Coffee Break

 
Earlier this month, I realized how long it had been since I last published a Coffee Break post. The very next day, during our afternoon coffee date at Starbucks, my grandma brought it up too, basically out of the blue, by mentioning, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of your coffee chat posts.”

Yes, my grandma is amazing. She’s subscribed to my blog’s newsletter, opens all of my emails, and reads every blog post. She’s so supportive and sweet!

And because grandmas are rarely wrong… I think that’s a sign that it’s time for another one!

So pour yourself a steaming mug of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate — or whatever drink you prefer, I won’t judge! — and pretend like we’re sitting across from each other at a local coffee shop, chatting and catching up about life. If we were…

These are the delicious, exciting, and completely unexpected stories that I’d share.
 

 

MINI KITCHEN RENOVATION

I love my kitchen. It’s the main reason I bought my house! Very spacious, an oversized island, bright white cabinets, plenty of counter space… It’s basically a baker’s dream come true.

Yet within a couple of months of moving in, I realized there were a few small improvements that could make the kitchen even more perfect for me. I put in a new garbage disposal that didn’t freeze every other day, replaced the temperamental oven five years ago with a fantastic upgrade, and finally…

I installed pull-out shelves in all of my lower cabinets and pantry!

My parents included these in their kitchen remodel ten years ago, and I’ve envied them ever since. Need a mixing bowl? The shelf rolls it right out. A cake pan? It presents you with your whole collection. A pot? A pan? Those cookie cutters hiding in the very back, where you almost scrape your hand or bang your head hunting around for the exact one you need? The entire shelf simply glides right out.

With his expertise and passion for woodworking projects, I asked my dad six years ago if this was something we could build ourselves for my kitchen. He explained the pros and cons of the DIY route, and I shelved the idea (no pun intended!) when I realized how much of a headache it could become.

When I stumbled across a Black Friday deal for partially customizable pull-out shelves last fall, I talked to my dad again. He agreed that they seemed better than the options from our previous research, so I ordered a set… Only to realize, four weeks later, after the gigantic boxes completely filled half of my garage, that none of them would work for my particular cabinets and we’d need to ship them back.

Ugh.

But then… Grandma to the rescue! (Yup, my same grandma from the Starbucks coffee date above!)

She passed along the contact information for a local business owner who had painted her kitchen cabinets a while ago. It turned out that he builds custom cabinets and shelves as well, including the exact kind that I wanted!

Two weeks later, his assistant stepped back from the last set of cabinets next to my fridge, brushed the sawdust from his knees, and asked what I thought. My eyes shone brighter than a child’s on Christmas morning.

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
 

 
They’re just as nice and quiet as the set in my parents’ kitchen, and they seamlessly glide in and out. They even have a soft-close mechanism, so I can nudge them with my hand or knee and know that they’ll gently roll back into place.

Instead of bruising my elbow whenever I reach into the pantry for flaky sea salt or bracing myself for loud crashes every time I try to finagle a large cake pan out from the very back of the lowest cabinet shelf… They instantly appear with just a teensy tiny tug.

It’s like magic! And totally crazy… How that one little thing makes baking much easier and even more enjoyable.

Tip: Although few people do, I asked for the shelves’ fronts to be painted white to match my cabinets. Many folks leave theirs as the natural wood, so my dad and the business owner sounded skeptical… But after the install, everyone agreed — the white fronts looked so crisp, clean, and sharp. The craftsman even said he’d start suggesting it to clients with a similar kitchen style!

As silly as it sounds, these pull-out shelves have really helped with the motivation that I’ve needed to bake during this rainy winter. I’ve been busier than usual testing new recipes to share with you! I’m really excited about the treats coming your way in the upcoming months… So stay tuned!
 

 

VISITING NEW BAKERIES

Even with how much I adore baking — and how many spreadsheets I’ve filled with recipe brainstorming ideas! — I still love sampling other people’s sweet treats for inspiration. This winter, I visited a few new-to-me bakeries in person, and I thoroughly enjoyed the items that I tried.

First, I met up with a friend for coffee at Chaupain Bakery in San Clemente. The glass pastry cases facing the entrance looked so tempting, with their rows of flaky golden pastries, fruit custard tarts, and miniature loaves… So we each walked out with a steaming mug and a little something sweet!

My friend immediately gravitated towards the strawberry envelope, a croissant cut in half and filled with Swiss cream and fresh sliced strawberries, but I requested the “chocolate ganache” pain au chocolat. The man behind the counter peered at me.

“Are you sure?” he asked suspiciously. “It has two big bars of Valrhona dark chocolate and a chocolate ganache inside, plus a chocolate drizzle on top. It’s a lot — really only for huge chocolate fans.”

I tried so hard not to chuckle as I beamed and reassured him that I truly did want that pastry, not a plain croissant instead.

“The only thing that could possibly make it even better was if the dough was chocolate too!” I thought to myself as he picked one up with metal tongs and nestled it into a small cardboard box.

The verdict?
 

 
Heavenly.

Although located almost an hour drive from my house, I’ve been trying to come up with an excuse to visit that bakery again and order another “chocolate ganache” pain au chocolat ever since!

(And if you’re more of a fruit fan, my friend reported that the strawberry envelope was worth every bite too!)
 

 
The other noteworthy bakery was another local place called DZ Akin’s. It’s part restaurant, part deli, part bakery — and all parts absolutely incredible!

A friendly yet bustling atmosphere immediately greeted me upon pulling open the door. Although after the lunch rush, the place still hummed with activity, and multiple groups stood in front of me, waiting for their turn to order from the bakery counter.
 

 
Doughy bagels, braided challah, iced buns, cream horns, jumbo muffins, frosted cupcakes, spiraled rugelach, crunchy biscotti, coconut macaroons, sprinkled spritz cookies, rosette butter cookies, loaves of freshly baked bread… And at least two dozen other types of treats piled high on their trays and threatening to spill out of the glass display cases. I wanted to walk out with one of almost everything!

Instead, I left with merely one single item I had actually preordered the day before…

A black-out fudge cake.
 

 
Two large layers of moist chocolate cake covered with the richest, silkiest, smoothest chocolate ganache, basically reminiscent of fudge, with more swirls of that same ganache generously piped around the rim and bottom, then carefully tucked into a bright pink bakery box and sealed with tape to keep its precious contents intact.

The box weighed close to five pounds — from the cake alone!

It’s my favorite chocolate cake in all of San Diego and the one my grandma and her best friend buy for my birthday every year. But this time, I was buying it for someone else instead. And that leads me to the next thing…

Side Note: Yes, DZ Akin’s was still a “new-to-me” bakery — because it was my first time going there in person! I’ve eaten plenty of their cookies, pastries, and black-out fudge cakes since moving to San Diego… But on every other occasion, my grandma, her best friend, or my parents have ordered takeout and brought it back to one of our houses to enjoy. So it was a real treat to finally set foot inside!
 

 

SURPRISE RETIREMENT PARTY

My grandma and I pulled off a surprise retirement party!

Once every month or two, depending on everyone’s schedules, my grandma hosts a girls’ movie night. She sets out trays of snacks and sweets, and her best friend and I also bring a few things to share. We take turns picking the film, and they’ve introduced me to plenty of fun ones from the decades before I was born.

When I found out my grandma’s friend planned to finally retire at the end of January, I texted my grandma to suggest that we secretly turned our next movie night into a surprise retirement party. She immediately agreed — and it was a huge success!
 

 
We divvied up the party prep. My grandma handled the decorations and snacks (sweet, salty, and lots of chocolate!), and I took care of the balloons, roses, and celebratory dessert…

Mint moose tracks ice cream (the lovely lady’s favorite flavor!) and that special black-out fudge cake.

I arrived a half hour early, and my jaw practically dropped when I walked through Grandma’s front door. A bright red table cloth covered her dining room table, and a festive “Officially Retired!” or “Off the Clock!” placemat sat in front of each chair. A matching “Happy Retirement!” banner adorned the head of the table, the place of honor, flanked by two small foil centerpieces with an appearance of starry firework displays.
 

 
In the kitchen, more “Happy Retirement!” signs and polka dot paper fans stood on either side of the snack tray. She paired them with colorful patterned napkins, and a matching garland with dangling big stars and more “Off the Clock!” cut-outs draped from the cabinets directly above her large TV.

My grandma is the best hostess. She always outdoes herself!

We added my bouquet of red roses to the dining room table, and Grandma tied the set of colorful retirement-themed balloons to the piano in the entryway. I nestled the ice cream into the freezer, slipped the cake into the fridge, left a small gift on the counter, and…

We sat in the family room to wait.

A little while later, I cheered as the dogs barked and a set of headlights appeared in the driveway. “She’s here! She’s here!”

My grandma’s friend poked her head through the front door moments later. She immediately began apologizing for arriving late, rather profusely, so… She missed the entire display of party decorations!
 

 
When she registered the balloons and dining table, the sweetest smile started spreading across her face. She admired everything — the signs, the bouquet, the balloons, the chocolaty snacks — and after watching the movie, we gathered in the kitchen. I insisted that she opened the bright pink bakery box, and she nearly gasped as she raised the lid.

The five-pound black-out fudge cake greeted her… Along with her name and “Congratulations!” piped across the top in white icing.

She insisted on cutting extra thick slices for us to say thank you, and we thoroughly enjoyed every last bite!

I’m truly grateful for those two ladies. They’re so welcoming and invite me along on their adventures, and despite our age gap, they’re actually the ones keeping me young! Their full agendas, appointments and errands, movies and shows, reading and learning, regular gym sessions, countless social obligations, cross-country travel and New York City vacations, late-night texts complete with GIFs and Bitmojis…

I can’t keep up with them! They inspire me in every way, and I hope I can be just as thoughtful, active, and kind as they are as I continue to grow older.
 

 

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

Every year, my parents host an annual Super Bowl party. I look forward to attending each February, but I had to cancel my trip at the last possible second this year. My grandma figured I’d be bummed to miss their fun event, so…

She threw a Super Bowl party for just the two of us!

If my previous retirement party story was any indication, I’m sure you can already guess what happened.

Grandma went all out!
 

 
She filled her kitchen table with veggies and dip, fresh sushi rolls, and plenty of chocolate-flavored snacks. Dark chocolate covered pretzels, trail mix with M&Ms, crunchy Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies… Plus popcorn, crisp pretzel thins (from Trader Joe’s — I hadn’t seen them before!), and chocolate drizzled pretzel thins. She also bought little bottles of my favorite soda and my favorite crumb-topped apple pie from the local Julian Pie Company for dessert.

She positively spoils me!

I arrived a half hour before kickoff, dressed in a neutral red hoodie (thank goodness for the teams’ similar colors!), and we settled into her comfy armchairs for the pregame festivities. For the next five hours, we cheered, nibbled, gasped, and cheered some more — and laughed at many of the fun new commercials too, of course! We snapped some selfies at halftime to send to my parents, and my mom texted back a handful of photos from their gathering too. As the game clock dwindled down, we leaned forward, right on the edge of our seats… And we almost started stress eating from the drama during overtime. (That’s what happens when you’re a big sports fan!)
 

 
As the confetti rained down on the players and cameras followed them through the massive crowd of people on the field, Grandma cut us each an extra big slice of pie. We ended up chatting for over two hours after switching off the TV, covering everything from the football game and upcoming baseball season (our favorite sport!) to blogging and local businesses to my parents’ next vacation and her spring trip to New York… And anything and everything in between.

I love and truly cherish those special moments spent with my grandma, the ones we share as the two of us, where the boundaries of generations and roles and ages disappear, leaving behind only the joys of adoration, friendship, and love.
 

 

THE UNEXPECTED WEDDING

One of the most spontaneous and impromptu moments of my life… I was a bridesmaid — with just three days’ notice!

Earlier that week, I received a text from one of my best friends from high school. She mentioned that she planned to visit Los Angeles over the weekend. She and her husband needed to pick up a marriage-related form during their trip, so I offered to pop up and see them in the afternoon before their Friday appointment. Although she felt awful because of the long drive, I managed to convince her it wasn’t a problem at all…

And then I got to work.

Because of its overseas location and travel logistics, I wasn’t able to attend their wedding last fall. I felt so bummed to miss it, so I was determined to turn this low-key appointment into a pseudo American “wedding” — as a surprise!

I spent a full day brainstorming ideas for a simple yet chic celebration along with that classic wedding tradition — something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue — and another day dashing all over town to locate everything. Somehow, three stores and five freeways later, I managed to pull it off!
 

 
For my friend, I condensed the bride’s four requirements into two main items. I purchased a pair of dainty earrings as the “something new,” and… I grouped everything else into the flower bouquet.

Because all of the roses looked rather droopy and tired, I opted for a classy assortment of lilies, dahlias, and gerbera daisies in white, pastel and bright pink, and soft purple. I secured their stems with a black silicone hair tie (“something borrowed”), which I hid underneath a gauzy white wrap. I wove blue bakers’ twine around that (“something blue” — can’t help being a baker!), tied it in a bow, and slipped a laminated white heart with the date written in the center using a pink pen (“something old”) I had in high school when the two of us first met.

Whew… But not done yet!
 

 
Every wedding (or pseudo wedding, in this case!) needs a toast and dessert, so I bought a set of stemless champagne glasses with “bride” and “groom” scripted across their sides in gold and a big bottle of Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider. I ran out of time to make anything, but I found the cutest jam sandwich cookies and decadent chocolate mousse cake at Trader Joe’s — along with chocolate truffles!

How perfect are those heart shapes for a wedding?? Truly… I lucked out!

On Friday morning, I carefully loaded everything into my trunk. After slipping the glasses and earrings into a glittery gold gift bag, I put the chocolate treats into a cooler crammed with ice packs. I placed a giant pitcher of water into another insulated bag, packed beach towels around its sides and top, and gently slipped the bouquet inside — while crossing my fingers (and toes!) that none of the water would slosh out as I drove 95 miles north to meet them.

And what a meeting it was!
 

 
After finally locating a parking spot, I walked a short distance to the downtown area. My friend spotted me first, and she nearly tackled me when she sprinted over and wrapped me in a huge bear hug. It must have looked like we were teenagers all over again to the random strangers on the sidewalk… We were smiling and laughing and hugging on repeat for ages!

We spent the next two hours catching up and sipping coffee, and the two of them looked at me in surprise when I handed them the gold gift bag.

“You didn’t need to get us anything!” my friend exclaimed.

“Yes, I did! I missed your first wedding,” I replied. “And the rest of your wedding surprises are in my trunk.”

Her eyes widened.

Eventually, we drove over to the office building in our separate cars. They decided to pay for a brief wedding ceremony (or vow renewal, in this case — seeing as they had already gotten married five months earlier!) and invited me along… Which made my secret plan even better!

I arrived first and waited at the building’s entrance, holding the flower bouquet. Shock spread across her face as they raced towards the door, only two minutes before their appointment time, in a lace cream-colored dress.

“Wha… What’s this??” she asked, although she already knew the answer. “Amy — you think of everything!”
 

 
I quickly explained the old, borrowed, and blue as we walked into the office and they took their place in line. After receiving the form, I snapped a few photos of them before a man in black robes ushered us into a private room decorated with a gauzy flower-laden arbor and podium. He read the script, led them through the vows, invited them to place rings on each other’s fingers (again!), and finish with a kiss.

Short, sweet… And extremely special.
 

 
My friend and her husband treated me to dinner afterwards to celebrate, and once the meal ended, we walked back to our cars. I surprised them with the final bits — the Martinelli’s bottle and desserts! — and sent them off with two more rounds of hugs. A week later, after flying back home to their regular life, my friend texted me a photo of herself wearing the earrings.

“My American wedding would not have gone the way it did without your planning. I could have not asked for anything more than this! So lucky to have you as my best friend and my bridesmaid ♥♥”

My heart glowed. I wasn’t sure how she and her husband would feel about my spontaneous and kooky plan… So a message like that — and a separate thank you from her mother as well! — felt like the sweetest and most special gift.

I’m so grateful for such amazing friends!

So there’s my Coffee Break news! Have you tried any new bakery treats lately? Updated any parts of your home? Spent time with friends and family you adore? I’d love to hear what’s going on in your life too! ♡