Pineapple Tequila Crushers with Fresh Basil

Posted on July 31, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

Anyone else throwing up their hands and screaming TGIF? I am! To celebrate the weekend, why don’t you make yourself a “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” drink… right now. Ok, so it’s 10am? Maybe wait until you leave work before throwing back the tequila, I’m sure your boss will appreciate it! But seriously, this drink is killer and deliciously refreshing! Another tasty concoction from the Blonded by Style and Ski Boots in the Kitchen Mexican Fiesta collaboration! (Check out the full menu here!) We hope you enjoy… we did! Happy Weekend to you all!

Pineapple Tequila Crushers with Fresh Basil

2 oz. Reposado Tequila
¾ oz. Agave Nectar
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
4 Fresh Pineapple Chunks
2 Basil Leaves
Soda water

Directions:

Muddle Pineapple and basil leaves in a glass.
Add remaining ingredients and shake vigorously with ice until well blended.
Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Top with a splash of soda water and garnish with a chunk of fresh pineapple.
Optional* Add a few thin slices of fresh jalapeno to the mixture after shaking for a spicy version!

Drunken Chicken with Pineapple Salsa (BBS/SBITK Collaboration)

Posted on July 29, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

In order to throw the ultimate summer BBQ you need a few key ingredients. First, a theme is helpful (and fun!) to help guide your guests on what they can bring that will complement the meal you’re preparing. For the BBQ collaboration I did with Mia from Blonded by Style we chose a Mexican Fiesta theme with a few reoccurring ingredients such as Tequila, Jalapenos, Cilantro, Pineapple and Lime. See the whole menu here.

Using the same ingredients in all your dishes helps save some money at the store and helps tie the whole meal together! Second, come up with specialty cocktail or drink to go with your theme, everyone loves a specialty drink and it will help make your BBQ more festive! Premixing your cocktail, such as this Pineapple Tequila Crusher or Sangria will help save you time and allow you to mix and mingle more with your friends!

Lastly, festive table decor (plates, glasses and/or flowers) add a fun touch to your party. There is no need to go out and buy all new stuff, find some fun paper napkins or mason jars for your cocktails that you’ll be able to reuse for other parties. No matter what you serve or drink at your next BBQ being surrounded by great friends and food is all that matters! Enjoy!

Drunken Chicken (Blonded by Style & SBITK BBQ Collaboration)

¾ cup Tequila
1/3 cup lime juice
¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño – partially seeded and diced
¼ teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
½ bunch of cilantro, chopped
9-10 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together ingredients.
Place the chicken in a 9×13 baking dish, pour marinade over the chicken and allow it to marinate for 3-8hours in the refrigerator.
When ready to cook, heat your grill (medium/high heat). Remove chicken from marinade and place on the grill about 5-7 minutes per side. Flip and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Serve with Pineapple salsa (recipe below).

Pineapple Salsa

Half a pineapple, cored, skin removed and diced
1 jalapeño partially seeded and diced
½ cup red onion finely chopped
½ pint of cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro
2 limes, juiced
Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1 turn around the bowl)
Salt, pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine pineapple, jalapeno, red onion and cilantro, and lime juice, mix to combine. Drizzle with EVOO and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve over chicken

**Thanks to Mia for taking all the beautiful photos!

Mexican Fiesta with Blonded by Style & SBITK

Posted on July 25, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

One of my favorite things about food and cooking is that it brings people together. No matter what language you speak or what country you are in, food is the universal language. I love bringing people together around my kitchen table to share a meal with good friends, drinks and food, there is nothing better! Last week my friend Mia, one of the stylish chicks behind the blog Blonded By Style, and I got together to throw a fun Mexican themed fiesta for our friends. She and her sister Zoe started their fashion blog to showcase their fabulous style with beautiful photographs, clothing and food! We thought it would be fun to collaborate on how to throw a stylish and delicious summer BBQ! Stay tuned for all the great recipes coming soon! To give you a taste of what we did here is our menu!

Summer Mexican Fiesta with Ski Boots in the Kitchen and Blonded By Style

Pineapple Tequila Crushers with Fresh Basil
Jalapeno Poppers with Pineapple and Bacon
Guacamole and Chips
Drunken Chicken with Pineapple Salsa
Forbidden Rice and Bean Salad with Orange Dressing
Mexican Corn off the Cob
Death by Chocolate Mexican Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Mia headed over to the beautiful farm stand at Copper Moose Farm to gather some fresh ingredients for our BBQ.

Fresh green beans, basil and flowers all grown here in Park City. The difference in flavors of freshly grown ingredients vs. store bought is amazing. Buying fresh and local is the way to go!

We had the best time cooking together… We even got a little silly and I put on some ski boots to show that sometimes, I actually do cook in my ski boots! The goggles were helpful when I was cutting the onions, my eyes didn’t water! Thanks to Mia for taking all the beautiful photos! Check back soon for the Drunken Chicken with Pineapple Salsa recipe and other recipes next week!

Key Lime Pie

Posted on July 15, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

Happy hump day y’all! You’ve made it through half the work week and lets be honest you deserve a treat for working so hard! There’s pretty much no better way to treat yourself or celebrate than with pie… and more specifically deliciously tart and perfect key lime pie! Last night I was celebrating because our coed rec league softball team went undefeated in our regular season (9-0!) So we are heading into the playoffs ranked #1! We played a double header under beautiful pink Park City skies! Doesn’t get much better than that! Oh wait it does… Key Lime Pie! This is my all time favorite go to recipe that was passed on to me by a friend. I have tired many variations of key lime pies and this one hands down always wins.

It is the perfect balance of tangy and sweet, it’s so satisfying and refreshing! I have also made it a few different ways, both as a pie and as individual mini tarts! The pie version is definitely less time consuming since you’re not packing the graham cracker crust into each little individual cupcake tin, however the result of the mini tarts is quite chic! Top these little babies off with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and booyah you’re the most popular person at the party!

Key Lime Pie (Serves 8)

Ingredients For the Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about one sleeve of graham crackers, finely crushed)
5-6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Key Lime Filling
3 Large egg yolks
1 14oz can sweeten condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh squeezed key lime juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated key lime zest
For the Whipped Topping
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan or large cupcake pan (you may need to do a few batches with the cupcake pan if you only have one). Bake in oven for about 8-10 minutes, until golden brown (don’t allow it to get too brown).
Meanwhile, In the bowl of your electric mixer (you can use a hand mixer or kitchen aide), with the whisk attachment beat the egg yolks until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Gradually add the sweeten condensed milk and beat until you have a light and fluffy mixture (4-5 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the limejuice and zest.
Pour the filling into the crust and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the filling has set. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once it has completely cooled, cover and refrigerate until serving time. (Pie can be made at this point and stored in fridge over night).
Just before serving, make the whipping cream. In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form, add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Place mounds of whipping cream on top of the pie filling.

Red, White and Blue Ricotta Bites

Posted on July 8, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

Happy 4th of July… A few days late! Sorry I have been MIA for the last few weeks, I have been all over the U.S. of A on vacation, visiting family and going to a lot weddings! 3 weddings in 3 weeks, its a new record for us.

I feel like my liver might be failing at this point, especially since we followed up our three week wedding tour with a 3 day 4th of July weekend, which was heavy on the BBQing and drinking too. OUCH. Not to mention its been about 700 degrees here in Utah and I haven’t had the slightest desire to get in the kitchen to cook. I did want to make a fun and festive appetizer for our BBQ that didn’t require going anywhere near the stove.

Thus, these little ricotta bruschetta bites were the perfect option. I picked up the fresh berries at the Canyons farmers market with my mother and father-in-law, they were so fresh and delicious! There is nothing better than plump fresh blueberries. These little ricotta bites are great anytime, not just the 4th of July and as the warm summer months continue you’ll be happy to have a no bake appy for your next gathering!

Ingredients:

1 crispy french baguette, sliced into 1/4-1/2″ pieces
1 small container of whole milk ricotta cheese
1 container blueberries, rinsed and dried
1 container raspberries, rinsed and dried
honey for drizzling

Directions:

Arrange the sliced baguette on a platter. Using a knife, evenly spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese on the bread. Place one blueberry and one raspberry on top of the baguette. Finish with a drizzle of honey over the top of each piece of bruschetta.
Serve and enjoy!