Keystone is for Meat Lovers

Last weekend I had the pleasure of sampling some of Keystone Resort‘s finest cuisine. The anticipation built as we rode two gondolas up 11,000 feet, not without a glass of champagne and a cookie. (The very same cookies are provided to guests at check-in.)

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Pictured above: me in hog heaven

While a variety of meat-centric dishes were on display, the dessert tent ultimately stole the show. What kind of dessert requires a special tent, you ask? Why meat-shaped dessert, of course.

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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, anyone? The magical confections above were created by Executive Chef David Scott and Executive Pastry Chef Ned Archibald.

Despite the tempting placement of the dessert tent at the entrance, we did begin our evening with more appropriate food groups.

For starters, Beano’s Cabin knocked my socks off with their “Suckling Berkshire Pig Ragout with House Made Pappardelle Pasta and Peach Preserves.” Unbelievable. You could have stopped at house made pappardelle, but every other ingredient was equally delicious.

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And yes, I did make sure “Beano” had nothing to do with the over-the-counter variation (it was a merely a nickname for the owner).

Also noteworthy, “Cider and Molasses Braised Wild Boar Shoulder, Creamy Parmesan White Polenta, Forest Mushrooms and Sauce Naturel from the uber cool named Alpenglow Stube.

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Brownie points for serving in style goes to The 10th for their “House Cured Pastrami, Onion Jam and Fennel Brioche” and “Spicy Rosen Lamb Chili with Anasazi Beans, Smoked Green Chilies and Local Goats Cheese.”

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Vegetarian respite was provided by Sevens, with their “Roma Tomato Confit, Asparagus Tofu Custard, and Red Pepper Romesco.”

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But the true chest-thumping, meat-loving, throw-caution-to-the-wind carnivores would appreciate “Duck Confit Stuffed Tenderloin of Beef, Foie Gras Torchon and Red Currant Demi Glace” from The Bighorn Steakhouse. I can hear Anthony Bourdain now, “oh yeah.”

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Defying the Laws of Leftovers

Two-timers are welcome in my kitchen. (See “Beg, Borrow and Meal” exhibits A, B, C, D and E.) And since we have burritos nearly every week, I often have a surplus of leftover, seasoned ground turkey (herein referred to as night #1).

I’ve experimented with leftover turkey before (exhibit F), but this time the stakes were higher, since I used a more traditional taco seasoning on night #1. Due to the complex layers of flavors – I presume – this pasta dish received rave reviews on night #2.

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Here’s how it goes:

  • In a large pan, sauté half an onion (chopped) in olive oil until soft
  • Add minced garlic (1-2 cloves) and quickly follow with leftover ground turkey and 1/2 can white beans
  • Add 1/2 bag of clean, sliced mushrooms
  • When mushrooms are tender enough to your liking, add 1/2 stick butter and a couple spoonfuls of plain yogurt
  • Simmer on low and boil pasta of choice (I used spaghetti)
  • Add al dente pasta to mixture, and serve

On night #3, the other half of the white beans and mushrooms inspired me to create an antipasto salad using chopped salami, tomatoes, spinach, and dried oregano. I paired it with my favorite store-bought, 100% natural (and low-lactose) Wild Mushroom Ravioli.

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Buon appetito!

Crock Pot Pork Stroganoff

So I don’t spend that much time on Pinterest – honestly – because they don’t have an iPad app yet. But… I stumbled on this gem, Pulled Pork Stroganoff, and decided to put both my slow cooker and a pork tenderloin to use.

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Here are a couple of adjustments I made:

  • Instead of garlic powder, I used two minced cloves
  • I swapped beef broth for chicken broth
  • I used goat cheese and yogurt in place of cream cheese and sour cream (low lactose and less fat to boot!)
  • For the pasta, I used spaghetti instead of tagliatelle; but if I had a choice, I would have used pappardelle

The results were much more universal than expected. After having stroganoff the first night, David proceed to make a burrito with leftovers, and on the final night I made sandwiches with sauteed bell peppers and cheddar. They were like delicious, gooey Philly cheese steaks. Yum!

Ramen for a Modern Woman

Us modern girls like to have our cake and eat it too. Why not squeeze in a workout while making dinner?

Lately I’ve been putting this theory to the test, courtesy of our makeshift home gym. Here’s how to make ramen inspired by Everyday Food‘s Asian-Style Chicken Soup, while doing four sets of three exercises.

It may sound crazy, but if you’re a multi-tasker like me, you’ll eat it up (pun intended). And if all that juggling makes it hard for you to remember to defrost the chicken ahead of time, no worries – this version uses straight-from-the-freezer tenders.

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1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Put 5 frozen chicken tenders in pan; cover with foil. Fill large pot with water.

Do a set

3. Put chicken in oven and set timer for 20 min. Turn stove on high; put pot of water on.

Do 2 sets

4. Put Chinese-style ramen noodles in the boiling water for 3 minutes; stir to separate.

Do a set

5. Check on chicken; set timer for 15 more minutes, if needed. Remove noodles from stove; drain and leave in colander.

Do 2 sets

6. Put drained noodles in bowl with 1 tbsp of oil to avoid sticking.

Do 2 sets

7. Remove chicken from oven to cool. To make the soup base, combine 10 cups of chicken broth, 3 tbsp fish sauce, 4 tbsp soy sauce, and a dash of ground ginger in the same large pot you used for noodles; bring to boil.

Do 2 sets

8. Shred chicken with forks

Do 2 sets

9. Add noodles, chicken, and any veggies you like (I used spinach and radish slices) to the broth. Bring back to boil. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Season as needed.

Enjoy your ramen with a side of endorphins.