What's cooking?

I have been doing a lot of cooking this summer, trying out delicious new recipes like this red lentil, pumpkin and spinach curry which is just divine!

It's fun to get guests to try out new things as well. We have had quite a few guests from overseas, here is my good friend Celine from Austria and the Princess making sushi with the magic sushi making machine,

and Matthi and the Princess about to eat the sushi made with the magic sushi making machine!

When you have guests from other countries you should also serve them traditional food from your own country right? Obviously not sushi! I made pavlova one night for dessert, a very traditional New Zealand dessert (don't let the Australian's tell you otherwise!). It's made mainly with egg whites and sugar and whipped cream on the top.  The egg whites have to be beaten just so to make a good pavlova, of course my elderly beater crapped out part way through the beating so I had to do the rest with a whisk, and then...my oven at this castle is gas, hard to get used to the temperature and also that you have to turn the oven fan on separately, which of course I forgot to do until part way through cooking my 'pav'! Anyone who has cooked a 'pav' knows the oven temperature has to be just so.!!!  But despite those little hick ups it turned out pretty damn good!

We have had lots of fun with our visitors and also a great day and night at my brother and sister in laws house at beautiful Whangaparoa where its a short walk down a track to the beach. My Princess is a water baby, can't keep her out of it and she will happily swim in deep water to keep up with her big cousins, thank goodness for life jackets!

We learned to kayak, she is so good at it, I am now looking to buy us our own.  This was her first go at it, after a few pointers from her Uncle she was let loose on her own, paddling along the shoreline.  Thank goodness for life jackets and safe beaches!

One of the things I love at my brothers house is the outside shower, it is totally private, great water pressure and makes me feel like I am on a tropical island when I use it.

This is such a long overdue post, I finally found a USB cable for my camera, the burglars stole mine and blogging is no fun without photo's!

Hard to believe January is almost over and I haven't even made my new year resolutions yet!!!

I'll leave you with a quote from my sister in law the Island Princess ... "Coffee is so 2010, lets have a glass of champagne" at 10am

Take Care
Rachaelxo