Richela Fabian Morgan's Blog, page 6

How To Make Duct Tape Wall Decals

Here is the stencil I used in the video:

My Epicurean Adventures In Paris

A cup of vin chaud. Ooo, la la...Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world. I've traveled there four times, which simply means that I'm pretty good at navigating the Metro and can speak "food" French--which is very different from conversational French. Speaking food French means that I can read a menu and order food. That's it. I've committed Patricia Wells' French Food Dictionary to memory and know certain phrases that ensure a well done steak ("bien cuit") as well as another round of drinks ("le mem").

Don't get me wrong. I've gone to museums and galleries, taken walks through parks, rambled through the streets in search of architectural gems and murals. I don't go to Paris just for the food--though who could blame me if I did? But my epicurean adventures in Paris are full of miscommunications because I've committed myself to speaking food French and only food French. So here it goes.

Fourteen years ago I dined at a bistro called Le Hangar on Impasse Berthaud near George Pompidou Centre. One of the pleasures of eating here is simply finding it. If you blink, you might not find the street. Oh, and the food is quite good, too. I went back there with my kids and I had the most delicious mushroom soup topped with pan seared foie gras. On the way out I related to the waitress in broken French that I had been there fourteen years ago. She then informed me that the same owners still ran the bistro. I almost hugged her, but she detected my overwhelming sense of nostalgia and backed away from me while opening the door for our "sortie." Hmm. Who says the French are sentimental.

At the exceptional falafel joint L'as du Falafel on Rue des Rosiers, I wasn't prepared to leave double-fisted. (See my previous post for a photo of me in action.) I couldn't decide between the falafel and the shwarma, so I ordered both. Personally, I enjoyed the shwarma more than the falafel. The toppings included eggplant, red cabbage, and a hot sauce that was phenomenal. The line to dine inside this cafe was quite long and will most likely become one of those things that, while not carved in stone, should be a fact. But there was a take-out line that had me double-fisting within minutes. (Wow, does that sound wrong...)

When it came to menus, literal translations were not always accurate. For example "oeuf a cheval" means "egg to horse" and I thought the meat in the dish was, uh, horse meat. But at Le Rendez Vous des Amis on Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie it was a fancy description for a fried egg served on top of the dish. It had something to do with a horse jumping over the meat, which the waiter promised was beef and not horse. (Thank goodness.) I played it safe and ordered the steak tartare--or at least I think it was steak. I didn't ask the waiter about le viande of the steak. Egads...

No matter how many pichets or pots du vin I may have consumed, there was no excuse for not double-checking the cash we left for the waiter at Les Vins des Pyrenees on Rue Beautreillis. A group of rowdy twentysomethings outgrew the back bar and began spilling into the dining areas, the Bourdeaux was getting my head, and I couldn't wait to get out of there. We walked over to our waiter, handed him the bill with a wad of euros, bid him adieu, and walked out. If I didn't stop to take a picture of the wine bar sign, I wouldn't have seen our waiter walking towards us and waving a bill. (He's the guy in the photo wearing the white shirt.) We were ten euros short. Oops! I thought of pulling the money out of my bosom for effect, but then remember that: 1. my kids were with me and 2. I didn't have any money in my bosom. So we handed over a sweaty, crumpled ten euro bill and sheepishly left the scene of the crime.
On the bright side, I had the moelle (bone marrow) and it was delicious! Moelle has replaced my foie gras obsession in Paris and Les Vin des Pyrenees does it right.

While out and about, we encountered many crepe carts. Everyone ordered crepes, but  I ordered cups of vin chaud, or hot spiced wine. I got them everywhere. Well, almost everywhere. I didn't get it from this place:


I was tempted to lift the lid, and maybe bend down to hear some hot whines.

xoRichela

On Holiday in Paris

 I haven't posted since last week since I'm on vacation in Paris. But I'll post a full report on my epicurean as well as artsy endeavors here in the City of Lights when I return. Follow me on Intsagram to see my crafty pics. @richelafm
A bientot!

How To Make A Duct Tape Messenger Bag

I show off my Tom Cruise bag at the end of the video. I know it was an egregious move, but I had to do it...

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This is my daughter's happy, chocolate-y, and satisfied smile. It is also her "mom-I -forgive-you" smile.
This morning I forgot to pack snacks in her lunch bag, which left her with a prison meal of pasta and water. I received a text message at noon from her that read: where are my snacks? The worst part is that I didn't actually read the text message until 2:00 PM. I'm a bad momma...
In order to make up for trying to starve my own kid, I made her these cookies. They were warm and straight from the oven when she walked through the front door.

Ingredients
2 sticks of butter2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking soda2 1/2 cups all purpose flour2 cups oatmeal1 1/2 cups dried cranberries2 cups semi sweet chocolate chunks


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium size bowl box the salt, baking soda, and flour. Set aside.Bring butter and eggs to room temperature. Cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix in vanilla extract, then add one egg at a time. Add the flour mixture one cup at a time. Mix in the oatmeal and dried cranberries. Add the chocolate chunks last.
On a non-greased cookie sheet  place 1-inch round dough balls approximately 1-inch apart. Place sheet in oven and bake for 10 minutes. 


The cookie dough can be placed in the fridge for a few days. In fact, the cookies attain a nuttier flavor the longer you keep it in the fridge. Something to do with the butter and the flour and plain old alchemy if you ask me. But since we're talking about raw eggs here, it's not a good idea to leave unbaked cookie dough in the fridge for more than 3 days. 
Yields 40-45 cookies
Enjoy!

Interview on "Phil Hulett and Friends"

I want to start this post by saying that I hate the sound of my own voice. So why would I expect someone else to listen to it? And yet I am about to ask you to listen to a podcast by Phil Hulett, the voice of the Anaheim Ducks, and his friends (Jennifer Bjorklund, Jay Campadonia, and Chris Martin) wherein they interview me about--what else--duct tape. I stutter, I pause for lengths of time, and the volume of my voice is mostly turned up to 11.

Phil et al were extremely kind and gracious to this newbie of radio interviews. Thanks so much!

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Oven Baby Back Ribs

I really should post something about my latest duct tape crafts, but I'm currently in the middle of writing my next book. My worktable is literally and metaphorically cold. I've been spending most of the daylight hours in front of a computer, immobile except for the pecking of fingers on a keyboard.

To make up for my lack of crafting, I've turned to cooking. Crafty cooking. Between the Polar Vortex and my looming editorial deadline, I lack the time and desire to make elaborate meals for my family. And so I've been braising and slow cooking almost every night. I've become a lazy cook.

Today's dish is oven baby back ribs made with a dry rub--or maybe dry 'sprinkle' is more accurate.
Ingredients
1 rack pork baby back ribs
salt
Hungarian hot paprika
garlic powder
black pepper
brown sugar




Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place rack of ribs on an oversized sheet of aluminum foil. Sprinkle each spice and sugar on the ribs, evenly covering the surface. Wrap the ribs in foil and place on top of baking sheet. Place sheet in the oven and bake for 2 hours. Lower heat to 250 degrees and bake for another 2 hours.

Take it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Use scissors instead of a knife to cut individual ribs.

Enjoy!

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Soy Sauce Roasted Chicken

I made this dish because the taste of Great NY Noodletown's soy sauce chicken is still in my mouth. I went there a few weeks ago with some friends and ate until my top jeans button popped. If you've ever been to Noodletown, you will understand this feeling of gluttony. And you will know how hard it is to get rid of that taste of soy sauce chicken! Don't get me wrong: there are a dozen other dishes to try, such as the whole duck or the roasted pork, but I didn't expect the soy sauce chicken to be so darn tasty. I've become obsessed with it, checking my local restaurants to see if they make something similar. No such luck. 



Soy Sauce Roasted (Whole) Chicken
Ingredients1 whole roasting chicken
Simmer/basting sauce4 cups water8 crushed cloves of garlic1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger2 tablespoons brown sugar1/2 cup rice wine vinegar2 cups soy sauce1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Scallion dipping sauce1 cup chopped scallions1 cup chicken broth1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger1/4 cup sesame oil1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place all simmering/basting sauce ingredients in a large pot and boil. Lower heat to simmer and add whole chicken, breast side down, carefully to the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer chicken, breast side up, to a roasting pan. Reserve 1/2 cup of the sauce. Slowly pour the rest of the sauce  over the chicken and put in oven for 1 1/2 hours. Baste 30 minutes before turning oven off. Take chicken out of oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

In a sauce pan heat up the reserved simmering/basting sauce with 1 cup chicken broth and 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid to about 1 cup. Turn off heat, immediately add sesame oil and rice wine vinegar, and stir. Let sauce cool. Stir in scallions and serve with chicken.
Served over broccoli and jasmine rice. 
Enjoy!