A little bit of Idaho – Denver, and Utah – in these recipes

Our August vacation tour is coming to a close. Leaving Chicago, we hit Idaho on our wild adventure. The place everyone recommends is Jim Spud's Restaurant. It looks like a hunter lodge, but the baked potato is a must. You see it on almost every table, and you can share if you want. Well, I had to come home and work on my recipe to make this recipe come to life. Next, we head on down to Denver, Colorado, where you find a bunch of places to try. I love Casa Bonita, not for the food but for the divers, bat caves and all the different rooms. We were there one January with a Pampered Chef conference, and it was 5 below zero, and heck, that is cold. And don't tell me it's a different kind of cold. Even my teeth were frozen. But we had the best Colorado lamb chop and green chili fondue. Such a strange combination, but it works so well together. I think you will love this recipe. Our last stop is Utah. As a kid, my father went to BYU for three summers to get his Doctorate in education and we lived on campus as a family. We had great times, and my favorite was when we made homemade root beer in the housing quad. Nothing better, and I share a recipe with you that I like. You may need to adjust the extract to your liking. As an adult, passing though on our way to a family reunion, the craze was fry sauce. It was being sold by the bottle everywhere, and I just thought can't you make it yourself? Well, here is my version of fry sauce and I think it is pretty dang close to the original. Remember, follow me on Facebook: Grazing with Gary. We share recipes, weekly supermarket specials and lots of food. Since you're reading this in September, this month we will share tomato recipes. Happy cooking!! Jim Spud's teriyaki baked potato INGREDIENTS 4 baked potatos 1 lb. steak 1/2 c. teriyaki sauce 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp. minced ginger 1/4 c. sliced scallions, plus 4 whole scallions Juice of 1 lime Extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp. sesame seeds, for garnish Toppings Caramelized onions (sliced onions cooked in butter until golden brown) Sour cream Butter Cheddar cheese DIRECTIONS 1. Cut steak crosswise into 3 equal pieces. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together teriyaki sauce, garlic, ginger, scallions and lime. Add the steak and toss so the meat is fully coated in the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. 3. After the steak has time to marinate, preheat grill (or grill pan) to medium-high and oil the grates. 4. Once hot, remove the meat from the marinade and place on the grill. Add scallions to the grill and brush with oil. Season both with salt and pepper. Cook steak for about 3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness) for medium-rare. 5. Remove steak from grill and transfer it to a cutting board. Cover with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice the steak against the grain into thin strips. 6. Cut the baked potato open, top with butter, sour cream, onions, meat and then mounds of cheddar cheese. Place back in broiler for a few minutes until the cheese starts to melt. 7. Garnish with sesame seeds and grilled scallions. Lamb chops with green chile-cheese fondue Ingredients: Green chile cheese fondue: 1 Anaheim chile 1 serrano chile 1-1/2 poblano chilies 4 oz. unsalted butter 1 yellow onion, peeled and julienned 1/4 Tbsp. sea salt 2 Tbsp. puréed garlic 1/4 c tequila 1 qt. heavy cream 1 qt. half and half 1-1/4 lbs. cheddar-Jack cheese 1-1/2 lbs. Chihuahua or Mennonite cheese 1-1/4 lbs. cheddar Lamb: 3 lamb chops, bone-in and frenched 1 tsp steak seasoning of choice 2 oz. cubed sweet potatoes, roasted 1 oz. tortillas 3 oz. green chile cheese fondue Method For the green chile-cheese fondue: Char all peppers over burners or with a torch, then remove skin and stems. Roughly chop what remains and set aside. Melt butter in a pan over medium-low heat until bubbling. Add onion and salt and cook until onions are translucent, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Deglaze with tequila. Add chilies, cream and Half and Half. Cook over medium heat until reduced by a third. Using a wooden spoon, slowly add all cheeses, one at a time, until they melt into the fondue. Work slowly, allowing each batch of cheese to melt before adding the next one. Keep fondue warm. For the lamb and to serve: Preheat grill to high. Season the lamb chops to taste with steak seasoning and grill until medium-rare. In a sauté pan, cook the sweet potatoes until golden brown, then warm the tortillas. Pour warm fondue into a serving container, preferably with a heat element to keep fondue warm. Serve alongside lamb and sweet potatoes with skewers for dipping. Utah's famous fry sauce Ingredients · 1 cup mayonnaise · 3/4 cup ketchup · 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce · 1 tablespoon pickle brine · 1 teaspoon paprika · Pinch cayenne Instructions In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pickle brine, paprika and a pinch of cayenne. Serve with your favorite fries or use on top of a burger! Home-brewed root beer Ingredients 1 cup white sugar 9 ¼ cups cold water 2 oz. root beer extract 4 pounds dry ice Directions Step 1: In a large cooler, mix together the sugar and water, stirring to dissolve sugar completely. Stir in the root beer extract. Carefully place the dry ice into the cooler and cover loosely with the lid. Do not secure the lid, as pressure may build up. Step 2: Let the mixture brew for about an hour before serving. Leftover root beer can be stored in one-gallon milk jugs.