And it was amazing and magical and wonderful!
Yes, it’s true, we got married, and you can see the highlights here!
ICYMI- This happened recently!
We’re Back…and it’s Belize week in our kitchen!
Mainly because The Runner and I are not ready to let go of the honeymoon yet, but also because the food that we had in Belize was just.so.tasty. This week I’m going to be cooking out of the Belize cookbook that we bought on honeymoon (“Mmm… A Taste of Belize Cooking”).
If I am honest, Belize week actually started on Thursday night with a salmon and avocado ceviche because we had some excellent Ceviche in Caye Caulker and after a full 24 hours of being back in Sydney, it sounded like a great idea! I am probably finding re-entry after our 4 week holiday a little bit tougher than The Runner- which really shouldn’t be a surprise!
Last night I used the cookbook to make a seafood lasagne. Now, it wasn’t quite the same because unfortunately conch and lobster are not as cheap and readily available in Sydney as it is in San Pedro. In fact, I didn’t even ask the fishmonger about conch, and when I asked about lobster, he said he only stocks it at Christmas because it’s so expensive…. Clearly lobster will not be going in our Seafood lasagna because we didn’t with the $70M powerball lottery the other night. So instead of snapper, prawns, conch, lobster, and crab, ours had snapper, prawns, scallops and tinned crabmeat. Close enough was definitely good enough in this case and there is lots leftover which I’m pretty happy about. Contrary to popular belief, lasagne is a lot of work. SO.MANY.STEPS—even with fresh pasta instead of dried pasta and even with seafood instead of beef. At least for this recipe, the seafood cooks in the béchamel sauce so it’s not too bad, but there’s a reason no one does lasagna for one!
This morning I’m going to attempt a Fry Jack Recipe that I found on the internet. Wish me luck! If you haven’t been to Belize, it’s really hard to explain what a fry jack is. We had them nearly every morning for breakfast and it’s basically like deep fried dough/bread. That doesn’t quite do it justice but they are delicious. The recipes that I have found on the internet don’t sound hard but these things never do until there is flour and oil in every conceivable crevice of the kitchen. It will either be a great surprise when The Runner comes home from his cycling outing or there will be tears… or possibly both! If any Belizeans (relatives or otherwise) have any fry jack tips, please send them through!
For the rest of the week, we’re sticking with the Belize theme. Tonight’s dinner is the classic Belizean dish- stewed chicken with rice and beans, Tuesday is Snapper Caribe with Coleslaw, Wednesday is Ginger Pork and Sweet Potato, and Thursday is Polenta and Mushrooms (it doesn’t strike me as being overly “Belizean” but it was in the book so it counts!)
I’m getting hungry just thinking about it and thinking about all of the delicious food we had on our honeymoon. Our theme song for this week—“Don’t Stop Belize’n.” We’ll be cooking and singing all week long!
You’re UN-Belize-ABLE!!!!
So let me first start by saying the Belizean tourist bureau has NOT sponsored this post, but if they are reading it, I would be more than happy to come back to Belize as your guest and write more.
Secondly, I don’t think we could have picked a better spot for our honeymoon. San Pedro has been amazing. Every meal we have had has been delicious, the people have been so warm and friendly, the weather has been amazing, The Phoenix hotel is giving Qualia a run for it’s money as my favorite hotel ever, and the activities we have done have been great! Most of all, I feel at home here and it has nothing to do with being half Belizean. Belize is an easy, laid back place to vacation. Nothing is a hassle, it’s clean and very pleasant. My only regret is that I didn’t come sooner.
The Runner has had a great time too- he snorkeled with sharks and petted a stingray. We have both discovered the joys of a spiced rum and coke in the afternoon. He discovered a crossfit gym near the hotel that he keeps threatening to go to and loves the relaxed and laid back pace.
We visited Mayan ruins at Lamanai and stopped for roadside tacos in Orange Walk along the way. Lamanai was really incredible. It is the site of one of the oldest Mayan ruins in Belize, it was a city of 60,000 people that was inhabited for 3000 years before being abandoned just after the Spanish arrived in the mid 1500s. Archaeologists have unearthed 2% of the buildings there- that’s right only 2% of the 7000 buildings they believe are there. It is truly breathtaking and humbling to think about a city that was inhabited for longer than most cities we visit today and yet was abandoned completely and swallowed up by the jungle for 400 years. Even London has not been around for 3000 years- can you imagine if London were abandoned and 400 years later people uncovered 2% of it? Mind boggling.
Far and away the best part of the trip was catching up with family- most of whom I have not seen in over 20 years or more- and some I had never met before! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone, and it made me realise how important family is. Connecting with new parts of my family even as The Runner and I start building the blocks of “our” family was the best experience in the world!
Belize is and was truly an unBelizeable experience!
Yep, we got married
Wow, is the only way I can describe the last week. First of all, The Runner and I got married. And it was perfect. The wedding, the reception, the MOB- all perfect and better than I could have imagined.
Not only that but the pre-wedding festivities were fantastic! We had a reception the night before and it was great to actually see and talk to so many of our guests. It was really a treat! I think because I had already had the “OMG, all of these people are here” moment on Friday, miraculously I didn’t cry hysterically at the altar on Saturday. I did have a laughing fit though and actually giggled hysterically through most of the ceremony. But, I was having so much fun and it was quite funny to me that The Runner and I were actually getting married right then. Totally surreal! Even looking at the photos now, it’s hard to believe it’s us– he looked super hot and I looked better than the best version of me!
The highlight of the ceremony for me was definitely hearing the audience applaud rapturously as the MOB came down the aisle. Unfortunately I did not get a cheer that was half as loud as The MOB’s- I guess some things in life you have to earn! The other ceremony highlight was the hand fasting because I laughed so hard I nearly repeated that scene from bridesmaids (you know the one) when the minister said he was binding our loins!
After the ceremony, we had pictures at the Lincoln memorial- and random tourists were snapping us as well- which is funny to think that when they get home they’ll have our wedding photos randomly on their camera!
The reception was fun but it flew by way too quickly! The best part was seeing the MOB dance up a storm doing the wobble and the Cupid shuffle and all sorts of other dances. For a woman who initially said that none of her friends would dance she had a lot of moves (A LOT) on the dance floor!
We ended the night with our first dance ironic I know, and a glow stick tunnel- which I enjoyed so much I kept running through it!
And the speeches… I have actually never heard The Runner say such nice things about me in my life- especially not to my face! The bridesmaids had a lovely toast, the father of the groom and the best man both told a couple of funny stories– and of course the MOB nearly made both of us cry!
And then we kicked on… And on! And on!
We stayed at the Old Ebbitt Grill with more than a handful of guests until 3 and then partied in our hotel room with a few of them until 5!!! Thank you to my Sister in Law for not letting me run to the White House for a wedding selfie at 3am! But it was awesome and I am so glad we get to spend so much time with our family and friends.
It did make the next day’s recovery brunch a bit of a challenge at first! The MOB woke us up about 15 minutes before we were supposed to be there and we arrived late to our own party! And it was great to have a third day to see our guests, and again we got a little carried away and stayed at Irish Whiskey until 9 that night drinking $1 bottles of J Roget “champagne”, and celebrating with friends new and old.
I can honestly say that our wedding weekend was hands down the best weekend of my entire life. It was filled with friends and family and most of all- joy, laughter and love. 72 hours was not long enough and I was so sad to see it come to an end. It reminded me of how much I love my family and The Runner’s family too and how wonderful our siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins really are. We don’t get to see nearly enough of them living so far away- and that is something that needs to change! It was also such a joy to see so many of our friends too! It was amazing to have friends from sydney, uni, and high school all in the same party— and totally weird and wonderful at the same time! I can’t speak for my husband- well, I can, but I have been told that I shouldn’t- but we totally felt the love that weekend. I can truly say that our marriage got off to a beautiful and joyful start! I’m writing this from our honeymoon in Belize, so Belize you me this is far from a comprehensive account of our wedding!
Thank you for everyone who came and made the weekend so special! I know there was one reader who was quite disappointed to find out that The Runner isn’t actually named The Runner- but for everyone else, I won’t blow his cover!
It’s the final countdown!
I have to say I’m so excited and nearly jumping out of my skin. It’s our wedding day today. Already the last 18 hours have been super special and super amazing!
Last night we had our wedding welcome reception and it was one of the best nights ever!
It was a family reunion mixed with a Duke reunion mixed with a night out with friends mixed with the best party I’ve ever been to! And it was crazy to think that The Runner and I were the only common denominator in the room full of wonderful, interesting, funny people. I can honestly say that no matter what happens for the rest of the day, last night was an experience that I will always treasure. So much love in one room and so many people who I love in the same place.
It also made me sad- because it is such a rarity. It’s not often enough that relatives and friends just come together for happy occasions. And it’s even worse because The Runner and I are so far away in Australia. We both have amazing family and amazing friends and it was so wonderful to have them all together. I can’t speak for The Runner but it was one of the most amazing nights ever– probably only to be topped by tonight (hopefully!)
All it can say is I’m feeling the love and getting excited!
The countdown is on…
It’s hard to believe that today is the last day of July– or the first day of August, depending on where you are in the world.
For the last 17 months, August 2014 has felt like it would never come… in fact, for the last 34 years, it felt like August 2014 would never come. And now it’s here! And it’s so exciting. And I can’t believe it.
It feels like the last 4 months have been an absolute whirlwind, but now the finish line is in sight. Finally, it’s starting to sink in, and I’m jumping out of my skin with excitement.
The dress is hanging in the hall, the seating chart is being debated as we speak, and The Runner arrives in DC in just a couple of days…. WOW!
The wedding is a mere 9 sleeps away! As you can imagine, it’s all hands on deck and all systems go!
Let’s take this show on the road!
So here I am at Sydney airport- for once I’ve gotten here ridiculously early so my companion and I have had time to chill out and get into mischief. We’ve gotten our eyebrows tinted and waxed, claimed our tax back, bought a lipstick and we’re now having champagne. And we still have an hour to go!
This is possibly the most excited I’ve ever been about anything ever. Seriously, I get why Elizabeth Taylor got married 7 times, it’s the most exciting, gratitude inspiring, warm, happy and loved I’ve ever felt– and it’s still three weeks away! The number of times someone has said congratulations in the last 2 hours let alone the last 15 months has been– overwhelming! It’s only really hitting me now how exciting and how close it is, and I literally feel like a shaken champagne bottle that’s about to blow it’s top. Literally. So. Happy. Excited. And thankful for friends, family, my fiancée and all the strangers and their well wishes. So overwhelmed and happy and this is only the beginning of the next three weeks!
Squee!!!
If you’re on twitter and Instagram, follow everything with #zunigamaher!
A weekend to the Hunter…. But first a bottle of wine.
I have to make a confession. I love bottle shops, well I love shops in general but I especially love Australian Bottle Shops and really, only the wine section.
Yes, I love the actual wine. But more than that, I love that it’s like walking down memory lane. Wine labels bring back memories. Meals eaten, trips taken, holidays and adventures with friends. It all comes flooding back when I wander the aisles of Vintage Cellars and look at the bottles.
I went to go pick up a bottle of wine to drink once we get to the Hunter Valley this evening (I know, it’s like bringing sand to the beach) but it’s a long drive in Friday afternoon traffic, and we’ll be thirsty when we get there.
As I looked at the bottles on the shelves, I felt like I was looking at a window to the past. There was the bottle of Wirra Wirra Church Block which reminded me of a trip to South Australia with a group of friends. It was a fantastic trip and a load of fun, but also when my friend’s (now) husband spilled the beans and told me that he was planning to propose. I saw a bottle from Martinborough Vineyard in New Zealand, which reminded me of a trip nearly 10 years ago when my mom and I hired a car and drove from Wellington to Auckland. It was before I drove all the time on the “wrong” side of the road, and I remember the car had a big sticker on the dashboard reminding me to “keep left”. There was a bottle of Voyager Estate “Girt By Sea” that reminded me of Margaret River- and The Runner’s first Ironman race and a bottle of Vasse Felix that reminded me of the lunch we had after. I could go on and on.
The best thing about wine, is that it’s usually shared with friends…..usually! And sharing with friends creates memories. This weekend, we’re off to the Hunter (again) with 3 other friends and we can’t wait!
An Italian Lunch for Mother’s Day
So, a lot has been going on in the He Runs, I Cook household of late— probably because we’re now a mere 90 days from our wedding.
I say it and I’m shocked. I write it and I’m shocked. I can’t actually believe how close August is and how quickly time is flying by. We’ve been engaged for over a year now and after months of feeling like the wedding was ages, even years away, it is literally right around the corner. It all hit home last weekend when I was wearing a toilet paper dress and sitting in a circle of my nearest and dearest friends and all eyes were on me (me!).
It was so surreal to be the one in the middle answering the questions… And very surreal when I realised it was MY Bridal Shower. I was the Bride!
Whoa! So cool and exciting but eek! It was really funny towards the end of the afternoon when one of my friends turned to me and said, “Well, that’s it, you’ll never have another bridal shower again.” Oh (sadface)! It was a big reminder to take it all in and to really enjoy every step of the next 90 days. Whether it’s stuffing envelopes or picking out flower girl dresses, this will (hopefully) be the only time I do this, so I’d better make sure to enjoy every second of it!
Anyway….. Today is Mother’s Day and to celebrate I called my Mom and had some friends over for lunch. It was a great excuse to use some of the super fun pressies I got at my shower last week. One of the gifts I was really keen to use was the Antipasto Board I received. It is super cool and don’t be surprised if my new favourite party food is bruschetta and antipasto.
With the board in mind, I decided to do an Italian Theme lunch for 4. I used Bill Granger’s “Bill’s Italian Food” cookbook, because I LOVE Bill Granger cookbooks and picked out recipes for a grazing/tasting lunch. We started with Bruschetta with Prosciutto and Artichoke (yum), and then moved onto a Caramelised Onion and Goats Cheese Frittata, and finally Torn (homemade) Pasta with Parmesan and Butter Sauce. I made two salads- a lovely Pea, Herb, and Mozzarella and normal Green Salad to go with it all. Put some assorted meats, olives, and tomatoes on the board alongside the bruschetta and boom! A really simple lunch made twice as complicated by deciding to make my own pasta. I served a Free Form Apple Tart from Bill Granger’s “Easy” cookbook for dessert, and even made my own tart base for that too! (Proof below!)
Overall, I’m quite pleased with my effort and even happier with the amazing new kitchen toys (see napkin rings and candle below!) I got to play with- who knew an Antipasto board could be so much fun!
Happy Mother’s Day!
Goodbye April, Goodbye Wine.
Farewell April, you’ve been awesome. Eating what I want, celebrating my birthday, three public holidays from work- how could a month be any better?
But now it’s time to pay the piper. Waistlines have expanded and there are wedding dresses to fit into, bridal shower pictures to look back on, hens night outfits to find and honeymoon bikinis to wear– and I don’t want to be a fat bride with a chubby little face in wedding pictures captured for all eternity and future generations. Not going to happen. So it’s crunch time. Time to pay the piper. Time to get real.
I have three months, 1 week and 2 days- 101 days and 52 minutes to be precise– but who is counting?!? Ummmmm I am!
So I’m hatching a plan, well actually I’m hatching lots of plans, music playlists, RSVP lists, you get the drift. But specifically the fun times are over in the He Runs, I Cook kitchen.
So here’s the plan-
Step 1: 30 day challenge
Yep, starting tomorrow we’re doing “No You May Not Drink in May”- yep alcohol free May! And I’m putting it on the blog so that no one accuses me of having a little runner or little cook on the way. It’s a 30 day challenge. I repeat it’s a 30 day challenge, not a baby!
Step 2: 3 month detox
Yes, you read that right. From May 9th, we’re doing a detox. It’s one that a naturopath gave me a couple of years ago- basically it’s no wheat, no cow’s milk, no sugar, no shellfish, nothing fun really. But it gets results. I did it for 6 weeks last time and looked and felt great- I’m hoping that doing it for 12 weeks will help me look and feel twice as good!
Step 3: Become BFF with my heart rate monitor
Basically, I’m going to exercise. More. A LOT More. A Lululemon Lot More. More cardio, more yoga, more Pilates, more Zumba, more Cycle, more who knows.. just more exercise.
Step 4: Panic
Well, not really panic. There’s no need to panic at this stage. Panic will come after my dress has been altered and I’ve spent two weeks in the US without trying it on and it’s the night before the wedding and I’m worried that it won’t fit. Then I will panic, pray and probably puke until it fits or someone sedates me. Don’t laugh… It’s not outside of the realm of possibility but let’s hope it doesn’t happen.
So that’s my plan- I’m cautiously optimistic that I won’t need step 4– I mean if people on The Biggest Loser can lose half their body weight in 12 weeks then clearly I should be able to lose a kilo or two– right???
Wish me luck, I’m going to go finish a bottle of wine while it’s still April! I’ll miss you my little red and white friends….
He Runs, I Cook 