Happy New Year!
Wishing you all the best for 2012!
Love,
Q, Mini Q, and Sammers
December 31, 2011
December 29, 2011
The City by the Bay
People told me San Francisco is great, and boy, were they ever right. On the way to my aunt's boutique, the Mins and I walked up Lombard Street. This stretch of the street is famous for being quite steep and crooked. There are eight sharp hairpin turns in total.
It was really nice to see my Aunt Mary. She took me out for lunch at Delarosa, and toured me around the city. My aunt insisted that we check out the Palace of Fine Arts. After a quick afternoon stroll, we drove to Golden Gate Park.
The de Young Museum looked pretty cool from the outside. I'll have to check it out the next time I'm in San Fran.
Also cool looking was the California Academy of Sciences, which has an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, and a 4-storey rainforest, all under one roof.
I'm really glad we visited the Rock. The audio tour was really interesting, and the island had great views of the city.
The Mins escaping Alcatraz!!! Tee hee hee.
The clouds look ominous, but the weather was nice that morning.
No visit to San Fran is complete without a ride on the cable car!
Nor a photo opp with the Golden Gate Bridge!
December 27, 2011
Happy Holidays!
A slightly belated happy holidays to all of our Quatch Watch friends! The Quatchis and I had a great Christmas. It was filled with fun, family, and lots of good food!
On Christmas morning, the Quatchis opened their stockings. From Santa, they received red mittens and M&Ms.
Look at the Mins! Lol. What a funny little guy!
Sophia made us (the Quatchis and me) matching scarfs! They're pretty awesome, eh? Thanks a bunch, Sophia! The Quatchis and I can't stop wearing them!
December 20, 2011
Name that City
Mini Q joined me on an adventure last week! We kicked off our road trip from this city. Can you guess which one it is?
November 20, 2011
Sweet, Spicy, Chewy Ginger Cookies
The Quatchis and I made these cookies for a bake sale at work tomorrow. I think they'll be a real hit!
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp white sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup fancy molasses
Preheat oven to 325 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. Cream butter and 1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in egg, scraping sides of bowl well. Add molasses and combine. Add dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.
Shape dough into 24 balls, and toss in a plastic bag with remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Place a few inches apart on baking sheets and bake for 17 to 20 minutes. When done, cookies will be crinkly and golden.
Source: My friend BC
Source: My friend BC
November 16, 2011
Shots
My parents recently came back from back-to-back cruises. They were gone for 30 days and visited 16 ports. Pretty awesome, eh?
My best friend collects shot glasses so they wanted to get her some. Did they ever deliver! From left to right, there brought back shot glasses from Lisboa, Monaco, Santorini, the cruise ship, Mykonos, Cannes, and Venezia. We hope you like them, KNN! Cheers!
November 13, 2011
Reading recommendations, s.v.p.
Q and I are currently reading If We Can Put A Man On The Moon, Dreams of Joy, and Freedom. We're already scoping out other books to read next. Any suggestions?
Happy Sunday, everyone!
November 9, 2011
Me oh my, pumpkin pie!
Since this was my first attempt at baking pie, I decided, just this once, to take the easy route and use a pre-made crust. I gotta start from somewhere, right? I'll try to do everything from scratch the next time around.
E.D. Smith's Traditional Pumpkin Pie
2 eggs
398 ml (1/2 can of 796 ml) of E.D. Smith Pure Pumpkin
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 9-inch pie shell
Beat eggs lightly in medium bowl. Add pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt; stir until well combined. Blend in milk. Pour filling in pie shell. Bake at 425 F 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F and continue baking 30 to 35 minutes longer.
Source: E.D. Smith
November 6, 2011
The Adventures of Mini Q: Part II
The weather did a 180 on us so Mini Q and I walked all over. After making a quick trip to Century 21 we checked out Occupy Wall Street...
...said hello to the Charging Bull...
I had brunch on Stone Street with some friends I made in China two summers ago. I then wanted to check out the new extension of the High Line but it was closed. I ended up walking through Chelsea and shopping some more around Macy's. I'm glad Mini Q came with me on this trip. Next time I go back, I'll bring both Mini Q and Q along.
November 2, 2011
The Adventures of Mini Q: Part I
Mini Q joined me on another New York adventure. This time to the big city! We flew YYZ to EWR really early on Friday morning. Mini Q checked the flight status for me as my eyes were still sleepy.
We stayed at the Millenium Hilton in lower Manhattan. The room was quite spacious for NYC standards. We were on a high floor and had a great view of the 9/11 Memorial. Visitor passes are free, but must be reserved in advance.
After checking in, having a leisurely brunch, and getting a manicure, we returned to the hotel for a much needed afternoon nap. While I was snoring away, Mini Q read Game of Thrones.
And while my friends and I had dinner in Tribeca and drinks in the Bowery, Mini Q ordered room service! A sasquatch has to eat, right?
The weather the next day was pretty terrible. We had a sense that it was going to be grey so we planned a full day of shopping. I brought Mini Q with me but I was reluctant to take him out of my purse because it was so wet and crowded in the stores. Here he is posing with all our purchases. Not too shabby, eh?
More photos of our final day in the Big Apple to come!
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