Homepage Favourites. Favourite songs: Wiley ft A-lIst - Midnight Lover. Favourite holiday place: Florida. Your New Favourite Band (YNFB) is a live wedding and function covers band based in Plymouth, Devon and covering the South West of England. YNFB play a unique selection of rock, pop and indie.

Hi everyone! I am back from two weeks in Brazil having fun, soaking up some sun and visiting family and friends. What's better than that? Home. That's right, even with gray skies, low temperatures and leafless trees, there is no place like home. Specially during the Holiday Season, we actually look forward to it here at home. Perhaps it is because in the past we didn't have many chances to celebrate the Holidays at home. Actually, we didn't even had a home until recently... (No, we were not homeless...we used to work/live aboard cruise ships for a long time).

I am working on a post about the trip with lots of photos! Stay tuned!

For now I will talk about those yummy cookies. I baked them to give to our building manager who watered our plants while we were out. It was my way of thanking her.

It turned out that the cookies were really popular here at home. Andrew loved them so much he ate half of the recipe (about 20 cookies) in 2 days...

In his own words:

' This may be even better than my favourite ones'.

In my thoughts:

WOOHOO!! Finally I can bake something else besides the old soft chocolate chip cookie....

These cookies combine coconut, white chocolate and walnuts. The result is a VERY sweet cookie that is also chewy with a chunky bite from the walnuts.

Oh, and did I mentioned cocoa in the dough??

The cookies tasted very nice, but I didn't think they were very attractive-looking. Many of them joined together in the oven, as they spread out, so I had to separate them later. I think it is because I was supposed to use a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop (which I don't have) to measure them, but I just eye balled it. Next time I make them, I will size them properly and maybe they will turn out more even.

So I guess my next little gadget will be a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop. And it will happen soon, cause according to Andrew 'it won't hurt to make those cookies again.... ' Sure it won't hon, specially now during the Holidays.

Happy Holiday Season Everyone!

Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies Recipe:

from marthastewart.com

You'll need:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

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1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups white chocolate chips *

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1 3/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut

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1 3/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars together on medium speed for about 2 minutes (I use the paddle attachment on my Kitchen Aid). Lower the speed and add eggs (one at a time) and vanilla.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Mix into butter mixture on low speed until just combined. do not over mix it. Stir in chocolate chips, coconut flakes and walnuts.

Drop batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them well apart as cookies will spread a lot. (The recipe suggested using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop to measure the dough. It probably helps a lot, although I didn't have one). Bake for about 12 minutes. Cool them on wire racks.

According to the original recipe, these cookies can be stored in airtight containers for up to a week. I cannot confirm that, since our cookies were gone in just 2 days...

By Natalie Chu

January 8th marked the grand re-opening of the new Commons Lounge, previously known as The Student Life and Sustainability Centre. The event was complete with free food, excited students, and AMS committee members to answer your questions – all to showcase the new student space. If you didn’t make it out to the opening event or haven’t had the chance to stop by, fear not! The Commons Lounge is always waiting for you to drop in.

If you’ve accessed the previous Clubs Resource Centre or any of the outlets on the Lower Level of the Nest, then you probably saw the old Student Life and Sustainability Centre. This was a less-than-ideal mix of two AMS resources: the Sustainability office, and the Clubs Resource Centre, which resulted in poor organization of the space. The Sustainability team was tucked away in the back corner of the room – separated by the same aluminum gates you might see in malls after they close. This meant the space seemed cold and uninviting.

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After a much needed revamp, the space has been transformed in its appearance and purpose. Designed to be the perfect mix of inviting, modern, and cozy, the Commons Lounge is the perfect spot for you to spend time catching up with friends, working on a group project, or just relaxing between your classes.

The next time you’re grabbing lunch at Iwana Taco, sipping coffee from Bluechip, or just passing through the Nest, be sure to check out the Commons Lounge – designed just for you!

Tags: AMS, campus, lounge, Nest, relax, space, spaces, student life, the commons