Pita-paloosa

Most days (ok... maybe all of them), I leave the baking, cooking, and other kitchen past times to my much more capable husband.  Lets just say his efforts are substantially more rewarding.  However, not long ago, Mark introduced me to pita bread making.  And, it's my new favorite thing!  So much so, that I'm the total dork who is spending my Saturday... after a mid-term... making different kinds of pita.  Now please know that when I say,"I'm making pita", what I'm really saying is Mark tells me what to do, and I "do" like MAYBE 50% of the work.  But that's not what I like.  The fun is in the frying of the bread to make it "pocket".  So, I suppose you could say that I'm really just in it for the grand finale "look what I did" part... never mind that I had NOTHING to do with it tasting good.  But who's counting, right?  Since I know ya'll are chomping at the bit to see my skills, I've included some action shots!

 Growing...

... Growing...

Almost...

Tada!

Plate of traditional pita...

And, my new Pumpkin Pita!

Yes I know I just blogged about pita bread, including 7 photos of said bread and none of us.  But, after a week of being sick and having a mid-term this morning... lets just say, maybe not my best Kodak moment.  But my pita bread on the other hand... Ooo La la!
Ok maybe I've had too much cold medicine.  Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Aramoana

This time of year is suppose to be good for spotting sea lions.  Something about the octupus' life cycle making good feeding for the sea lions (or so says my forever MORE informed husband).  Originally I hadn't planned on going... being the very committed (or needing to be committed) student that I am.  But, when our friend offered to drive us up to Aramoana I couldn't say no.  Nice sunny days are hard to find in the winter here in Dunedin, and Sunday was just one of these days.  So here's a little placement for you to orient yourselves (and yes I'm fully aware my dork reading is off the charts):

This is Otago Harbour.  Dunedin is located way at the bottom.  We went near the big red arrow (Aramoana), that is across the water from the tip of the peninsula.

On the way up, we made a scenic stop at Port Chalmers.  This would be an anchor commemorating something very important... I didn't read the plaque, so maybe I'm guessing. 

Port Chalmers is where all the cruise ships come to dock.  It's quaint and oh so picturesque.

The hills and mountains in this country are still just so unreal to me.  I've been to the Grand Canyon, driven through the Peruvian Andes, stood on the rock of Gibraltar, and still... the landscape here is just crazy beautiful.  Unlike anything I've ever seen. 

This would be me and our friend Kevin (he might be the nicest Kiwi ever)!!

On our walk back to his car to continue our journey, we were greeted by like a dozen roosters.  It was actually really freaky to me for some reason.  Maybe it's because they didn't seem overly excited to see me, and they kept cock-a-doodling.

Once we got to Aramoana the view was spectacular.  We walked all the way out on a natural pier to see if we could spy any creatures.

Unfortunately, the sea lions got the memo that we were coming, and high tailed it out.  We didn't get to see any, but it was still definitely worth the trip.  Across the water was the light house at the end of the peninsula...

This would be Kevin looking hard for rocks that move... a.k.a. sea lions.  He says it's hard to tell them apart.

I on the other hand entertained myself jumping from big rock to bigger rock until I got to the very end.  I was very proud that I didn't fall, overshoot, nor any of the other TOTALLY reasonable things to expect from me.

It's hard to believe sometimes how cool this land really is.  Kevin has traveled all over the world, lived abroad, and has come back home.  I asked him if he would leave again to live somewhere else, and after giving it some thought he said, "No".  He said New Zealand is the place for him.  It was wonderful to spend the afternoon with someone who loves their home enough to stay out of choice, and have them show you the things they love about it. 

Aramoana beat studying hands down!

A Snowy Sunday Morning

Yes I know... I have once again been remiss in my blogging duties.  I have no real excuse other than I'm back in the full swing of being a student and my days are once again filled with studying and sitting in lectures.  But for the first time this winter Dunedin is getting a "winter storm".  And by winter storm I mean there so far is a light dusting with the prediction of a whole inch... or two.  It's very common for the mountains surrounding the city to see frosty white mornings, but since Dunedin is nestled so close to the sea it usually escapes any real accumulation.  But, when it does... not unlike my home (Alabama)... the whole world shuts down.  So, here I sit... pretending to study, watching the streets turn white..

The best part of days like this are the awesome things going on in my kitchen!  I mean what else is there to do when your stuck at home besides seeing if you can turn that Freshman 10 into the Freshman 15 (if you don't know what this is that means then you've never experienced it and thus I might like you a little less).  My first experience with the Freshman 10 (being when I was 18) was due to junk food and late nights.  This time around would be due to this....

And this is JUST the kabobs!!  My meals are filled with the most amazing creations made by Mark.  You like how I blame him for my TOTAL lack of self control!?!  This would be my participation in today's meal....

Eagerly waiting with a big smile on my face!

This past Friday night Mark went to the first pre-season blowout rugby game for the "All Blacks".  They are the professional rugby team for New Zealand, and they just decimated Fiji!  I unfortunately didn't get to go to this "guys night out", but luckily the season has just begun with the World Cup right around the corner!!

I still love going to the year round farmer's market down at the train station every Saturday morning.  It's not even that we buy tons of stuff, but the market is filled with ready to eat hot food, drink, music...

... and Lions!

What I hate is that I missed capturing this little girl when she was eating a lamb kabob!!  It was the most civilized partaking of lamb I've ever witnessed by a lion.  So funny!

This weekend also marks the beginning of a week long chocolate festival sponsored by Cadbury!  Seriously... a WEEK of a chocolate covered city.  There is every kind of event you could imagine... but, for today it was visiting the chocolate house... with chocolate covered statues (yes they are real people)....

... with a chocolate yard....

... and treats in all the trees!

Ok it might be a Freshman 20 now!

These two ladies were in the middle of carving a block of chocolate into some famous rugby player's head.  I didn't stick around for the whole thing feeling tortured by the smell of chocolate EVERYWHERE!!

So there's our weekend.  Chocolate and snow... in July... I might be in the twilight zone!  Miss you all.  XOXO

Winter Solstice

Marking the southern hemisphere's shortest day and longest night of the year, when the sun's daily presence is but a brief moment and the darkness an endless blanket... all across New Zealand, kiwis (and a couple Americans) left the warmth of their homes to pay homage.  The spectacular tradition in Dunedin is a celebration commencing after sunset... full of homemade lanterns, dancers, musicians... and animation to fill any childhood dream.

Mark and I, along with some friends, joined in the celebration marking the first day of winter, and thus the lengthening of days.

This year the theme was creatures of the night, complete with owls and dancing people that I surmise live in the dreams of the children who filled the streets.

The celebration ended with the explosions of fireworks from a building nearby. 

I shivered with the excitement of the coming of spring.

 A Midwinter's Night Dream.

4 Days and Counting

Last week marked the end of all lectures for this semester!  It's hard to believe it's actually here.  It really feels like just yesterday that that I sat in my first Physics lecture with a, "I'm sorry what did you say?" look on my face.  Today starts the countdown until my first final.  The library is busting at the seems with terror stricken faces.  All my usual hiding places are filled with energy drinks and laptops.  And around about the same hour each day, you'll find a good majority of my fellow students face down at their desk.  Not sure why this is funny to me.  But then again, I was looking out the window of the top floor of my favorite library that overlooks another portion of the roof... and Otago Harbour.  I've peered out over this portion of the city countless times, but for some reason this time the sign at the edge of the roof caught my attention...

This is a horrible shot, but the sign says "Beware: Keep Away From the Edge".

I thought I was never going to stop laughing!  How appropriate to have on the edge of the building that houses the activities that causes you to want to throw yourself off a roof.  Ok, maybe I'm a little delirious... but it really was funny at the time.  I'm sure if you looked at the ground below you'd see a pile of Physics and Chem books!

Ok, study break over...

Mark and a Toaster Oven

Most of you know that being the brilliant woman that I am... I chose well in marriage.  Aside from his many wonderful attributes, my husband is an amazing chef.  What's truly remarkable is what he has made in our dinky kitchen.  To fully appreciate this, you would need to see it for yourself... but I refuse to post pictures of our kitchen.  So, just understand that instead of a stove... we have a toaster oven.  I've never seen a toaster oven with stove "eyes" on top until we moved here.  But nothing stops this man!  He has continued to amaze me with his culinary feats.  The following photos aren't even the most amazing things he's made, but I've never seen someone bake bread in a toaster oven!  Mark has taken my desire for healthy AND good food as a challenge... Everything is from scratch, everything is made of things that I can spell, and no butter nor any of the traditional things that are the easy way to make food taste good!  Are you jealous yet!?!  :)

Whole Grain Sunflower Seed Bread

Marbled Butternut Squash and Quinoa Bread

Honey Glazed Oat Bread

Whole Wheat Crust, NZ Sausage Pizza

(Mark wanted me to add that he made the sausage)

Whole Wheat Tomato and Basil Pizza

Before: Some fish I don't remember the name of... but YUM!

After...

We eat fish most nights.  I'm in heaven!!

In case you didn't believe me about the toaster oven...

How lucky am I!!