It was a little difficult getting this puppy to sit still for a "family photo." ;)

I am especially appreciative of this house-sit at the moment because I've been camping around the North Island for the last month. The comfy bed and consistent WiFi is doing me (and this blog!) some good.

I also get to Skype with my family back home and do one of my favorite holiday activities…

Bake!

When I arrived here in Kiwi-land a bunch of folks told me about New Zealand/Australian foods I “had to try.” One of these was Pavlova—a delicious meringue and fruit pie. A Kiwi father and daughter I met during a hike on the Coromandel encouraged me to make my own. I’ve never made meringue before but I knew I’d be up for a baking challenge during the holidays.

This morning, I found a recipe online for a 3-tiered Pavlova. I got to work while I watched my family over Skype open the presents I had sent them from Thailand. The first task was figuring out the oven. Using an oven in Celsius rather than Fahrenheit was a new experience.