Favorite Chardonnary

Kendall Jackson chardonnay. We used to drink it often, but the price went up and we searched for alternatives. Never found a dependable table wine, though, so we're back to K-J.

Iced Latte Season!

I brewed up the first iced latte of the "summer" season yesterday. It hasn't felt much like summer in Boise yet, but there was a nice sun break between storms when I drank this.

Taste Test: Fish Friday

Panko breaded cod - Kirkland brand from Costco's freezer section. The directions stated this could be deep-fried or baked. We opted for baked. The review from the eight-year-old? Two thumbs up. The review from the mom? Two thumbs down. I thought these pieces of fish tasted pasty.

Freshly Harvested Mint

My daughter picked this peppermint from a garden bed. It's good for mojitos and mint juleps...but I like it best as flavoring for a glass of ice water.

Bell Pepper Happiness

Bell peppers have been so inexpensive in the grocery stores lately. This is a favorite new dish! Peeled raw shrimp and slices of bell peppers and onions on skewers. Brush with melted butter seasoned with minced garlic, oregano and pepper.

Market Carrots

I didn't know there were so many kinds of carrots. This offering was at the Capital City Market downtown Boise Saturday. We purchased two Chilean carrots. My daughter at them raw and said they tasted really sweet.

Cream Puff/Eclair

Another goopy goodie from our trip to Pastry Perfection - a cream puff/eclair. This reminds me of two recipes I have from my grandmother that I will add to my cooking calendar. One is a homemade version of cream puffs. The other is a recipe for potato chip cookies!

Pastry Perfection Goodies

The thought of all that sweetness makes me shiver. This is my daughter's favorite treat from Pastry Perfection - a locally-owned bakery and doughnut shop.

Turkey Guacamole Wrap-Ups

Slices of turkey wrapped around guacamole. My daughter called them "turkey sushi."

Top Dinner Request Lately....

My 8-year-old daughter has requested steak every night this week. She finally received her wish last night. I did another skewered version. It's a quicker preparation time than a full steak.

Shrimp on a Stick

Not only shrimp, but a complete dinner with bell peppers and onions. The shrimp and veggies were brushed with melted butter and minced garlic, and seasoned with pepper.

Garlic Shrimp

Fresh minced garlic, paprika, a pinch of sugar, a couple of red pepper flakes and white pepper seasoned the shrimp, which was sauteed in butter. Quick and yummy.

Taste Test: Ivar's Clam Chowder

It's nice to have some quick-food stand-bys for busy nights. My daughter likes clam chowder so we tried this frozen version available at Costco. Two thumbs....down. The eight-year old review? "Doesn't taste like clam chowder at all!" When it was simmering, I thought it smelled like French onion soup. We have two favorite clam chowders, the one they serve at Dooger's along the Oregon Coast, and Jake's, which is a canned chowder. Neither is readily available. Jake's disappeared from store shelves a couple of years ago, and we only get to the coast once a year.

Kid-Friendly Won Ton Soup

A couple of weekends ago, we went to a Thai restaurant that served a won ton soup on the kids' menu that had all kinds of meats and vegetables in it. The two kids at our table gave it a "thumbs down." Here's what they like: won tons in chicken broth. That's it. These are hand-rolled won tons from our friends who own Mandarin Palace and China Palace.

Bell Pepper Caprese Salad

Slices of fresh mozzarella, and yellow and red bell peppers sprinkled with coarse salt and balsamic vinegar. Usually a Caprese salad has tomatoes, but the only ones available at the store were too sad-looking to be used at my table.

Chocolate Malt Mocha

A home barista experiment - chocolate malt mocha. Ovaltine-a-licious. Different. Not great, but I may try it again.

Steak on a Stick

Instead of grilling up rib-eyes the usual way, I diced them up and put them on skewers. Lots of salt, pepper and garlic seasoning and..wow. I'll be grilling with this method again soon. Much easier to control the done-ness.

Cinco de Mayo Dinner - I'm Calling for a Re-Match

A fish taco and two steak tacos from Casa del Sol in the 8th Street Marketplace. Cinco de Mayo "to go" for us last night. We'll need to book a re-celebration for Cinco de Mayo because I want a feast.

Lemon Pudding Cake - Another Version

I featured a lemon pudding cake a couple of weeks ago that my mom had made. She was searching for a recipe that her mother used to make. Here's a version she sent me to try, which I thought tasted good and had an interesting meringue-like top. But it wasn't very much like a cake.

1/4 c flour

1 c sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tblsp of lemon zest

1/4 c lemon juice

2 beaten egg yolks

1 c of milk

Blend together and fold in 2 stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake at 350 degrees in a hot water bath for 50 minutes.

First Visit to My Thai in Eagle

On your first visit to My Thai, let them know you're a first-timer and you get a free appetizer. Above are the spring rolls. The plum sauce they were served with was super yummy.

Above is the kids' menu won ton soup. We had two kids with us for dinner and they disliked this soup. Too much garnish for kid taste buds. And one more thing to get off my chest before I continue with the review. Charging $3 for a kid-sized milk is outrageous! Now, on to some positives.....

Chicken panang. I really like panang and this was passable. I craved more zing and fire, but that's normal for me :)

And this is funny - my husband's dinner. He doesn't remember what he ordered. It looks like curry. He says the blend of flavors took some getting used to. The atmosphere of My Thai is pleasant with striking views of the Boise Front, the restaurant is right next to a man-made pond/water feature, and inside there is a big and peaceul water feature and lots of candles.

Onion Rings and Jambalaya

We were repeat customers at TableRock Brewpub and Grill over the weekend. This time, we tried their homemade onion rings and the jambalaya. Both excellent, and the onion rings are really special.