Scott's Super Secret Birthday Adventure!

Hey Everybody!

Sorry this post is long overdue, but I think you can appreciate that it took me a wee bit of time to load the photos. Anyways, for Scott's Birthday we went to a place called TreeAdventure with our friends Chris (in grey), Stephan (in blue), and Tony (in yellow). It was way cool, but a bit scary. These are only photos from the second to last course which was the highest and most difficult. Stephan took the photos for us because he elected not to pay the extra cash for the extra thrill. I'm not sure that wasn't the best idea! ;)


















That speck of blue up there is Scott.






















I could barely leap between these lillipads!






This apparatus was no fun at all! :(




















The Tarzan Swing. Think "rope swing", Mom! ;)




















This shot gives you a pretty good idea of height.









This bridge was looooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnggggggg!








Zip line to the bottom. Wheeeeeee! Wait, how do I stop?



Yay we lived! Hopefully soon we will have pictures to share from our Waiheke Island weekend.

Until then,
Jen (& Scott)

We're Alive!

The dish that Jen made was: Butterscotch Pie!

It was quite good, except for the bit that got a bit burnt when she took my unsolicited advice and turned the heat up a bit.

Culinary Experiment 44

Jen is in the kitchen right now making some sort of dessert. I don't know what it is, but it involves more than 4 ingredients, one of which is molten sugar.

I hope we all make it out alive!

By Request: Things That Crack Me Up

This picture was taken at the Auckland MOTAT (Museum of Technology and Transportation...or Transportation and Technology), but I'm thinking either Cedar Point or Greenfield Village...

"Great Tasting" Irish Moss cough syrup...I beg to differ...Also, had to get Scott to smuggle in some rubbing alcohol because this "antiseptic" is rubbish!

In case you can't read it. Chubby Loafs. Teehee.
"Tasty" cheese really is pretty tasty actually...
No comment.

This is Auckland's Sky Tower. Think CN Tower, Stratosphere, etc.
This is a platform very near the top.
This is someone doing the "SkyJump" where you jump from the tower, dangle for a while,
then slide swiftly down two cables,
And come to rest at the bottom. I'm not sure that I would do this unless a monetary reward was involved.

Sorry, Mel, not much time for more at the moment, and I didn't get any pictures of the tens of ants in our microwave because I was too busy screaming...come to think of it that is probably not the "crack me up" definition you had in mind anyway...

;) Jen

Pickle Results

So we cracked open one of the pickle containers and the results were: Excellent!

They tasted a little vinegary, and strongly of dill and garlic (which was good). Also the texture was a little squishy, but that was due to the quality of the cucumbers I used, I think.

Anyway, here is the annotated recipe that I used:

2 1-liter jars, cleaned with boiling water
1.8 kg small cucumbers
1 L white vinegar
1 L water
250 g coarse salt
15 g pickling spices
4 garlic cloves
20 g fresh dill

Soak the cucumbers in ice water during the rest of the preparation

Combine the vinegar, water, and salt in a large pot and bring to a hard boil

While the brine is heating, peel the garlic cloves and chop in half

Once the brine is ready, evenly divide the garlic, dill, and pickling spices between the two jars, then pack the cucumbers tightly in the jars.

Pour the boiling brine over the cucumbers until the jars are full.
Seal the jars and store in a cool, dry place for about 2 days.

Notes:

The cucumbers I bought in 600 g packs. I could have easily fit another pack split between the two jars.

I had not quite twice as much brine as I needed. Adding more cucumbers would cut the amount needed by even more.

As I said above, I think fresher cucumbers would have made the pickles crisper.

Culinary Experiment 43.2b

In an attempt to bring some civilization to this savage land, I have undertaken an experiment in a realm entirely new to me: pickling.

Yes, we are sad to report that there is a dearth of dill pickles here, kosher or otherwise.

After a little research on the internet, I improvised a recipe and whipped up a batch tonight. They should be ready for initial tasting in two days. I will report here how that goes.