friday market

On Fridays, there is a market in Nargol. Villagers dress their best to make for a most colorful and vibrant little market. It's beautiful!

beach days

After several days in Mumbai and Puna filled with dinner parties, site seeing, squash, and reading, I tagged along with Imti and friends and family to the beach house in Nargol. It was magical. It was there that I had some of the best meals of my life in an epic home. I can only hope to ever get invited back to such a place. Only horses in the now empty stalls could have made it better. 

the largest tide I have ever seen

The week was spent stuffing our faces, taking long walks on the nearly private beach, playing games in the sand, and kicking up our feet. One for the books!

wild foodz

After an impromptu night in Arthur's Pass, we filled up the tank and finally made it to Hokitika! We painted up, and the wild rumpus began!

The creepy nurses were EVERYWHERE!

Being centered around wild foods, we had to try some...

how bout some vegan gonads first:

Then there was a drag show! Erin got pulled on stage. It was wild.

Davis and Alex (who are from home and WWOOFing here on a gap year) came to meet up at the festival. It was so nice to see people from home! Some good ole southern folk. 

We ate hoo hoo grubs:

Then headed down to the beach for some bonfire time before the rains came.

After a wild night which included crashing a rather intimate wedding, and a lot of rain, I crawled back to the tent at around 5 in the morning for some quick zzz's before the long haul back to Dunedin. 

I can honestly way that it was probably {all in all} one of if not the BEST weekend ever. Our jokes still haven't gotten old. We all handled the hiccups well.

**photo cred to Lindsey. computer isn't uploading my pictures :(

new year kick off

So Bozz and I have decided to do a 3-4 week detox... starting yesterday.  So, it's not too late to join us!   Katie went to the Dekalb farmer's market to stock up on fruits and veggies.  No caffeine. no alcohol. no gluten. no added sugar. no dairy. and no processed foods. What will we eat? Lots of fruits and veggies and nuts. mmmmm... we'll be adding back foods as we go along.

Today's recipe to share: braised brussel sprouts. {Katie's been bugging me to get a recipe together, so here it is!}

Need:

brussel sprouts

oil/butter 

dijon mustard or combination of mustards

broth

dry white wine

salt and pepper

Trim and cut brussel sprouts in half. Heat oil and/or butter [olive oil/coconut oil combo in out case] in a large skillet at mediumish heat.  arrange sprouts cut side down. {If there is not enough room for all of them at once, do multiple batches. Just be sure all are face-side down}  Heat for 5 minutes or so–until the underside is a brownish color.  Then add broth and a dry white wine [enough to cover the sprouts], cover, and bring to a simmer. Simmer until you can stick a fork in them.  Once soft, but not too soft, take out sprouts. Add mustard and cream [aka almond milk for us] to the remaining liquid and reduce.  Once it's reached desired consistency, pour over the cooked brussel sprouts. Voila! 

say cheese

So Katie and I have some ideas up our sleeves... 

but for now, we had a grilled cheese night! We tested all sorts of combinations of cheeses, veggies, spreads, you name it! A favorite: stinky cheese, sweet potato mustard, roasted kale, sautéed mushrooms. Delicious!

check out our spread

trying to tame the bear
{excuse the outfit. I was working at the barn.}

katie's christmas present! 

and of course some post-dinner tunes

twas the night before christmas

Christmas Eve dinner party at the Brown's!  How bout some fondue?! yum, yum.

Peace on Earth

adult table

Nate doing dishes!! 

can't get a serious picture without some pinching...

Mom and her giant children

say what?!

looks like Nate, eh?

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!!!
Hope Santa finds you tonight, wherever you may be!!

And spread some holiday cheer! But maybe not like this...