Fit in nicely with all its other snack friends:

I focused on the crackers…

…veggies…

…chips n salsa…

…TJ’s cheesy tarts (this is my second time having these and I’ve still never seen them at the store, so I’m not quite sure what they really are)

My two (mostly savory) bowls…

…and then came the sweets!

Look for a review on Shari’s Berries in an upcoming Dessert Darling Review…

…that’s who hosted/organized the Book Club – this is her 3rd year!!!

We actually didn’t end up talking much about the book – funny, because that’s what also happened in “Nice Girl’s Crew” (we just got a lovely shootout on SheWired!)

Mostly we mingled…

…and chilled with the pups…

…surprisingly, there wasn’t a ton of candy either. Just these two bags:

True to the title of the book, I was the one who volunteered to take these them home. Such a candy freak.

…. and I’ll throw my hands up to the Dessert Gods, screaming “WHY ME?!?”

WHO manages to screw up a pre-measured-step-by-step-ready-made-FOOL-PROOF thing like this?!?

Just call me “The Baking Klutz!” (Here are some other examples of past failures adventures.)

Was it because I improvised with almond milk and a flax egg?

Or was it the marshmallows? (Nope. I just googled marshmallow + cookie and was taunted presented with stunning results.)

I think my issue was neglecting the nonstick spray, which I must point out – I didn’t use with my Figgy Pudding Cookies!!! Let’s pause for a moment and acknowledge the success of that one…

…okay, did I mention my smoke alarm went off 3x? I hate you, baking.

Managed to salvage most of the ones on the silicone mat (about a dozen), though they were still a rather crumbly, sticky mess

These wax paper guys were hopeless…

…just hopeless!!!

I peeled off most of the paper (though you can still see some in this picture) and cobbled together a sad little container of crumbles.

Little late afternoon snack…

…REALLY small – that Kishu was teeny:

Thankfully, the cookies were crazy delicious.

These were brought to my book club, and a few other survivors I’m giving to my commercial reps…

…more on last night later – gotta get ready for that agent meeting now!

It was also my first time working on a Randall Park production – we spent the afternoon shooting a voting PSA:

Joy, me, and Jae – long-lost sisters?

Even though I wear glasses, I never rock them for more than a few hours at a time. They give me a headache, due to the fact that I don’t have a bridge on my nose so I’m subconsciously scrunching my face to hold them on my face. Joy told me there are brands that cater specifically to this issue; I even found a whole selection of Oakley’s entitled “Asian Fit!“

I was easily able to remove the lenses (for my costume) from an old pair by soaking them in super hot water, then popping the plastic out with a towel.

Time for me to get my baking on – I wanted to bring cookies to book club tonight and remembered that I had my Mason Jar Cookie Company mix waiting in the pantry from Christmas:

(I snapped these photos back in December which is why the tree’s in the background!)

So excited there’s no need to measure anything…

…a reminder of what’s inside…

…next time, I’ll have to come up with an “Asian Fit” formula???

BAY AREA PEEPS

My Thick Dumpling Skin co-founder Lisa is being auctioned off for Hyphen Magazine. If you win, you could spend a delicious day at Facebook with her like I did last summer!

…last night I finally got my chance. Owner Camelia Coupal invited me and a guest for dinner on the house!

Since I was first to arrive, I had time for a private tour – there’s a large, outdoor patio (Julius friendly!!!)

Cozy fireplace lounge (too warm yesterday) with live music every Thursday evening

The view from the upstairs dining nook (for private parties/meetings/etc.)

We sat indoors, on the main floor

Originally, I had hoped Ameena would be my date, but we couldn’t make our schedules work. Abe came instead…

…so we ordered everything meat-free! The menu is quite extensive…

…we stuck to the Venezuelan specialties. Camelia is also a vegetarian, so I just went with her suggestions…

…so glad I did – these were the best appetizers ever!

Yucca fries – my new love. Sturdy, crisp, chewy…

…I used all three dipping sauces (even though you aren’t “supposed” to)

The fried queso duro wrapped in sweet fried plantain made me swoon…

…as did these mini corn griddle pancakes (I left the queso de mano off of one)

Next up – my very first Arepa ever, served with a side salad

Grilled eggplant, Caramelized Onion, Heirloom Tomato (yup, vegan)

This griddled cornmeal is wheat/gluten-free, but can get very messy!

Abe and I passed it back and forth between forkfuls of greens

Our last dish to share was the Pabellon, a quintessential Venezuelan meal

We worked on the fried stuff first…

…just a taste of the rest, since those would hold up as leftovers

Everything was delicious – I was impressed with how many choices there were, and how different everything tasted, despite sounding similar on the menu page. I also loved that most items could be veganized – though I did wind up adding a little cheesy, creamy goodness onto my food.

Coupa Cafe’s dessert menu is also pretty large (with everything from sundaes to brownies to crepes) but Camelia said the must-try was their Tres Leches…

…cake soaked in three milks, topped with meringue

Extra long spoon for some deep layers of yum

I was stuffed after devouring 2/3 of that dessert (and THAT was the mini size!)

Digested with a little tea…

…Abe ordered an espresso

That’s another very special thing – the family started the business in Caracas during the early 90′s to revive the Venezuelan coffee tradition. All their beans are purchased for well-above-fair-trade-prices – directly from the farmers – grown organically and sustainably especially for Coupa Cafe. This is the only place in the world, outside of Venezuela, that you can experience this coffee.

Well – here, and also at their locations in Palo Alto/Stanford:

Right now there is a special dineLA menu for Restaurant Week – a good excuse to give them a shot…

…with all the delicious food, cozy ambiance, free wifi, brunch/lunch/happy hour options, I’ll definitely be back for more soon (hopefully with Ameena!)

Have you ever eaten Venezuelan food before?

It’s so gorgeous out! I could just read at a cafe all day…

…but unfortunately, there is WAY too much work that needs to get done. So I borrowed my book club pick on Audio instead…

…and listened to it while cleaning the bathroom, doing my hair/makeup, AND tackling my taxes!!!

I actually really loved the first few chapters of “Candy Freak” (as y’all know I’m quite the candy addict myself) but the audio reader has been totally mis-cast. I wish Steve Almond (the author and a fellow Wesleyan grad) had read it himself. He has such a subtle, witty sarcasm to his writing (think Dave Eggers) that the smooth, bubblegum voice they chose comes off as cheesy.

It’s distracting. I guess they were going for a Marc Summers type, to remind you of “Unwrapped?”

Brunch break – VitaCake, Pear…

…Stevia-sweetened organic, plain nonfat yogurt underneath all of that:

I’ve got an afternoon callback! Time to change and let my hair down…

Thoughts on audio books?