Equivalent Table

I am always needing to scale a recipe up or down and have a hard time remembering how many tablespoons are in a half cup or how many cups in a gallon, etc. So that is the reason for this post, as I was making a half recipe of Jezebel Sauce this afternoon and had to look it all up on the computer.

Dry Volume equivalents
1/8 teaspoon = a pinch
3 teaspoons   = 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup          = 4 tablespoons
1/3 cup          = 5 T plus one t
1/2 cup          = 8 tablespoons
3/4 cups        = 12 tablespoons
1 cup            = 16 tablespoons
1 pound        = 16 ounces

Liquid Volume Equivalents
8 ounces       = 1 cup
1 pint           = 2 cups or 16 ounces
1 quart         = 2 pints or 4 cups or 32 ounces
1 gallon        = 4 quarts or 16 cups

Useful Information
A 5 pound bag of granulated sugar contains about 10 cups
A 5 pound bag of flour contains about 18 cups
A 2 pound bag of confectioners' sugar contains about 7 1/2 cups
A 2 pound bag of brown sugar contains about 5 1/2 cups
A 12 ounce package of chocolate chips contains about 1 1/2 cups
A 1 ounce bottle of extract contains 6 teaspoons (2 Tablespoons)

I typically don't weigh my ingredients, but after weighing flour for a recipe and realizing not weighing made a huge difference, I have begun to weigh my ingredients when I aim for accuracy

White flour:  1 cup = 4.409 ounces

Marry Me Chicken

 This is not my recipe but from Little Sunny Kitchen  I make it quite often and decided to put it here where I  an easily find it  

Ingredients 

• 3 large chicken breasts boneless and skinless, sliced lengthwise into thin cutlets
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 6 tablespoons (50 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock
• ▢ 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream 
• ▢ ½ cup (43 g) grated parmesan cheese
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon oregano
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon thyme
• ▢ ⅓ cup (50 g) sundried tomatoes chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves

Instructions 

• Season chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour and shake off any excess.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil and melt the butter on medium heat. Swirl pan to coat with oil and butter evenly.
• Brown the chicken (do not overcrowd and work in batches if needed) for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer onto a plate, cover, and set aside.
• Saute the garlic for a minute or until it's fragrant. Add the chicken stock, and deglaze the pan scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
• Adjust the heat to medium-low, and add the heavy cream and the parmesan cheese to the skillet. Allow the sauce to simmer for a couple of minutes, then season with chili flakes, thyme, and oregano.
• Season with salt and pepper to your taste, add the sundried tomatoes then put the chicken back in the sauce and let the sauce simmer and thicken for a few more minutes.
• Garnish with chopped fresh basil leaves and serve warm over pasta or rice.

chicken piccata

The best chicken piccata and I've tried many recipes.  I have also used halibut filets.

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts pounded to about 1/2 inch thick or cut in half crosswise, salt and peppered

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 t. lemon zest

2 T olive oil

2 T butter

Sauce

2-3 T butter

1 1/2 T of the flour mixture

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 lemon juiced

1/2 cup white wine

3 T capers, drained

2 T parsley (optional)

Instructions:

Combine the flour with salt, pepper and lemon zest in a shallow bowl.  Dredge each breast in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

In a 10 inch skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium high heat.  Cook the chicken for 4-5 minute per side or until cooked through..may have to cook in batches to avoid overcrowding,  Remove from pan and place in dish to keep warm. 

Using the same skillet, melt the butter.  Whisk the flour mixture  until smooth and let cook1-2 minutes.

Gradually add the broth whisking until smooth.

Add lemon juice and wine and let it simmer 3 minutes whisking occasionally 

Add the chicken back into the skillet letting it simmer in the sauce 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Stir in parsley and capers and serve.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad

 This chicken salad is simple to make and full of fresh bold flavors.  Great served in an avocado half or with tortilla chips.

Ingredients

3 cups shredded chicken breasts ( I use a rotisserie chicken)

3/4 cup mayo

1 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. black pepper

1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup cilantro 

Juice of 1 lime

Combine the mayo, garlic powder, salt, pepper and lime juice and mix. In a large bowl, stir the chicken, onion, pepper and cilantro.  Mix with dressing and chill. 

Tomato Basil Soup

 Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 T olive oil

3 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes 

1 (32 oz) carton of chicken broth

2 T sugar

1 t salt

1 t pepper

1 1/2 T dried basil

4 cups heavy cream

Instructions

Saute garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender or your food processor, blend until smooth.  Add 3-4 cups heavy cream and fresh or dried basil.  Warm and serve.

Chicken Noodle Soup

 Back in the day when Jamie played golf, his group would play on Thursdays at the El Dorado Country  Club. Thursdays was Chicken Noodle Soup day and was always a favorite. When I opened the Invisible Chef, I called Ronnie Hughes, the manager and long time friend and asked for the recipe. And this was what I received.

I use the following:

3 leg quarters

1 onion diced

3 stalks celery diced

1 bag medium egg noodles

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

3 Chicken bouillon cubes or 3 T chicken base

Boil leg quarters with onion and celery.  Remove chicken when done; add bouillon and let broth come to a boil.  Add egg noodles and cook until tender.  Stir in the soups, taste and add salt if necessary, add pepper and cut up chicken. This gets thicker as it cools and if necessary add more broth to thin. Great served with cornbread(see recipe in blog)

Aspen Snowflake Cookies

1pound butter, room temperature 

1 cup sugar

3 cups flour 

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 cup coarsely crushed smooth potato chips

Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 325* Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add flour, then vanilla, mixing well after each addition. Gently stir in crushed potato chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons(walnut size) on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325* for 15-20 minutes, until edges are golden. Sprinkle cookies with powdered sugar. Remove from pan and cool. Makes about 6 dozen. 

And if you’ve never tried “non melting” powdered sugar, it’s a must for these as well as lemon bars. It never disappears or melts into the cookie. 

Veggie Pizza Squares

 Veggie pizza squares

These are quick, make ahead of time and so good. My only bit of advise is chop the veggies finely. Otherwise, it’s very difficult to eat. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (8-oz.) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
• 2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese
• 1 cup mayonnaise 

• 1 (1-oz.) package powdered Original Ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 cup grated broccoli
• 1/2 cup grated cauliflower
• 1/2 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup or more finely grated cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Unroll crescent rolls onto a large baking sheet, separating dough and arranging in a single layer covering the baking sheet. Press together the perforations and prick with a fork. Bake until golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool.  

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise and ranch dressing mix. Using a hand mixer, blend together until smooth.  Spread mixture onto cooled crescent rolls.  Sprinkle broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, scallions, and cheese. Place a piece of wax paper on top and press down on the veggies,  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for one hour prior to cutting.

Joe's Stone Crab Key Lime Pie

After eating this pie numerous times at Joe's Stone Crab restaurant in Las Vegas, I finally asked the waiter if they shared their recipe and he gladly gave it to me.  He said the secret of their recipe is freezing it!

Two 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk.

5 egg yolks.

1 cup fresh key lime (or lime) juice.

Zest of 1/2 key lime (or lime)

10 graham crackers, crushed.

1/4 cup sugar.

5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter.

Whipped cream, for serving, optional.

Directions

Special equipment: 12-inch pie pan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the milk, yolks, lime juice and zest for filling. Mix the crackers, sugar and butter for crust. Form the crust in the pie pan and bake for 8 minutes at 375 degrees F. Remove and cool. 

Pour the filling in the crust and bake another 8 minutes. Remove and cool. Once cool, place in the freezer at least 1 hour or until ready to use. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and let thaw for 15 minutes. Top with whipped cream if desired. Enjoy.

Cranberry Chicken Salad

Someone asked me to give them this recipe and my reply was “look on my blog, it was most likely one of my first post”. Well, was I wrong. It’s been 18 years since the Invisible Chef and I never use a recipe for this, so it’s time.

SALAD
4 cups cooked diced chicken breast, about 4 breasts
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
3 green onions, sliced
3/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
4 ounces Craisins
1/2-3/4 cups mayonnaise
1/4-1/2 cup Sweet Hot Mustard, see recipe below
Mix chicken, celery, green onions, Craisins and chopped pecans. Mix desired amount mayonnaise with sweet hot mustard and add to chicken mixture and refrigerate.

Sweet Hot Mustard
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup Coleman’s Dry Mustard
2 eggs, beaten,
1cup white vinegar
1/4 cup honey
Mix sugar and dry mustard. Whisk in eggs and vinegar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes, until thickened and smooth. Add honey and cool. Refrigerate any leftover mustard for later use.

Pecan Pie Cheesecake

This may be my favorite cheesecake and I haven't made it.  Denise Morrison made it for Easter and shared a slice with me.  It was originally in some magazine, Issue 78 December 2009.  If you know Denise, you know that she may be the best recipe browser.. And don't let the many steps scare you away.

Pecan Pie cheesecake

For the Crust:

6 oz. chocolate wafer cookies (about 28)

½ cup toasted pecan halves

½ stick unsalted butter, melted

 For the Cheesecake:

3 pkgs cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ tsp salt

3 eggs

½ cup heavy cream

¼ bourbon (optional)

1 tsp vanilla

 For the Sauce:

1 ½ cups light brown sugar

½ cup heavy cream

½ stick butter

¼ cup bourbon

1 tsp salt

1 ½ cups toasted chopped pecans

 Preheat oven to 375; coat a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick spray and wrap outside of pan in foil and set aside

Process chocolate wafers and the ½ cup pecans for the crust in a food processor until fine.  With processor running, drizzle in the melted butter.  Press mixture into the bottom of the pan; bake 10 minutes.  Cool crust completely before filling.  Reduce oven to 325.

Beat cream cheese, 1 stick butter, ½ cup brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt until fluffy, periodically scraping sides of bowl.  Add eggs one at a time, fully beating to incorporate into batter. Add ½ cup cream, bourbon, vanilla; beat until ingredients are completely incorporated.

Pour filling over crust, smoothing top of filling.  Transfer cheesecake to a roasting pan; place in the oven.  Pour boiling water into roasting pan 1/3 way up the sides of the foil wrapped springform pan.

Bake cheesecake until it reaches 155 degrees and sides are set, but center still jiggles about and hour.  Turn off oven and leave in oven for 1 hour with inside with oven door closed.  Remove cheesecake from oven; cool to room temp.  Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap; chill 3-24 hours.  Remove cheesecake from fridge 30 minutes before serving.

Combine the 1 ½ cups brown sugar, ½ cup cream, ½ stick butter, bourbon and salt in saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium low heat. (Don’t stir toppine, but keep a close eye on it to it doesn’t boil over)  simmer topping 10 minutes.

Stir the 1 ½ cups pecans into caramel topping.  Let topping stand until thickened and cool to room temp.  To serve spoon sauce over cheesecake.

Makes one 9" cheesecake (12 generous slices)

New York Times Coconut Almond Cluster Granola

i love granola and typically buy it at Whole Foods, but Jamie saw this in the New York Times and handed it to me and said "this looks like something I would like". After making it once, we are now hooked.

1/2 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
2/3 cup light brown sugar or turbinado
2/3 cup almond milk or coconut milk
1 1/2 t fine sea salt
2 t vanilla extract
5 cups old fashioned rolled oats, divided 1 3/4 and 3 1/4
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, divided, 1/4 c and 3/4 cup
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 325. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine coconut oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, coconut milk and salt and bring to a simmer,  when sugar has dissolved, stir in vanilla and let cool slightly.
In a food processor, grind 1 1/4 oats and 1/4 cup coconut into a flour. Transfer to a large bowl and stir  in remaining oats and coconut, the spices, and nuts. Pour maple syrup mixture over and stir to combine.
Spread oat mixture on the the prepares cookie sheets, pinching together into clumps. (Mine had a few clumps)
Bake 40 to 50 minutes, flipping the mixture (taking care not to break up clumps) every 15 minutes. The mixture is done when it's golden brown and starting to crisp. It will continue to crisp up agree it cools. Cool in pan and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Green Chili Squares

Always an easy appetizer or anytime snack.

1 stick butter
10 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 t. baking powder
pinch of salt
2 (4 oz.) cans green chilies
1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 lb. cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 and melt butter in a 9x13 pyrex dish.  Beat eggs lightly; add flour, baking powder and salt to eggs, mixing well.  Add melted butter, green chilies and cheeses.  Pour into the butter baking dish.  Bake 400 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let cool and cut into small squares.  These may be made ahead, cut and covered with foil to reheat at 350.  These are great topped with your favorite salsa.

Greek Quinoa Salad

Another well received recipe from First Methodist Church of Camden Cookbook.  This one contributed by Grace Murphree.

1/2 c. quinoa
1 c. water
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
1/3 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1/3 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup spinach, chopped
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2-1 small purple onion, diced
1/2 c. Kalmata olives, sliced
1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled
2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced

Bring quinoa and water to a boil in small saucepan.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, oil, parsley, cilantro, and salt.  Mix with cooled quinoa.  Add spinach, tomatoes, onion, olives and feta to the quinoa and toss.  Top with avocado slices.  Serves about 10-12

Greek Watermelon Salad

I recently used this recipe for a buffet salad dinner and the recipe was requested by several guests.  I must give credit to Lucy Cyphers and First United Methodist of Camden Cookbook.

1 small (4 lb.) watermelon, cut into chunks
1/2 small purple onion, thinly sliced
6 oz. crumbled feta
8 oz. Kalmata olives
handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
handful of fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T white balsamic vinegar (I used regular balsamic)
salt and pepper

Combine watermelon, onion, feta and olives.  Whisk oil and vinegar with salt and pepper until emulsified.  Pour over salad and gently toss to coat.  Sprinkle with parsley and mint.  Chill and serve.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

5 cups broccoli florets

2 cucumbers, peeled, sliced

1   red onion, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

3 carrots, peeled, thinly sliced

5 ounces sliced black olives

³⁄₄ cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 (8 ounce) bottle Olive Garden dressing or Italian dressing

12 ounces cherry tomatoes

Combine all vegetables except tomatoes. Chill and marinate overnight.  Add tomatoes and serve.

I used a large bag of fresh vegetable medley (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots) from Sams and added the other ingredients.

Avocado Chicken Salad

24 Day Challenge Recipe

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked (I used a small rotisserie chicken)

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1/4  of a red onion, finely chopped

1/2 Lime juiced

2 T. cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 T mayonnaise

Shred chicken and mix in remaining ingredients.  Chill. Serve with fresh fruit.

Grilled Tilapia with Avocado Lime Salsa

24 Day Challenge

Ingredients:

2-3 boneless, skinless tilapia fillets

Olive oil spray

1 t. cumin

1 t. paprika

1 t. onion powder

1 1/2 t. black pepper

1 t. seasoning salt

1 t. chili powder

2 avocados, peeled and chopped

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and deveined, finely diced

1/2-1 cup diced red onion

1 cup green, red and yellow pepper (I used green)

2 limes, juiced

1 T. olive oil

1 T. red wine vinegar

1/2 cup cilantro, stems removed and chopped

Directions:

Rinse tilapia and pat dry.  Lightly spray with olive oil.

In a small bowl, combine, cumin, paprika, onion powder, black pepper, salt and chili powder and stir well to combine.  Use this dry rub to coat fish.  Place fish in fridge and allow to soak in for 30 minutes.  

In a medium bowl, combine avocados, jalapeno, onion, bell pepper, lime juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar and cilantro. Stir to combine and refrigerate salsa until ready to use.

Preheat grill to medium high heat.  If using a grilling basket, which I recommend, place fish inside prior to grilling. Cook fish for about 4-5 minutes per side.  

Top fillets with Avocado Lime Salsa and serve immediately. I served it with brown rice and spinach.

Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

24  DAY CHALLENGE RECIPE

Chicken

4 (6 oz.) chicken boneless skinless breast halves

1 T lime zest

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. honey

1/3 cup chopped packed cilantro, plus more for garnish

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

Salsa

2 avocados (ripe, but semi firm) diced

2 medium Roma tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 T. fresh lime juice

Directions:

Pound chicken breasts and transfer to gallon ziploc bag. 

In a small mixing bowl whisk together lime zest, olive oil, lime juice, honey, cilantro and garlic and season with 1/2 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper.  Pour marinade over chicken in bag.  Seal bag, pressing out air and rub marinade over chicken. Allow to marinate in refrigerator for 2-4 hours. 

Preheat a grill over medium high heat (425 degrees)  Brush grill grates lightly with oil until done (160 degrees) Remove and let rest 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl toss together avocado, tomato, onion, garlic and lime and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon a generous amount over chicken and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.  Serve warm.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

24 DAY CHALLENGE RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp

1/4 plus 1/8 t. ground cumin

Kosher salt and pepper

2 t. olive oil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 medium lime, juiced

3-4 T chopped fresh cilantro

Season shrimp with cumin, salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add 1 t. oil to pan, then add half of the shrimp.  Cook them undisturbed about 2 minutes.  Turn the shrimp over and cook until opaque throughout, about 1 minute.  Transfer to plate.  

Add the remaining oil and the remaining shrimp to the pan and cook.  Turn shrimp over and add garlic and cook until the shrimp is opaque, about 1 minute.  Return the first batch of shrimp to skillet, mix well so that the garlic is evenly incorporated and remove pan from heat. Squeeze lime juice over shrimp and sprinkle cilantro and toss and serve.