Bouche full of Boule.

I realize I'm a little late in hopping on the Boule-bandwagon, as there have been a million other reviews on the little Los Angeles pâtisserie, but here are my two cents anyway:

French macarons (from left to right) -- rose petal raspberry, lemon meyer, and the seasonal pumpkin. Crispy and delicate, you have to get one of each (unfortunately the selection was rather limited when I got there late in the day).


It's like a rainbow of mini hamburgers! ... Except sweet, and not meaty. The lemon was my favorite.

Next: Boule's famous chocolates (clockwise, starting at top left) -- "Flora"/passion fruit-jasmine, "Li"/lychee-pistachio, "Jade"/green tea, and "Fatale"/scotch bonnet pepper.


"Flora" and "Li" turned out to be very fruity, as you may have guessed, while "Jade" gave me a subtle hint of green tea breath, only after I finished it. Surprisingly, I found my favorite to be the hot hot "Fatale." At first it fools you into thinking it's just an innocent piece of dark chocolate ganache, and then it gives you a right kick in the pants.

I should have been a little more prepared when I entered -- the sight of the chocolate display nearly overwhelmed me, and I couldn't think properly. Upon walking out I realized how much I wanted to try the curry gianduia and the lavender, too.

Oh well. This definitely gives me a reason to come back. And hello, there's sweet corn ice cream, too??

Have I mentioned that I adore corn?

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Boule (Note the new address, a couple stores down)
408 N. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles 90048
310.289.9977

The highlight of my evening.

Mini phyllo cups baked with caramelized onions and goat cheese. Mmmm... you know you want some, too.

Hooray for Italian wedding soup and fried ravioli!

Okay well, I didn't make morning glory muffins this weekend, but I cooked a fabulous dinner (if I do say so myself) consisting of Italian wedding soup and fried ravioli (both recipes courtesy Giada De Laurentis and Everyday Italian).

First up: Fried ravioli.


I hold a fairly strong belief that most everything is better fried. Why else do you think I love fairs? Fried Oreos, fried Snickers (mmm.. similar in taste to the Indonesian martabak), fried Twinkies, fried avocado, fried Coke, even -- which is what I should have gotten at the L.A. County Fair instead of that Krispy Kreme chicken sandwich (blech.. but more on that another time perhaps).

So when I tried this insanely simple recipe, I began to wonder why we hardly ever see fried ravioli on restaurant and fast food menus, or at least at fairs. I mean, they're incredibly easy to make and they're like Italian fries -- with marinara posing as ketchup.


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Italian wedding soup: Another fabulous recipe. The meatballs are the star -- a mixture of beef and pork with onion, garlic, fresh Italian parsley and Parmigiano Reggiano? What's not to love? Just make sure you don't go blind from grating the onion -- ouch!

Also, I like pasta in my soup, so I boiled a cup of orzo (a little underdone) and added it right near the end.

Cuuute. Suuuuper cute!

Oh my gah!! How f'adorable are these Munchlers by Built NY:


I want to buy one of each and maybe save one for my kid when I grow up.

Corn > pomegranate.

Pomegranates are such a hassle. They are messy and they make your fingertips all stained and sticky. The seeds are too big to swallow, but too small to spit out relatively non-disgustingly. I've been eating one for the past couple days and I think the acidity of the juice actually burned a blister into my tongue and throat. So why do I keep eating it?

Because it's so damn fun. I love popping or peeling open a new section and finding the juicy red jewels of fruit all huddled together, in their feeble attempt to hide from me. They're so cute. And after I've plucked the little fruits individually from their pods, I sometimes like to crush them on a napkin or in a bowl to see the sudden burst of soft fuschia color... and I think, "That is the perfect shade of lip balm!" Also, the fruits remind me of kernels of corn.

Too bad they don't taste like corn. I love corn.

"What is a morning glory muffin?"

Disappointingly, I didn't know the answer. But it does sound intriguing. In a healthy, fruity, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of way.

Morning glory muffins, from AllRecipes.com. I love this site.

I think it's a must-try for breakfast this weekend. Stay tuned...

Hi Pinkberry. So nice of you to show up.

Pinkberry finally opened their first Orange County location at Bella Terra in Huntington Beach this week.

FINALLY. Where the hell were you, Pinkberry, in the peak of the summer heat when I was craving tart frozen yogurt and fresh fruit almost every single day, so much so that I was seriously considering trekking to Long Beach to get my fix? Why'd you make me wait this long for you, my swirly and fluffy exquisite dream!?

Sniff. I'm bitter now. I wonder if I'll even drive to Huntington Beach for you (I'll probably just wait for Irvine and Santa Ana).


... Aww. You know I can't stay mad at you. Who am I kidding, I'll still drive to Rancho Cucamonga almost every weekend to get the best, creamiest you out of any Pinkberry around. Humming the jingle all the way there.

(Okay. I'm done now.)

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Pinkberry, Bella Terra
7811 Edinger Ave., #116
Huntington Beach 92647
714.372.3333

Pinkberry, Victoria Gardens
7873 Monticello Ave., #1017
Rancho Cucamonga 91739
909.646.9182

My digital camera smells like everything.

I accidentally left a forgotten Bruegger's everything bagel in the same bag my digital camera was in over the weekend. And even though I threw away the bagel two days ago (so sad, I love everything bagels), my camera still reeks of delicious onion and garlic. It's so fragrant and savory-smelling now.

I want breakfast.