Richela Fabian Morgan's Blog, page 3

Of Things To Come

Hello, world!
I've been busy these past six months and am ready to get back to doing what I do best: making all manners of "stuff." So get ready for the onslaught of stuff!
(Here is a bag that I made recently. It counts as "stuff".) 
More videos, more events, lots of nattering, maybe some art I've been working on--that's what you can expect. 
Oh, and I'm going to re-design my site.
Get ready...

Do You Like Games??

This Sunday, October 26, I'll be at the Powerhouse Arena in DUMBO Brooklyn from 4 to 6PM. It's a family event to promote UNBORED GAMES by Joshua Glenn and Elizabeth Larsen. It's a great book for many reasons, but it's also personal: I contributed a duct tape board game!

So if you're free, come to Powerhouse Arena and be sure to bring your kids.

Gold Glitter! A Bird Mask For Halloween

Do you like Venetian masquerade style bird masks?? I made one out of gold glitter tape--and so can you!

How To Make A Duct Tape Necklace

Using Scotch brand "blue plate" pattern duct tape, I make a duct tape necklace.

Playing Around With Gorilla Tape

Finally, a new video. Enjoy!

Filipino Food: Kitchen Tales And KUSINA tales

Chicken lumpia--mmm!I love food. I love eating it, cooking it, and (if you're lucky) sharing it.

My kids are also passionate about food, which pleases me to no end. I'll cook for them and with them. I take them on food destination trips, like finding the best crepes or Italian ices or tacos. I love that they have strong opinions about cilantro and know there are different types of tomatoes. And while we eat every type of cuisine, the consumption of Filipino food is always a more personal affair. Of course it's because I am--and they are--Filipino Americans.

Whenever I make Filipino food, I corral my kids into the kitchen about two hours before we sit down to eat. I'll begin with a story about my Mom and how she prepared the dish we are about to make. I'll paint a picture of a ramshackle kitchen in Brooklyn that was overrun by Tagalog speaking adults, mostly women gossiping as they pounded garlic cloves or peeled carrots.

And as I fill my kids' ears with my family kitchen tales, I'll let them chop onions or measure ingredients or stir the pot. Sometimes they'll stop and gawk at a part of my story that seems incredulous. Like the time my Lolo (grandfather) painted the toilet seat in our bathroom and didn't tell anyone. (Somehow that was part of our kitchen tales; my Lola would always bring it up in the kitchen.) Or when my Mom mistakenly used sugar instead of salt in her arroz caldo . I couldn't eat my favorite dish for years after that. And even though my Mom has passed and my "titas" are scattered to the wind, my kids learn what I was taught in that old kitchen. They learn to be a little bit more Filipino than just by the color of their skin or the shape of their eyes. They learn through the oral history that is thus far my life. And I teach them in my own kitchen.

I'm beginning to work more, which is a happy/sad occasion. I'm happy to work on the things I'm passionate about (crafting, writing, teaching), but I'm sad that my cooking has decreased. My kids are also getting older, so they are busier, too. The chances of us cooking in the kitchen together are slim these days, and I've been turning to frozen prepared foods lately, mostly the Indian dishes from Trader Joe's. When I was presented with the opportunity to try some frozen Filipino foods, I jumped at the chance. But I decided to still make it a personal endeavor by asking my kids to help me sample them.

Kusina brand frozen foods is produced by Ramar Foods, a California based company that also produces the delicious Magnolia ice cream. Kusina, which means "kitchen" in Tagalog, currently offers  seven different dishes and snacks. I will review each one.

Chicken Empanadas: I toasted them a few minutes longer than instructed because I like the outside a little bit crisp. My kids and I liked the filling, which had the traditional raisins and peas along with onions, garlic, and potatoes. I've had empanadas where the raisins or the peas dominate the filling, which is not very appetizing. With these empanadas, I was pleasantly surprised to find the tastes of the raisins and peas to be subtle. The texture was a bit mushy, but I'm sure it would improve if it were toasted maybe an extra minute with slits cut into the center beforehand. Bottom line: these chicken empanadas make a great after school snack. Great taste. Could use some additional instructions or suggestions to improve texture.



Chicken Lumpia: I think these were the kids' clear favorite. I broiled them for about 20 seconds at the end so the skin would be crunchy. There was a fair amount of chicken in the filling, which was a good sign. I've had egg rolls where the meat was scant and the wrapper was too thick. Not the case here. The vegetables (primarily carrots, onions, bean sprouts) weren't soggy or overly seasoned.  I made a dipping sauce with vinegar, crushed garlic, and red pepper flakes. Mmm, mmm, good! Bottom line: with a tangy dipping sauce, these chicken lumpia would make a great appetizer or could accompany a bowl of garlic rice for a full meal.




Vegetable Lumpia: like the chicken lumpia, this was lightly seasoned so I was able to taste the vegetables. My kids liked them and would definitely eat them again. I also broiled them for about 20 seconds at the end so the skin would be crunchy. Bottom line: these would make great hors d'oeuvres at a cocktail party. Before finishing them in the oven with 20 seconds of broiling, cut them in half. Arrange them on platters with a ramekin of tangy dipping sauce in the center.




Pancit: it is imperative to follow the heating directions exactly as written. I absentmindedly removed the plastic immediately after heating it and my pancit was soggy. After quickly scanning the directions again, I realized that I needed to allow the pancit to sit with the plastic still on. So I covered the tray and waited 30 seconds. After stirring the noodles around, everything was dandy. It was a little bland, but pancit is meant to have kalamansi squeezed on top. In lieu of kalamansi, I used a lime. The kids ate it and were happy. Bottom line: this pancit can be served as a side dish with some sort of broiled or fried seafood. Don't forget the lime!





Pork Adobo and Chicken Adobo: As with a lot of Filipino foods, the taste of a dish varies tremendously from region to region. The country is, after all, composed of over 7,000 islands. With influences from Spain, Malaysia, China, Japan, and Thailand (to name a few), who can blame the Filipinos?
The main dish associated with the Philippines is adobo. The sauce is simple (vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, maybe some hot pepper flakes and/or a bay leaf) but it's hard to nail down what is the quintessential adobo taste. My Mom made it with a vinegar aftertaste that made you pucker. I personally try to give the vinegar and soy sauce equal
billing on the adobo epicurean stage, but with copious amounts of garlic and hot pepper flakes.
The sauce for the Kusina adobo is not as tangy as my taste buds are used to. It's sweeter, and yet when I double-checked the ingredient list I found myself staring at the same things I make my sauce out of: vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, pepper flakes. Ah, the chemistry that is cooking...
It's good. I like the taste a lot. But the one thing that I was disappointed in was that the sauce was already on top of the rice before I heated it. Bottom line: the rice was mushy and the meat was a bit dry. If the folks at Kusina could somehow package their adobo foods with the rice separated from the meat/sauce, then they would have two winning products.

Chicken Sisig: as with the Kusina adobo foods, this one could greatly benefit from separating the sisig from the rice prior to freezing. It was a little too mushy. The flavor of the sisig was tangy like a good sisig should be, but it would be nice to maybe throw it in a pan after preheating in the microwave, separate from the rice. And because my heart belongs to Maharlika's pork sisig in NYC, I need to eat this with some fried eggs and mafran. And maybe add a little bit more suka (vinegar).
Bottom line: who wants brunch??




I hope that reading this made you hungry! Now go and find yourself some Filipino food. Share it with some family or friends, and tell some of your own kitchen tales.

xoRichela

Filipino Food: Magnolia Ice Cream!!!

This morning I received a box of pure deliciousness: three large tubs of Magnolia brand ice cream. As you can see from the picture to the left, these flavors are mango, Thai tea, and [insert trumpets blaring] ube!

During the 1970's and 1980's, when I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, Magnolia ice cream was not something you could get locally. We would have to buy it at the Filipino bodega near the New York Eye & Ear Hospital in the East Village or the only known Filipino grocery store/bakery in Jersey City, NJ. When we did make the pilgrimage to either sources of all things Filipino, we would get one gallon of the ube and one gallon of the mango flavors. My two sisters and I would greedily eat and eat (and eat and eat) despite the inevitable brain freeze and scolding from our parents.

When I opened my new tub of Magnolia ube ice cream, I did something that I haven't done since I was a kid: I licked the lid! Yes, I rinsed it before placing it back on the tub. But for a few seconds I was transported to my Mom's kitchen and I was the lucky kid who got to lick the lid. As soon as the ice cream reached my taste buds, I was in heaven.

I should mention that the mango and Thai tea flavors are also delicious. Mango ice cream itself is not as common as mango sorbet, which is sometimes a little too sweet for my palate. Magnolia's mango ice cream is the right amount of sweet. As for the Thai tea flavor, it's also well-balanced. I've had Thai iced tea in restaurants and have been overwhelmed by either the sweetened milk or the tea, resulting in the request for more ice (and a strange look from the waiter). As an ice cream flavor, I was initially skeptical. But someone at Magnolia knows the sorrow of a Thai tea gone wrong. The ice cream version is quite good.

The consistency of the ice cream itself is creamy and not too thick or heavy. It's not icy like a lot of store bought ice creams, nor does it have too much air in it from over-churning. It's just about as close to perfect as any ice cream can get. And this is coming from a gal who has eaten a LOT of ice cream.

I'm hoping that Magnolia ice creams will become available in more stores. There is a locator on their website, so go check and see if you can get it near you.

xoRichela

Filipino Food: Tinola (Chicken Soup)

When I was growing up in Brooklyn, my Dad had a fairly lush garden in our backyard. As a kid, I didn't think much of it, but through my adult eyes I now marvel at how lucky I was. Like most houses in Brooklyn, we had more concrete than dirt. Our front yard was defined by an iron fence imbedded in cinder blocks and our driveway was nothing more than a continuation of the paved sidewalk. Our backyard was 1/2 garage, 1/4 cement, and 1/4 boxed dirt. The garden couldn't have been bigger than 10 feet by 10 feet. But my Dad grew vegetables and flowers that transformed our backyard into a paradise every summer. Peppers, tomatoes, and a Filipino gourd called upo were his three main plants. The picture above shows my Dad and me in our backyard about 15 years ago. Those are upo hanging from the canopy.

The dish that my Mom would make every summer (using my Dad's veggies) was tinola. It's a simple chicken soup that most Filipinos make with upo and pepper leaves. Sadly, I do not have access to upo and pepper leaves. Although you can buy upo at specialty Asian markets, I would have to drive at least 30 minutes to the nearest one. As for pepper leaves, unless you grow peppers you probably won't have access to the leaves. Most grocery stores will sell peppers, but the leaves are another story.

The tinola recipe below has substitutions for the upo and pepper leaves. Chayote is a tropical squash about the size of an avocado. It is light green and fleshy, and doesn't have a particularly strong taste. Like upo, it assumes the flavors of the other stronger ingredients in the recipe. Baby spinach is less bitter than regular spinach, and is similar to pepper leaves in texture and taste.


TINOLA
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
3 cloves of garlic, minced2 chicken breasts, on the bone1 chayote, sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste1/4 cup patis (fish sauce)2 cups chicken broth2 cups water1 cup chopped baby spinach

In a simmering pot melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the onions for a few minutes, then add the ginger and garlic. Add the chicken and brown both sides. Add the chayote, salt, and pepper, and stir. Add the patis, chicken broth, and water, then cover the pot. Once the ingredients start to simmer, lower heat and cook for 45 minutes. Add baby spinach and stir. Cover pot and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with jasmine rice.



One note about the chicken: my kids are finicky when it comes to meat on the bone. My Mom made tinola with chicken wings, which made it easy to serve. My kids are not a fan of dark meat, so I use chicken breasts in my recipe. But I think it's important to use chicken breasts with the bone still in. The bones add flavor to the soup that you just can't get with store bought broth. To avoid my kids' ire, I will shred the meat from the bone prior to serving the tinola. However, I will place the bones in my own bowl and eat around them. My kids laugh at me, but that's okay. I tell them "it's a Filipino thing."



xoRichela

Filipino Food: Ube Ice Cream

An empty jar of the purple stuff. Oh, yeah...According to all my sources (family, Filipino friends, cookbooks, the internet) ube is a sweet purple yam that is grown in the Philippines. I personally have never seen it. And I've only purchased ube as a spread by the jar, which has a dark and dramatic purple hue. Being the obedient Filipino child that I was, I never questioned where the color came from, and I currently lack the desire to research it further. Ignorance is bliss--and so is ube.

I've prepared ube three ways: 1. as small sponge cakes called puto , 2. as a thick, sticky paste served up in slabs (which tastes better than it sounds), and 3. as ice cream. Guess which way is my favorite?

I scream! You scream! We all scream for ube ice cream!

The best way to make ube ice cream is to use a recipe for coconut ice cream and add ube to it. I've tried making it with a vanilla ice cream recipe and the ube needed something to balance it. Coconut provides the perfect yin to ube's yang.

I like using the coconut ice cream recipe on the Food Network website . My ice cream maker can only hold a 1/2 gallon, so I have to cut the ingredients in half and substitute the coconut flakes with ube.

Here is my revised list of ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
7 oz coconut milk (1/2 can)
6 oz ube spread (1/2 jar)
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
pinch of salt

Lightly whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, coconut milk, and ube in a pot and bring to a simmer over low to medium heat. Let the mixture simmer for a minute. Turn off heat and allow to cool for ten minutes.
In a mixing bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Then add to the pot and whisk all the ingredients together over low to medium heat. When mixture starts to thicken, turn off heat. Pass mixture through a fine mesh strainer and into a chilled mixing bowl. Place bowl in the refrigerator and let it cool for 2 hours. Churn in an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.


One last word on ube:

Maharlika in NYC serves ube in their Flip'd Chicken and Ube Waffle dish. This has got to be my FAVORITE dish in the whole world. It brings me to tears when I see it, and I almost faint when I take my first bite. If you live in or are traveling to NYC, you really must try this dish. And tell them a crazy Filipina chick from Brooklyn sent ya...

Enjoy!

xoR

Playing With Other Tapes

Bicycle washi tape!While duct tape will always be my first love, I've expanded my adhesive crafting repertoire: washi tape and cloth tape! My friend Charise gave me a few of her beloved vintage wooden clothespins and I turned them in little people.



 

 

Then I added a belt and gave her pig tails using a yellow and white polka dot cloth tape.

 

 



Dressing up the boy was a little easier. All he needed was a neck tie and some pants.

 

 

 

Making little people can be an addictive hobby, and I'm somewhat sheepish to admit that I've done this before. A few summers ago I made a trailer for a sock monkey that my kids and I named Walter Winslow. Inspired by the documentary MARWENCOL I thought it would be fun to create an adventure for Walter. The trailer was made of upcycled orange juice containers and (of course) metallic silver duct tape. Walter headed to the Rockaways for a whole month and met some crazy hipsters.

Hmm, I think Walter might need a new adventure.

xoRichela