Simple Great Feastings

Anyone who knows me well, or vaguely for that matter, is consciously aware of my never-to-part love indulgence of food. Degustation menus are a constant read just as fuel for imagination and of course to be put aside for wanted occasions. I enjoy the art in its presentation, it gives aesthetic pleasure. Like a perfectly curated exhibition. A delicious meal is like fixing a puzzle, sometimes there are 3000 pieces, sometimes 300. Occasionally, the simpler 300 piece puzzles are more satisfying and of course, easier to create, not so troublesome to source for ingredient. Also, much more practical for everyday life/ everyday working Nath. Hah (:

Of late, N's been running to and fro for his constant inconsistent 7-5 (supposedly 9-5). Thats's a good 12-13k's all up? And when he gets home he insists on cooking. I've got to fight to get in there, clock in kitchen time. No complaints though! He enjoys it, says it calms him down and between the two of us, well he's the more willing cook. Not that I don't find some fulfilment gathering/ chopping/ blanching/ grilling and presenting, I'm happy to give him that space to unwind. (Hope he sees it that way too! haha. We've communicated on this and so it seemssss....)

I've been observing him, I...us. I usually find that everyone seems to find a place in their home. N's include the garden, kitchen and the piano. The piano is definitely position #1. I realise that my position at home is... surprise, surprise! The dining table hah! But no! I do not spend my day eating all day long. I like to do uni work there too (you can tell I'm not at the dining table now cause I said 'there' hehe), with big windows surrounding the corner, it's perfect for people watching as well. I do love the light and sun and this is where I best get it while enjoying the perks of a kitchen close by in an open space. 

Meals in this home are constantly new and never boring. As much as I dislike routine and purposefully avoid it, I can recognise the irony of its residence in my life. Who am I kidding. It's a must, a necessity. One new constant has been a week day night that we've seemed to save for guests. It wasn't planned but somehow fell into our weekly routine and of course, we love it. 

Setting the table and coming up with the menu would appear simple but we like trying to be novel (unfortunately, diligence isn't my strong suit and I've failed to capture most of the interesting dishes). So, hopefully as the weeks pass we might see something of a centre piece and cloth napkins etc. For now though, I will take the fresh tastes to the palate and laughter amongst guests and in between bites and chewing. Chinwag (:

My first roast from scratch. Lemon chicken.

Hainanese chicken rice.

Laksa night (:

Country chicken pie. Looks like we eat a lot of chicken!

Java Mee Soto with Kumura balls. 

Haloumi and bacon on spinach with lemony dressing.

Portobellos drowned in cheesy goodness with pine nuts and chorizo hash with kumura on the side.

Black pepper squid with traffic light vegetables on a bed of couscous.

Cheese board (:

Avocado (:

Spinach and feta tortellini in coconut soup.

Baked choc mouse.

Nutrigrain with vanilla bliss soy.

Quake shakes

Over the past weekend, something odd happened. A small earthquake in Auckland! I've never really had to think about preparing for one, surviving one, escaping one...There's a first for everything?

It was really small and we were in town most of the day so I didn't experience anything out of the ordinary. N once told me that if I ever felt tremors etc., to get in the car and drive away from Auckland. "Don't wait for me," he said and made me promise. He explained that there are no fault lines through Auckland and that if there was an earthquake, it could only mean that a volcano was about to erupt. Yeah, freaked me out too. 

"Hmm, so how many volcanos are we close to?"

Heaps! Is the answer. There's Mt. Vic, North Head... just to name a few. We're especially close to these two. Anyway, as it was a small earthquake, chances are (as reported in the news) that this is the beginning of something long term. We just have to be vigilant to the signs and live! In the meantime, these mounts make for great views and walks. Can't be worried, enjoy nature. 

The first picture was taken up on Mt. Vic and the rest were from a hot, sunny day at North Head.

Walking for 1,461 days

Mr. V and I passed a milestone recently. It's insane. We've done a lot of walking and sometimes running. A whole lot of swimming, a triathlon of sorts. However, if we have a gigantic jelly bean bag of years ahead of us then we're really only in the middle of the beginning, or in the beginning of the beginning (something I took note of from watching 'Future'). 

No longer are we children, forever are we kids in spirit for at least two minutes a day. Well, except on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and the weekend. Haha

Originally, N was not meant to be along side but plans alter and change as they do and we were very gratefully happy to be together for said milestone. 

A toast to the way life works out!

I finally crack open Naked 2 (:

Stepping out.. yeah yeah...

Leading to the harbour bridge into town~

Settled, all snug into an open setting at Everybody's. 

On the left, N got an assortment of olives whilst I opted for something refreshing. Kingfish sashimi with grapefruit, buckwheat, rhubarb and radish. It was delightful on my palate! N didn't like it though. On the right: Pimm's rose punch and I can't remember what he got. Yums though! In line with the refreshing theme I needed. 

While waiting for mains... Didn't really get clear shots of the main event but rest assured, it was scrumptious!

Blurry love <3

Shameless selfie~

After dinz, we drove on to Parnell and had a sip of Mt. Difficulty at Shanghai Lil's. This once was our favourite bar in town till it had to move for a flyover. Still, it was very reminiscent of our old days and was a sweet addition to the night. 

In simpleton skin

It's almost been a week since our stay at peaceful Pauanui and I'm still lingering in the sounds of the waves. 

Everyone lied when they said, "We're all sleeping in!"

Yeah, right! I was the last to get up and it was only 9-ish? Unlike the rest, I was on full on beach bum mode. Liars. Like I mentioned previously, we brought crazy amounts of supplies and I suppose that served as incentive to start the day with. N was in charge of eggs and D got right into pancakes. I just, well... ate it all. Haha.  

You know how everyone's all laid back, not saying a word after a big feed because we're all so full? Yeah, it was like that. Just as we started to move, C proudly declared that we're all ready to sink Russian destroyers now. Haha. Above is a picture of the caramelised bananas D made. He used to be a chef and so I've picked up a few tips. 

***Excuse the blurry photos.*** 

So of course it was time for the beach! Not a great idea, gorging yourself before... But we did it anyway. 

Boys in hats and ready to bake in the sun. N figured we might as well bring some clubs along to practise chipping in the sand. Potential hazard!

Always follow the birds. They know. 

Mt. Paku, you look like boobs.

Have you swept the sky today? Do your womanly duties. 

After searching long and hard, I found me some suitable 'jandals'.

Ready for a lay out.

Mandatory shadow greeting.

Hillbilly Nathy.

Against better judgement. One swing later, the waves swallow it.

Bake with a book (:

An hour on, we headed home as it was the worst time of day to be out in the sun and skin cancer is so prevalent here. We went traipsing on home...

Not a ready cookie. Clearly he didn't bake enough.

Nath kept picking flowers. I was swamped! (:

The day wasn't over though. Cooled down, we hopped into the Legnum for a tour of Pauanui as this was D's first visit. Calling 'gunshot/ shotgun' (guess I don't really have to, it's a permanent reservation for this Malaysian, woohoo!), I snapped whatever caught my eye! Let's see what I came up with...

Red road of Pauanui.

The witch's house as promised! Love these A-line houses, you don't see them anymore. Fun fact: Pauanui's first electrician owns this old time piece.

We stopped to check out the view.

A must! Vanilla bean with salted caramel macadamia in a waffle.

I find most times that when you're having incredible fun, the day escapes you. This wasn't the case though, somehow it all balanced out. Early afternoon, N and D went off for a round of 9 holes while C and I munched on carrots at home, chilling on the lazy boys. Soon though, we went wandering to the town centre for coffee. Even us peaceful souls get restless. Upon returning, we caught sight of this...

Ready to take flight! The airfield is fascinating. 

When the golfers returned, we practically hurried to the beach for another swim. Due to the tide, the sand contours got all confused. We swam, we laughed and tumbled in the crashing waves. Bliss!

Whence all was clean, we got onto business. A crayfish was halved (N somehow left the other in Auckland??!?!), steak was put on fire and fresh snapper was offered. Unfortunately, I failed to capture it all. Forgive? I did get a picture of this ball of goodness! Known in English as Mozart Balls (hehehehe), we were so lucky to have C bring them all the way from Salzburg from the the original shop that still hand makes them beauts. 

  

With bellies so full, we resigned to the deck. Cider in hand, I star gazed and heard silence all over and over again. A luxury I forget I'm missing out on. I am very glad I had that weekend. 

Everything about that weekend was truly needed, simple. Back on the lazy boys, some of us willingly participated in a music quiz where N was master. First category? Symphonies. A small applause for myself, I faired well. Yay! However, moving on to piano concertos, operas and concert music, I knew I was no contender. Especially when one said participant and master could identify works to Köchel number/ catalogue. Time to brush up on music history! All in all, the beach is a necessity (:

Packing up to leave we stumbled upon this... If only he were still as cute (: Aw, heheh!