Exclusive Resorts - Snowmass and Vail

For some reason, it's taken me a while to get this post up.  Maybe it's because looking at the pictures makes me want to go back.  It's sweltering hot this time of year in Alabama and I miss the perfect week of weather we had in Aspen.

The good news is that I get to go back in two weeks, so I'm just gonna suck it up.

I already posted about the hike from hell and I'm going to summarize my fabulous Food and Wine Classic experiences soon but here are some pics of the ER units and the beauty of summers in the Rockies.

We'll start with the ER units at The Timbers in Snowmass.  

This was the perfect place for us to stay during F&W.  The Timbers provides complimentary shuttle service back and forth to Aspen so we never had to worry about parking.  You give them a call and they're there in about 20 minutes.  Very convenient.

The units are nice.  They won't blow your socks off like some of the other ER mountain destinations, but they're adequate and the staff at The Timbers is outstanding.

There are essentially two master bedrooms each containing a king size bed.

And one room with two doubles.

But if you're looking for amazing views you may want to look elsewhere.

Yup....that rock wall is your view!!

These are the hot tubs.  Nice, but not private.

The outside of The Timbers.  

I assume these units are ski-in/ski-out (I may be wrong) because there is a lift next to the pool....probably a five minute walk.  Hubs and I have never skied at Snowmass so I can't comment on that.  I will say that these units are not that close to the village itself but it looks like there is lift service between the two.  

So this wouldn't be my first choice of ER's mountain offerings, but it was perfect us and our needs for the week.

And if outdoor activities are your thing (hiking and walking are ours!) then you'll love it here.  I referenced the hike from you-know-where earlier, but here are a few pics from a much more relaxing walk we took the next day.

Hubs was much happier about this one (it's all relative).  Nice and flat.

If you stay on Route 82 through downtown Aspen this beauty runs parallel with the road.  A great place to walk, ride bikes, bird watch (most of the property is a bird sanctuary), or whatever.

A nice place to work off your breakfast from Montagne at The Little Nell.  (Make sure you have the huevos rancheros!)

And since we're talking food, make sure you check out Ajax Tavern (I think we ate there 300 times...it was the "see-and-be-scene" for the who's who at F&W) which is also part of The Little Nell.  Have lunch outside on the patio and watch people start the hike from Hades!  And on the other side of the gondola is Il Mulino.  Amazing Italian.  I've not been to the original in NYC, but I will the next time I'm in the city.

Then when you're all worn out, get back in your car and continue East on 82.

You won't be able to drive this in the winter months because it's always closed so definitely take advantage during the summer.

The reason it's called "Aspen."

And if you're into Lance Armstrong style bicycling you'll definitely find some friends on this road!  I prefer four wheels, myself.

Beautimous!!

On our way back, I spotted these guys.  Like I said, if you like outdoor activities, you can find something here.

I won't be trying this anytime soon, either.

Aaaaahhhhhhh.  Crazy stuff.

Since we were flying in and out of Eagle County and had an early morning flight on Sunday, we headed back to Vail on Saturday evening and spent one night at the new Arabelle residences.

In a word.....amazing.

I've been to Vail several times (its been about three years since my last visit) and this area was under construction the last time we were there.  We didn't have time to do any walking around so I couldn't exactly get my bearings, but I think this whole area is new.

This area was right outside the windows of our unit.  There are coffee shops, restaurants, a pizza shop, etc.

Like I said, we were just there for a few hours, but I can't wait to go back and get a better lay of the land.  We're heading back to Beaver Creek in two weeks and I know we'll go back over to Vail for a little shopping.  (Shhh.  Hubs doesn't need to know everything.)

We both did a double take when we walked into the units.  They are beautiful.

Very open and spacious and the decor is warm and elegant without being overly "mountainy".  I fell in love.

Two large bedrooms with kings and one bedroom with double bunk beds.

Can you tell I was enamored?  

So, as I mentioned we're heading back to Colorado in a few weeks to enjoy another week of perfect weather and some fresh mountain air.  This time we're staying in one of the homes in Beaver Creek.  Can't wait!

And if you're from ER, leave me a comment, please.  What's your favorite ER mountain destination and why?  

TWD - Dressy Chocolate Loafcake

I'm back with TWD after a week off while I was hanging out with the superstars of the food and wine industry in Aspen.  Just to be completely honest....those superstars didn't exactly invite me to their parties and I may or may not have stalked them at lunch, but whatever.  Those are all stories for a different time.

However, one of my resolutions upon coming home from Aspen was to give up sugar (thanks, Art Smith) for a month (we'll see where it goes from there).  Which means I didn't actually taste this one.  (And just to be clear...the natural sugars in wine do not count.)  Hubs gave it a four out of five stars.  He said the texture was nice and he actually like the fruit and chocolate combo.  We'll have to take his word for it.

I made the mistake of not reading the entire recipe before getting started and soon discovered that I didn't have enough sour cream, so I substituted fat free greek yogurt for the sour cream called for in the cake itself.  I decided to splurge on the icing instead.  It must have worked out!  Oh, and I almost forgot, I made this into three mini cakes so that Mr. B was not forced to eat it all before it went stale.

Check out Amy Ruth Bakes for the recipe.  Thanks, Amy Ruth, for this week's pick!

New design??

I feel like I need to have a post about the new design.....except it was totally by accident.  I started exploring Bloggers "new designs" and before I new it I had one and had no idea how to get my old design back.  At first I was extremely frustrated but then I decided I'd just go with it and try to make the best of it.

Sorry if you hate it, but I'm too stupid to get the old one back, so GET OVER IT!!!

Love,
JB

Wine Infused "Beer Can" Chicken

I have no idea who invented "beer can chicken".  I'm sure I could Google it and there would be at least a thousand people who claim it.  But I'm not sure I want to read about the person who thought it would be a good idea to shove a can up a chicken's ass and throw it on a grill.  I mean, really, who thinks of things like that?

A genius, maybe?

Well, maybe not about the beer can part, but that shoving a can up the chicken's ass?  Genius.  Because as I learned from Proud Italian Cook, you don't necessarily have to fill that can with beer.  You can rinse that sucker out and fill it with WINE!!!!  And we all know everything is better with WINE! 

So, everyone knows the premise of beer-can chicken, right?  Empty out a few inches of beer from the can, shove it up the chicken's buttocks and put him on the grill.  The beer will start to boil and infuse the chicken from the inside out.  Sounds great.  Except if you don't really like the flavor of beer.  I, personally, am OK with beer.  I think it's about the best thing you can drink if it's ICE cold on a hot day.

But wine?  That's another story. LOVE wine.  All.  The.  Time.

So when I saw this recipe, I knew I'd love it.  I l.o.v.e. roast chicken.  I buy at least one rotisserie chicken every week.  But if I can make my own and make it better....then I'm in.

This recipe is IT.  I happen to have the above roaster that I think I got from Sur la Table, but it's totally not necessary.  I have made this by just using the can and it's totally fine.  This roaster just makes it much easier to get the chicken on and off of the grill without any mishaps.

So you start by emptying any can...soda, beer, V-8...rinsing it out, and filling it with wine...leaving about 2 inches to spare at the top.  I used a Sauvignon Blanc, because that's what I like to drink.  If your thing is Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay, either of those would probably be fine, however I probably wouldn't use a heavily oaked or buttery Chard.  I think you want something with some citrus notes.

Start with some chopped herbs....I used what was growing in my herb garden....some Texas thyme, basil, oregano, variegated basil along with some lemon zest, red pepper flakes, a clove of chopped garlic and salt and pepper.

Mix all of that together with just enough olive oil to make a nice paste.

Lift of the skin of the chicken and run your fingers under there and separate the skin from the flesh.  Get in there and get personal with that bird.

Now take that rub and RUB.  All over the top, and under the skin and flip it over and just rub it in EVERYWHERE!!  It's a good thing!

After you rubbed it all in....just let it sit and rest for about 1/2 hour at room temp.  Let it become one with it's new coat.  It will love it.

Now's the time to get really personal.  Go ahead and shove that can (or your roaster) up that chicken's patootie.  It may not thank you, but your guests, or husband, or significant other will thank you later!

Oh and that opening of the chicken at the top...you're gonna want to block it with something.  Either a piece of onion or lemon or even a head of garlic.  Just something to impart some flavor and not let the steam of the wine escape.  You want it to go into the bird....not the interior of your grill.

I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but your bird needs to be grilled over indirect heat.  I happen to have six burners on my grill.  I light the four outer burners and ignore the two inner burners. I turn the four outer ones on to high and then turn them accordingly to reach an internal temp of between 350 to 400 F.    I then place the chicken in the center of the grill, over the two non-lit burners....i.e., indirect heat!!!  

If you're using a charcoal grill, heat until you get hot coals, move them to the side and place your chicken on the indirect side.

Roast until the juices run clear.  Mine roasts between 375-400F for an hour.  I then let it rest on the counter for at least 15 minutes....mostly 30 minutes.  By that time it's at a temperature I can handle it and cut it up.

I have to say, this is the best roast chicken I've ever made.  Mr. B does not really like chicken and he LOVES this every time I make it.  It also makes for great leftovers.  I can't recommend this enough.

So thanks to Proud Italian Cook for this recipe.  I have to say that her site is the best site for everyday Italian recipes.  Everything from her site is always delicious and totally approachable!  Check her out.

Snowmass and Aspen

You're going to need to strap yourselves in for this one!  Hubs and I arrived in Vail on Monday morning and promptly drove ourselves to Snowmass.  It's a nice drive in the summer.  And speaking of that.....I'm pretty much through with Colorado in the Winter.  As the (very cute) guy helping hubs in Ralph Lauren said the other day...."There are only two things to do in Colorado in the winter....ski and drink.  But there are a hundred things to do in the summer....and a hundred and one if you include drinking."  (And I do, but we'll discuss that later.)

I've been to Colorado in the summer on a few other occasions.  One time we were visiting colleges during the summer before Barry's Sr. year.....UC Boulder and the Air Force Academy (he really wanted to go, but unfortunately was lacking in the grade department!!)  That was a bust, but we all remembered how fabulous the weather was and always said we'd come back.

And other than a short weekend trip to Telluride one September, somehow that never happened, until now.  Big mistake.  We'll be back annually from now on.

So we arrived Monday afternoon and settled in to our Exclusive Resorts residences at The Timbers at Snowmass.  I'll give you a complete review of that in a few days, but this is one of those trips that's going to require multiple posts!   We're here for the Food and Wine Classic but that doesn't start until Friday, so we had a few days to kill.  Hubs would say that I tried to kill HIM, but that's not totally true.

There's something about Colorado that brings out the health nut in everyone.  The mountains, all of the walking and biking paths, the fresh 70 degree air with not an ounce of humidity....all of that just screams at you to GET OUTSIDE AND EXERCISE YOUR FAT ASS.

So that's what I did.  Unfortunately, I drug Mr. B with me.  Poor unsuspecting soul.  He trusts me implicitly.....until now.

I took it easy on him on Tuesday.  We just followed a path out of our front door looking to find Snowmass Village and maybe some breakfast!

It was at the most maybe a mile....slightly uphill.  And I say "slightly" only in retrospect of Wednesday's hike, but you'll hear more about that hike from hell in a minute.

But the walk Tuesday was pretty mild...

...and really lulled Hubs into a false sense of security.

We ended up here in Snowmass Village for a nice cup of coffee and hot chocolate.  He was really feeling good about himself and the fact that his wife had not led him into purgatory.  Which is always a fear for him.

After our walk we decided to head into Aspen and check it out.  We had never been there before and wanted to see what exactly had Goldie Hawn so damn enamored.

As much as I think Goldie has gone a little wackadoo over the years, I totally get her love for this town.  It's so not your typical ski village.  This is the small town that everyone wants to live in.  Granted only about 1% of the population can actually afford to live here, but nonetheless........

Hubs and I said it reminded us of Birmingham, Michigan with mountains.  Lots of local color, great shopping, fabulous restaurants, everyone has their dog with them, and tons of great gathering spaces.

So we had lunch at Ajax Tavern which is at the base of the mountain at the main gondola.  Great food and great atmosphere.  As we found out later in the week, this is the place to see and be seen for the Food and Wine Classic....(spotted Mario Batali and Fabio from Top Chef at lunch on Thursday)... but more about that later.

This was our view from the patio of the restaurant.  Nice, right?  Hubs was loving it.  

Until the next morning.  See, I had read in the hiking guidebook in our ER residence that this trail...the Ute trail.... had the best views of Aspen at the TOP of the trail.  What?  I like great views.  And I wanted to show y'all great views.

So I decided that we were going to hike this trail Wednesday morning.  In the spirit of full disclosure (not that I told Mr. B any of this..) here's what the guidebook said..

Roundtrip Distance/Hiking Time:  2 1/2 miles / 2 hours

Difficulty:  Difficult (extremely steep with poor footing)

General Comments:  The steep, rocky Ute Trail, reached on foot from the center of Aspen, offers one of the best views of Aspen and Roaring Fork Valley of any trail in the area.  Situated on Aspen Mountain to the east of the Silver Queen Gondola, the Ute Trail ends at a rock outcropping near the ski slopes just below Gentlemen's Ridge.  The climb is steep (the trail ascends almost 1,200 feet to an elevation of 9,185 feet), but the view from the rocks is well worth it.  The hike up this trail is a popular workout for local athletes.

See what I mean.  How many times do they mention "the view"?

So we start out up this first hill.  Don't let this picture fool you.  As I have discovered looking back at these photos, I SUCK at taking pictures that truly reflect the amount of incline that's involved.  I'm sure there is a class for that and I'll be taking it post haste.

Anyhoo, we walk up that first hill and in between heart attacks I look back and see the following view.  I think it's a lovely fucking view of Aspen.  Don't you?  I'm serious.  I look at my 57 year old husband and say.  "This is good."  He's wheezing and seriously pissed that I'm making him do this, but says.."No.  You wanted to go to the top.  We're going to the fucking top."  Now, we've only gone about 20 yards (STRAIGHT UPHILL) and he's trying to prove a point, but the SOB starts walking.

We were following these people that immediately went off the path and headed straight up the (DOUBLE BLACK DIAMOND) hill, and hubs asks me if we should follow them.  I look at the gravel road in front of me (that looks relatively flat at that point) and tell him no, that I'd rather take the longer, flatter route.  I'm stupid.

There was no flat part.  That picture above was taken by moi just after I'd had my fourth heart attack and this 20-year old BASTARD went RUNNING past us.  That's my husband ignoring him just so he didn't punch him on the way by.

This was the second view of Aspen (those white tents are the F&W Classic tents!!).  Again, I told my lovely husband that this was a great view.

Right?  I could have posted this pic and you would have believed I'd made it all the way to the top.  Right?  RIGHT?

See.  I told you.  DOUBLE BLACK DIAMOND.  That's what we were hiking UP.  I won't even ski down one of those suckers.  Why the hell am I walking up one.  AND TO NORWAY??  For the love.

To be completely honest, this is the view I had 90% of the hike up.  The gound.  A small part of that is because I just wanted to keep my head down and focus on the 95% incline in front of me.  The biggest part is because I was constantly grabbing my ankles and gasping for air (of which there isn't a lot at NINE THOUSAND FEET).

And this really pissed me off.  The entire hike this is the view I had of the OLD guy that didn't want to go on this hike.  FORTY STEPS ahead of me.   Initially, I was like..WTF???  He's ten years older than I am.  What's going on here?  Then I remembered.  He's 6'7"!  He's lived his entire life in THIN AIR.  He's USED TO THIS SHIT.   Totally made me feel better about myself.

But then I saw this guy.  I couldn't even keep up with him.  Jeesh.

And I made a COMPLETE fool of myself when I saw this truck.  Layed down in the road trying to get a  ride.  Jerk just yelled at me and said I should try to keep up with the old guy in front of me.  Errrrrrr.

So when I caught up with the senior citizen this is what I found!  Hahahaha.  He swears he was looking at a bug.  Riiiiiggght.

See that option on the bottom?  I was this close.

After about an hour and a quarter, we ended up here.  We christened it THE TOP!  Technically, we may have been wrong.  But it was the top for us.  I actually had on my Body Bugg, but didn't bring along a USB connection to upload the data so I don't know how far we went.  But, believe me, when we get home, I'm checking that shit out.

I'm happy with our efforts.  And look at that view behind Mr. B.  

And rare proof that I actually went too!

Can you find those F&W tents now?

This was the last sign we saw on the way down.  It should actually read....The "Old" Goat Road, right?