Turkey Day in Kiwiland

Last week, Lee says "I will cook the turkey."  Kiwis don't really "do" turkeys until Christmas seeing as how they don't really have Thanksgiving.  Another complication is that it is spring/summer here so your typical Thanksgiving side dishes aren't always available - as in, no brussel sprouts... think strawberry season...  And!  no jellied cranberry sauce in the can.... thank goodness :)

All that being said, we found a 3.5 kilo turkey and made some quick substitutions on the fly for side dishes but kept the traditional sweet potato casserole, stuffing/dressing, and cranberry sauce.  Lee dry brined the turkey for a few days and did a secret under the skin spice rub that I'm pretty sure had some Szechuan peppercorns in it.

What is Thanksgiving without some good college football?  We waited until today to have turkey day so that we could watch the UF vs FSU game which came on at 9:00am here.  It's becoming a Sunday morning tradition for Lee and Beau to get up for ESPN Gameday and then the UF game every Sunday.

beau gators!

Our fellow ex-pat friend, Carlton, came over for the football and feast.  Unfortunately for him, he is (was) a FSU fan!  Great come behind win for the Gators today.  Even our GT Yellowjacket nephew (sorry for your loss Ty!) got behind the Gators!

Dinner was nice to have with friends here, but we miss our family and state-side friends!!  Hope more of you can come for a visit in the near future....

turkey day table

fellow ex-pat carlton

lee requested traditional sweet potato souffle - marshmallow and all....

perfectly juicy turkey

just a little snack for me!

Dessert - had to be pumpkin pie!  Homemade crust and everything.... brandy whipped cream on top.

yum-kin pie

Aftermath....

and then there is always these....

tryptophan doesn't seem to impact ella...

3-Year Itch?

We decided (Lee decided) that it was time for us to leave the little guy with a babysitter and venture out for dinner for our 3-year anniversary this week.  We had managed to dine alone once before while Lee's mom, Shelagh, and her friend Jackie were in town back in September, but had not risked an actual babysitter yet...

The day started great.... awesome coffee from Ozone Coffee Roasters (New Plymouth, NZ).... Beau in a lovely mood.... got out for walkies with Ella.... then who knows what happened, but 3:00pm comes around and we've got a screaming baby on our hands for an entire hour!!!!  I truly think that he is starting to teeth as his cheeks were fiery red and he was putting any and everything in his mouth EXCEPT for his bottle!  He's all of a sudden started refusing to drink from the bottle without a true "bottle battle" on our hands.

So we worked through the 3pm episode and had a nice happy settled baby for our neighbor, Dayle, to come over for a sit with Beau while we went for dinner.  Beau likes Dayle and she brought over her partner's 11-yr old son, Frasier, who both Beau and Ella like.  So.... we left....  a bit trepidatiously, but stuck to our plan.

We went to the Refreshment Room in Titirangi.  It's a lovely little restaurant where the menu changes daily/weekly and the owner is the chef.  They grow most of their own vegetables in their home garden - a bit like Cakes and Ale for those of you from Atlanta.  I've got to say that it was pretty relaxing going out to dinner just the two of us to celebrate....

view from the refreshment room over the waitakeres

chef with fresh bread for asparagus mozzarella bruschetta 

Dinner was excellent - we made it through some pre-dinner beverages, the entree/appetizer of bruschetta with grilled asparagus and fresh mozzarella, and our mains/entrees before Lee's phone started blowing up with texts from Dayle that got a bit more frantic with each one.  Needless to say, dessert had to be takeaway and we headed back to the house not really sure what to expect...

You would never guess the MAYHEM that was going on!!!! No wonder Beau was screaming and exercising his baby lungs to their full extent.... Not only were Dayle and Frasier at our house with Beau and standing outside on the front porch, but two of our neighbors came over to see what the ruckus was about and brought their dogs which caused Ella to go into hyperdrive.  The circus had come to Kopiko Rd and Beau was just not ready for that!!!

Took about 5 minutes to get Beau settled, fed, and happily asleep in his cot - no worries whatsoever... meanwhile, Dayle enjoyed a glass (or two.... ) of wine with Lee.

Lessons Learned:  No matter how much the babysitter insists on Beau being awake so she can get a good cuddle in, make sure he is fed and in bed before leaving the house for dinner!!!!  Mommy knows best.

pre-dinner pic.... did not capture the circus :)