This post isn't so much a recipe, as it is a how-I-make-my-artichokes-post. So here it goes...
There's a certain blended drink that I've been dreaming of ever since I first had it. And I've finally got around to re-creating my perfect version of it. It's a bit more fruity and more tart than the one from Chaco Canyon, but I actually prefer it this way.
It was incredibly hard to make this collage because there were so many beautiful pictures of the beautiful places in the Fiordland region of New Zealand. We drove through Queenstown and admired the beautiful lakes, cruised on Milford Sound, visited the Southern Ocean, kayaked Doubtful Sound, and did a bit of exploring around Fiordland National Park.
About 3 years ago when I lived in California, I signed up for my first CSA produce delivery and it was a wonderful way to learn to cook with new and fresh ingredients. Eventually I started growing so much of my own fresh fruit and veggies that I couldn't keep up with eating everything, so I canceled it.
Now, living in Washington, I haven't quite figured out the gardening situation yet, so I've signed us up for another CSA-like produce delivery through Full Circle Farm. What I like about their service is the ability to easily customize the box you receive. So I can swap out some of the products that aren't grown locally for other locally grown ones and skip out on grapes and berries!
This tasty concoction doesn't look like much but the flavor combination is just wonderful! The combination of the sweet acorn squash with the tang of the arugula and Pecorino Romano is just right. I discovered it just by a completely random experiment based on what we had around the house one day and now it's become a regular meal in our house.
We spent about a week in the Nelson and Abel Tasman region which sits at the top of the South Island. We stayed for two nights in Kaiteriteri Beach at a wonderful cottage surrounded by fruit trees and then three more nights in Abel Tasman National Park at Awaroa Lodge. There are so many parts of Nelson and the rest of the north part of the South Island that we didn't have time to explore and someday I would love to go back. The beaches and water were simply beautiful.
And now we'll take a quick break from the Gluten Free In New Zealand posts!
But first, I must apologize for the quality of the pictures for this trip, I forgot the good camera, so iPhone photos will have to do! Second, this will be a short post with not a whole lot of new information because I was just on a short overnight jaunt down to Portland. I had grand dreams of trying out some new places, but defaulted to some old favorites for comfort purposes. In fact, the only new place in Portland I visited was a chain!
After conquering the Crossing we drove down to Wellington to spend the night before taking the ferry to the South Island to continue our adventure. During the brief time we spent in the area, we realized that we wished we had more time. Wellington was a beautiful city and getting there via the Kapti Coast was such a beautiful route to take. Hopefully we'll go back some day and spend more time in the region.