California Eats: Pie Hole

 

 

I have found the world's best pie crust. I realize that's a hefty statement to begin a post, but I'm dead serious about that. There are dessert enthusiasts who are self-proclaimed "pie people." You know the type. They forgo the cupcake treat for the slice of apple crumble, insist that you put candles on their birthday pie, and tell you everything that needs to be known about Olallieberry pie. I don't know if I'd call myself a pie person, but I'm definitely a pie crust person. Buttery flaky, graham cracker crunchy, or oreo cookie crumbly, I'm all about it 'bout it. The filling is just the icing on the...pie.

 

 

Pie Hole has it all right; the crust and the pie filling. That might not sound like something special, but pie golly it is.

 

The Place: Downtown Los Angeles has all the good eats and this place is no exception to that rule. Pie Hole is a bit tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Located in the Arts District, this pie joint is surrounded by trendy Lofts and condo developments, a mish mosh of up and coming eateries, and cute boutiques that sell things you want but don't need. (I also saw one of the winners from America's Next Top Model in one of those boutiques. I was star struck but had to play it cool because I was in LA afterall.)

 

The inside is as simple and rustic as it gets with bare walls and clean uncomplicated furniture that would make any IKEA designer happy. (I'm not sure if my decoration lingo is up to par here, but whatever.) Their storefront is lined with a few tables for you and a friend to enjoy an afternoon snack. I also need to give props to the man at the cashier as well as the young guy who served my pie. They were both super friendly and warm. It's nice to have your pie served with a witty joke or two. I dig it.

 

The Menu:

 

Their menu includes Sweet, Savory, Whoppie, and Crostata pies. You can even order a whole pie a day in advanced! Note. To. Self. On the other side, you have iced coffees, teas, and even creative sips like Thin Mint Lattes. Say WHAT?

 

I love how the menu is written on butcher paper with a sharpie pen. No fancy calligraphy here. This tells me one thing and that's Menu Change ups. I can just tell that this place uses fresh ingredients and fruits and veggies that are in season, hence the change ups. I appreciate that. They are also creative as hell and they are constantly coming up with new and inventive flavors like Thai Iced Tea pie! 

 

The Eats:

 

 

 

I ordered the Maple Custard Pie and an Iced Coffee. As I type this, my mouth is watering and my heart is aching for more. This pie was insanely good. Like, eyes roll to the back of your head, good. My slice was almost like a crème brulee with a thin sweet, dark maple layer on top. Every bite was thick and satisfying. And the crust....Oh Lord, the crust... it was flaky, buttery, and laden with the love of a real deal pastry chef. Trust me, any foodie will tell you that the love of the food IS an ingredient and Pie Hole has love written all over it. I have never tasted a crust this buttery before. You can't get this kind of flakiness from a store bought crust. It's perfection.

 

 

My husband got the Mexican Chocolate pie and it was definitely mexican chocolatey. It was creamy and rich and had that mmmmm quality that warms your tummy. Maybe it was the cinnamon or that love I was talking about earlier. Who knows. This one had a crumbly type crust that was just as good, but I can't speak much about this since I was having a full blown foodgasm over my Maple Custard Pie.

 

Maybe I am a pie person now.  My birthday is this month and I'm even having crazy ideas of replacing my Oreo ice cream cake with this beaut. I don't know much about Olallieberry pie but I just spoke it great detail about flaky crusts. Pie Hole has definitely converted me. Pie Hole, if you're reading this, thank you for your simple and delicious pies. My birthday is on the 18th in case you'd like to send me one.

 

 

Homemade Flour Tortillas

This recipe blows my mind. I can't believe how easy it is! For some reason, I thought tortillas were made from  magical ingredients that only Abuelas (grandmas) knew how to get. Sorry to break it to you Mija, but the secret is out! Vamanos!

First off, I need to give a shoutout to one of my new favorite bloggers. She is the reason for this post because her blog is where I pretty much jacked this rad recipe from. Thank you, FearlessHomemaker for being a source of so many great recipes. And BONUS, she is super down to earth and writes in a way that makes you want to be her friend. Go check her blog out. You can thank me later.

Project Wifey Wife: The Savory
Homemade Flour Tortillas
from The Fearless Homemaker

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
3/4 cup of vegetable shortening
2 tsp of salt
1 cup of lukewarm water

1. In a large bowl, blend the flour and shortening together so that it resembles fine meal.

2. In another bowl, dissolve the salt in the water. I used my mixer with the dough hook attachment to incorporate the salt water with the flour mixture.

3. The Fearless Homemaker suggests dividing the dough into 12 equally sized pieces and then rolling them into a ball. Because I am so impatient, I just ripped chunks, flattened with my hand, and used a rolling pin for extra flattening powers. My way worked fine. Just make sure you get them as thin as you can.

4. Again, the patient Fearless Homemaker made hers into circles by using a plate as a cookie cutter and trimming off the access. I, on the other hand, just threw it in the pan. Both works. I should try to be more patient.

5. Cook each tortilla in a nonstick pan for about 2-4 minutes on each side on a medium-high heat. They will brown and puff, you will flip, then you will see the magic that is tortilla making. It's really that simple.

Then use this carne asada recipe and prepare to be transported to Meh-heeko.

My hubby absolutely loves these tacos and begs me each week to make them. I tell him "What do I look like? An Abuela?" Then he says Yes and we argue and thumb wrestle or tickle fight until it's ok again. That's what normal married couples do, right? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Cutie Churro Muffins

Hello, Friends! ::warm embrace:: I have missed you all so much. I've been busy with life, with work, and with this lingering cold. I wish there was a way to connect my brain noodles to the internets and blog that way because I promise you, I think in blogspeak. You Bloggers know what I mean! My brain constantly thinks about what I want to write about, what I want to cook, and most importantly, what I want to eat! However, my lazy busy ass just can't find the time to get these fingers atypin'.

I'm here now and ready for some foodlovin'. I assure you that I have been cooking some awesomely good food. Just check out my love handles. They are more "handlier" nowadays. First up, these bad boys.

Of course I found this recipe on Pinterest. That website is truly revolutionary and I applaud the person who created that marvelous site. Anywho, this recipe is from Velvet Lava and she called them French Toast Muffins. Now call me shady, but I am going to have to change that name. I consider myself a French Toast fan through and through, and these do not taste like french toast triangles to me. To me, they taste like Mexican churros and that is what I will be calling them over here. Kapeesh?

Project Wifey Wife-The Sweet
Churro Muffins

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter; melted
1/2 cup of sugar
1 room temperature egg
1-1/2 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup of milk

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift  together all of the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet and stir together. The batter will be lumpy.
3. Scoop  them into your pre-sprayed muffin tins. I used teeny ones because everything is cuter when they are teeny.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes. If you use the regular sized tins, up the time to 20-25 minutes.
5. Right out of the oven, dip the little guys into the melted butter, then roll them into a mixture of the sugar and cinnamon.

Anything that is dipped in cinnamon and sugar wins my vote! These little gems are so cute and delicious. I served them for my friends at one of our Sunday brunches.

It was a cute addition to my lovely table scape. I could've decorated with dirt and target bags for place mats and these muffins would still make the table cute. They are just so cute I want to bite them, over and over and over.

Magic, Make believe, and Tequila

For my next trick, I will make you believe that no time has passed in my Project Wifey Wife...project thingy. By the time I finish this post, you will magically believe that I have been blogging every day about the fantabulous meals I make for the hubby. No Time has passed. No time has passed.

If you don't believe me, I'll cry. And you don't want to see my ugly cry face. It'll make you wonder if you should feel sorry for me, laugh, or be scared shitless.

Moving on....

I made the best pasta known to man. AND it has tequila. Pasta AND Tequila? This has to be against the law...and not just the healthy eating law. I first tried this magical creation at the California Pizza Kitchen and it blew....my....mind. In my little black book of pastas, this and mizithra with browned butter are my go to booty calls. The fact that I got my hands on this recipe makes my tummy all giddy!!

Project Wifey Wife Week #23- The Savory
Chicken Tequila Fettuccine
from allrecipes.com a la Kimberly :)

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package fettuccine pasta
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbs minced garlic
2 Tbs minced jalapeno
3 Tbs butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 Tbs tequila
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 1/4 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts; cubed
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow and green bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1. In a medium saucepan, saute cilantro, garlic, and jalapeno pepper in 2 Tbs of butter over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.

The love affair between garlic and cilantro in this dish is Tabloidelicious.

3. Add the stock, tequila, and lime juice. Bring to a boil. **The recipe says to let it come up to a paste consistency and I boiled for a LONG time and couldn't get that. It still turned out perfect in the end. So if you're impatient like me...no worries. **

4. Pour soy sauce over the chicken and set aside for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute onion and the bell peppers with 1 Tbs of butter, stirring occasionally.

The recipe called for green peppers, but I refuse to conform to society and used orange instead.

I'm a rebel without a cause. 

5. Boil the pasta. Duh.

6. When the peppers have wilted a bit, add chicken AND the soy sauce. Toss and add the tequila/lime paste from earlier and cream. Boil and cook chicken well. Toss with pasta and HOLY MOLY, you got yourself a dinner fit for the King of Mexico or Italy. Whatever.

When I snap my fingers, you will believe that I am a consistent blogger who makes the best food in Bloggertown. You will try this recipe and make your own ugly crying face because you will be crying tequila tears of pure and utter joy. You will love it. You will LOVE it. ::SNAP::

Our 1 Year Anniversary

This weekend, Hubby and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. I know this is cliche, but this year was full of ups and downs. Marriage is WORK! Why didn't anyone tell me in their wedding card to us? I thought marriage was all sexy time, laughing, farting, and happiness. I kid. It isn't just ALL those fun things, but there is that too... am I getting too personal? Really, marriage is a lot of work but well worth it. The amount of work you put into a marriage comes back to you ten-fold when pay day comes.... and when taxes come...oh boy.... break out the good sheets.... ok ok, too personal.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, Hubby and I went to San Diego. This is where we celebrated our One Year Anniversary of being boyfriend and girlfriend and where we have decided to take our one year old baby (when he or she comes). Look at us trying to make our own traditions...awww.. aren't we cute?

In good food blogger fashion, I will tell the story of our weekend through the eyes of my stomach. We ate magnificent food that I couldn't wait to show you guys! Watch, watch!

We chose this place because it was where we ate dinner the first time we came to celebrate.

Fresh tortillas made in the entrance to entice you.... smart move. I just wish she handed out samples. How do you say samples in Espanol? I thought the drool on my chin would give her a clue but she was too busy "working."

 

Carne Asada Fries.... Oh Dios Mio!

Carnitas and Chili Verde.

Bunelos to top it all off. Hubby and I thought my Bunelos were better.

The next morning, I took the Facebook advice from my friend Theresa to visit this place.

Theresa recently graduated from Le Cordon Bleu, so I knew she meant business when recommending this. Also, the fact that there was a TWO HOUR WAIT made it clear to us that we, one, were in for a treat, and two, are insane for spending our day waiting that long for breakfast.

We were also insane for walking a block down the street to get a snack while we waited. Ok FINE, I was  am insane. I couldn't take it, so I bought a croissant...filled with warm Nutella...as a breakfast appetizer. Damn, that sounds even worse when you say it out loud.

Of course, the second I finish licking the last shmear of Nutella off of my fingers, we were called to our table. I ordered a Hash....with veggies to balance the Nutella I had earlier that hour and Hubby went with the chicken and waffles.

We were very full after this, almost to the point of taking a needle and popping our own stomachs to relieve the pressure on our more important organs... like our hearts.

Yet, we marched on and for dinner we went fancy time to Morton's Steak House. This place is legit. Hubby had the Ribeye Steak, while I went for the "smaller portion" Ribeye Steak. We shared potatoes and grilled asparagus.

We also shared a chocolate lava cake, because meat is just not enough to keep a girl satisfied.

We made the mistake of eating rather late and let me tell you, going to bed with a tummy full of steak makes you feel like a bear going to its Winter nap..... except add a whole mess of crazy ass dreams.

On our actual anniversary, we celebrated at the restaurant that catered our wedding. Nostalgic.

The food was great. I ordered a Bacon Spinach Salad (because nothing says salad like bacon) and Penne a la Vodka, while Hubs had the lasagna and half of the bread basket.

 

And lastly, to end our journey through these mountains of ridiculously portioned meals, we ended our trip reminiscing about our Honeymoon in Maui. We Yelped the best Hawaiian place around.

This hole in the wall eatery was SO good that I forgot to take pictures of the amazing chicken teriyaki that I had.

Or the amazing chicken katsu that hubby inhaled.

You'll just have to trust me on this one.

This trip was much needed for our hearts and our tummies. We had an amazing time remembering the past six years and the last six meals. We had a chance to think about what we can do to improve our marriage and what we can do to make life happier for each other. We spent the weekend laughing, eating, and enjoying each other's company. It was perfect.

Wandom Wednesday: Namaste New Moon

1. New Moon- If some tween googled New Moon, I wonder if my blogpost would pop up. I hope not because there would be a boatload of disappointed Twi-hards and Twi-cougars. I was referring to the REAL new moon, the O.G! Do you see it in the sky? It looks like it's about to explode with love and energy....sorry, I just got back from yoga, more on that in a bit.

My kooky happy yoga instructor said that the New Moon marks a New Beginning. I love that idea. I'm all about new beginnings because it allows you to purge theraggity old  crap and start anew. That's sooooo yoga, isn't it?

Speaking of new moon, this new season has also got me reinventing myself. (I'm like 2 weeks too late on mentioning fall but, what the hey!)

I decorated with little pumpkins everywhere and ummm, can I just mention how AMAZING fall candles are? The smell of pumpkin spice is nose-gasmic.

This week will also mark a new year for my hubby and I. We will be celebrating our first anniversary. I'm unbelievably excited for our little getaway we have planned.

2. My Hubby- He's amazing. I'm a lucky girl because we started this super fun tradition on Wednesdays. It's called, I go to yoga and hubby makes dinner. I LOVE IT! Right now he's working so hard on dinner while I'm blogging, smelling the aromas of dinner wafting through the house....and I don't have to lift a finger!! WHOA BABY!

And look at him being all organized. He knows that his wife will freak the hell out if there's mess in her our kitchen. He learned well. He learned well.

3.Yoga time! I used to do yoga when I was in college. I loved it because it was something I chose to do alone. I didn't ask for a friend to accompany me, nor did I look for friends at the studio, this was something only for lil' ol' me! 7 years later, I am going again and my body feels challenged and my mind feels clear and enlightened. I feel new! New and improved, with better staying power. Give me a couple of weeks and I'll be doing this....

Except I will be wearing more than a diaper thong. But first I need to learn to touch my toes, which will also help with the toenail painting (man, I have to do all kinds of weird poses for that one!) and I need to learn how to balance. I can barely balance on two feet, let alone my big toe.

4. This is totally random, but a life changer for me. I found THE best shampoo and conditioner in all the land. My hair is medium thickness, semi-smooth, and what people like to call "Asian Straight." I was it about every other day or every two days, depending on how lazy I am that week. I recently started switching up my shampoos every wash so it can't get used to one product. I like to confuse the follicles. We play this game and I know they like it.



I have to admit that I'm a sucker for packaging. The fact that the bottle has the same colors as my wedding was a big selling point. This coincidence I now know to be FATE. My hair has never felt so soft. I fell like I have a new head of hair.

5. Best Damn Tacos- My hubby found his new favorite dish that I make. I can thank my awesome co-worker Kimberly for the insane recipe that had my husband going loco.



Here is the recipe. Carne Asada Tacos. I really wanted to make a whole blog post about it but I didn't really change anything. But, I assure you that these are the best Tacos I've ever made. Hubby said they were pretty amazing. He's Mexican, so he knows his tacos. (Is that stereotyping?) Slap together some salsa, squeeze some lime, and sprinkle some Mexican cheese and by golly, you have yourself the best damn tacos around!

• Tell me something Wandom

Missing in Action, Studying Fractions.

You like that title? Because it took me 10 minutes to come up with, so a little pity chuckle would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Life has been good. Work has been busy. I have been left...all in a tizy. That... took 3 seconds. I don't know why that came out so fast but my title couldn't. I'm losing my blog mojo... my blojo. ok that sounded way less dirty in my head.

In a nutshell, work has been extremely busy but ten times more rewarding then a large side of french fries. I love my class, I love my Math team, and ::le gasp:: I'm starting to fall in love with Math. Shhhh... don't tell the other subjects.
Running is coming back to me as the weather gets a little bit better. I'm signing up for two 5Ks soon and hopefully getting back into it.
I just paid for my tickets to my High School Reunion. Holy Moly... I feel oldy.
And then there is food blogging. I miss it so! I hope I can find time again to visit all of the blogs I miss so much!

Until then... have some EASY Mexican Lasagna... on the house.

Project Wifey Wife Week #22-The Savory
Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 lb of ground beef
1 can of black beans
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 pack of taco seasoning
1 small can of corn
1 large jar of salsa
6 flour tortillas
cheese, lots and lots of cheese
crushed tortilla chips

I got to use another one of my cool new Pampered Chef tools! Super helpful!

I added some corn to the stuff. Made the stuff even stuffier.

Quatro, Cuatro, Kuatro... you know what I'm saying?

Repeat these steps until your ingredients are gone, your pan is full, or you're satisfied.

Whichever comes first.

This stuff is muy bien.

Tell me that's not Bonita?

I served this with a side of saffron infused rice with some cilantro. Si!

Quick. Delicious. PERIOD. Exclamation point.

• Hi!