Real Food on the Go: Episode 4, Christchurch, Part 2

Real Food on the Go: Episode 4, Christchurch, Part 1

Here we go, the beginning of the end. It was a crazy day in the kitchen with these two characters, Laurie and Craig! Edited in an insane hurry only to be posted over a year later, this episode definitely leaves much to be desired, but for nostalgia's sake I'm posting it now.

A Traveler's Song

Title: 9 to 5

Artist: Dolly Parton

Album: Ultimate Dolly Parton

This song takes me back to my time in Te Anau. It was the highlight of my karoke night at The Moose when the bartender would belt out this gem. I soon developed a habit of having Dolly blast on replay when doing my morning cleaning duties at the restaurant.

A Lunch for Champions

I think that hours spent wax-polishing cars deserves a feast like this--and perhaps a relaxing arm massage as well! Lucky me to have a chef handy to just whip up yummy yummy yummy creations.

What I'd Say to Me Nine Months Ago.....

1. Don’t travel with someone you just met: Even if s/he is the kindest, most well-meaning person on Earth. And especially not if you know in your heart that you are an independent enough person to go it alone. There are so many unforeseen stresses and last-minute decisions involved in traveling that unless you’re completely comfortable with your travel companion, it’s just a potential recipe for disaster.

2. Get over the fact that there’s no place like Trader Joe’s: It’s so sad, but so true, it’s the best grocery store Ever and it’s only in America. However, other countries have their own grocery perks, like Tim Tams and Sweet Chili Sauce.

3. Moving to New Zealand does not mean you’re on a year-long Holiday: Lighten up on those Tim Tams and Gingernuts and Lollies….you’ll be running many a mile to burn those off your bum!

4. Don’t lose Ginger Jr. in Wellington: A total mental breakdown will ensue.

5. Don’t spend Christmas with a friend’s family: Granted it was nice being welcomed into another family’s holiday traditions, but it’s really difficult not to feel like an outsider, especially when you have a cold! Looking back I think I would have preferred staying in a hostel where everyone’s in the same boat….hostels are great for makeshift families.

6. Don’t chicken out: I swear, the amount of money I’ve wasted on canceled and changed flights is enough to take a whole other trip! Just stay strong through those short-lived homesick episodes, your wallet will be all the bulgier for it.

7. Don’t try to flee to Russia: This goes along with chickening out, it’s a very silly thing to do, especially since Russia doesn’t want you anyway.

8. Don’t fall for the local Bad Boy: The family won’t approve and long-distance love makes for more flight changes, thereby further deflating your wallet. Oh who am I kidding, turn this don’t into a do—life’s an adventure you only live once! Plus, didn’t someone famous once say that “love knows no bounds”?

LOVE

My oh my, how I do love surprises!!

Searching For those Rings

After nearly eight months of living in New Zealand, it's about time I began visiting filming locations from the movie that put this small country on the map. Plus, Natalie would be most upset if I didn't at least make an effort to see hobbitland on her Tolkien-fan behalf. Last weekend, while the weather was still calm and mild, we took a wee day drive out of town toward Arthur's Pass to hopefully see snow (my most recent obsession). On the way we stopped at the place Peter Jackson used for numerous fight scenes in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

What a fun playground! All along a rolling hillside limestone rocks of various magnitudes protruded from the Earth, providing endless nooks and crannies to explore. It was a rather stunning sight, a field of massive rocks in the middle of nowhere. But that's New Zealand for you. We got ambitious and climbed to the top of the hillside, thoroughly winding ourselves in the process; the hill was deceptively steep! Needless to say it was cool to see one of the locations and try to guess how the production team organized themselves. This then sparked a need for us to watch The Lord of the Rings in hopes of catching a glimpse or two of the rocky terrain. But alas, we forgot how arduous a task it is to watch those films--my how they go on forever before getting anywhere--and quit watching after an hour into The Fellowship of the Ring.

Exploring

Traffic Jam!

So much for getting to Queenstown on time--this fleet of freshly de-fluffed sheepies prompted an unanticipated break in our drive.....on the plus side, at least I didn't stall the car!

SnapShot

The tail-end of sunset from home, if only my camera did beauty any justice!

SnapShot

On the way to Queenstown--what a perfect day for a road trip adventure :)

SnapShot

A birds-eye view of Te Anau taken from the Kepler Track, one of New Zealand's Great Walk Tracks that traverses the mountains on the opposite side of Lake Te Anau. Seriously, it's the best home ever!

My First Pavlova

In the sweet realm of desserts, no dish is more traditionally Kiwi than a pavlova. Essentially one huge marshmallowy meringue topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit, pavlovas were all the rage over here in the sixties and seventies; the dessert then vanished from Kiwi tables until recently, when pavs once again came in vogue.

My first pavlova eating experience occurred only two weeks ago, when the lovely lads in the kitchen treated us waitresses to one of their collapsed creations unfit for the customers. Oh my goodness, so yummy! Naturally, the next morning I was up early baking with Von and Cree, learning how to make the sweet treat before tackling one on my own on my day off.

Pavlovas are fairly uncomplicated to make, the real key is just to make sure you beat the egg whites and sugar for long enough, otherwise they will separate into a sugar syrup after cooling. Yes, I know that from personal experience--although it only happened a wee bit! But practice makes perfect, and I hope to have the pavlova down pat before long. In the meantime, my flatmates love eating my mistakes!

Pavlova

Ingredients:

12 Egg whites

3 Cups sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

1-1.5 Tsp. cream of tarter or 1 cap full of white vinegar

Oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius

1. Using the whisk top of your mixmaster, mix the egg whites, about one tablespoon of sugar and the cream of tarter together on high until shiny and moderately stiff.

2. Add the remaining sugar mixture one teaspoon at a time, letting sugar dissolve before each addition. After roughly 5 teaspoons, begin adding the sugar in thirds, once again allowing the sugar to dissolve before each addition. Mix until thick, shiny and heavy.

Important: There must be a good heft to the egg whites, otherwise you haven't mixed them long enough! It should take around 5-8 minutes, and don't be afraid to mix for longer, as it is difficult to over-mix the eggs.

3. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking paper and form the pavlova into your desired shape--be creative! Or at the very least make a circle with soft peaks at the top. Then pop into the oven; turn the oven down to 90 degrees immediately and bake for about an hour.

4. Serve with creme anglaise, fresh whipped cream, fresh fruits (kiwis and strawberries perchance?), and a fruit coulis if you want to get real fancy.

Serves 8-10

Going to the Chapel...

So if I ever do get married, this might just have to be the place because it looks through to Lake Te Anau! What a swell idea.

Buskers Festival: Christchurch

One performance from the opening night of the Christchurch Buskers Festival, a week-long festival of free street performances. It's the third largest Busker Festival in the world, and it is SO much fun. I think they've one-uped you Natalie and Gavin!

A Sydney Holiday

Dinner in Darling Harbor

The top third of the Victoria Mall Christmas Tree

Train village for Dad

Chris with the bigger and better Sydney Harbor Bridge

The Opera House!!!

Megan: My housewarming gift for you and John.

No photoshop here I swear! The most psychedelic side of St. Mary's Cathedral

The Three Sisters at the Blue Mountains

What a poser

My new wallaby friend--soooo soft!

Mr. Popper's Penguins!

Sydney from the Harbor, the only real way to see it

Okay okay, I'm only slightly obsessed!

Merry Christmas to Me

When I was WWOOFing in Coromandel Rachel, my host, introduced me to a chef named Peter Chaplin. He’s a Kiwi who makes delicious vegetarian and pescatarian food. He also has a cooking school, and I had the pleasure and yummy fortune to attend one of his classes at his restaurant whilst in Auckland.

The theme of the class was a Christmas Barbie that you can prepare ahead of time. We made Thai fish cakes, Saffron, fruit, and cashew basmati rice, Vegetable Kebabs, and Chili and Brown Sugar grilled Pineapple. Definitely not the traditional Christmas dinner fare where I’m from, but it was delicious nonetheless!

The class of about twenty people, all of whom were locals and most of who were over thirty, sat in a semi-circle table formation in front of Peter’s kitchen. We listened to technique and tips before helping prepare the simply scrumptious dishes and finally, chowing down.

It was such a wonderful experience, cooking with Peter. He’s so warm and knowledgeable and creates smart, simple, and savory dishes. No wonder why Madonna hired him as her personal chef way back in the day during her Blonde Ambition Tour!

I walked away with a full tummy and my very own autographed copy of Peter’s newest cookbook, Rock Around the Kitchen. Believe you me, I cannot wait until I get to Rock around my own Kitchen once again!

Rotorua Museum

Rotorua may just be the smelliest place in New Zealand, but that didn’t stop early explorers from exploiting its natural wonders. People used Rotorua’s natural thermal baths since the mid 1800s, but the Rotorua Bath House (now home to the Rotorua Museum), which opened in 1908 as a spa and treatment center, marks the New Zealand Government’s first major investment in the tourism industry. Patrons came to the bath house not only to cure ailments such as arthritis and poor circulation but also to beautify themselves in the mineral waters and mud baths.

The building itself is gorgeous and its Elizabethan style architecture proves just as interesting as the museum’s contents. The bath house is the most standout building in Rotorua, a city built in the crater of a volcano. Too bad the sulfuric smell was so nauseating—I could only spend about 45 minutes there before I had to flee the putrid egg scent for fresher air!

Real Food on the Go: Episode 3, Rotorua

Walking in a Thermal Wonderland

Today I drove down a lovely country road nestled in between lush rolling hills dotted with grazing cows and went to Orakei Korako Cave and Thermal Park, which is located in between Taupo and Rotorua.

After purchasing my $34NZ ticket, I hopped on a ferry to the other side of Lake Ohakuri, where I began my thermal journey. It was fascinating walking around steaming, bubbling, gurgling Earth; the smell, not so cool, in fact rather nauseating! The craziest thing is that approximately 20 million liters of hot water trickles thru these streams into the lake each day!

Everything about the walk was enchanting. Around every bend was a natural treasure more striking than its predecessor. Highlights include:

Anawaniwa

the artist's palette

and mud pools which seemed to create their own songs with their symphony of popping.

However, hands down the most amazing thing was Ruatapu Cave. No picture, not even video footage from my HD handycam can do justice to this cave. It’s majestic, humble, humbling, brilliant. Vibrant green moss covers the rose rock walls at points and I swear the cave has a pulse…it just felt to alive. After slowly descending into the mouth of the cave I stood there, jaw-dropped, trying to soak in its unspoiled beauty. I think I could have stayed forever in “Alladin’s Cave” and never fully grasped the subtle magnitude of this natural wonder.

The turquoise pool at the bottom of the cave was warm to the touch, stunning to look at, and can even remove the tarnish from your silver jewelry. Too bad I left the Tiffany’s at home!

If you venture to the North Island of New Zealand, Orakei Korako is something you absolutely must see. Because it is on an island it is one of the only places in the world that looks like it did millions of years ago.