Sun Valley Escapades

My family of four along with my in-laws and husband’s brother’s family of five flew to Sun Valley, Idaho. We were there partly for business and partly for pleasure as guest of Sinclair Oil Corp. and Sun Valley Resort.  Mr. Earl Holding and his wife, Carol, graciously invite us to beautiful Sun Valley for a few days every couple of years at their expense. The men of the family attend business sessions two mornings during our visit. During the rest of the trip, our family has the opportunity to trap shoot, ice skate, golf, trail ride (we pass on this one since we have five horses at home), bike ride, hike, shop, bowl, take a gondola ride, and swim. Tired, yet? There are so many activities; no one should ever say they are bored.

Then, there’s the food. Most of our meals were eaten at Gretchen’s. There was an amazing buffet prior to the Sun Valley Ice Show featuring Brian Boitano. The buffet featured wonderful salads and entrees including fresh raspberries and blackberries, caprese salad, couscous with potato salad, antipasto, smoked trout, salmon, prime rib, and roast turkey. The desserts were amazing; cheesecake, blueberry trifle, triple chocolate cake, and others I couldn’t identify by name. Coltan enjoyed the lunch-time lamb burgers so much, he had two (not at the same meal). Quinn had been looking forward to Bald Mountain Pizza for weeks, so we had a date there. Their breadsticks were killer! I wish I knew their secret. My boys did a lot of bike riding and bowling. Quinn tried ice skating for the first time. Our whole family enjoyed a gondola/chair life ride up Mount Baldy.

I’m a people watcher. As I waited for my breakfast in Gretchen’s one morning, an elderly couple was seated at a table near me. Both were dressed to the nines. The lady wore a lovely suit and her hair and make-up were meticulously done. The gentleman was smartly dressed in trousers and a gray sweater. He pulled out her chair. They were genuinely engaged in each other. They smiled and chatted and totally blocked out everyone around them. I wondered what their story was. How long had they been in love? What sort of life did they live? What brought them to Sun Valley (they weren’t with Sinclair)?  It was so refreshing to see two people so taken with each other and especially lovely to see such affection in an older couple. Amazing.

This may have been our last visit to Sun Valley for awhile. We’ve been told the next Sinclair Oil trip in 2012 will take us to San Diego for a stay at the Westgate Hotel. We are looking forward to visiting Disneyland, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, and the beach.

We would like to sincerely thank Mr. and Mrs. Earl Holding, Sinclair Oil, and Sun Valley Co. for another amazing trip. Kudos to you!

The following recipe was inspired by a strawberry tart Jeff and I enjoyed at Gretchen’s back in 2007:

photo courtesy Google Images

Strawberry Tart

Tart Shell:

1 cup flour        
2 tablespoons sugar        
¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk        
2 tablespoons ice water

6 tablespoons of butter (room temperature)

Filling:

2 (3 ounce) packages of softened cream cheese

1/3 cup of sour cream or yogurt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 quart of fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, & dried

Glaze:

1 (10 ounce) package of frozen raspberries & syrup, thawed

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon corn starch

Combine flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Combine egg yolk and water; stir into flour until dough forms a ball. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of a 9” tart or pie pan. Prick bottom and sides. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes until light brown. Cool and set aside. Beat filling ingredients until fluffy. Spread over bottom of cooled shell Arrange strawberries, tip up, over cheese. Puree raspberries, remove seeds if so desired. Use one cup of puree. In small saucepan, combine sugar and corn starch. Gradually stir in puree. Cook until thick and clear. Cool slightly; pour over strawberries. Chill at least an hour. 6-8 servings