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.

 

 

California Eats: Le Pain Quotidien

I'm back at it. I'm back on my quest to find good eats in California and to prove to a certain New Yorker that it ain't that hard. I haven't written a California Eats post in quite a while, but I assure you I've been giving my taste buds a good workout. During my pregnancy and even before baby bump, I ate at some pretty noteworthy places. To start it off, I give you the restaurant where I discovered Speculoos.


The Place: Nestled in the village square of Claremont, this casual french bakery serves more than just your run-of-the-mill croissants and baguettes. Sure, that's what my stomach was expecting walking into a place like this, but I was more than pleased with the selection they have here. Whatever you order, you can enjoy your meal inside, which is rustically decorated with wood from floor to ceiling, or outside, al fresco as the french do.

The Menu: I came with a friend who highly recommended their Tartines. I've never had one before so I was game. The first thought that came to my mind when reading their menu was fresh. Their meals include locally grown and organic ingredients which is not hard to find in Southern California. There is an assortment of egg, chicken, veggie, and even a few meat dishes, something to please everyone. Of course, you can't forget the bread. Almost everything is served with a hearty slice of delicious homemade bread. "Le Pain Quotidien"  itself means "daily bread." Bread everyday? Yes, please!

The Eats: I started off with a lemonade iced tea that is sweetened with raw organic agave nectar. It was perfectly tart and refreshing. I ordered the Roast Beef Tartine and the presentation did not disappoint. The tartine is an open faced sandwich which, in my opinion, needs to be eye catching. My friend ordered the Mushroom Kale Frittata which looked delicious as well.

My tartine was perfect. The bread was firm with a deliciously crunchy crust. Perfect ratio of roast beef to mozzarella, drizzled with fresh vinegarette and tomatoes. It was completely satisfying.

And then there's this...

My first encounter with the spread that rivals Nutella. I'll keep this post about the restaurant and not this heavenly treat. The best thing about it all is that Le Pain Quotidien serves this as a condiment along with butter for your side of bread. They just bring it to you like it's a normal thing to do.

I'm a sucker for anything French, but to add a daily slice of handmade bread with a JAR of Speculoos to freely spread as you please....oh...OIU OIU! If this is how the french do it... I'm flying there tomorrow.

Ok, maybe not. Thank God for places like this.

California Eats: Amara Chocolate & Coffee

One of the most romantic places that I have ever been to has to be Amara in Pasadena. My Husband and I stumbled upon this place through Yelp when we were searching for a spot to end the night. We wanted something sweet. When its Yelp reviews mentioned authentic Spanish churros, we knew we hit gold.

The Place: This quaint little storefront is a hidden gem. We walked through the crowded streets, down a bar filled alley way, and made our way to the backside of Old Town Pasadena. It was late and most of the neighboring stores were closed, leaving most of the hustle and bustle to the main streets. Lucky for us, there were no people in the tiny shop that night. However, even if there were, it looks as though this place has a capacity of 20 people MAX. The small chocolate shop is perfect for snuggling and close elbow to elbow conversation. Cue the soft lighting and Spanish music and you got yourself the perfect date place.

The Menu: Variety isn't necessary in a place like this. A few choices of chocolate drinks and truffles and a decision of how many churros you can handle is all it takes. There are a few exotic coffees you can try, but really, this place is known for its chocolate.

The Eats: Churros and chocolate. Need I say more? I could leave it at that, really I could, but I'll go on. I consider myself a Churro fanatic, never leaving an amusement park or fair without covering my lips with cinnamon sugar. Oh, the joy. But, this is the real thing. Piping hot dough with long grooves nestling the cinnamon and sugar, a perfect vehicle for the Venezuelan dipping chocolate. I could eat either one by itself, but they are a perfect combination in your mouth. We also ordered a Venezuelan Hot Chocolate because we couldn't resist the smell when we walked in.

The man behind the counter was so nice. Since we were his last customers of the night, he gave us free champagne truffles. They packed a punch and Hubby and I both agreed that the alcohol was the star of that show.

My husband and I couldn't get enough of their churros and hot chocolate everything. We sat together at a tiny table and fed each other bites of Spanish treats and chocolate kisses. When you go to place where the atmosphere is just as sweet as the chocolate dipped churros, you know you found a great dessert spot. 



Wandom Wednesday: Recovery

This Sunday, my little snugaboo will be one month old. WHOA Nelly Furtado! I am torn between wishing time would stand still so I can have this little newborn forever, and wishing time would fast forward to the point where he can wipe his own butt. I'm sure one day I'll miss wiping his butt... one day.

GAH! Just the other day his little belly button cord fell off. I was both excited and disgusted, then I cried because he's growing up so fast. This was a big moment for the whole family.

I have to be honest and say that these past few weeks, although filled with magical moments, has been an emotional roller coaster for me. Baby blues hit me like a freggin' hurricane and I sobbed uncontrollably EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I heard crying sounds coming from my own mouth that I've never heard before. Even Baby Joaquin was like "What the hell, Mom! Why are YOU crying?" When I am in these deep holes of emotion, I often wonder if I'm cut out for this "mom gig." Hubby really had to dig me out of some really dark moments and there were even times I pulled him right down there with me. I felt so alone even though I was surrounded by everything a woman could ever want out of life. Dammit Hormones! I really had a difficult time with breastfeeding, getting up every 2 hours, going out in public, and even interacting with friends and family. I just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep for a redonkulous amount of days.

Then I remembered I AM a mom now and this little guy is counting on me. I remembered that newborns can pick up on mommy's stress and I couldn't deal with the thought of ruining my kid's life already. There will be times for that...like showing the video of his first bath at his 18th birthday party in front of all his friends and his stupid girlfriend, who I'm sure I'll hate. So in true obsessive compulsive and teacher lady form, I started a plan of action.....an IEP (for all you teacher friends out there)for myself to fight the blues.

1. Organize....in a cute organizer.

Ummm, I'm TOTALLY obsessed with my new planner. If you're into the good ol' paper organizers, check out ErinCondren.com. Her planners are so cute and functional. I am in organize heaven! I made it a point to plan out family walks, visits from friends, and simple trips to the market so I can feel productive. Those were the things that made me feel "normal."

I also love my Baby Daze tracker. Totally unnecessary but helps the OCD monster in me to keep track of every poop and pee that lil' man makes. That info will make for beautiful keepsake moments, no?



 2. Don't be a Vampire Slug

People say to sleep when baby sleeps but when I did that, I felt like a vampire slug living in a dark house with the curtains always drawn shut. I needed to get some fresh air everyday. My little family and I went on our first walk around the block days after Joaquin's birth. We all loved it, especially Sonic. This helped with my sanity and my c-section recovery.

3. Take a damn shower

Since my c-section, my incision site open once. Lovely. I had to take a trip to the ER, they drained it, and told me to sponge bath myself for a few days. Sponge baths are hard if you don't have a nurse on hand to wipe you down the correct way. Sure I have a husband, but it is too early in my life for him to wipe my butt. When I got the green light to take a full shower, I danced...carefully, with joy. Showers are your friend and you should take one...even if it lasts a whole 2 minutes.

.via.





 4. Do what's right for YOU

-cracked and bleeding nipples
-nipple shields
-Lanolin cream
-Thrush
-Plugged Ducts

If you plan on breastfeeding, make sure you do your research on these things. I really thought that breastfeeding would be as easy as slapping the baby on your teet and letting him go at it, create a magical bond, blah blah blah..... no. Nobody told me that breastfeeding can be so hard!

I am a firm believer in "Happy Wife, Happy Life." Same goes for being a mom, too. If mommy isn't happy, then all hell will break loose in the house and everyone will be miserable. One struggle I had, and continue to have on occasion is breastfeeding. I want to write a full post about my battle with this, but in short, I had to do what was right for me. It seems like right now, the push is for breastfeeding and anything else is poison apparently. I felt the pressure hardcore and had to find ways to come to terms with what works for me and what wont drive me up the wall. In a nutshell, I hate breastfeeding...yes I said it...I hate it. I decided that the best thing for me right now is to exclusively pump and supplement if I need to.

 5. Cookies

Remember when I said I'd post the recipe for the pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies...yeah well, I had a baby and I totally forgot. Mommy brain? Better late than never.
FYI- I subbed the pumpkin spice and puree for a lazy can of pumpkin pie puree and I nixed the frosting and dusted it with powdered sugar.

Yummy recipe here!

I also did a my first TIM TAM SLAM! Oh, it's a thing. Google it. It's going to be big like Gangnam style. Mark my chocolate faced words.

For all you new mommies out there.... hang in there. It does get better. Atleast that's what everyone keeps telling me.

Wandom Wednesday: Oats in a Jar. Genius.

This is not a new thing. Bloggers all over Blogworld do it and I can finally see why they do. It's pure genius. Whoever thunk this one up should win some kind of award.

Here's the scoop.
When your peanut butter, almond butter, Speculoos, or Nutella jar is pretty much empty, throw in your warm morning oatmeal and let it aaaalll melt together. Ooey Gooey Goodness. Swear.

Check out the cleaning job I did on this puppy. If it weren't for this idea, I'd be wasting so much. This is a money saver!
 


CAN'T WAIT!

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.

Wandom Wednesday: Addictions

1. There needs to be an Instagram Anonymous and I need to be the president. I am on that thing way too much for someone who has a job and a LIFE! I posted 6 times yesterday and feel embarrassed about it. Like, who the hell am I for showing you what I'm eating, wearing, thinking, or pooping? Oprah?

2. I am also addicted to games on my iPhone. Brizzle, Bejewled, Temple Run, Bakery Story, Words with Friends... I'm all over that like brown on brown rice. Send help immediately.

Birzzle

3. On that note, I am finally winning at a game of Words with Friends. This never happens to me. Sadly, people think I'm going to blow them out of the water because I'm a teacher, but I actually suck at Scrabble. It's because I'm impulsive and don't think about my words before I throw 'em down.

Case in point, yesterday I threw down HOES because I thought it was funny. After I pressed SEND and laughed my head off, I realized I could've put SHOES. I is stupid.

4. I'm also addicted to these. Boston Cream Pies My friend Christine had me over for dinner and she made these for dessert. I think she's trying to sabotage my exercise plan. Thanks, Christine. Some friend you  are.

via Annie Eats

5. I want to write another Wandom, but I have to check my Instagram and lose more Words with Friends games. Toodles.  

Pork Siu Mai/Shoe My/Shoo Mie

'Ello Govnah.

I'm a bit peeved right now. My Body and I are at war. Not just, Mind says "Run a 10K", Body says "no way, Jose." Instead, my body wants to be sick but that is not on my schedule at the moment. I don't want to be hocking up loogies, blowing my nose every 5.5 seconds until the skin from my nose peels off, or having nasty mouth. I just want to be a normal girl, gaw dangit! Seems as though Body does not give a flying shit. So, I will drown my body with Green Monsters, green tea, and cough drops while acting like the biggest baby so my hubby will feel sorry for me and do all the chores, cooking, and laundry. ::crossing fingers that hubby reads this::

Besides being sick, I've been having very strong cravings for one thing... Chinese food. What the what? Now before you start speculating that I am with child, I will tell you that I am in fact, not preggos. If I am, it must be a Chinese baby because all it wants is Chow Mein and Dim Sum. Lucy.... you have some splainin' to do.


Honey Walnut Shrimp. One of the best things on earth.

Besides begging my hubby to take me to Panda Inn, I also felt the sudden urge to make some dumplings. I made them before, but to keep in line with my resolutions I decided to try a new recipe. Easy, quick, and delicious. What more can you want out of a recipe?
Project Wifey Wife- The Savory
Pork Sui Mai
adapted from The Everything Rice Cooker Cookbook

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground pork
1 package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 egg
wonton wrappers

1. Mix all of the ingredients together.  See how easy that is?

2. Put about a half to a full tablespoon of the mixture into a wonton wrapper. Make a little cup and squeeze.

3. Steam for about 7-10 minutes until cooked through.



If you're feeling crazy, you can also fry some!

And isn't it funny that TODAY is Chinese New Year? Maybe that's why I've been craving it all! Really, it's a plain coincidence because I had no idea.

Gung Hei Fat Choy!

Something daring, eh? ::strokes chin::