m&m cookies

I'm surprised that it's taken me to long to make these. Cookies? Good. M&M's? Good. M&M Cookies? Even better. There isn't much to say. I took my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, replaced the chips with M&M's, and enjoyed my second favorite candy* in the form of a cookie.

*My favorite are Kit Kats. I'm still thinking of ways to incorporate these into another dessert...

m&m cookies
adapted from Alton Brown

2 sticks (1 cup) of butter
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups M&M's

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Melt the butter. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add both sugars and cream together. Add egg, yolk, milk, and vanilla until well combined. Incorporate the flour mixture with the butter mixture. Stir in M&M's. Chill the dough for 15 minutes. Scoop dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, each cookie 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Check frequently and turn the baking sheet after 5 minutes for even browning. Enjoy!

lake lagunita

Almost no one at Stanford thinks of "Lake Lag" as a lake because it's usually dried up and a huge expanse of empty field during most of the year. The Bay Area was fortunate to have a torrential downpour of sorts at the end of March and the nonstop rain filled Lake Lag for the first time in a few years. It's gorgeous. The last time I walked around the lake it felt like a barren misnomer but this time it was really lovely just to see the still water with ducks swimming along ever so often.

I wanted to catch the lake at sunset but came when it was still bright and lovely. I was hoping to get moody, picturesque silhouettes as the sun dipped low but I love what I got instead. The afternoon sun provided the perfect weather for an afternoon stroll and everything just seemed to glimmer off the water effortlessly. It was peaceful, serene, and for the first time in four years I actually considered swimming in it.

garden fresh

I haven't mentioned this for a while, but as a staff photographer for the Stanford Daily I've been introduced to a lot of restaurants in Palo Alto that I might never have found otherwise. One of the best finds has been Garden Fresh-- a vegan Chinese restaurant off University Avenue. To be honest, I don't typically associate most Asian cuisines as vegan or even vegetarian friendly-- I've found that many dishes are dependent on meat or at least meat flavorings.

Garden Fresh is an entirely new (and refreshing) experience. I tried their sweet and sour "pork" and in all honesty, I could not tell the difference between the soy protein and actual pork. It was mind blowing. Although my experiences with veganism are pretty limited, this restaurant is a true testament to vegan potential. Sometimes I think that we believe certain dishes can only be made in one particular way-- but by thinking this way we reject own creativity in the kitchen. It's a lifestyle that I'm curious to learn more about and even though I'm not quite ready to declare it as my adopted eating preference, I'm excited to experiment with the possibilities.

weekend

What a beautiful, long weekend (hooray for Tuesday/Thursday classes!). I saw Jane Eyre and have nothing but love and adoration for the film. I can't stop thinking about it: the cinematography, the script, the perfect casting. I really could go on and on. But most importantly, it brought me back to the text. After seeing the movie I found my old high school Norton edition with all of my comments and began rereading. It's just as beautiful as when I first read it four years ago.

Among other things, I always appreciate a relaxing weekend at home. I worked on photos for my digital photography class, had a lot of quality family time, and found the perfect veggie burger and sweet potato fries two minutes from my house (unfortunately, I couldn't slow myself down to stop and take photos). Filipino dessert at brunch, Sunday in the park, and watermelon paletas were just the icing on the cake.

mapping europe (a d.i.y. project)

For David's birthday, I wanted to commemorate the time we spent in Europe last spring and summer. Although I wanted to do something like this, I have limited experience with Adobe Illustrator. Instead, I took a black and white photocopy of an old Europe map, colored it, and added mini photos of each city we were in together. It's really simple, but I love the way it turned out. And to think: this time last year we were just heading to Salzburg!