I usually only take pictures of food, but recently I’ve been taking more pictures of people, and less of food. I just haven’t been eating anything too interesting, since my parents are basically kimchi-and-rice people, and I don’t want to fill the fridge with “my” food (i.e: cheese) when I’ll be leaving in about 2 weeks.

Thus, I’ve found a more interesting model…My cousin! She flew in to Virginia to visit for the holidays, since otherwise she would be all alone in San Francisco…Say hi to Clara!
Isn’t she cute? She’s 2 years younger than me, the same age as my brother.
And yeah, we look nothing alike.

Today, I took her to Washington D.C to take some pictures. My brother was our chauffeur, and his best friend, Chulhan, tagged along so my brother wouldn’t be the only male.

We basically stuck to a few tourist spots, just so Clara could brag to her friends that she visited the nation’s capitol. We went to the Washington Monument:
Clara and I:
My brother and Chulhan:
We also went to the World War II Memorial:
Hey, California!
I want to go back to the warm sunny weather…What can I say? I’m a wimp when it comes to cold weathers!

My brother makes the sketchiest expressions…
Clara makes the cutest expressions…
And I just look so damn cool whatever expression or poses I make!
I bitch about how boring DC is, but I had no idea how beautiful and well-kept it can be…even in the winter with bald trees!
God was definitely on our side today. The weather was actually perfect!
Final stop was the Lincoln Memorial:
Hi, Lincoln, old fella! Watcha up to?
Poor Lincoln, sitting there all day watching idiots like me taking pictures of him looking at me…
And then we stopped by for Starbucks. I’ve been deprived of coffee in my parents’ house, so my first real-brewed coffee (not the instant crap) in several days tasted like liquid crack to me!
Oh, Starbucks God, I worship thee! (Please don’t report me for heresy)
I’ve also been baking up a storm! C & H Sugar generously provided me with a $20 gift certificate to pay for baking supplies to bake from their recipe collection. Check out their ample selection here…It took me several hours to read through each recipe, and I finally decided on four. I made the first two yesterday.

First, Crunchy Granola!
Easiest recipe ever…just mix ingredients together, and bake!
 Oats, maple syrup, walnuts, coconut, sunflower seeds, C & H brown sugar, vegetable oil, cinnamon…The only changes I made was I used half-honey half-maple syrup, and added almonds and ground ginger. Bake for 45 minutes…
And the BEST granola ever. Honestly. It was superb. I let my dad sample some, and he demanded I make another batch for him. Yes, demanded. This is hot stuff!
All packaged and ready to send to some special people…:-)

I also baked their Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake:
The only difference I made was that I used butter instead of oil, and I made it in four layers rather than three.
The result? Utter bliss. This was chock-full of apples! And sooo rich and moist…Amazing!
Even my cousin, who insists that she “hates” cinnamon, couldn’t stop eating it.
Can you see the four alternating layers of apples, cinnamon-sugar, and rich cake? Yumm…

Already, both recipes I’ve tested turned out hugely successful. I can’t wait to try out the other two recipes I have in mind from C & H Sugar’s recipe collection! Thanks, C & H!

Directions: Melt butter over stove-top. Stir in walnuts, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Mix in the spices and seasonings, according to taste. Spread into a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees in the oven until nice and crunchy.

I actually thought it was pretty good…It has a distinct, savory flavor, with a buttery, yet crunchy texture. My parents, however, thought it needed some honey. They like their nuts caramelized and sweet.
Here’s the zesty nuts, packaged:
I used Martha Stewart’s gift bags. Not sure I like the woman, but she does have a great sense of style.

I’ve also been writing my hand off in cards!

Ah, winter holidays. I actually really enjoy doing all these stuff, but thank goodness it’s only once a year, because otherwise, my expression would probably look like this:

Hahahaha! Just had to share it, because it cracks me up every time I look at it!

I’ve got to jet now, but I forgot to say the most important thing ever…

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Question of the day: What are you baking/making for the holidays?