On September 17, 1943, Robin came into this world to haunt me with undying love and companionship. On February 13, 2026 the Angels came to get her and I was crushed!

I wrote a song for her Happy Birthday Robin. Here is a link to it, I know, it’s not food. But it’s food for the soul! Turn your sound on.

My apologies for being absent so long, but it has been a difficult time for me after loosing Robin in February. Please bare with me.

i Have been going to Smoky Mountain Pizza here in Boise for dinners a couple times a month recently and they make a fantastic Shrimp Scampi with Linguini. And finally I got up the nerve to make it myself. I did and I think I nailed it! Two items that are not in the recipe are Capers (1 Tablespoon rinsed) and Bay Scallops (about 2 Tablespoons). I sauté the scallops with the shrimp and add the capers to the sauce. Here is the recipe, Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini

Ingredients:
Pasta: 1 lbs dried linguine
Shrimp: 1 lbs (450g) large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Aromatics: 3-4 cloves garlic (minced),
1 small shallot or a small bunch of green onions, finely chopped
Celtic Sea Salt and fresh ground Tellicherry Black Pepper, to taste
Sauce Base: 4 tbsp unsalted butter, 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Liquid: 1/2 cup dry white wine (like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)
Citrus & Herb: Juice of 1 fresh lemon,
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
Seasoning: Celtic Sea Salt, freshly ground Tellicherry Black Pepper, and a pinch of Aleppo Pepper to taste
Finishing: ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional) 
Directions:
Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the linguine until it is al dente (usually 1-2 minutes less than the package instructions, as it will finish in the sauce). Drain the pasta, but save 1 cup of pasta water. 

Sear the Shrimp: While the pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season your shrimp with salt and pepper, then sauté them for just 2 to 3 minutes until they are pink and opaque. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set them aside.

Combine: Add the cooked linguine and about ½ cup of the reserved pasta water directly to the skillet. Toss continuously until the sauce clings to the pasta. Return the cooked shrimp and any resting juices back to the pan, and stir in the fresh parsley. 

Build the Sauce: In the same skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss in the shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes, cooking until soft (about 3 minutes). Pour in the white wine and lemon juice, and bring to a rapid simmer to reduce slightly for 2-3 minutes. 

Serve immediately.

The other ingredient I have used frequently is my own Italian Seasoning. Here is the recipe for that,

CS Italian Seasoning
Source: Captain’s Shack, Boise, ID             Bob Young   18 July 2026

Ingredients:
3 T dried Basil
3 T dried Thyme
3 T dried Rosemary
3 tablespoon dried Marjoram
T dried Parsley
6 T dried Oregano
1 t Aleppo Pepper
3 t Garlic Powder

Directions:
In a small mixing bowl, combine the dried herbs including basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, and oregano. Add Aleppo Pepper and garlic powder. Mix to combine.

Transfer the homemade Italian seasoning to a jar and tightly close the lid. Will keep up to 6 months.

How to use Italian seasoning: So many options here! Try it in pasta sauce, on garlic bread, with chicken, or with fish! 

How to store homemade Italian seasoning: Store in a glass jar in a dry, dark place (like a refrigerator). It will keep for about 6 months. 

I do love Coconut Shrimp. And I finally found the correct recipes to combine to make the ones I like. My sister asked me for the recipe and I sent it to her. She really liked them! I have been asked by many folks if I have a recipe for the dish, so here it is. I hope you enjoy them. Let me know. I have also included a Sweet Orange Marmalade Dipping Sauce for the shrimp if you would like. I serve the shrimp with celery and carrot sticks. If cooking in the oven, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly oil. Helps in clean up and making the shrimp crispy.

CS Coconut Shrimp

To recreate the restaurant-style coconut shrimp experience from scratch, follow these simple preparation steps. I prefer the oven cooking.

Prep: 15 mins Cook: 4 mins          Servings: 4
Bob Young Boise, ID  27 May 2026

Ingredients:
1 lb large Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
1 1/2 t Celtic Sea Salt
1/4 t Garlic Powder
1 c All-Purpose Flour
2 lg Eggs, beaten
1 c Panko Bread Crumbs
1 1/2 c sweetened Shredded Coconut
Frying oil, such as peanut or vegetable oil

Instructions:
Season: Pat the shrimp dry and season them with salt and garlic powder.
Set Up a Dredging Station: Place the flour in one shallow bowl, the beaten eggs in a second, and mix the Panko breadcrumbs and Shredded Coconut in a third.
Coat: Hold the shrimp by the tail, dredge lightly in flour, dip entirely in the egg, and then press firmly into the coconut -Panko mixture so it sticks well.
Fry: Heat 1 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet to 350°F. Fry the shrimp in batches for about 3–4 minutes total, turning halfway, until deeply golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels before serving.

OR

Oven: Pre-heat to 425ºF. Arrange shrimp in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet and cook on middle rack. Bake for 11-12 minutes and turn half way through cooking process.

Sweet Orange Marmalade Sauce
1/2 c Orange Marmalade
1 T Dijon Mustard
1 T Rice Vinegar, or Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 c Soy Sauce

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and serve alongside the shrimp.

I think it is great when one gets challenged. I don’t think my sister Peggy actually challenged but she sent me a photo of a dinner she made of this very same of salmon. So I set out to make my own using several different sources. This is what I came up with. Really s good change for using salmon. You be the judge. Even the Brussels Sprouts with a balsamic vinegar glaze is different and works wonders for those who say, “I don’t like Brussels Sprouts” and have not even tried these.

Source: Captain’s Shack  Boise, ID 1 June 2026   Bob Young

This pistachio crusted salmon might seem like a fancy salmon recipe but you will be surprised how Easy it is to make! The salmon crust is perfectly complimented by the sweet and savory maple Dijon glaze.

Prep: 10 min           Cook: 25 min          Total: 35min    Servings: 1

Ingredients:
Skin-On (2 – 8 oz filets)
3 T Roasted/Salted Pistachios Skinless filet add ⅛ cup extra to coat
1½ t Course Ground Dijon Mustard
1 t Maple Syrup
Celtic Sea Salt and fresh ground Tellicherry Black Pepper to taste

Instructions;
Preheat oven to 350º F
Pulse pistachios in food processor. You don’t want whole chunks but you don’t want meal like powder – about in the middle. You want it to stick to the salmon but still have good crunch.
Mix course ground Dijon and maple syrup. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you like it a little sweeter you can add more maple syrup.

Coat the salmon top, bottom and sides with your Dijon maple mixture. Place pistachios on plate or wide bottom bowl.Gently place salmon on top of pistachio mixture, top down. Push gently so that the pistachio mixture sticks to the salmon. Coat sides of salmon by hand or gently turn to press sides down.

Place salmon in a Pyrex baking dish or on a non-stick cookie sheet. I cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let rest five 5 minutes. Serve with Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts.

I love coconut shrimp – Robin didn’t like shrimp – and it is time I quit buying them! So after looking at several recipes, I came up with this one. I like the oven cooking technique best. When using the cookie sheet, line it with aluminum foil – easy clean-up – and oil it lightly to help crisp the shrimp more.

CS Homemade Coconut Shrimp

To recreate the restaurant-style coconut shrimp experience from scratch, follow these simple preparation steps. I prefer the oven cooking.

Prep: 15 mins     `Cook: 4 mins     Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 lb large Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
1 1/2 t Celtic Sea Salt
1/4 t Garlic Powder
1 c All-Purpose Flour
2 lg Eggs, beaten
1 c Panko Bread Crumbs
1 1/2 c sweetened Shredded Coconut
Frying oil, such as peanut or vegetable oil

Instructions:
Season: Pat the shrimp dry and season them with salt and garlic powder. Set Up a Dredging Station: Place the flour in one shallow bowl, the beaten eggs in a second, and mix the Panko breadcrumbs and Shredded Coconut in a third.
Coat: Hold the shrimp by the tail, dredge lightly in flour, dip entirely in the egg, and then press firmly into the coconut -Panko mixture so it sticks well
Fry: Heat 1 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet to 350°F. Fry the shrimp in batches for about 3–4 minutes total, turning halfway, until deeply golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels before serving.

OR

Oven: Pre-heat to 425ºF. Arrange shrimp in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet and cook on middle rack. Bake for 11-12 minutes and turn half way through cooking process.

Sweet Orange Marmalade Sauce
1/2 c Orange Marmalade
1 T Dijon Mustard
1 T Rice Vinegar, or Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 t Soy Sauce

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and serve alongside the shrimp.

In Honor of her, a poem and song I wrote for her. The poem, and now the lyrics, were written for her for Christmas, 2024. Enjoy “In the Tapastry of Time”. https://suno.com/s/dYtssfAnEGZfFCjy

Another song that I wrote for her “Fenwick Tide Secrets” can be found here. She asked for a waltz and whatever Lola wants, Lola gets,,,,

Fenwick Tide Secrets by Bob Young | Suno

Source: adapted from Mustard’s Grill Napa Valley, California      Bob Young Boise, ID
The Captain’s Shack          23 March 2026         PDF: CS-Rear-Rutabaga-Soup.pdf
Serves: 6      Located: Napa Valley, Yountville, CA
Prep; 35 min             Cook: 15 min                        Total: 50 min
Note: Mustards Grill has been a Napa culinary fixture since 1983. Their farm-to-table fare celebrates local ingredients and a love for California cuisine.

Ingredients:
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small Red Onion, finely dice
2 Celery stalks large carrot
1 lbs Rutabaga, diced
½ lbs Pears, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tbs fresh Tyme
1 Bay Leaf
1 whole Clove
1/8 t Cinnamon
1 c white Wine, Pinot Grigio works well
6 c Chicken Stock
Celtic Sea Salt and Tellicherry Fresh Ground Black Pepper
½ c Crème Fraiche
Roasted Almonds

Directions:
Heat the oil over med-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until soft.  Add the celery, carrot, rutabagas, pears, thyme, bay leaf, clove and cinnamon and cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft and fragrant.

 Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook until all the liquid has cooked away.  Add the stock and return the soup to a boil.  Season with the Celtic Sea Salt and Tellicherry Fresh Gouund Blacp Pepper as needed.  Lower the heat to a simmer and skim any froth that comes to the surface.  Cook for about 12-15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and discard.  You can either puree the soup or leave it chunky.  Add cream after removing from the heat.  Garnish with almonds and chives and serve.

I don’t normally post just recipes, but here is the exception. Robin was in the hospital for quite for some time and then moved to her daughter’s home. A long illness and she died Feb 13, 2026. I miss her! At one of the hospitals they made from scratch – actually it was from scratch, it was a private hospital – this Pear Rutabaga Soup and it was delicious! I would never think of pears and rutabagas together, much less in a soup. But it works! Try it and see for yourselves. A good toasted sourdough bread would go good with this soup.

What a great treat, meal and atmosphere. Although somewhat crowded. On weekends it is a great idea to call for reservations, 3 to 4 days in advance, if you know that far in advance. 208.344.6549 or https://www.raibusushibar.com. Their address is 808 W Fort Street, Boise, Idaho 83702. Their hours are Lunch 11 am – 2:30 pm, Daily, Sun – Thur 5 pm – 9 pm and Fri – Sat, 5 pm – 10 pm. It can be a little spendy but well worth it. Definitely a 5-Star restaurant! Here is what I Had.

Their menu is quite a bit larger than what I have shown here, so your choices are quite extensive. Their seafood is flown in daily, so it is fresh. Check their web site and check their menu out. It will be worth your time and effort.

I have been questioned a lot about pepper. Well there are over 50,000 different types of pepper worldwide and I’m not about to discuss all of them in this post. Just the most common. Pizza is but one way to make a dish with a spicy type of pepper in it. You toss a “mild” pepper into chili, pizza or a BBQ meat of some sort, only to end up chugging milk like it’s water. It’s not your fault—most folks think “jalapeño” means medium heat, but it can swing from barely warm to eye-watering. The real issue is guessing based on color or size. Truth is, heat hides in the placenta (that white veins inside), not the skin. So let’s cut through the chaff with something concrete: the Scoville Scale.

From alibaba.com, we get a good explanation of the Scoville Scale, or SCU units. For many years, different cultures worldwide have been adding peppers to their food for spiciness ranging from mild and sweet to intensely hot for centuries. The SCU scale measures that spiciness. (I’ll For instance, Bell peppers have an SCU of 0 as do Banana peppers. Poblano 1000, Jalapeño 2500, Serrano 11,000, Cayenne 40,000, Cayenne 40,000, Thai 75 ,000, Habanero 100,000, Red Scotch Bonnet 150,000, Jamaican Red 150,000, Scotch Bonnet 200,000, Caribbean Red 445,000, Trinadad Scorpion 1,000,000 and Naga Morich and Naga Jolokia 1,000,000, Ghost pepper 855,000 – 1,041,427 and the Carolina Reaper 1,400,000-2,200,000+. The heat comes from the compound called Capsaicin, which is found mainly in the white veins inside the pepper, not the skins. (To see more information on the peppers listed, use the hot link.) (Bell peppers, which my wife can’t eat and I love Stuffed Peppers, to Jalapeno are about as high in SCU that I can handle.)

So let’s look at some varieties of pepper. The hottest pepper known is the Pepper X 2,693,000, (2) Carolina Reaper 2,200,000 – 200x as hot as a jalapeño, (3) Trinidad Moruga Scorpion 2,009,231, (4) Pot Douglah 1,853,936, (5) Pot Primo 1,469,000, (6) Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” 1,463,700, (7) Naga Viper 1,349,000, (8) Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) 1,041,427, (9) Pot Barrackpore ~1,000,000 and (10) Red Savina Habanero 500,000. (pepperhead.com 2026 data)

Now you have the peppers, so what can I cook them with? Here are some ideas. Tellicherry (black), a premium pepper with meats, sauces and everyday use. Malabar (black – classic Indian and less pungent that Tellicherry) with Indian curries, etc. Madagascar (black) excellent all-purpose with balanced sharpness. Sarawak (black) great table pepper or for lighter dishes. Lampong (black) with a stronger bite and good for robust dishes and grilling. Muntok (white) good for cream sauces, poultry and seafood. Sarawak White (white) complements delicate flavors. Green Pepper (green and not a bell pepper) often used in a brine and in sauces and light meats.

So there you are. Tread lightly when using these peppers. I gave you some ideas for using them in your cuisine. That is by no means all of the uses.

Robin and I are so proud of our friendship with Joe Levich, former owner of Flying Pie Pizza in Boise, owner of Levco Remodeling and retired Ada County (Idaho) Paramedic. Robin (RN Ret) first met Joe in San Francisco at Alta Bates Hospital, as he was a paramedic there also. Then he moved to Boise where he was continued as a paramedic. Levco remodeled our kitchen and bathroom. A fantastic job!

Robin has been very sick young lady (she’ll always be young) since September of last year and Joes’ duties have kept him from visiting her. He made arrangements to come visit her and said he would bring dinner and asked “What should he bring, Grilled Cheese or pizza?” He being the Pizza King, the answer was easy – Pizza!

It was a great time and we thank Joe for bringing AA of the ingredients and prepping and cooking supplies. All of the photos are natural and some are AI altered. Hope you enjoy this Fun Post. The pizza was great and Joe Levitch your friendship IS great!