Chopped Caprese Salad & 5 Reasons to Visit Breckenridge, Colorado

Today, I am sharing some tips for staying in one of my favorite places in my home state, Breckenridge, CO., While including the most amazingly simple & delicious Chopped Caprese Salad that you need to make this holiday season.

This salad was inspired by my recent trip to Breckenridge with some of my dearest {blogging} friends. I made it one night, and it was an instant hit. This Chopped Caprese Salad has all of your traditional Caprese salad ingredients; basil, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella, you could also use Baratta but that is a bit more pricey so I went with just fresh mozzarella.

This past fall, I traveled up with some of the most intelligent blogging minds there are. While I consider them some of the savviest, smart, dedicated, and driven women I have ever come to meet, I have also found them to be the most accepting, loving, and kind women, too, which is a killer combination with all of those qualities.

I left the weekend, full to the brim, I think we had enough food to feed a small army, leaving Erin with enough leftovers to feed her family for a week or two. We hit up a few places to eat as well while visiting Breck, in addition to staying in the most romantic, amazing home and I just can’t wait to return with my family.

This weekend was all about “work” and we did work. But this weekend, in the end, was all about laughter, uplifting and encouraging conversations. You see blogging can be hard. Emotionally, physically and mentally. Blogging can be lonely, sitting at home cooking food, editing pictures, writing posts, engaging in social media and having Netflix as your sole companion. Yes, we have social media, but come on let’s get real, these are REAL conversations. This is true and authentic, face to face conversations, connections. In fact, the socializing online is so brutal a lot of the time. People can say really anything they want and not have to say it to your face, so there are no boundaries; the words can be rude, mean and just flat out cruel. While like any job, you have your ups and downs, it had seemed to me that as of late with all the negativity in our world people have unleashed online, and well that is where the bloggers are.

I think with any job you need to find “your” people. The people who will cry with you, rejoice with you, celebrate your successes and let you vent until the cows come home while offering some sense of advice so you don’t spiral. And you friends, you need to see your people, not just talk to them online, but actually see them. Laugh until you pee your pants, cry until there are no tissues left and strategize to the point that you feel like you are a beast. That is what my weekend in Breckenridge was like. And thinking about it, I don’t’ think that there could have been a better setting than Breckenridge for us that weekend.

We had beautiful weather accompanied by a dust of snow, terrific food, and the most amazing home.

So while you may consider me biased, well because I am, I guess here are my top 5 reasons to visit Breck in the Fall and Winter, or really all year long.

1. LOCATION – Breckenridge is one of Colorado’s most beautiful ski towns. With a quaint and adorable downtown, lots of activities, scenic and majestic views. Located just 2 hours west of Denver, the commute is easy from DIA. There are shuttle services offered from Denver International Airport and also, from several other locations from Denver and even Fort Collins, where I live.  *TIP* If I were coming into DIA, I would suggest renting a car if you have a group of 2 or more, it will save you time and money.* For some detailed car and shuttle info check out Crazy for Crust’s post on Breckenridge, she traveled from out of state and has some great tips.
2. RENT A HOME – through PINNACLE LODGING. We stayed in one of Pinnacle’s new properties called The Overlook and it truly a luxurious treat! With large, spacious rooms, gourmet kitchen, fireplaces, breathtaking wine cellar (even for this non-wine drinker), and bedrooms with elegant bathrooms with rain-head showers, deep tubs, and heated floors. A second a living/theater room with a large comfy couch, pool table, and mini-kitchen. The scenic views could be seen in every room. The slopes were visible from the back of the house, making the view from the hot tub, one you would see in a dream. Pretty much none of us wanted to leave, it was perfect for our girls get-away but I will be sure to bring my family back. Not only was the house amazing, but the location was also ideal. Minutes from downtown Breckenridge, you can easily get to Starbucks in the early morning, dinner downtown is a must, and you are so close to the shopping and while that could be an issue for some {like my husband}, my friend Holly and I enjoyed it! 
3. ACTIVITIES – while you might think that all Breck has to offer is wonderful skiing and stunning views, that’s not all. There are so many things to do up there if you are the active type, but relaxing by the fireplace, in the crisp cool air might be all you need, and that Breck offers as well. From amazing walking and hiking trails, mountain biking, spas, river rafting, as well as concerts, art shows, and food festivals. Breckenridge has something going on in every season. Check out GoBreck’s homepage to get detailed listings of events and what to do.
4. DOWNTOWN BRECKENRIDGE – I grew up skiing in Breck and one of my fondest memories was going downtown and grabbing giant-warm cinnamon rolls before we headed to the slopes. The same ole shop is still there, unchanging in decor even though under new ownership. While I didn’t head there this time, we did hit several local favorites. Downtown Breck has some of the cutest boutiques and I love that they are locally owned. From warm, cozy sweaters, to toy and candy shops, art collectors to sculpture, downtown Breck has something for everyone. And local cuisine is everywhere as well, but here are the places we were able to hit up.

We ordered pizza one night from Giampietro {our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we ordered a little much}. It was great because we could order this in and I love trying local food versus a national chain. I would recommend staying to the classics here and asking for extra sauce, their sauce was so good. We also hit up The Canteen for dinner as a group, this is a local favorite and showed with the number of locals that were there. The portions are huge and the appetizers were a hit with us all, especially the Chili Cheese Fries. But my top recommendation for food would be to hire in a chef for a meal or two. Last night, GoBreck had Chef Christian from The Secret Ingredient come into the house to cook us dinner. It was so amazing to have someone else cook for us, completely luxury, and I got a glimpse of what it must be like to be my kids {heehee}. I would recommend seeking him out; his appetizer was my favorite thing from the trip. 

MOUNTAIN RETREAT- One of the best parts of Breckenridge are its views. Majestic mountains offering incredible sunrises and sunsets, breathtaking views of snow topped hills, running rivers and streams that you can dip your feet in and if you’re lucky enough, it may just snow. And while I live in Colorado and snow is not new to me, the snow up in Breck is somewhat magical. Because of Breck’s location, you can travel another 20-30 minutes and be in another mountain town, with new local restaurants and favorites. You are also not far from the Outlet Mall in Silverthorn which you pass on your way up to Breck and again on the way down and I completely recommend stopping there. 

I am a proud Colorado native. Born and raised in Fort Collins, growing up skiing in Breckenridge, there is no place that speaks to my heart like the mountains, and I was thrilled to spend a long, glorious weekend with my favorite girlfriends up there for a weekend I much needed.

As for this Chopped Caprese Salad, it is excellent for a small intimate dinner as the main course, as an excellent side for pizza night {which was when I made it up Breck}, and even better for a large holiday get-together.

Don’t forget to pin this recipe for CHOPPED CAPRESE SALAD to your favorite Pinterest board for later.