September Recipe of the Month from Winter Park, CO

Linguine with Arugula & Pine Nut Pesto

For September, we’ve got a fresh pesto pasta dish made with arugula, pine nuts, lemon, garlic and other fresh ingredients. Put it all together in a food processor and viola- you’ve got a delicious, fresh pesto.  A food processor  is recommended to make the pesto, but a blender should work fine, too.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups pine nuts, toasted (or substitute with almonds or macacamia nuts)
1 package of fresh arugula
2 lemons (zest of both and only one lemon juiced)
2 boxes of linquine (1lb each)
8 cloves of garlic
2 cups of olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black petter
parmasan cheese to top pasta

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and place raw pine nuts onto a sheet pan and back for five to seven minutes or until lightly brown. Remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.

Combine the arugula, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and olive oil into a food processor and blend until smooth. Remove the pesto from the processor and put it into a large bowl.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Add cooked pasta into the bowl with pesto and mix well. Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy.

Favorite Winter Park Summer Patios

Backbowl's Patio

One of our favorite summertime activities in Winter Park is just hangin’ out at one of our favorite patios, kickin’ back to some live music and enjoying some cold beverages in the mountain sunshine. It’s definitely a favorite pasttime of mine!

When it comes to great summer patios in Winter Park, there are a few restaurants and bars that surpass the rest. If you have another favorite that I leave out, just let us know by leaving a comment below.  

My Top Picks:

- The Winter Park Pub.  The patio at “the pub” is #1 in my heart. There is usually live music at least three times a week, plus tons of space and seating for plenty of sunshine opportunities. They also have a tent for shade or rain coverage. It’s also a #1 locals favorite, so it’s a good place to mingle.  

- The Cheeky Monk - This is a newer restaurant at the Village at Winter Park Resort. The vibe inside is awesome, and they have like, a million types of beers. The patio is killer, too, and they oftentimes have live music and drink specials during the summer.

A packed patio at "The Pub"

- Backbowl Soup Company – another new restaurant at the Village at Winter Park Resort, Backbowl has an attractive, spacious patio with umbrellas & nice views. They also have live music and drink specials on Tues & Thursdays and the “Adventure Train Playground” that the kids love.

 - The Sushi Bar – Another local tradition is to hit up happy hour at The Sushi Bar at least a few times in the summer to enjoy their large deck. During happy hour you also get two-for-one specials on selected drinks & sushi rolls. They don’t have live music, but their parties and/or specials make up for that.  

- Deno’s Mountain Bistro.  A prime, south-west facing patio, this is a lovely spot for afternoon sunshine. Deno’s wine list is impressive, plus they have all the regular ol’ standbys and great wings. The only catch is that they don’t have live music.  

- Fontenot’s – This deck is often overlooked, but for what reason, I don’t know. They have a really nice deck, tables with umbrellas and great food. They tend to be on the pricey side, which may be why it’s not frequented too often by locals, but they have delicious appetizers like fried green tomatoes and coconut shrimp. Not a spot for live music, either.  

Other honorable mentions include the Gasthaus Eichler patio for lunch next to Vasquez Creek, Rudi’s Deli patio, and the Mountain Grind Cafe at Cooper Creek Square. 

Winter Park, CO Airfare Deal Alert – August

Here is a selection of August’s airfare deals of the month, provided by www.airfarewatchdog.com.  Check back daily on Airfare Watchdog for updates and new flight deals to all major cities in the US and all over the world.

Remember to check with us for availability at a vacation rental in Winter Park for your dates first, then book your flights! Search Winter Park Lodging Company now to see what options await you.

Sweet VIP Pass Offer for Free Concerts in Winter Park, CO

Join us in Winter Park for two FREE outdoor music festivals at Winter Park’s downtown concert venue at Hideaway Park, and when you book with Winter Park Lodging Company, you’ll get VIP passes to the show for all of the people in your group. 

The VIP passes allow you to access seating close to the stage, two free drinks (either alcoholic or non-alcoholic), a free commemorative festival t-shirt and a chance to win a backstage pass to Meet & Greet the performers.

It’s that easy. Just book lodging in Winter Park for the festival weekend of your choice (or both), let us know how many people are in your group, and we’ll throw in the VIP passes for the festival.   Check out the details for the free Winter Park festivals below!

KYGO HIGH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL

July 10th, 2010.

We’ve got Chris Cagle, who, since his debut on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks in 2000, has produced numerous top-ten hits including “I Breathe in I Breathe Out”, “Chicks Dig It” and “What Kinda Gone”.

Also on the line-up is Texas’s The Josh Abbott Band, the “fastest rising young stars in Texas country,”  and Denver’s own up-and-coming star, the Kory Brunson Band.

103.5 THE FOX CLASSIC ROCK MUSIC FESTIVAL

August 7th, 2010

If you love classic 80′s & 90′s rock, then you’ll have a great time in Winter Park this weekend.

The headliner of the event is Night Ranger, whose biggest hits include Sister Christian and Don’t Tell Me You Love Me. Their twin lead guitar and melodious metal has become a genre all their own.

We’ll also have Pat Travers,  Lewis & Floorwax and Denver’s own The Groove Hawgs to bring their entertaining rock to the stage. You won’t want to miss this festival of rock n roll!

Winter Park, CO Airfare Deal Alert for July

We have regular summer guests that come to Winter Park from Arizona to escape the intense 120 degree heat. If you live in Arizona, check out the airfare deals from Phoenix and Yuma, where there are cheap flights into Denver International for under $150 round trip, or from Prescott for just over $200.

You don’t have to live in the heat of Arizona to enjoy the spectacular summers of Winter Park. Temperatures in Winter Park rarely get past 80 degrees and there is no humidity, which makes for perfect weather for hiking, mountain biking, golf and so many more summer activities in Winter Park and Grand County.

Remember to check with us for availability at a vacation rental in Winter Park for your dates first, then book your flights! Search Winter Park Lodging Company now to see what options await you.

Highlights from the Blues from the Top Festival in Winter Park

JP Soars and his handmade guitar

It turned out to be another perfect weekend of beautiful weather and outstanding blues performances for the eighth annual Blues from the Top festival in Winter Park, Colorado.  This weekend is my personal favorite of all Winter Park music festivals because: 1) it kicks off the summer in Winter Park; and 2) you can dance to the blues music right in front of the stage. You must check it out sometime if you haven’t yet.

The festivities started on Friday night with Curtis Salgado followed by Andy Irvine’s Blues Collective at Music at the Mall at Cooper Creek Square, then moved over to Smokin’ Moes for the official Pre-Festival Jam with jam performances by the festival’s performers.   The dance floor at Smokin’ Moes was packed as usual and the musicians were probably having as much or more fun than we were!

I missed the show on Saturday, but the highlight (from what I’ve heard) was the Walter Trout performance preceded by the hail strorm that swiftly cleared the park out for about 10 minutes. The cooler air after the storm was welcomed by my festival-goer friends, who came back to enjoy Walter and his band close out Saturday’s show.

Sunday’s show started out with a mimosa followed by several beers. Oh, and the music was great, too. We had Curtis Salgado, Nick Moss and the Fliptops, Mike Zito, Theresa James, JP Soars and Trampled Under Foot.  JP Soars was especially entertaining with his handmade guitar (pictured). His high energy paired with a voice that seems to come from a much bigger body was definitely a lot of fun to dance to. 

There were a lot of vendors to peruse between acts, plus good food like BBQ, Fried Catfish and Mexican. I loved the authentic $3 tamale and the mint chocolate chip ice cream for desert.  The continual lathering of sunscreen was necessary with all the wonderfully bright sunshine, with no afternoon thunderstorm or hardly a cloud in sight.  The Australian hat vendor sure must have made a killing, although be warned, he doesn’t take bargaining jokes lightly.

Ah, just another fun summer weekend in Winter Park, with plenty more to come. Next up is the Free Hi Country Music Festival, the Winter Park Jazz Festival, the Free Fox Classic Rock Festival and the Crankworx Colorado Mountain Bike Festival. The summer was just kicked off wonderfully by the Blues from the Top Music Fest.

Outdoor Gear Swap in Winter Park, CO

Don’t miss the 2nd annual Fraser Valley Community Gear Swap benefitting Habitat for Humanity on Saturday & Sunday, June 19th and 20th. Come out between 9am & 5pm to the Epic Mountain Sports parking lot at the Park Place Shopping Center (with Conoco and Movie Theater).

Sell your used skis, snowboards, bikes, kayaks, golf clubs, tents & camping gear or any other sporting equipment you no longer need, or pick up a new addition for your outdoor gear collection.

To sell your stuff, drop off your gear on Friday afternoon between 4pm and 6pm or on Saturday morning between 7am and 9am. You name your price, fill out a sale form and keep 100% of the proceeds from your gear. If you don’t want to take that old stuff back to your garage, you can donate it to the Habitat for Humanity.

Plus, all Park Place Shopping Center stores will donate 5% of Saturday sales to the Habitat Humanity. Take advantage of the big sale at Epic Mountain Sports and specials at Rise & Shine Bakery, and feel good about helping out the community.

For more info, call Epic Mountain Sports at 970-726-2868.

Winter Park, CO Recipe of the Month: June

The recipe of the month for June comes straight out of the bible of all cookbooks:  The Joy of Cooking. It is a delicious grilled or steamed-on-the-grill salmon fillet with an even more delicious Chipotle Mayonnaisse. A great meal for a summer evening and it’s quick and easy to boot.

You only really need 1/2 of the chipotle mayonnaisse that this recipe makes if your preparing four salmon fillets, but it’s so yummy you’ll want to save the leftover to spread on sandwiches or use for other meals. 

Tip: If you’ve got a sensitive tongue, (i.e. Taco Bell’s hot sauce is too spicy for you), you may want to stick to the milder variation of Watercress Mayonnaisse.

Ingredients:

Up to 8 Salmon Fillets & Chipotle or Watercress Mayonnaise

Chipotle Mayo
1 cup light or regular mayo
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle peppers
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the peppers (or to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and black pepper to taste

Watercress Mayo
1 cup light or regular mayo
1/4 cup finely chopped watercress
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

First, decide whether you’d like to prepare the salmon directly on the grill or if you’d like to steam it in foil over the grill. Both ways are easy, but if you use the steaming method you don’t have to worry about flipping the fillets or any stickage on the grill.

Prepare the chipotle or the watercress mayo next, just by adding all ingredients to a bowl and mixing until completely blended.

Start the fillets, using a medium-high flame. If you’re grilling directly over the flames, all you need to do is salt and pepper the fillets, then grill on each side 4-5 minutes or until they’re completely opaque.

If you’re steaming with foil, make sure to double up or use heavy duty foil. Set each fillet on a piece of foil large enough to completely wrap around it, spread a tablespoon or so of the mayo over the top, then fold the foil over the fillet. Set over a medium-high flame with the lid closed for about 15 minutes, or until completely opaque.

After the steaks are done, top with chipotle or watercress mayo and serve with wild rice and a green veggie for a pretty and healthy dinner.

Winter Park, CO Airfare Deal Alert for June

Just weeks before the official start to summer, now’s the time to start your summer vacation planning in earnest.  Compared to last month, fares have definitely gone up. Here is our list of thirty-five flight deals to Denver for June, now with arrows showing whether the flights are going up or down compared to May.

Going Fast!

Check this out, if you live in Albuquerque or Salt Lake City, you can get to Denver on Southwest Airlines for $50 each way if you book by June 3rd. Act fast!

Also, Midwest Airlines has flights to Denver from Kansas City or Omaha  for as low as $59 each way and from New York La Guardia for $139 each way.  You must travel on a Tues/Weds and book by this Friday, June 4th to grab these deals.

More Flight Deals

Let us know where you’re flying  from and we’ll keep our eyes peeled for deals for next month’s report. Just email valarie@wplbo.com. You can also check online at www.airfarewatchdog.com, and while you’re there, set up monthly, weekly or even daily alerts for flights to or from the airports of your choice.

Remember to check with us for availability at a vacation rental in Winter Park for your dates first, then book your flights! Search Winter Park Lodging Company now to see what options await you.

Airfare Deal Alert for May

Check out May’s list of thirty-five flight deals to Denver. When comparing to last month’s report, I noticed that some flights have gone up, some have gone down and some have dissappeared, but there are some great new ones, too. Like round trip flights  from Washington DC for only $178 and even from Honolulu for under $500!

Let us know where you’re flying  from and we’ll keep our eyes peeled for deals for next month’s report. Just email valarie@wplbo.com. You can also check online at www.airfarewatchdog.com, and while you’re there, set up monthly, weekly or even daily alerts for flights to or from the airports of your choice. 

Remember to check with us for availability at a vacation rental in Winter Park for your dates first, then book your flights! Search Winter Park Lodging Company now to see what options await you.