Is it too late for a Thanksgiving blog???

Of course Kiwi's don't celebrate Thanksgiving. But of course an American nanny is going to want to plan a Thanksgiving dinner for her kiwi family! So for this special holiday devoted to eating, drinking, and eating some more, I planned a simple dinner for my family and had a few friends show up. Since turkey is uncommon here, I had to resort to baking a pre-stuffed turkey from Foodtown. I had green beans with sliced almonds, mashed potatoes, and "green stuff" which was especially requested by Tim. Green stuff is actually a jello salad --- lime jello, marshmellows, canned pineapple, mascarpone, and walnuts --- served upside down to show off its colors. Gendie whipped up gravy and also some whipped cream for the dessert.
No Thanksgiving is complete without a pumpkin pie, and me being the eager chef I have always been (hahaha yeah right) I decided to make one from scratch.
Now the interesting thing about New Zealand is that not many foods are canned; most people grow their own fruits and vegetables or buy them from veggie stores. But when you are an American and you are using an American recipe, you go to Foodtown and go down the canned fruit aisle looking for the canned pumpkin. You might find that essential ingredient simply not on the shelves. What do you do? You frantically text your host mum and ask her how on earth you are supposed to make a pumpkin pie when there is no pumpkin? She will probably laugh and write you back saying, "Go to the fresh produce section and pick a pumpkin."
How bizarre! So I followed her instructions and lo and behold, pumpkins! For sale! But Halloween has passed! And it is summer here! There were two different kinds of pumpkins; neither variety was orange and they were not really pumpkin-shaped. I slowly took one from the shelf, not having the faintest idea what to do with it.
Turns out, you cut the pumpkin up, boil it, puree it, and there you go! You make the crust, add your own spices and a few other ingredients, and then you bake it!! When it is finished it looks nothing like what you are used to. The pie is not brown, it is orange. The texture is not creamy or flan-like; it is a bit more pulpy - the way a pumpkin should be. It tastes fresh, healthy, and like a pumpkin. After you sink your teeth into a forkful of honest-to-goodness pumpkin pie, you wonder, "WHAT THE HELL HAVE I BEEN EATING FROM A CAN ALL THESE YEARS?"

Movin' to the Country

On Dec 22, after a week's notice, Tim, Gendie, Uncle Ed, the kids and I packed up and moved out to Muriwai Valley. Tired of the city life and eager to settle down in the country, Tim and Gendie found the perfect house on a 5 acre plot. Spacious, airy, and perfect for entertaining. Surrounded by grassy knolls, 2 ponds, a stream, and lush vegetation. In no time at all, the pigs had been renamed, a tree house had been erected, and plans began taking form for a garden, compost bin, sleep out, chicken coop, and the list goes on. Just 5 minutes away is the beautiful Muriwai Beach complete with gannet colony, tide pools, and caves all on pristine land --- not a resort or condo in sight. So far we have had to adjust to all sorts of bugs blowing inside with the breeze, ducks eager to come inside, eels in the stream, and colorful lorikeets flying around in the "backyard".
So far, here are the things we don't miss: city lights at night, cars constantly driving by, pollution, noise, traffic lights, and cement everywhere.

South Island

On Dec 28 Anna and I embarked on a 10 day journey through the south island. We flew in to Christchurch and toured the city. The next morning we stopped in Waimate to pet over 60 tame wallabies on our way to Queenstown. The drive was long and hot but absolutely stunning! Queenstown was even more breathtaking --- dark mountains mirrored in a crystal clear lake with the sun setting. We hopped around to different restaurants and bars in the area, stopping at a new place for each round of dinner.
In the morning we took of for the famous Milford Sound where we took a cruise all the way to the ocean looking at seals and waterfalls the entire way. On the return, we stayed in Te Anau and checked out the local scene with our CS friend Nathan. The next morning, which was New Year's Eve Day, we went back to Queenstown for some naps and pre-partying before we hit the town square for the big celebration. Good music, good company, and a good sleep in the car to get away from all the craziness in the house! Almost forgot to mention that I went quadbiking up in the hills! Whoo hoo!
Tired but eager to keep going, Anna and I headed towards Fox Glacier. With a few scenic stops we made it in time to meet our host for the night, Jono. We met some of his guiding buddies, watched "Role Models", and then crashed. Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided to spoil our fun and we were unable to make it on the full-day glacier hike we had planned. Bummed, we left town early in hopes of escaping the white fog that had enveloped everything. We went river rafting on the Buller River in Murchison; a perfect activity for an icky day. Unfortunately, we were stuck in fog for 2 days --- all the way up the west coast and to Abel Tasman. That didn't stop us from finding washed up jade at the beach in Hokitika or snapping pictures at the pancake rocks in Punakaiki. After spending the night in a sweet hostel in Abel tasman we awoke to find a gloriously sunny day. We walked along the nearest track for a couple hours before continuing on to Nelson.
We made a couple of stops along the way to Kaikoura but had intended to spend the bulk of the evening there. We listed to live music, walked around town, and relaxed a bit in the hostel. In the morning we managed to get ourselves on the 8:30 boat to swim with the dolphins! Hundreds of dusky dolphins swam past our noses as we made funny sounds in order to entertain them. After some hot cocoa we jumped in the car and headed to Hanmer Springs. We relaxed for a few hours in the antural springs and then took off for our last night of the trip. We slept in old sleeper trains in Waipara, just north of Christchurch. What a hoot! I really got a kick out of the experience.
Back in Christchurch, we walked around a bit more, listened to a live band, and then took off for the airport. What an amazing trip!!!