Sausage, Apple & Pecan Stuffing

Posted on November 13, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

First, let me just say that stuffing might be my favorite part of Thanksgiving- that and cranberry sauce. I could probably eat stuffing and cranberry relish alone for dinner for a month and be happy- I would also be very fat. Second, let me say that stuffing is NOT a very pretty item to photograph. Its down right gross looking and I’m sorry. But I promise this recipe for stuffing is not gross and will become your favorite, guaranteed! I have made this dish two years in a row for our annual Friendsgiving and I always get so many complements on it! The combination of the maple breakfast sausage, the crisp apples and crunchy nuts make it super delish! If you have guests with nut allergies no worries- the recipe is equally as delicious with out the nuts! Happy cooking!

Sausage, Apple & Pecan Stuffing (serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

1 12oz bag of Pepperidge Farm Cubed Herb Stuffing Mix
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cups chicken broth
1 12oz package maple breakfast sausage, casing removed
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 large granny smith or fuji apple pealed and cubed
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

Remove sausage from its casing and cook in a medium skillet, using a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces, set aside. Grease a 9×11 baking dish and set aside.
In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery, and cook 5 minutes. Add sage, thyme and parsley and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add dry stuffing, sausage, Parmesan, apple and chopped pecans and mix lightly to combined. Add chicken broth and mix again being careful not to over mix or make the stuffing soggy.
Spread stuffing into greased baking dish cover with foil until you are ready to heat and serve. Before serving bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until heated all the way through.

Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprout & Apple Stuffing

Posted on October 23, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

Happy Friday! Today is a very special day- not just because its Friday and the weekend is just a few hours away. Today is Ski Boots in the Kitchen’s 2nd Birthday!! Happy Birthday blog! I made you some delicious stuffing to celebrate! Thank you to everyone that has followed me, made my recipes and enjoy this journey with me, it’s been so much fun! In celebration of our 2nd birthday we have a super awesome, shiny and new Ski Boots in the Kitchen logo created by my amazing sista Anabelle McLean! I don’t know about you but I am excited for some fall activities this weekend! I went out and bought a couple pumpkins to carve and I am planning on making my favorite Stew in a Pumpkin which was my very first post on the blog two years ago! If you have not tried this stew, please stop what you are doing and get your yourself to a grocery store STAT and start cooking. It is the best fall recipe… possibly ever!

I thought you’d enjoy some of the wildlife I’ve been seeing around Park City lately. All the deer and moose are out trying to fatten up before winter and I am doing the same in my kitchen! I have already started to think about the holidays and delicious recipes to share with your family and friends this Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah! This recipe for stuffing is an awesome way to get all your veggies- butternut squash, apples and cranberries add the perfect sweetness, while the pecans give the stuffing a lovely crunch! This recipe is so tasty, it will definitely become a new family favorite! Hope you have a great weekend! Cheers!

Lasagna-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprout and Apple Stuffing (Click for printer friendly version)

(Serves 6-8)

Recipe from Food52

1 pound butternut squash, cubed
1 pound brussels sprouts, halved
1 medium gala apple, cut into a 1/2 inch dice
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided into 2 tbsp and 1 tbsp
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
10 slices bread of choice: crusty sourdough, dry cornbread, whole grain, or, if you are gluten free, millet bread will work nicely. Prior to preparing the recipe, leave bread out for a day to become slightly dry, then cut into cubes.
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (plus extra as needed)
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup pecans or walnuts (optional)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the squash, brussels sprouts, apples, and shallots in 2 tbsp oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast till vegetables are very tender and remove from oven. Reduce oven heat to 350.
Heat other tbsp oil in a large pot. Saute the onion and celery till translucent (about 5-8 min). Add the bread cubes and allow them to get golden brown with the veggies in the oil. Add a dash of salt and pepper.
Add the roasted vegetables, cranberries, pecans, and seasonings, gently toss to combine. Add the vegetable broth and stir the mix till the broth has almost entirely absorbed in the toasted bread. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Après Hour

Posted on April 17, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

Good Morning! Happy almost weekend! I brought you some flowers this week, don’t you just love them? They’re ranunculus and they make my house feel like spring! Everyone around the country has their bunny ears all up in a bunch about it snowing in April. Guess what, here in Utah we ski at Snowbird until July! I did see this hilarious photo however and it made me chuckle… ✓ These baked eggs with spinach and mushrooms looks like the perfect weekend brunch item!

✓ Or these waffles… with blueberry bourbon syrup, you’re kidding me.

✓ Wash it all down with this, one of my favorite brunch cocktails…

✓ Happy Easter! These 25 hilarious bunny costumes will make you laugh (hard) and then give you nightmares (if you’re 5).

✓ My mother just sent me the ultimate Easter egg… Solid chocolate on the outside… (that’s a Cadbury mini egg beside it to give you some perspective!)

cadbury egg vs. ultimate egg

✓ And filled with chocolate on the inside! Thanks, Mom!

✓ Want to make yourself really hungry at work? Look at TheeFoodPorn twitter feed- the pictures will make you drool.

✓ It’s possible to buy organic and not break the bank… here are 7 tips!

✓ Do you know the difference between flat-leaf and curly-leaf parsley? See here.

✓ This Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Gives The Safety Speech To End All Safety Speeches.

✓ Piper’s been bad and she knows it… That new toy only lasted 10 minutes! I hope you have a better weekend than Piper’s poor frog! Cheers to you!

Après Hour

Posted on April 10, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

Happy Friday, happy Après Hour! Spring has sprung here in Park City, for real this time, look at the pretty flowers I found on a hike this week. I’m sorry if you missed après hour last week, it was a crazy week and I just didn’t have time! I was too busy tending to my newly potted plants and celebrating my birthday. Check out the cactus and succulents I planted a few weeks ago!

Going crazy at Home Depot

It’s been two whole weeks and they are still all alive- when I read online that they only have to be watered once every one to two weeks I was sold! It even said “when in doubt, don’t water them!” So I figure I’ve got that going for me. This is what my basil plant looked like last year…Yep, its dead. Totally dead. I should have notice the directions on this one said, when in doubt ALWAYS water. I didn’t get to use fresh basil in ONE recipe before I killed this sucker! Anyways, I’m hoping for better luck this year.

✓ Did you know it’s #pizzaweek? Click here for heavenly pizza recipes, all week long!

✓ Looking to ‘sharpen’ your knife skills? Check out this free knife skills class so you’ll be a pro in the kitchen!

✓ Go ahead and pretend you’ve never had this reaction…✓ Start your day off with this tropical smoothie… I’d like to add a little rum to it!

✓ Then finish your day off with this cocktail… the rum is already added to it! (A drink for breakfast and dinner, in one day… the Dr. will never know!)

✓ Speaking of cocktails, check out the awesome Moscow Mule mugs I got for my birthday! I love them! ✓ Do you love picnics? You’re crazy if you don’t! Check out this delicious Indiegogo campaign from Madeline Picnic Co.! Farm to Fork gourmet picnic baskets, what could be better?

✓ Looking for some budget friendly recipes? Here are 104 that feed 4 for $10! The Risotto Primavera looks delicious!!!

✓ Rhubarb Shortcake, yes please!

✓ These pictures will make you fall in love with foxes.

✓ Here’s piper, wishing you a very happy weekend! Cheers!

Après Hour

Posted on March 27, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

Howdy y’all, its that time of the week again… Après Hour! Last weekend we went to Jackson Hole to ski and look what I found! A lift named after this post… nope I just lied. The lift is named Apres Vous and I poorly photo shopped “hour” over “vous” but it was worth a shot! Jackson Hole was gorgeous! The town is so much fun and the Teton mountains are so breath taking! ✓ See what I mean, Teton National Park is pretty awesome. Hope you enjoy some of my favorite links, drinks and photos from around the internet this week! Cheers to the weekend!

✓ Here are the 20 Stages of Grocery Shopping… YES to #16 (Wine is a requirement)!

✓ Spring Cleaning? Here are 10 things you’ll probably forget to clean but shouldn’t!

Girls selfie

Jackson Hole Arch

View from the top of the tram

Lunch Margs

✓ Some pictures of Jackson Hole and my lunch time margaritas. Speaking of margaritas…

✓ I’m definitely making this Roasted Grapefruit and Habanero margarita the moment I get home tonight.

✓ Love this company FEED. They create good products that help FEED the world. Each bag feeds one child in school for one year, plus they are really awesome for the farmers market!

✓ This is one of my favorite food blogs, Cookie and Kate. All her recipes are awesome but this kale pesto looks killer!

✓ If I had to pick my last meal on earth… this would be it. ✓ We could all use some good life advice, take these 21 tips from Gloria Steinem they’re really good!

Happy Weekend to you!

Après Hour

Posted on March 20, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

✓ I might have an obsession with taking photos of sunsets. I just love them!

Happy Friday and Happy Après Hour! It’s been another long week, although not any longer than any other week you’ve had your whole life, so lets move on. Yesterday was officially the first day of spring but winter is not ready to back down! It was cold all week but thankfully it was sunny too! I did get to relax in the sun on a “Ski Beach” (that’s just a fancy name for lounge chairs in the snow!) Yup that’s me kicking up my feet! Time for you to kick up your feet and enjoy some of my favorites from around the internet this week! Here’s to the weekend, Cheers!

✓ Keep it LOCAL. Looking for a way to eat sustainable, fresh and local produce this summer? Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) A CSA is a partnership between agricultural producers (Farmers) and consumers (you). Members or “shareholders” pay a fee at the beginning of the growing season to meet a farm’s operating expenses for the upcoming season. In return, members receive a portion of the farm’s produce each week throughout the growing season. I love knowing where my food is coming from, don’t you?! Search for one in Utah or near you.

✓ Your quick guide to reading nutrition labels

✓ Take it from Vermont Creamery, wrinkles are sexy (and delicious). Click the link, win free wrinkles!

✓ Points for creativity and resourcefulness but I’m pretty sure this isn’t how your bike rack was meant to be used in the off season.

✓ Loving Gwyneth Paltrow’s site Goop… visit to find out how you can Make, Go, Get, Do, Be and See.

✓ Here are 17 cocktails to get you ready for spring. I’ll take #13…AND 17, Thank you!

✓ If my dog Piper could speak, what do you think she’d be saying in this photo? (let me know in the comment section below!)✓ I’d like to spruce up my dining room with this elegant spring table cloth.

✓ This is my new favorite soap scent, it makes me happy every time I wash my hands.

✓ Speaking of happy… this cover of Pharrell’s song “Happy” will definitely make you happy!

Have a great weekend!

Après Hour

Posted on March 14, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

Cheers!

Happy Friday! Welcome to the après hour, the newest addition to Ski Boots in the Kitchen! One of my favorite “activities” after a long day of skiing is après-ski! If you’ve never experienced après-ski in its true form- come to Park City now, I will show you how its done, like this….

How to Apres-Ski the right way!

Après-ski, which is french for “after skiing” is the act of going out after skiing for drinks, socializing and relaxing! If you are lucky enough to enjoy your drinks from the bottom of the ski hill you can usually count on watching some hilarious carnage of tired skiers taking their last run down an icy trail (if you’ve ever been to Vail and enjoyed a margarita on the deck of Los Amigos you know what I’m talking about). After a long work week you deserve a break to unwind too! Regardless of where you are, at the bottom of the ski hill or at your desk, you can enjoy your own après hour with some of my favorite websites, blogs, recipes, drinks and photographs that I’ve gathered from around the internet. So sit back, enjoy a cocktail (if you’re lucky) and get ready for the weekend! Cheers!

✓ My favorite new website, “Blonded By Style” it’s all about style, fashion, travel and of course my favorite, food & drink! Plus Mia and Zoe take beautiful pictures!

✓ If you like dogs, this will make you laugh, really hard.

✓ I want these mugs

✓ And I want to be sipping this cocktail out of those mugs

✓ Park City has beautiful sunsets

The Sky is on fire!

✓ I love this cookbook “Share” by Women for Women International. It has stunning photos as well as recipes from both renowned international chefs and recipes from women living in war-torn countries. An added bonus, 100% of the proceeds go right back into those countries, providing women with business training and job skills so they can get back on their feet. Share: The Cookbook that Celebrates Our Common Humanity (Women for Women International)

✓ Have an URGENT cooking dilemma? Ask a question and get your answer instantly on Food52’s Food Hotline. It’s so cool!

✓ Get these… because there is nothing worse than watered down whiskey!

✓ Looking for some St. Patrick’s Day inspiration? Check out these recipes!

Most of all, have a great weekend!

Quinoa, Kale & Corn Salad with Cranberries and Feta

Posted on August 2, 2013 by skibootsinthekitchen

Where did the week go?! It’s Friday, It’s August and I feel like my summer has been in a vacuum! There have been so many fun things going on this summer including getting married, going to other friends weddings, concerts, camping, cooking… time flies when your enjoying life! Each time I go to the farmers market the produce gets a little more plump, ripe and delicious for new recipes! Yesterday was scorching hot and the last thing I wanted was a warm lunch. This quinoa salad is a perfect cold side for lunch, dinner or afternoon snack! The sweetness of the cranberries and corn balance the tartness of the feta and kale for the perfect mix of summer flavors. Enjoy the weekend!

Quinoa, Kale & Corn Salad with Cranberries & Feta by Ski Boots in the Kitchen (Serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa
4 cups chopped kale
2 ears of corn, kernels cut off
1/2 a small red onion, chopped
1/3 cup toasted almond slivers
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup crumbed feta cheese
1/4 cup good olive oil (plus extra for sauteing)
1 lime, juiced
Freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium saute pan, drizzle olive oil to coat the bottom (two turns around the pan)
Saute red onion and corn until the onion is translucent and tender. Add kale. cook until kale begins to wilt and turns bright green- about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside and allow it to cool.
In a large bowl, add cooked quinoa, kale, corn and onion saute, toasted almonds, and cranberries. Drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil and juice of 1 lime over the ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Add Feta cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss once more and refrigerate for 1 hour or serve immediately. Enjoy!

(This is the color of the finished kale, corn and onion saute)

Foodie Heaven – Friday Favorites

Posted on April 25, 2013 by skibootsinthekitchen

Happy Friday! But really TGIF… If I see another photo on Facebook or Instagram of someone on a beach, I might have to make myself a pina colada, turn my heat up to 90 and walk around in my bathing suit. I am just so glad it has finally stopped snowing. So is this moose that was in my front yard eating some fresh grass. Now its sunny and feeling like spring! This week I found some fun and entertaining articles, quizzes and recipes about food around the internet for you to enjoy!

√ Happy the weather is finally warming up? Check out these 9 spring superfoods that not only taste good but will boost your immune system and even ward off hangovers!

√ Can’t survive the morning without your coffee? Take this quiz and see just how much you know about your morning (or afternoon) cup of joe.

√ I’d like one of these right now. Melon Rumballa.

√ Love going to the ball park? Check out this list of the 16 most insane stadium foods money can buy– who wouldn’t want to eat a 24-inch beef brisket quesadilla, lying on a pile of Doritos while watching a baseball game?

√ I’ve got to try making these Gluten free/ vegan treats, they look amazing! Puffed Quinoa Peanut Butter Balls.

√ Need another reason not to eat fast food? This Utah man found a McDonald’s hamburger in his pocket from 1999– and it almost looks new.

√ Look how a regular ice cube tray can help you drop some pounds for summer.

√ If you bought too much cheese this week due to my Cheese & Charcuterie post- here’s a great way to store all that fancy cheese so it doesn’t go bad!

√ These are pretty cute baby duck pictures. Its almost like mother natures version of the “octomom” in duck form.

Hope you have a happy weekend!