We can help you with lodging. We can help you with lift tickets, and ski rentals. We can even book your transportation from the Denver International Airport. The only service that isn’t included in Winter Park Lodging Company’s EasySki service is airline tickets.  So, here’s the best guide we have found for the best deals out there to Denver.

Winter Park just just a hop, skip and a jump from Denver – closest resort of all of the major ski resorts in Colorado.  And, you get to skip all of the traffic on I-70 that clogs Summit County. Take Exit 242 to Winter Park, and wave to the traffic goodbye.  You can check for cheap airfares to Denver on www.airfarewatchdog.com.

January’s Flight Deals as of 12/30/2011:

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.

Holiday Raspberry Jello Salad
One of our favorite holiday family recipes (that I’m allowed to share) is a festive, fruity jello dessert that’s always the only dessert like it at a holiday party. With raspberries, marshmallows, jello and more fruity additions, this sweet dish has plenty of fans in my family. Share it with yours this holiday season.

Ingredients:

• 3 oz package of raspberry jello
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 3 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 1 10 oz package frozen raspberries, partially thawed
• 1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
• 2/3 up sour cream
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preparation:

Dissolve jello in hot water, add frozen raspberries and stir to thaw. Add 1/2 of the celery and all of the apple. Pour half of this mixture into a casserole dish or decorative bowl of your choice and refrigerate. Leave the other half of mixture at room temperature.

Mix cream cheese and sour cream together, then add marshmallow and remaining celery. Add this to the top of the firmed jello mixture, then pour the remaining jello mixture on top. Chill and serve.

Confessions of an airline baggage thrower will provide some interesting insights on the best types of luggage and more tidbits on getting your baggage to arrive on time. And do you know your flying “rights,” or if you even have any? When it comes to canceled or delayed flights, being bumped from a flight or taxi delays on the runway, you’ll want to read this article to understand what (if anything) you can do.  Finally, it’s official. American Airlines has filed for bankruptcy. Would you book with them still? Vote on Airfarewatchdog.com’s Facebook page and learn more about how it may affect your travel plans.

Regarding flight deals, it seems that the flights have gone up since our last airfare deal alert in November, but we scrounged to find the best values available for airfare to Denver. As much as possible, we’re featuring flights on Southwest to help with your costs, since they are awesome and don’t charge for checked baggage. Plus, Southwest doesn’t have assigned seating, giving you more flexibility when boarding. Happy holidays and travels, and don’t forget you can check for cheap airfares to Denver or any other city in the world on www.airfarewatchdog.com.

December’s Flight Deals as of 12/1/2011:

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.

Cranberry Turkey Crock Pot Recipe

Who doesn’t love Thanksgiving leftovers? Well, maybe turkey sandwiches aren’t the most exciting after a while, but there are many other crock-pot recipes and other great ways to use your Thanksgiving leftovers, too! Like turkey chili, turkey enchiladas and turkey lasagna. I recommend this super-easy crock-pot recipe that makes a delicious meal using turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chopped turkey
• 1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix (with herbs)
• 1 can cranberry sauce (or you can use homemade)
• 1 cup gravy (use can use canned or homemade)

Preparation: (easy!)

Put turkey in bottom of crock pot.  Mix together cranberry sauce, gravy and soup mix.  Pour over turkey.  Cook on high for 2-3 hours.  Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Also in this month’s airfare deal alert, get the scoop on the airfare hikes predicted for this ski season. Reports that high demand for holiday seats, combined with low availability, means fares for these heavy travel periods are bound to go up, soon. See MSNBC’s full video report.

November’s Flight Deals as of 11/2/2011:

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.

From the long boarder guiding you through the gates into the Village, to the soaring views of the entire Village at the Winter Park ski resort, the video taken from above is captivating, with catchy tunes and amazing imagery.

See it all from the sky, including the Lofts, Village restaurants and shops, Zephyr Mountain Lodge, Fraser Crossing and Founder’s Pointe condos.  We’re sure that you will be impressed, too. Check out this cool Aerial Video of the Village at Winter Park Resort now and let us know what you think.

Baggage Basics: Also in this month’s airfare deal alert, learn which airlines don’t charge an arm and a leg for you to bring your luggage. For example, my favorite airline right now is Southwest, because not only can you bring two checked bags for free, you can make a flight change without paying a fee. To see Airfare Watchdog’s comprehensive list of all the airlines’ baggage fees, click here.

October’s Flight Deals as of 10/4/2011:

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.

Lift Ticket Lessons!

Use our EasySki service.  This ski season, guests of Winter Park Lodging Company will be greatly rewarded with convenience and low lift ticket prices (among other items) when they use our new EasySki service.  We are taking the reigns for our guests and pre-booking lift tickets from $49 to $65 each.  The catch is that you have to ski three days or more. If you only want to ski one or two days, see below in lift ticket coupons section.

Buy Early. Oftentimes, if you plan plenty of time in advance, you will save on your lift ticket costs. For example, with EasySki, lift tickets are the very cheapest before October 31st. Also, Winter Park sells their season passes at a really low price before the ski season. The earlier you buy, the cheaper the season pass. They become available in May for the upcoming winter and the price slowly creeps up through the summer and fall.  Usually skiing skiing days or more with a season pass costs less than the cost buying single lift tickets. Don’t wait until after the ski season starts, though, that’s when season prices go really high, usually over $1000 each.

Teenager Trick: If you have a teenage child between the age of 13 to 17 years old, you can get him/her a season pass for less than the cost of an adult season pass, then use the ten $69 lift ticket coupons that come with it. The adult season passes also come with the ten $69 coupons, so even if you don’t have a teenager in your family, you can still save with an adult season pass & the discount coup0ns.

Coupons: If you only plan to ski four days or less, there are other ways to save.  Coupon books area available in Denver and other Front Range grocery stores – King Soopers, Safeway or City Market. At their customer service desks you can purchase the EBook or GoldC Book, which has a variety of coupons for lift tickets at Winter Park Resort and other ski areas. The cost is $10 each and the coupons are for lift tickets for $63 to $72 instead of the $92+ price at the lift ticket window at the ski resort.

Four Pass: If you are a Colorado resident, you are probably already aware of the Four Pass, a four-day lift pass for $159. The catch is that you have to get your photo taken to get the pass, which means you have to be physically present at a Colorado vendor to purchase the Four Pass.

Gear Facts: Ski/Snowboard Equipment

If you own: Check out the option to ship your skis and bulky items instead of bringing it all on the plane. You’ll spend less to ship usually, with airlines charging as much as $100 for each oversize baggage item. Maybe consider shipping just your boots, and renting your skis and poles or snowboard.

Renting: Book your rental gear early. If you don’t own your own equipment and will be renting your gear,  it pays to book online in advance rather than paying the walk-in rates, sometimes as much as 40% less.

EasySki service: not only saves our guests money on ski and board rentals (up to 40% less than walk-in rates), it also saves you time and energy. With EasySki, you have the option to get free custom delivery with Winter Park Resort Rentals, with a custom boot fitting right in the comfort of your vacation rental, plus an express ticket to pick up your skis on the way to the lift.  Or get a basic ski rental package with Epic Mountain Sports for $18/day, plus tax. We’ll book it all for you!

What to Wear & Ways to Save

Savvy Savings on Clothing: if you live in Florida, chances are you don’t own an appropriate winter coat or ski pants. Or maybe you have kids that are growing so fast that it’s just not feasible to buy them a new coat and pants each winter. For these situations, it’s sometimes better to rent your winter clothing. I know that Ski Broker in Fraser has lots of coats, pants and other clothing items for rent from $10 to $25 per day.

Be Thrifty – get your ski gear at a consignment shop, or get your kids’ winter coats at a thrift store.  There’s no better place to get second-hand clothing and gear than in a ski town, so maybe you can wait until you get to Winter Park then shop at one of our local thrift stores. If you don’t find just what you need, then check out the clothing rentals at the ski shops.

Tips on Transportation

Drive with Your Gear instead of Flying with Fees: Sometimes taking a little more time to get to your destination can not only be a fun adventure, it can be a great way to save lots of money. Nowadays when you fly, you’re not just paying for your flight. You’re also paying for transportation from the airport to Winter Park, you’re paying for your in-flight meals, you’re paying for the privilege of checking and even carrying on bags and you’re paying even more to fly with your oversize and overweight ski and snowboard equipment.

If you Gotta fly: Sometimes it just isn’t realistic to drive, so you just gotta fly. If you do have to fly, think of creative ways to reduce the costs of traveling on a flight.

Use the free ski shuttle to get from your lodging to the ski area. Sometimes taking an airport shuttle from the airport then walking around or using the free shuttle will cost you less than renting a car, plus you have to consider the cost of gas, the risk of driving in a winter environment you’re not accustomed to. Plus it can be a lot of fun to learn about the area by getting on a shuttle and checking out areas you wouldn’t otherwise see if you were always just driving directly to and from the ski area. Shuttles also mean you can skip the hassle of parking in a huge ski area parking lot and lugging your gear around very far, since they drop you off right in the Village.

Pack Light! Really, less is more. Less to pay in baggage fees, less to lug around, less to keep track of. You can really economize your luggage by re-wearing your under layers like your underarmor wicking  gear, for example. Staying at a vacation rental with a private or even shared washer and dryer can really help. One bag really can get you by. It pays to invest in a scale to weigh your luggage to avoid fees for exceeding weight limits. Also, invest in organizing compartments for your luggage that maximize the space in your suitcases. If you can get all of your items in a carry-on, even better! You can ship your bulky coats, boots and skis or other oversize or bulky items that take a lot of space.

Learn Your Airline ABCs: Fly with airlines such as WestJet or Southwest airlines that allow two free carry on bags. Southwest even allows you to change your flight at no charge, you just pay the fare difference, if any.

More Airfare Tips:  Check fares at nearby airports instead of just the closest one to you. Sometimes driving an extra hour to the airport can save you lots of money. Use cheap airfare alerts that go directly to your inbox when a discounted flight you’re interested in becomes available. My favorite is Airfarewatchdog.com, which I use every month for our monthly airfare deals alert. Pack a lunch or dinner for you flight instead of paying for the weird airline food. Finally, maybe you can book your flights with a credit card that waives baggage fees, like the Contintental OnePass Master Card.

Food and Dining

Shop for Groceries in Denver -  as much  as I like to promote buying local to support our local economy, if you really need to eat on a shoestring, go to a grocery store in Denver on your way to Winter Park. This option is really only viable if you have your own car, though, since the airport shuttles do not make any stops on the way.

Eat in – it really helps to eat like you normally eat while on vacation, then splurging on just one or two dinners. When you stay in a vacation rental instead of a hotel, you can really take advantage of using the fully equipped kitchens to prepare at-home dinners and lunches. All of our vacation rentals have kitchens and usually have basic staples like spices, coffee filters, condiments and non-perishable items there for you to use (left by previous guests or the owners.  I recommend checking out what’s at your vacation rental before going to the grocery store for your menu items or just getting your meats, fresh veggies and fruits at the grocery store on the way to Winter Park.

Pack Lunch. Instead of paying the ridiculous prices at the base for lunch, pack a lunch and store it in a $1 locker until you’re ready for your lunch break. Maybe you can even pack it in a small backpack, come down to get it, then ride the lift to meet the family at the Lodge at Sunspot or Snoasis for lunch. If you’re staying at the base, you can eat in for lunch in the comfort of your own condo, see more below.

VIP Discount Card – for the occasions that you do want to eat out, use our VIP Discount Card to save at restaurants. More details to come, but click here for a sneak-peak.

Lodging

Staying ski-in/ski-out – It may seem counter-intuitive because the cost of ski-in/ski-out lodging is higher than non-ski-in/ski-out, but think about the trade-offs. First of all, it’s just so convenient. Also, it can completely eliminate the need for your own car, so you can cross out a car rental and gas expenses. Staying at Zephyr Mountain Lodge, Fraser Crossing and Founder’s Pointe comes with the benefit of using their private shuttle to get to downtown Winter Park or Fraser, plus the free ski shuttle is available to you as well.  Another budget benefit to staying at the base is relative to your food costs. You can come down for lunch in the comfort of your own kitchen and dining room instead of eating at the expensive ski area eateries.

Activities & Other Expenses

Check out our list of Free and Cheap Kids’ Activities.  There are many activities that will entertain the kids that don’t require you spend a lot of money. Think out of the box!

VIP Discount Card for Winter Park Lodging Company guests has deals that no other lodging company can offer. Save on sleigh rides, dining and lots of other activities in Winter Park and the Fraser Valley. More details coming soon!

Ah, the cool, refreshing autumn air is finally providing some relief from an incredible summer. And the splendor of fall is bursting with color in Winter Park. It’s just the right time to try out a comforting soup to transition through the seasons.

This healthy recipe is fairly easy to make and it is so good for you. Kale is the newest “hot” super-vegetable,  chock full of fiber, calcium, antioxidants for the immune system, and phytonutrients that are believed to prevent cancer.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups of chopped fresh kale (about 1/2 a bunch)
3-4 carrots, sliced thin
1 med onion, finely chopped
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 cups water
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dried parsley
1 cup milk
salt to taste
2 cans of northern white or cannellini beans
Garnish: Sriracha sauce or other favorite hot sauce, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, chives, croutons, or whatever your taste buds desire.

Preparation:

Start off by heating the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add water, bouillon cubes, kale and sliced carrots and cook for 20 to 30 minutes over medium-high heat, or until the kale is tender.

While the vegetables are cooking, drain and rinse the beans and put them in a medium bowl. Smash the beans using a pototo masher for about 3 minutes. Stir in the milk, turmeric and parsley to beans. Once the kale is about ready, add the beans mixture and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Serve with hot sauce (my favorite is the Thai Sriracha), feta or Parmesan cheese, chives, and/or croutons or toasted bread.

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pudding Please?

Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies. But what about award-winning chocolate chip cookies? With pudding in the recipe? MMMMM… The daughter of this recipe’s creator took these chocolate chip cookies to a contest and won. Win your loved ones over with them, too! They are so soft and delicious, you gotta try ‘em.

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

We found this recipe online at AllRecipes.com. Click here to read more reviews &  suggestions.