Dine Out Downtown Boise Restaurant Week

This weekend kicked off the 2017 Dine out Downtown Boise Restaurant Week! From Friday, October 27th - Sunday, November 5th, you can enjoy culinary experiences all over downtown Boise, and receive great deals, new creations, and more! It all began on Wednesday, October 25th with a VIP experience at the Basque Museum Cultural Center. Local celebrities such as news anchors and reporters (including a few of my favorite Ch 6. ladies), area chefs, and local food bloggers were all invited to try just a few of the places that were participating in this year's festivities. Being a food tour guide with Indulge Boise allotted me the opportunity to be apart of that list, and oh the joy I felt when I received the invitation!

San Inazio 2k17

Every year the Boise community comes together to help celebrate The San Inazio Festival that is held the last weekend in July at the Basque Block in Downtown Boise. This Festival is a 25+ year celebration honoring St. Ignatius of Loyola, who is the patron saint of the Basques community. It started out as a picnic where families would come together to eat and enjoy each other's company, and once it became so popular turned into a Boise community event that features music, dancing, sporting events, and of course some of the most popular foods from the Basques kitchen! I went and checked out the festival with a few friends, and even met 5 or 6 more people and had the chance to learn their stories which always fascinates me!

OPA! - Boise's 36th Annual Greek Food Festival

Boise's 36th Annual Greek Food Festival took place this past weekend in the Downtown Boise area every year during the weekend after Memorial Day. St. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church has been the hosting hub for the festival over the years, and funds raised have been used to help support the church's outreach initiatives along with their partners such as Life's Kitchen.

Although there have been Greeks in the Boise area for much longer than 36 years, the festival was started by about 20 members of the Greek community as a way to introduce Boise to Greek culture. One of the originals, Effie Karellas Kaufman, said that promoting ethnicity in the community was important to them. Effie has deep roots in the Peninsula in areas such as Athens, Arcadia, and Kalata Village of Greece.

Indulge Boise Food Tours

A few weeks ago I bored you with my excitement about taking photos for a local food tour called Indulge Boise Food Tours, and guess what I'm back to do it again. I was so intrigued from behind the camera that when I got home I registered to do a tour myself. Although I was there from beginning to end shooting the tour, actually going through the tour was a completely different experience. It's almost like when food tastes much better when you don't have to cook it yourself. Instead of focusing on lighting, and angles, and trying to catch moments, I was able to focus on the foods I was trying for the first time and I was allowed to actually take in the full experience.

Ketchup is My Best Game

For centuries tomatoes have been included in dishes all over the world. Tomatoes are eaten cold or hot, and can be added to foods in both it's raw and cooked forms. It is even commonly used as a drink. One debate that has been the cause of many arguments over the years is whether tomatoes are fruits are vegetables, well I am here to save your friendships. Tomatoes are fruits! In 1893, the US Supreme Court decided that the tomato is a vegetable-based on the popular definition that classifies vegetables by their use. Tomatoes are typically eaten like a vegetable, so the court thought it was only fair to group with the vegetables. I wonder why this debate was so important it had to go to the supreme court? Inquiring minds want to know. Anyway, they are often perceived to be vegetables because their sugar content is so much lower than what we expect from a typical piece of fruit.

Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed

Most people have heard the saying "Faith the size of a mustard seed", which is a religious saying that is found in the Bible for those who follow the Christian faith. The mustard seed is very small in size, and the quote is supposed to represent always having faith, even if it is on a small scale. But the mustard seed is not just a religious proverb. It is actually the inception of something great, a mustard sauce!

Ranch is a Part of Who I Am

Although I love almost all sauces, my first true love was ranch dressing. So much so, that I have had many nicknames with the word ranch in it. It does have mostly to do with the fact that my last name is spelled ranch with the letter "b" in front of it, but it is also because everyone knows I have always loved it. Some of those nicknames include: Lauren B-Ranch and Hidden Valley(named after a brand)

I'm Saucin'

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an absolute lover of sauce. There are not many things that I will eat without some sort of sauce. As a matter of fact, at this present moment, I cannot think of anything so that should tell you something. I actually have more than one shelf dedicated to just sauces in my fridge. How many sauces do you have in your fridge? I just counted, and I actually have 23! That is insane. I have a serious problem!

In the Spirit of Mardi Gras

In the spirit of Mardi Gras that took place earlier this week in New Orleans, I had to get in the kitchen and make gumbo! But, before we get into my experience, let's take a look back and learn a little more about Mardi Gras, and why gumbo is such a highly eaten dish during this time of year.

When You Can't Decide Between Sweet & Salty...You Choose Both

I recently tried bacon covered donuts from DK Donuts located in downtown Boise near State Street and 13th Street. A friend of mine brought me one, and honestly, I was expecting small chunks like bacon bits on the donut, but to my surprise, there were long thick cut pieces of bacon spread out across the donuts. Although I am a lover of all things bacon, I must admit, I was a little nervous about this one. I wasn't sure how well a salty piece of bacon would taste on a soft and sweet donut. I went all in and tried it anyway, and I was happy I did! It was almost like eating a bacon biscuit, and the maple frosting was like adding maple syrup to the biscuit. Yummy! I can definitely see myself warming that up, and eating it in the morning with a hot cup of tea.

Superbowl Goodies

Hi Friends!

It's that time of year again when we all sit in front of the television and root for the home team. Even if your team isn't playing we are still drawn to that last game of the season we all know and love called Super Bowl. We invite friends and family over to yell and scream and the television, commit gluttony, and get drunk!  Well, foodies, we are going to attempt to make your gathering a little less stressful with a few easy, yummy, recipes for the big game. Here are a few quick and easy recipes that your guests will love!

Fufu - A Taste of Africa

When your friend is an international pageant queen, you get the benefit of making her cook you African cuisine. Jannie, who is from Liberia, and her mom, Mrs. Hannah, introduced me to fufu a few months ago. Ever since I have become acquainted with the African community here in Boise, not too much time goes by before I hear, see, or smell fufu. All of my sheltered American readers such as myself are probably wondering, what the heck is fufu, right? Well...luckily you have stopped by the perfect blog to find out! Last night Jannie was kind enough to take over my kitchen to cook me some.

Boise Hot Spot

I lived across the street from the Boise Tech Mall for a whole year before I ever stepped foot in there, but once I did, I was amazed at all that was in there. I was most excited to find the 2nd floor area where you could eat or just hang out and have a beer or a cup of tea. The Boise Tech Mall restaurant is hidden away, and I feel that people should definitely know about it, and check it out. I sat down with the new restaurant owner, Zach Dummermuth, to hear his story, and I was able to even enjoy a few samples. I went in thinking I would have a little sample of one dish, and was pleasantly surprised to show up to 3 full dishes. He definitely spoiled me, and after that, it was over for the day for me. Straight to the couch I went, just me and my leftovers. Check out the 3 dishes he prepared for me along with my interview with him! 😃

The 3 dishes he prepared for me were:

"Eat Poor On New Year's, and Eat Fat the Rest of the Year".

Growing up in the south, it was a tradition to eat certain foods on New Years Day. Typically, when you go to any southern kitchen on New Years', you can expect to see a mixture of collard greens, hog jowls, cornbread, and rice, but one thing you will always see is black-eyed peas. But why? Well, let's dig a little deeper!