Caramelized Banana & Bourbon Loaf and the Quest to be Quiz Master

Cheating on a quiz show? That's sort of like plagiarizing a comic strip. ~ Mark Van Doren, Quiz Show

I have two significant quizzes in my life at the mo.  So been feeling rather quizzical lately.
 
The first quiz is a bit of a quiz rivalry.  

I have a intense friendly contest with my friend Johnny.  Now, just because we do it for fun, it does not mean we don't take it very seriously.  We take it very seriously indeed.

There is a running tally.  There are double points days.  There is a title up for grabs: Quiz Master.

Although Johnny tends to, and has for the year or so we've had this context going, consistently kicked my behind, I am happy to announce that I was today's Quiz Master.  Yeeeeeeuuuss!  

I really needed it too.  Having lost my quiz mojo this week, bottoming out on a measly 5/15.  The shame of it.  In my frustration, I even stooped to accusing my friend of Armstrong-ing his results.  Sorry Johnny.   

Hopefully, he can be as forgiving as this Caramelized Banana & Bourbon Loaf.

{happy bananas in a caramel bubble bath}

Happy Birthday 2013 and My First Pavlova

{fireworks bringing in the new year at corogold 2012/2013}

Happy New Year everyone and a big Happy Birthday to 2013!
(Seriously, did anyone else keep finding themselves accidentally texting "Happy Birthday" instead of "Happy New Year"?? So easy to do no???)

We've just come back from the epic eat-a-thon that was Christmas and a rowdy sunshine and gumboot filled New Years.  Aaaaaaand straight back to work. 

{how new zealand does christmas}

But during our break, I did get time to do some musing whilst lazing around in the sun: how would one sum up the year that was 2012?  The year the world didn't quite end.  A year of big changes: moving city, getting to live with husband again, having two new Hospices to our Baking for Hospice run and adding a new nephew to the clan.  And year of big sadness too, for far too many awesome people I know and also for people a world away.  A year of saying bye to good friends, saying hi again to old friends and making brand new ones.  A tornadoey Hobbity kinda year.

And, as it turned out, it was a year of Pavlovas.  Of this particular Pavlova Stack with Lemon Curd, Strawberries, and Mint to be precise.