Despite the hectic holiday weekend, it does include a Friday. So even if you’re weary of talking food and making food and eating food, chant Gobble three times and breathe deeply. I promise to keep this short.
A family tradition, spending Thanksgiving week-end in Death Valley. We start with our holiday dinner at the old, glorious Inn at Furnace Creek, a four-diamond resort built in 1927. The menu is always ambitious and, this year, Chef Renée outdid himself.
My family spent the Thanksgiving week-end in Death Valley National Park, the ancentral homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe and the largest American park outside of Alaska. Since DV is located midway between Las Vegas/Henderson, where I live now, and Bishop, California, where my children live, I have either traveled to or through this park for the past eight years. I love everything about it.
I would guess that most of you have never visited DV. Please do. Of the park’s 3.4 million acres, 91% is wilderness. It is world renowned for its colorful, complex geology and its elevation extremes. Besides being beautiful, it boasts being the hottest, lowest and driest location in the entire country.
In deference to me, everyone wears their Sunday best to Thanksgiving dinner. Ever the good sport, Stephen rises to the occasion, wearing his “holiday” tie, to please his mother-in-law.
This park gets a bad rap by its name. Today there is very little deathly about it. According to the USPS, it’s home to species of all kinds: 51 mammals, 307 bird, 36 reptile, 2 amphibians, 5 fish and a few Park Rangers. Armed with John McPhee’s 1981 tome, “Basin & Range” and two elementary books on DV geology, I spent two days hiking, focusing on the area’s geologic story. Although I’m very familiar with DV, I’ve never concentrated on its geology – it’s a WoW.
Also a WoW is this week’s FFWD recipe choice, Herbed Olives.
Many of my favorite grocery and speciality stores offer olive bars with its numerous bins loaded with every variety of these little wonders. I cannot remember ever thinking that I should buy the plainest variety of olives possible and season them myself………until this week.
Herbed Olives – this week’s FFWD recipe
Dorie provides us with the basic proportions of olives to oil and then urges us to go crazy with herbs/spices for flavoring. I made these several days ago, using an orange-flavored olive oil, Olea Farm’s Orange Blush, and adding rosemary, thyme, corriander seeds, peppercorns, garlic cloves, bay leaves, red pepper flakes and orange strips.
Admittedly, these are not your average, grocery store bar-olives. These tangy little gems have a wonderfully pungent taste, making them a perfect nibble at cocktail hour. Something to try, at least once!!!
There is no dress code after Thanksgiving Dinner. The rest of the week-end is devoted to hiking, biking, swimming in the natural spring-fed pool, just hanging out at the Ranch at Furnace Creek. Every the competitive family, we are all still working hard at trying to be humble winners and good sports at losing. (Not quite there yet.)
To find the recipe for these delicious morsels, go here. To see what other spices and herbs my colleagues used in this week’s recipe, go to the French Friday with Dorie link.
(Note: If you are interested in the geology of Death Valley, you might enjoy “An Introduction to the Geology of Death Valley” by Michael Collins and “A Trip Through Death Valley’s Geologic Past, The Magnificent Rocks of Death Valley“. Or, better yet, why not go to your closest national park, pick up a few local geology books at its visitors center and learn about how it came into being.)
Sound like a great Thanksgiving. I just got back from Virginia went to some civil war sites and did some bowling.
Such an interesting story about Death Valley. I am happy that you had such a lovely holiday
with your family. These olives were a really nice dish, simple, but so delicious. We all enjoyed
them, and they go so well with a nice drink. Have a great weekend.
Sounds like you had a terrific Thanksgiving holiday! AND your olives look delicious!
I agree, this is a fun recipe, and we enjoyed it a lot.
Sounds like a wonderful family weekend! We have access to an extensive variety of seasoned olives in our neighbourhood, which has Italian roots, but it’s good to know how easy it is to do at home, too.
Mary, your Thanksgiving tradition sounds very special. I’ve never visited Death Valley but you make it sound like somewhere to add to my list of places to go. I do actually have an unread copy of Basin and Range on my bookshelf, though. I love John McPhee. And, weren’t these olives delicious! Sounds like your orange flavored olive oil have yours an extra boost. I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving! Always a great way to kick off the holiday season!
Love the history lesson, the pictures and of course, the olives! I am looking very forward to our belated birthday dinner on Thursday, I know it will be delicious and of course, lots of fun!
Don’t forget the panna cotta and homemade croissants – please.
Mary, it sounds like you spend a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family! Your mixed Mediterrranean Marinated Olives look delicious – I think this must be one of the most appreciated recipes from Dorie´s cookbook so far, everyone semms to have enjoyed it tremendously! P.S.: You and your family look so happy, your pictures really make me smile on a very rainy Monday morning!
Mary, looks like such a fun time you had. How wonderful to enjoy Thanksgving in the midst of God’s glorious mountain creation. I lived in the mountains (Swiss Alps) for a short time and I think I left part of my heart there!
Can’t wait to try these for the holidays, what a fun before dinner treat. We all love olives, thanks!
CHER – Mary – it sounds like you had an amazing holiday with your beautiful family 🙂
The olives pale in comparison to those gorgeous grandaughters of yours…
Such a beautiful family, Mary! Sounds like you had a fabulous Thanksgiving. Love the photo of you and your granddaughters…lovely!
OH, the olives were nice too!! And delicious!
did you make it to RaceTrack Playa?
So great to hear about DV and see these great pix of you and family. The kids are lucky to have you share your interest in nature with them. And you are lucky that the grandkids want to hang with you.
Where can I get one?
No, I am waiting to gfo to Racetrack Playa with the Donna’s Deux.
I like your Thanksgiving holiday tradition of meeting in DV, enjoying a wonderful meal, relaxing family time and hiking in the park. Thanks for sharing a few lovely family pics as well as your olives, which remind me that I enjoyed a few last night before dinner! I like the idea of using a flavor infused olive oil, the orange sounds good-I have a Persian lime in my pantry that I might want to try;-)
Looks like a wonderful tradition! And I, too, love when the family dresses up for a special dinner. I think we’ve driven through DV, but never stopped to explore…who knew there was 4 Diamond resort? Not this Midwest gal 🙂
Sounds like you had a wonderful time from your post!