Chris and Amy's Wedding: February 4, 2012

 This couple focused on family and friends for their wedding at Hidden Valley. They utilized the gardens to create an intimate location for their ceremony. Guests joined them on the wedding stage for a lovely service to celebrate their love.

   Shortly after the service the photographer, Albertine Feurer, gathered everyone for a memorable group photo. By gathering everyone in attendance, it makes for a unique twist on a traditional wedding photo.

Since Hidden Valley is more of a DIY location, Amy was able to incorporate her colors and create an elegant atmosphere for the day of her wedding. She brought in elements of nature along the aisle to enhance Hidden Valley's outdoor setting. 

There are so many options when it comes to planning your reception. Take a look at how Amy used the event center to make the celebration come alive.

  Congratulations, Amy and Chris!

Photos by Albertine Feurer

Engagement Sessions

Early spring and late winter is when San Diego is at its most beautiful. Trees and flowers are just starting to wake up from their winter's sleep and begin to bloom. Everything is still crisp, bright, and fresh. We've had the opportunity to open up the property for a few couples and their photographers for engagement sessions. Our most recent session was with Dapper Images, who shot Amanda and Andrew's engagement session. Dapper Images has never ceased to impress us with their work. Yasmin and Deshun not only have an eye for their subjects, but they found the perfect setting for each individual shot, and created a beautiful mood between the couple. We were delighted to see the finished photos: professional and charming memories.

Here are a few shots from Amanda and Andrew's shoot:
 

 

Here are a few point-and-shoot shots taken by our staff in Hippocrates circle as the sun was setting:

The Green Chamber of Commerce series

As you know, Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa is committed to being a green venue. We work hard to have environmentally-friendly practices at the Retreat. We've joined the Green Chamber of Commerce, a community dedicated to helping green businesses succeed. They've recently been working on a YouTube series of green businesses, and we were lucky enough to be featured on it! Fiona had a chance to talk about all of our green practices while they filmed beautiful shots of our property!

Check it out:

The New Reception Area!

We have completed the new reception area! It's been done for a while now, but we've been waiting for our first bride to test it out!
The new Reception Area is a 20x40 ft space just below the wedding stage. In the vain of the rest of Hidden Valley Retreat, we did our best to keep it natural. It is lined with hand-set rock walls, just like the other tiers of the property. We used decomposed granite to "pave" the surface, giving it a natural look while still being hard enough to dance and lay tables. This space has plenty of room to seat 100 people at round tables.
Check out the photos from our most recent wedding!

Reception Area below the Wedding Stage

We loved the paper lanterns around the stage!

Tables set-up in nature

It's Apple Season!

It's that time of the year again: Apple time! We have 6 mature apple trees in our orchard, and we've had delicious, organic apples for the last few months. When groups stay on the property, we always encourage them to enjoy, but we have so much that there's more than enough apples left. Our staff is always excited to take the fruit home to make delicious new recipes. We've made sweetened cinnamon applesauce, apple pie, apple crisp, and much more. One of our staff is a canned fruit expert, and she cans the apples to last throughout the year! Recently, my sister, an acclaimed pie maker, came to visit, so I took home a bag full of apples. My sister, Jane, has a peculiar technique of making her famous apple pie- no recipe! She throws in a little of this, a little of that, some secret spices, throw it in the oven and BAM, she's got some sweet apple pies for the whole family. 

Jane and Rebecca with their pies

For those of you who like to keep their recipes precise and measure things out, here is a tried and true apple pie recipe:

Old Fashioned Apple Pie Recipe

• Prep time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
• Cook time: 55 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Crust Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1/2 cup finely ground blanched almonds or almond flour (can substitute 1/2 cup flour if you don't have almonds)
• 16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, chilled in freezer for at least 15 minutes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
• 3 to 6 Tbsp water, very cold

Filling Ingredients

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 pounds of 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices of peeled and cored
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Egg Wash

• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp cream

METHOD

1 In a food processor, combine flour, almonds, salt and brown sugar, pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready, if not, add a little more water and pulse again.

Remove dough from machine and place on a clean surface. Carefully shape into 2 discs. Do not over-knead the dough! You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These bits of butter are what will allow the result crust to be flaky. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

2 Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F.

3 Combine sugar, flour and spices in large bowl. Use your hands and mix in the apples so they are well coated, then add brandy and vanilla extract.

4 Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12 inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, use a metal spatula to check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Gently fold in half. Place on to a 9-inch pie plate, lining up the fold with the center of the pan. Gently unfold and press down to line the pie dish with the dough.

5 Spoon in apple filling, mounding slightly in center.

6 Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently turn over onto the top of the apples in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that the edge of the fold is flush with the edge of the pan. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.

7 Stir yolk and cream in small bowl to blend. Brush over top of pie. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake pie until crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F. Tent the rims with aluminum foil or a pie protector if the edges are browning too quickly. Bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, anywhere from an additional 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the type of apples you are using. Transfer to rack; let stand 1 hour. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

Upcoming Events at the Hidden Valley Retreat

We have been receiving many phone calls about upcoming retreats and event we are holding. We are excited about these upcoming events!

Friday, November 11th - Tuesday, November 15th, 2011: Tantrapalooza

Tantrapalooza Website

Thursday, December 8- Monday, December 12, 2011: Illumination Intensive

Illumination Website

Friday, December 23- Sunday, December 25, 2011:

Spiritual Rejuvenation Shabbaton

Awaken your soul and spirituality with Rabbi Andrew Hahn's (aka the Kirtan Rabbi) unique infusion of kirtan chanting and traditional Jewish liturgy. Open to everyone, this 3 day retreat will introduce you to a non-traditional discovery of Jewish prayer. The weekend will include devotional singing, dancing, tai chi, torah study and a celebration of Shabbat like you've never had before. For more information or to register please go to www.hiddenvalleyspa.com/shabbaton.html. Please feel free to call 619-239-7700 or email shabbaton@hiddenvalleyspa.com with any questions.

Rabbi Andrew Hahn, Ph.D. combines a variety of tools to introduce Jewish Wisdom to an increasingly global village. Kirtan Rabbi's music is characterized by great energy, passion and melodic flow.

Shabbaton Website

Who gave that woman a jackhammer?

We are in the process of building a new reception area! It's right below the wedding stage. This space is going to hold around 12 tables to host 100 guests. We are currently working on clearing the space and leveling it. We are also building rock walls along the edge- by hand of course!

However, working at Hidden Valley Retreat is never as easy as it sounds. As we were leveling the space, we came across a HUGE boulder! Boulders are common on our property, if you've ever seen the Event Center, you would know; we've got boulders built right into the walls! Now we understand why-- those things are hard to break down! We were able to jackhammer most of it , but couldn't get it all. Now we have a permanent addition to the area: a beautiful, natural, white granite boulder to sit on. It matches the event center!

We will be posting many more photos as we make progress, but until then you can take joy in this photo of Fiona jack-hammering away!

New Webpage for Shabbaton Weekend!

We have launched our new webpage for the Spiritual Rejuvenation Shabbaton!

You can find it HERE.

There you can find more information, register, view the room assignments, view our food menu, and the tentative schedule. This site will be constantly updated with new information as the date gets closer! We will continue to post here as well to keep you informed of new exciting plans!

Spiritual Rejuvenation Shabbaton will be held Chanukah Weekend, December 23-25 at the Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa. It will be a weekend with the Kirtan Rabbi in which you will discover a non-traditional way of Jewish Prayer.

Daniel and Josh's Wedding

We were happy that Daniel and Josh chose Hidden Valley Retreat as their wedding venue. Dan and Josh chose to extend their Weekend Wedding to a 5 day wedding extravaganza, giving them the maximum amount of time to spend with friends and family. We were happy to offer them private and exclusive use of our property so that they could focus on each other and their loved ones.

So Cute!

Ceremony on the Deck

Dan and Josh were the first couple to have their ceremony on our deck overlooking the valley. We've always recommended this spot for a unique ceremony location, and they were the first to do it. They were able to comfortably seat 90. 

Reception in the Event Center

They held their reception in the Event Center, which was beautifully decorated. Each guest received a crown or tiara to take photobooth style pictures with. (more photos to come)

Family Photo!

We wish Dan and Josh all the best and a lifetime of happy marriage! Congratulations!

Clickery Photography Wedding!

Our good friends and associates, Katie and Zack of Clickery photography were wed on May 10th, 2011. We have had a great relationship with them since we met at our bridal fair, and chose them as our preferred photography vendor. Katie and Zack are an extraordinary couple that own their business, and they photograph as a team. 

You can imagine our joy when K and Z told us they wanted to use us as their wedding venue. Out of all the venues they've shot at, they chose us! We were honored to have them, of course.

All of that excitement was recently revived after we received a disc in the mail of all of their beautiful photos! Unfortunately, the talented team couldn't shoot their own photos, but they sure had an entourage of photographer friends to do it for them! Because Katie and Zack were so familiar with the property already, they knew all of the best locations (even secret spots) to take pictures together. 

Here are a few of our favorite photos, you can view their whole album on our Facebook. 

On the terraces, we love the balloons!

The ceremony was held at Hippocrates Circle.

We love this bench!

K&Z fancied up our fence leading to Hippocrates circle.

Reception in the Event Center.

We LOVE this photo, so funny!

We highly recommend Clickery Photography for any wedding! Because they are a team, it is like getting two for the price of one! While Katie is in the Mountain View Suite capturing every moment of the bride getting beautiful, Zack can be clicking the groomsmen getting ready and goofing around in the Barn House. You get the eyes of not one, but two talented photographers. And now with the experience of getting married at our venue, we can give our full guarantee that your Hidden Valley wedding pictures will be better-than-perfect if you choose to use this dynamic duo.

Clickery Photography can be found here. 

The New Barn House

These last two weeks were dedicated to renovating The Barn House. Our devoted Hidden Valley renovation team conquered this project. We targeted the Ranch Hand Room and the Rawhide room.

New Signs to label the bedrooms

We started by installing fans in all the bedrooms, because we have been having some hot summer days. Now the barn house guests can relax indoors with cool breezes rolling throughout the house!

We painted The Ranch Hand room a beautiful calm blue, and added matching throw pillows. The Rawhide room also received a fresh coat of sage green paint. We found some great original oil paintings and framed them, so each room has its own original piece of art! Each bedroom got new furniture, and all new lamps and light fixtures. All of the windows received a new window treatment, with funky curtains to match each theme. We also framed some great horse photos for the palomino room (we just love themed bedrooms)!

The new and improved Ranch Hand Room

We also added a few new beds, with all new comforters. Now the rooms are soft and cozy with their new bedspreads and fun decor! With our new bed configuration, the Barn House can hold up to 14 people. Each room now has a queen or king bed to hold couples. 

In the Ranch Hand Room, we turned an oil lamp into an electric lamp with a bulb. We will post on how to make your own on our next blog!

The Palomino Room (Left) and Rawhide Room (Right)

The Barn isn't for the animals anymore! It still has all the barn charm with the comforts of home inside.

Rebecca's 12th Birthday

all bets in

friends

turning the compost

stop and smell the flowers

slumber party

rock climbing

poker anyone?

What a wonderful celebration that we had for Rebecca's 12th birthday. Lots of her friends and many of their families were able to join us for a celebration. You can see the girls working the compost. They also enjoyed lots of great food, hanging out in the jacuzzi as well as late night Karoke. Thanks Nomi for the great pictures,

Garden Markers

You may have noticed the cute plant markers in some of our recent pics.  These are so cute and easy to make!  Not only will you know what seeds you have planted but they add some color and whimsy to your garden.  We took paint stir sticks (free at Home Depot or Lowes) gave them a coat of paint and used a sharpie to write the plant names.  That's it!  They are sturdy enough to last the season and are tall enough to be seen amongst the tall tomatoes and zucchinis.

Here is a close up pic of our radish sign.

Garden Anxiety

Every year I go through this!  We work and clear weeds, repair the irrigation, plant the seeds then wait...  Will my seeds germinate?  Will they survive the gophers, rabbits, slugs?  Will they be fruitfull?  Then I go up there and see that something new has emerged and I rejoice that all our work was not in vain!  Here are a few pics of the most recent arrivals in our garden.

Compost Tea

Compost tea is compost that has been mixed with water and fermented.  The benefits include a biodynamic culture of healthy bacterial and fungi that not only feed the plants with nutrients but also ward off bad bacteria, molds and fungi. While the jury is still out on whether or not it is better than using regular compost we decided to give it a try.  At the very least there are asthetic benefits to using a tea rather than sprinkling compost or fertilizer on our lawn :)

I found the directions to build a fermenter online here http://www.care2.com/greenliving/guide-to-compost-tea.html.  It cost me about $25 in parts and 15 minutes to put it together and start it up.  After letting it run for about 4 days (the weather stopped me from doing it any earlier) we opened the lid and were greeted by the very pungent aroma of fermented, decayed plant material...yum.  We strained it and used a watering can to sprinkle the new grass coming up on the lawn.  We also plan on adding it to the soil of our vegetable garden before we put in our new seedlings.  The directions also recommend using the tea on the folliage to prevent diseases.  I'll keep you posted on how it works out.  In the mean time we think compost tea is a great way to get living micro organizims back into the soil.