White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1 cup dried cranberries

In large bowl, using electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and two sugars. Add egg and vanilla; beat until fluffy.

In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt. In two additions, beat into butter mixture on low speed until just mixed. Stir in chocolate chips and cranberries.

Scoop by tablespoons; roll into balls. Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350F oven, 10 to 12 minutes, just until edges start to brown. Let stand for 5 minutes in pan. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week. Makes about 36 cookies.

Source: Toronto Star

Crafts from South Korea

Q is so lucky to have friends from around the world. Sophia and the Quatchi clan at QuatchiFan2010 sent us these crafts all the way from South Korea. Thank you for thinking of us! We love them very much!

Academia: Cambridge

After a longer than expected MegaBus ride (I really shouldn't complain...it only cost 1.50 GBP!), Q and I made it to Cambridge. King's College Chapel was impressive, especially the stained glass windows.

Q in front of the Mathematical Bridge.

My friend, Enid, was an excellent tour guide. It was a wee bit chilly, but we decided to go punting, and I'm so glad we did! Q had the best seat on the boat!

Q checking for fishies.

Does the bridge look familar? It's modelled, and named after, the Bridge of Sighs in Venice.

Q and his new friend, Stitch.

The next day I met my friend, Philipp, to catch up over lattes (we did an internship at the UN a few summers ago). Q looked longingly out of the window. I think he wanted to go punting again!

Well that's it, folks! It took us several posts, but that was our trip in a nutshell. We hoped you enjoyed it!

Academia: Oxford

On the last leg of our trip, Q and I headed off to Oxford via train. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and walked all over the city during the afternoon. I loved the oldness and history of all of the buildings. The Sheldonian Theatre behind Q was one of my favs.

I climbed 124 steps with Q in tow to see the city views on top of the University Church of St. Mary. We were not disappointed!

Q and I also visited a few colleges, including Magdalen College (pronounced Mawd-lin).

I would say Magdalen College has some of the most beautiful buildings in Oxford, many which are adorned with an array of interesting stone-carved characters. Famous members of the college include Cardinal Woosley, William Tyndale, Thomas Hobbes, Oscar Wilde, and C.S. Lewis.

Q travelled in style (in Longchamp)!

After several hours of walking around, meeting friends over two (yes two) dinners, and grabbing a few pints, Q and I were happy to crash in our room at St. Hugh's.

xoxo

May your hearts be happy on this Valentine's Day!

Stonehenge & Bath

On a fine sunny day, Q and I ventured off to the English countryside to visit...

...Stonehenge! And...

...Bath!

Bath is probably most famous for the Roman Baths.

Here's Q in front of the Great Bath. It's hard to see, but the water was steamy!

Bath Abbey used to be a monestary, but now it's an Anglican church.

The City of Bath is quite lovely. It would be nice to come back in the summer for a weekend trip.

These townhouses (the Circus) were built in the mid-1700s.

When we returned to London, Q and I went for an evening stroll in Victoria and along the Strand. Q was excited when we found his favourite store, Build-A-Bear!

South Kensington

No trip to London is complete without a visit to Harrods!

At the top of the fabulous Egyptian staircase.

Q pondering over what treats to get in the Food Hall.

Q trying out the iconic Harrods bag. I ended up buying a different one.

Q in the Victoria and Albert Museum. This museum was excellent! And, it was another freebie in the city. The collection was a bit random, but the sheer volume of it was really impressive.

Inside the courtyard.

Q taking a breather in the Renaissance Gallery.

We then ventured to the Natural History Museum, which was just down the road from the V and A.

Q at the dinosaurs exhibit.

Q checking out the elephants on display.

Q being attacked by a hippo!!! Don't worry, he escaped safely.

The building itself, especially the Central Hall, was quite beautiful. I snapped a bunch of photos of the architecture before heading to dinner with a friend.

Windsor and Mayfair

On Day 3 of our trip, we decided to venture to the 'burbs. We caught an early train to Windsor from Paddington Station.

 

Q at Windsor Castle.

 

The State Apartments were closed for cleaning. We knew this beforehand, but wanted to visit the castle regardless. The photo above is of Queen Mary's Dolls' House. We also visited the Drawings Gallery on site, which had a few Leonardo's on display.

Q looking at St. George's Chapel. This is where Prince Charles and Camilla got married.

Windsor itself is a cute little town. We browsed through the shops and had afternoon tea.

We took the train back to March Arch to stroll through Hyde Park.

The Serpentine.

We then explored Mayfair where there's lots of upscale shops. This is the Burlington Arcade. For dinner, we grabbed some food on the go from Fortnum & Mason.

Q resting after a long day.