Yummy eating later

From this weekend - Flounder and Blues caught.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Cinco de Mayo - Barbacoa Beef Cheek Tacos


Cinco de Mayo (5 May) is right around the corner. And what a better way to celebrate than to make some beef cheeks (barbacoa). Here is a recipe that is pretty easy to make, but it takes some time. Enjoy these. Cheers!






The marinade turns into a thick, rich almost mole-like sauce ... delicious!
Serves 6-8

Pickled Onions:
1 Red Onion
1 T Salt
2 T Sugar
1 Beet, cut into ¼
1 bunch Cilantro
⅓ c Water
⅔ c Cider Vinegar

Directions:
Slice the onions very thinly and put them in a microwaveable container. Add the beet, cilantro, salt and sugar. Cover everything with the water/vinegar mix. Microwave for 1 minute, stir, and microwave for another minute. Cool, then refrigerate overnight. The beet will turn it a really pretty hot pink color.

Barbacoa Beef Cheeks:
2½ lbs Beef Cheeks
4 lg Garlic cloves
1 T unsweetened Cocoa powder
1 T Peanut Butter
1 Ancho Chili
1 t instant Espresso
2 T Olive Oil (plus 2 more for cooking)
1 T Honey
2 t Cumin
1 t smoked Sweet Paprika
1 bunch fresh Cilantro
1 t Salt
1 c Beef Stock
3 Limes
1 Avocado
Corn Tortillas
fresh Cilantro

Directions:
Clean and trim the cheeks. Put them in a container that you can marinate them in.
Remove the stem and seeds from the ancho, cut it up into chunks and rehydrate in a little water (You can stick it in a ramekin and microwave for 30 seconds)

Peel and chop the garlic. Put everything from the garlic to the salt in the food processor (including the water from the chili) and blend into a paste. Toss the paste with the cheeks and marinate for several hours or better yet over night.

When it is time to cook, heat the oven to 275ºF, and heat 2 T olive oil in a Dutch oven. Brown the cheeks on both sides. Use the stock to rinse the rest of the marinade into the Dutch oven, then squeeze the juice of 3 limes in.

Bake at 275ºF for 3½ hours - turn the cheeks over once or twice while they cook and if the liquid dries up add a bit more stock.

When the cheeks are fall-apart tender, take the pan out of the oven. Using 2 forks, pull the meat apart in the pan so that it mixes in with all of that fatty juicy goodness.

To serve - heat 2 tortillas. Fill with barbacoa (beef cheeks), a slice of avocado, some of pickled onions and fresh cilantro. Serve and enjoy!!! Join us on Facebook in the group Here's What's Cookin!

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Sunday, April 25, 2010

Asparagus Soup with Lemon-Herb Crème Fraîche

When you make a mistake, there are two routes you can take: (1) Ignore it or (2) Correct it. I choose to correct the mistake. So it is with the Asparagus Soup with Lemon Herb Crème Fraîche. The first time I made it I really messed it up. This time (see photo) it is much, much better. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the way Debbie made it (The Buzz). I just changed it somewhat. For instance, I used leeks along with some onion. And I also added some herbs while the soup was cooking. Look at the link above for a printable copy. But for your browsing interest, here is the recipe. Cheers!

Asparagus Soup with Lemon Herb Crème Fraîche

Author: Bob and Robin Young
Source: The Buzz and Food and Wine
Web Page: Rockin' R's Web Page, Boise Foodie Guild Blog

Comments: This is a different and an awesome Asparagus Soup that we first had at the "Buzz" in Boise.
Degree of Difficulty: Moderately difficult
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
½ c Crème Fraîche
1 T Parsley, chopped
3 t Chives, chopped
2 t Tarragon, chopped
1 t Lemon Zest, finely grated
1 t Lemon juice, fresh
Sea Salt and fresh ground Pepper
2 lbs medium Asparagus, tough ends discarded, tips reserved and stalks coarsely chopped
2 T Butter, unsalted
1 med Leek, white and green cut into rounds and then cut in half
¼ med Onion, finely chopped
1 qt Chicken stock
2 c Water

Directions:
1). In a bowl, blend the Crème Fraîche with the parsley, 2 t of chives, 1 t of tarragon and the lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and refrigerate. In a small saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the asparagus tips for 1 minute; drain and ice down. Transfer to a plate.

2). Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 4 minutes. Add the stock and water and bring to a boil. Add the chopped asparagus and season with 1½ teaspoons of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Add the remaining tarragon and chives. Boil over moderately high heat until the asparagus are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

3). Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender and pour it into a clean saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Use an immersion blender and puree the soup until smooth and creamy. Place about 4 or 5 asparagus tips in a warmed bowl and ladle the soup into shallow bowls. Top with large dollops of the Lemon-Herb Crème Fraîche, some cut chives and serve.
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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Boise Peregrine Falcons

Here is a sequence of photos in about an 8 minute time frame. These photos were all gathered 21 April 2010 at the times noted. Cheers!

21 April 2010: 1032 MDT - Male watches the three eggs. Female is out exercising.

1034 MDT - The three eggs. The 3rd was laid between 0830 and 0900 MDT this morning.

1037 - Female is back and on the eggs.

1040 MDT - Female and her clutch of eggs.
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Biking Along The Greenbelt in Boise

83ºF, 34% RH and winds E@15. A beautiful day for a 12.721 mile bike ride along the Boise River on the Greenbelt. They are draining one of the ponds to rebuild the sides. In doing so, the Mallards are still there and feeding as are the Great Blue Herons. The Mergansers are still on the river. Here are some photos of my ride today. It's supposed to be very windy tonight, rain, snow level 5000 feet and the high tomorrow about 60. Yuk! I will look at these photos tomorrow and remember today.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Mallard Duck Family

Common Merganser

Common Merganser

Mushroom Tree

Solitude
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Monday, April 19, 2010

Artichoke and Potato Salad

Here is a recipe that Robin found and then we have altered it, somewhat. It is really a good variation on the standard potato salad. Give it a try. Cheers!

Artichoke and Potato Salad

Servings: 8

Ingredients:
1 lbs New Red Potatoes
¾ c Artichoke hearts in oil and course chopped
¼ c Ham, diced
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
½ c Sunflower sprouts
¼ c Pine nuts, dry roasted
dash Cayenne pepper
1 T Tarragon leaves, crushed
3 T Stone Ground Mustard, Plochman's
¼ c Oil from artichokes
¼ c White Wine vinegar
3 T Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil, diced

Directions:
Cook the whole potatoes until just done, you don't want them soft. Cool.

Place the ham, artichoke hearts, cayenne, pine nuts, sunflower sprouts and tarragon in a bowl. Gently mix. Quarter cut the potatoes and place in the bowl. Gently mix.

Place the artichoke oil, garlic from the potatoes, mustard, sun dried tomatoes and white wine vinegar in a bowl. Using a submersible blender, emulsify. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Pour the dressing over the bowl of potatoes and toss gently.
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That's it! It is really that easy to do. I also would dice maybe 2 hard cooked eggs and put them in with this. Have fun.
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Asparagus Soup with Lemon-Herb Crème Fraîche

On 13 April we went to the Buzz for a wine dinner. Debbie made this awesome asparagus soup. I just had to post the recipe here. If you like asparagus, then you really have to try this. It is awesome and comparatively easy to do. If you want the original recipe, Click Here



Asparagus Soup with Lemon-Herb Crème Fraîche

Ingredients:
½ c Crème Fraîche
1 T Parsley, chopped
2 t Chives, chopped
1 t Tarragon, chopped
1 t Lemon Zest, finely grated
1 t Lemon juice, fresh
Sea Salt and fresh ground Pepper
2 lbs medium Asparagus, tough ends discarded, tips reserved and stalks coarsely chopped
2 T Butter, unsalted
1 med Onion, finely chopped
1 qt Chicken stock
2 c Water

Directions:
In a bowl, blend the crème fraîche with the parsley, chives, tarragon and the lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and refrigerate. In a small saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the asparagus tips until tender; drain and transfer to a plate.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 4 minutes. Add the stock and water and bring to a boil. Add the chopped asparagus and season with 1½ teaspoons of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Boil over moderately high heat until the asparagus are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender and pour it into a clean saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the asparagus tips and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Ladle the soup into warmed shallow bowls. Top with large dollops of the lemon-herb crème fraîche and serve.
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Friday, April 16, 2010

Boise Peregrine Lays First Egg!


At 0946 MDT Mom was sitting on the scrape as pictured above. Does she have an egg or two under her? Weather: 69 degrees F, 12% RH, wind N@10 (the front of the box opens to the North). Keep watching to see what, if anything, develops! Cheers!

Update: She had an egg at 0919 MDT this morning, 16 April 2010!

OH HENRY!



A budding WVU fan!!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Just Because ....

Maybe Virginia Tech will need to do something like this after next year's game with #3 Boise State. Great project for their Communications Department! Enjoy the video. Cheers!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Sauerkraut

This is far too much fun!! Developing these recipes, the Sourdough Bread and this Sauerkraut. The results of the first batch of sauerkraut is almost complete. If you had some to sample, now is the time. Just let me know what you thought. Thanks Gail for your input!! Here is the Kraut Recipe that I am working on. There was a song - last century - that had the line in it, "... second verse, same as the first...". Well, this second batch is better than the first, as sauerkraut goes! I just sampled some. It'll be ready, I think about, 01 May. Basically, here is what is in my sauerkraut.
Ingredients:
14 lbs Cabbage, fresh
3½ T Kosher salt, no iodine
1¾ T Cinnamon
3¾ T Caraway seeds
4½ T Mustard seeds
2¾ c Four Monks White Wine Vinegar

Look at the recipe for the procedure. My crock is one that Robin bought me for Christmas and is awesome. Holds about 20 pounds of shredded cabbage. Also, I added 1/2 head of red cabbage to this batch, as I did the original batch. Gives it some color. I said above that I sampled some: There is a bite, but not offensive. And I detected some sweetness, but there is no sugar in the recipe. The caraway is good and the cinnamon is there, but in the background. Mustard seed gives a unique flavor. So for now, there is the report. We're talking about 2 weeks before I bottle the kraut. Cheers!!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Sourdough Bread

Now this is how a Sourdough Bread should look like. Your goal? The same as mine - make a loaf of sourdough that looks like this. There are 100's, if not more, variations for a good sourdough. This one is my take on this traditional bread. The difference? I don't use sugar, as such. I replaced the sugar with honey. If I could find Tupelo Honey, I'd use it. The closest that I can find is from WinCo's bulk honey - an orange honey that is pretty good and has that Tupelo blossom flavor. Well, sort of. It's close. Give this recipe a try. I hope you like it. Enjoy!

King Arthur’s Sourdough Bread
Rustic Sourdough Bread

Source: Bob Young adapted from Rustic Sourdough Bread: King Arthur Flour. The photo is from Baker's Banter.

This chewy loaf, with its deep-brown crust, can be made in two versions: with rich, deep, flavor, and very mild tang; or with assertive sour flavor, typical of a San Francisco sourdough loaf. Read our blog about this bread, with additional photos, at Bakers Banter Blog. This recipe was adapted by me from the King Arthur Flour web page and Bakers Banter Blog.

Ingredients:
1 c "fed" sourdough starter (See Note)
1½ c lukewarm Water, 100ºF
2 t instant Yeast
2 T Honey
2½ t Salt
5 c King Arthur's Unbleached All Purpose Flour

Directions:
1) Combine all of the ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.
2) Allow the dough to rise, in a covered bowl, until it's doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
3) Gently divide the dough in half; it'll deflate somewhat.
4) Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.
5) Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.
6) Make two fairly deep horizontal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here.
7) Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Note - To feed a sourdough starter:
Remove 1 cup of your starter and either give it away and let a friend start their own or make pancakes or waffles.
Add –
½ c 100°F Water
1 c King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose flour
Stir to completely blend and let sit 12 hours before using.
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