A Very Merry Kiwi Easter... what the hell did I do while you all were enjoying your ham and cupcakes?!

Well.... I suppose to be technical, the rest of you Americans were probably enjoying a typical Saturday while I greeted the Easter Festivities on a not so bright Sunday morning. But anyway, for us, Easter was broken up between two days. As Saturday was predicted to be 25C and gorgeous, while Sunday was going to be stormy and cold.

So we took advantage of the sun and went out to a lovely lunch. We went to a place called French Farms. It was so European looking with its tall wooden structure and high terraces with ivy trailing all around. We sat outside and started our lunch right - with a good bottle of Chardonnay! And after some prodding from Eckhard, I reluctantly ordered the Akaroa salmon and vegetables instead of the typical fatty burger and fries (that he ordered).

And I'm so glad I did. It was the best fish I've ever had in my life. The Akaroa salmon is one of the towns most famous exports. People in England pay 80 - 100 for the dish. And I learned that it's even over-night shipped to high rolling restaurants in New York. It's a Major delicacy because it's so tender and moist. And I can now understand why it can be so expensive.

After a nice meal we went down town to a very full Akaroa. Tons of Kiwis and camper vans lined the small streets. It was difficult to move around, but it was interesting to see some of the little craft fairs that were set up for the week-end. We stumbled onto a auction for old furniture, but soon decided that neither of us needed a love seat soaked in cat urine; so we for coffees on the beach instead!

Easter Sunday rolled around with the winds and heavy rain, it also allowed us to see the Easter shopping list that we never got around to getting. Things like dyes for the eggs, and ingredients for my beloved cupcakes were a thing of fantasy. But that didn't stop us from having a great day! We hard boiled eggs, and dyed them in beat root. Haha, witch turned the eggs a whole 2 shades darker brown! When they were done we had an awesome brunch with our beat-boiled eggs, olive bread, and bAcOn! After we recovered from our delightful food comas I made muffins (I know, Courtney...not the same as cupcakes, but just as tasty!) :) We spent the day in our pajamas watching movies. The whole afternoon was full of relaxation and good food.... just the ticket for two hard working farmers!

I did get to talk to my family on their Easter, and of course, it brought me back to the incredible smells of the typical Easter fest lining the walls of Nana's kitchen and the good company and drinks that I couldn't partake in. But like all holidays, they help you to be grateful for what you do have. I am really grateful that not only do I have a crazy bunch of nutters at home but also for the new Nuts here in New Zealand. Especially the one I'm living with now... almost as funny as I am. This Easter although nontraditional, has defiantly been one of the most memorable!

Hope eveyone's day was at least half as good as mine!

Until next time,
Your favorite Spazzy American-Kiwi <3

A Lethargic Lunch

Usually, I can't wait for lunch time. 12:00 on my watch symbolizes 2 hours of food, relaxation, and quite often a nice nap. Today, however I was dreading it. Going on three weeks of Avocado, cheese, pate, and tomato sandwiches. And Just today it got old. I walked to the house with my head hung low trying to figure out what else I could do... I scoured the fridge. 1/2 an avocado, butter, oh, and some pate. Yum. I slowly carried my "goodies" back to my room in hopes of finding just the perfect ingredient to pair with my worn out sandwich accomplices. Still pondering, I opened the freezer... oh I forgot the bread. I grabbed my freezer bread, just when the boss found me.

"Hey, do you need anything for lunch?"

'yeah, a twinkie, some Cheetos, a huge helping of my mom's home made spaghetti, don't forget the garlic bread....'

"Um... maybe a tomato?"

"Sure!"

I didn't bother asking for the cheese. I figured one day without it won't hurt. I get my tomato and head back to "the kitchen". hmmm.... what to do?

2 minute noodles?... I'd rather open a vein.
muesli? ...I did that for breakfast.
Marimite? .... I think I'll just starve.

But alas. I'm Italian. Starving is never an option. I think I'd saute my own arm in butter and garlic before I died of hunger. Not that that was a possible circumstance. I am certain that my body would live for at least a month (or 3) on it's own fat before I had to worry about croaking over.

However, I wouldn't like to start that experience today, so I pop my bread into the toaster.

They say a good chef can take any ingredients and whip them together in a special way to make something amazing! Well, here it goes....

Pate and avocado go into a bowl, with a bit of butter to add calories and a hint of ... whatever, I just threw it in because. Mix it all up. Tomato, in stead of getting finely sliced and placed neatly over the bread, like usual, gets chopped and also thrown into my concoction. A wee dash of salt and the toast popped up. I put my new spread onto my toast and ate it open faced.

And, it tasted like an avocado, tomato, pate... on toast! But at least the texture was different, and it looked a bit different too....


I'm just beside myself with excitement with what I'm going to come up with tomorrow...