Presley's Pantry

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Snackas of the day: Raspberry Red Velvet Cakewich by Cake Monkey.  Raspberry cream filling sandwiched by two pieces of heavenly red velvet cake, then dipped in chocolate.  It’s no joke.  I had these little treasures for the first time while I was pregnant with my son.  Cake Monkey had a pop-up store in Silverlake, and a girlfriend and I went on a rummaging hunt to find them.  It was well worth the hassle, and we nearly bought out the entire menu…. couldn’t help it, we were excited!  Since then I have sampled many of their sweets, but find myself going back to the Raspberry Red Velvet Cakewich.  It leaves me for a loss of words.  Speechless.  I don’t want to think while I’m eating this cakewich.  I just want to lose myself in the divine world of Cake Monkey!

Here’s a picture of the packaging:

I celebrate life everyday, but when there is a party to behold not only will I be there with bells on, I intend to have a BALL!  This past weekend one of my cousin’s turned 25, and held a theme party (hence the pink Marie Antoinette wig).  I wanted to make something sweet, simple and fun since she was having a candy bar along with a tribe of other sweets that included cupcakes and cookie sandwiches.  Donut Poppity Pops…  You are the winner!  The perfect hybrid between a lollipop and something cakey sweet!

Photos taken by: Nicole Presley and Mando Lopez

Ingredients for Donut Pops:

24 – glazed donut holes (I used Winchell’s)

24- small marshmallows (I use Kraft)

24 – lollipop sticks

1 – 11.5 ounce bag of milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips or both (I use Nestle)

1 – cup dyed coconut…. any color you like

candy sprinkles

Take a small marshmallow and push it an inch down lollipop stick then place/push donut hole on top.  Repeat until all donut holes are prepared.  Set to the side.

In a double boiler, or in a pot with boiling water and a metal bowl sitting on top, add chocolate chips and wait until they get shiny, then mix with a rubber spatula.  Mix constantly until chocolate is melted smooth.

Then take a donut pop and dip it into the melted chocolate.  Then hold chocolate covered donut pop over a plate and decorate with candy sprinkles or coconut or whatever else your heart desires.

Line a flat surface with wax paper and place decorated donut pop down for chocolate to dry/harden.  Continue making the next one and so on.  Let dry for 3 hours depending on weather.  If it’s super hot in your kitchen place in refrigerator.

That’s it…your done!  Take them to a party or enjoy your Donut Poppity Pops at home!

LET THEM EAT DONUT POPS!

In my dream last night, I was the lead vocalist for a mariachi group that solely showcased at a drive-in theater.  I remember my outfit had to be immaculate, and shining bright because I was going to have Luis Bunuel’s “Los Olvidados” playing as my backdrop. Flickering in my memory all the headlights from the cars were blinding my view, it was like a thick fog that I couldn’t reach through.  I sang “Por Un Amor” over and over again. It was the only song we were hired to play, and even when we took requests, it was the only song people asked for.  By the time I made it home my shoes were torn and my trenzas were ragged, the drive-in must have made a prisoner of me.  But here’s the highlight of the dream…. When I arrived home there was a big platter of enchiladas wrapped in plastic waiting for me at my doorstep, my mouth watered, I sniffed over the plastic wrap trying to detect their scent.  I stumbled over my own feet giving all my concentration to the glorious plate, as I was about to sit down and enjoy my cheesy surprise…. I WOKE UP to my son holding my ear in one hand and touching my cheek with the other.  I couldn’t go into my day without fulfilling my craving.  I HAD to have those ENCHILADAS that I was about to ravenously devour in my sleep!

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for Enchilada Sauce:

1 – large onion peeled

3 – garlic cloves peeled

3 – ounces new mexico dried chile

3 – ounces california dried chile

1 – large dried passilla chile

3 – tablespoons salt

7 – cups water

In a big pot add water, 2 tablespoons of salt, all chiles, onion, and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil.  Boil for 20 minutes. Water will turn dark brown.

Remove chiles and garlic cloves from water. Discard onion. Do not discard water, you will be using it in the next step. Remove stems from chiles, then add to a blender along with 2 cups of water from the pot, garlic cloves, and a tablespoon of salt.  Blend for 2 minutes.

Once blended get a big bowl and add 1/2 cup of water from pot into the bowl, then take the blended chile and put through a strainer. It will be thick. Add a little bit of water from pot to chile strainer and scrape with a spoon. Use up to 3 cups of water for the entire process. It’s time consuming but your enchilada sauce will be clean and super tasty. Set to the side.

Enchilada Ingredients:

1 – cup vegetable oil plus 3 tablespoons

2 – medium sized Idaho potatoes (peeled and cubed)

black pepper for seasoning to your liking

1 – cup onion (diced small)

6 – ounces pork chorizo or soyrizo (remove casing before cooking)

1 – pound grated colby jack cheese ( I use Tillamook)

2.25 – ounces Lindsay sliced black olives

10 to 12 – king size corn tortillas ( I use Guerrero)

6 – Eggs (I use Horizon Organic)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

In a large frying pan, over medium high flame, add 2 tablespoons oil. Allow to get hot and add cubed potatoes. Season with black pepper to your liking. Fry Idaho potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup of chopped onion and fry for 3 to 5 minutes. Then add chorizo or soyrizo. Remember to remove casing. Break up chorizo/soyrizo with a spatula, and mix into Idaho potato onion mixture. If you are using chorizo, fry for 10 minutes. If you are using soyrizo fry for 5. Then take off flame and set to the side in a bowl.

Take two large frying pans.  Fill one of your frying pans with 1 cup vegetable oil and heat over a med-high flame.  Allow to get hot. In the other frying pan, fill with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over a medium flame and wait till it gets hot, then pour in 3 to 4 cups of your enchilada sauce. Let the oil and chile combine then lower your flame very low, so that your chile will simmer.

Dip your corn tortilla into the (Oil) frying pan, and let it fry on each side for 30 seconds. You don’t want your tortilla to be too hard that it ends up looking like a tostada, but you don’t want it to rip in the rolling process either. What you’re looking for is a tortilla that is slightly hard but still bends.

Then with tongs… take your fried tortilla and immerse it into the enchilada sauce.

Then take it out and place it on a plate to fill with the fillings.

Start with a tablespoon of the Idaho potato chorizo/soyrizo mixture and a small spinkle of onions.

Then add a few Lindsay olives and a small handful of cheese.

Gently roll into a tube shape.

Then place in a 9×13 baking dish. Then start the frying process all over again until you fill your baking dish with as many enchiladas as you can.

Once they are all settled in, take remaining enchilada sauce from hot pan and spoon over top. Then sprinkle cheese and a few Lindsay olives on top as well.

Place in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese on top is melted and slightly crunchy!

🙂 For estilo New Mexico, fry an egg sunny side up and place it on top of two or three enchiladas. In my opinion…. that is absolutely worthy of a dream!

YOLK TIME!

Snackas of the day: Eleni’s “Beyond Butterscotch” cookies with a tall drink of milk.  What grabbed my attention initially to these cookies was the packaging.  I thought it to be super adorable and clever.  Once I tasted the actual cookie the packaging became secondary.  This little snackas holds the perfect blend of butterscotch with a twist of coconut.  It’s not a soft cookie, it’s the kind you dunk in milk or coffee!  Just as a warning, it will be incredibly hard to keep them in the house for longer than a day.  They will be GONE in no time!

Here’s a picture of the packaging: side view

A look up top….

Not only is this salad rapturous to my tongue, it’s complete fantasy to my eyes.  With a kaleidoscope of color that allures me to the bowl.  It looks like food that should appear in a Hayao Miyazaki film (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle), and heaven knows I’m a fan.

Radish and cauliflower in the same salad?  Sign me up!  I make this salad for my family and friends that are hard to please, and they always walk away CHARMED!

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for Charming Cauliflower Salad:

4 – cups cauliflower (heads only)

2 – cups baby heirloom tomatoes (sliced in half)

3 – cups persian cucumber (sliced)

1 1/2 – cup radish (sliced)

2 – cups feta cheese (crumbled)

3 – cups pita chips

To your liking – Trader Joe’s Greek style feta dressing (Optional)

In a large pot  bring water to a boil. Add cauliflower heads and boil for 4 to 5 minutes. Then take off flame, drain and place in an ICE bath or run under cold water.

Drain cauliflower from ice bath and set to the side.  Meanwhile slice the other vegetables.

In a big mixing bowl add all ingredients.

Then mix with your hands or a spoon, until combined.  That’s it…you’re done.

I like to use feta dressing on top, but my mom likes to use Italian.  Either way, here’s a photo of the dressing I use. 🙂

Nice to meet you!

I reside in the HOUSE of SNACKS!  We refer to snacks as “SNACKAS”, a cute word my mom uses when she wants something to nibble on.  A little plate of scrumptious edibles lives in the center of my kitchen table, in the event that you need to pop something in your mouth at any given second!  I like it that way.  Some snackas are store bought and some are made here at home, but always changing.  From this point forward I will share what my household is snacking on….

SNACKAS of the DAY:  Raincoast Crisps by Lesley Stowe.  The best cranberry hazelnut cracker that is unrivaled when it comes to crunch!  I use theses crackers as a salad enhancer from time to time…. but today they are shining bright topped with goat’s milk cheddar cheese and fig jam.  YUM!  Wish you were here.

Here’s a picture of the cracker packaging.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

I found happiness at Rivera, a restaurant with three dining rooms, each offering their own menu.  “Rivera’s Sangre” offers cuisine from Spain and Portugal, “Samba” gives you a taste of South America, and “Playa Bar” let’s you explore Mexico and the Southwest. We settled in at an open area that looked like a modern sushi bar, but instead of maguro, out came some of the best mexican concoctions that ever passed my lips.  An explosion of flavor on the tip of my fork.  Who are these people?  I don’t know, but we are already friends.  Anyone who could whip up something so pleasing to my palate, and fanciful to the eye is admirable.  Taste + Vision = Nirvana.  Keep in mind… I’m hard to please when it comes to what I eat, and I left Rivera’s Playa Bar with nothing less than magnificent fulfillment.  Saying to myself “comida hermosa.”  I will joyfully run back to this place again and again blowing kisses in the air.

Here’s what we ate:

Chile Guero Relleno- Huerito chile fried tempura style, stuffed with crab, corn, ginger and scallions. Resting in a shallow bath of a slighty spicy chile sauce.  One of the tastiest dishes of the night!

Piquillos Rellenos- Spanish peppers stuffed with gruyere, chorizo, and golden raisins. Wow! This little pepper dish knocked our socks off!

Vieras Arabesque – Scallops on top of an eggplant mash, Ras el hanout, drizzled in preserved lemon sauce. My man went bonkers for this dish!

Yucatecan Puerco Pibil – Pork shoulder that was slow roasted for 18 hours in a banana leaf, served with a red sauce, that made me wish I could leave inhibitions behind and slurp it off my plate. This was by far the BEST dish of the night!

I washed it all down with a drink they refer to as “Siesta”- made of tequila blanco, grapefruit, campari, lime and orange peel. My man had the “Strawberry Fields” – Strawberry puree, tequila blanco and mint. Both drinks were perfectly blended.

For dessert we had the Torta Xocolata – a dark chocolate torte, covered in drunken pineapple slaw, sitting in caramel. YES…it was decadent and delicious. Unfortunately my camera needed a battery charge at that moment and I was unable to photograph it…. never the less it was YUMMERS!

If you are in Downtown Los Angeles and want to take a ride on a food merry-go round…. this is the PLACE!  Enjoy!

RIVERA

1050 s. Flower Street #102

Los Angeles, California 90015

213.749.1460

www.riverarestaurant.com