14 Ağustos 2012 Salı

Kitchen Measurement Chart

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It always amazed when I was learning to cook from someone with a lifetime of experience; by how they never measured anything. That trait drove me nuts. I wanted exact. "Exactly how much buttermilk did you add to the flour?  The response I usually received was: "Till it looks right." Then I would notice little things like a special coffee mug or an odd sized bowl or a "special spoon" that would never equal any measuring instrument you could buy anywhere; but was somehow always "just right."
Many decades later, I find myself with that same skill set. Hmmm, Is the ability to fix almost any recipe without a measuring cup or spoon a skill one could add to their resume? Probably not, but it could explain my extreme ability to pay attention to detail and notice when something is off as little as a 1/16th of an inch. (Just don't ask me how many feet or yards it is to my mailbox, I'd flunk that!)


When I first started compiling recipes for my kids when they moved off for college, I didn't have anything measured. This project made me slow down and take the time to get it right for them. Now, having said all that; there are times when every cook will need to break out a measuring tool. When it comes to baking; accurate is a must. I have several cheat sheets that I keep on my fridge and inside my spice cabinet that help me when I find myself needing to know equivalents. I've recreated a chart containing what I consider to be the most helpful out of all of them.


Click here to download a pdf you can save to your computer or print from.

For you beginners out there: there is a difference between liquid and dry measurements. So yes, you will need both measuring cups! A dry measuring cup is meant to be completely filled and leveled off with a knife. If you fill a dry measuring cup to the very top with a liquid; you will be making one big mess.




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Emergency Kitchen Substitutions and Tips

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 The secret to stress-free cooking is to be organized. I make every attempt to be, but sometimes it just isn't happening. The first rule: keep your pantry stocked. Click here for a pretty inclusive list of what you should keep on hand at all times. I'm not saying go out and buy every single thing on the list at one time...just add to it as you can and you'll get there. Rule two: Attach a small note pad to your refrigerator or any other convenient place to write down what you just used as you were cooking. When you take something out of the pantry, write it down right then or you may forget it. Replace it on your next trip to the grocery.  Rule three: Plan your meals on Saturday/Sunday for the next week and what night you'll eat leftovers (if any).
How do I know this works? Well, for example: The other night we were grilling hamburgers. Someone didn't write down pickles on the list when they pulled the jar from the pantry. Yes, there were a couple pickle stackers in the jar in the fridge, but that was it. 
The past few weeks we've not been writing down our menu for the week. We still are fixing a good meal every night, but it's been very stressful figuring it out at the last minute. It's also caused extra trips to the grocery store.
So, there are times yours truly will run out of something. Over the years I've made a list of tips from my Grandmother Gaudette and others along with substitutions for the things I might run out of from time to time.
One of my favorite substitution reminders is how to replace fresh grated garlic or ginger versus ground. A funny example of this was when we were fixing a dish that required 1 tbsp. grated ginger. I neglected to tell my "kitchen assistant" she needed to dial down the amount of ground ginger she was substituting that with. Needless to say, that ginger came shining through!
Click here to download a pdf to your computer or to print from.

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Copy-Cat Chick-fil-A Strips

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These should really be called "Blair Can Eat These Every Day Chicken Strips." A few weekends ago, Andy, Blair and I were in Athens picking up wiring supplies to finish up work on our little cabin at the river. Blair was hungry and so was I. She knew there was a Chik-fil-A just down the road, so there we went. She recommended we order some strips and the crosscut fries and dip them in that delicious Chik-fil-A sauce. After much discussion and aggravation about how Blair would eat there every meal but on Sunday if we had one in Pulaski, I hopped on the internet and found a zillion copy-cat recipes.

The one thing I noticed about all of them was they contained pickle juice. We now have a standing order to not throw the pickle juice away! It really makes a difference in the taste.


Right then and there I decided that's what would be on the menu when Momma came over to eat with us on Wednesday. It was recommended the strips marinade at least 2-4 hours. I work and time is a luxury. My chicken tenders swam in the bowl for 30 minutes. While they were being breaded and cooked; I popped a pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the marinade for Andy and myself. They got at least 30 minutes of time too.


I haven't found the magic mix for the Chik-fil-A sauce, but I'm working on it. We mixed up 1 cup of Ken's Honey Mustard Dressing with 2 teaspoons of Smoky BBQ sauce to dip these in. If Blair could just make it home with an extra pack, I would eventually figure out the real thing.

I'm not really a chicken strip/finger/nugget eater, but these were the best I've ever fixed. Momma and Blair kept going on about how good they were. Andy didn't say anything. He was too busy wolfing his food down to be able to.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces or 2 packs of tenders 
Marinade:
  • 3/4 cup milk 
  • 1/4 cup pickle juice (I use Mt. Olive dill pickle sandwich stacker juice)
  • 1 egg, beaten
Breading:
  • 1-1/4 cups flour 
  • 2 Tablespoons confectioners sugar 
  • 2 teaspoons salt 
  • 1 teaspoon pepper 
  • 1/2 cup canola oil

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

In a large Ziplock bag, mix flour, confectioners sugar, salt and pepper.

With tongs, drop the chicken pieces a couple at time into the bag. Shake and roll so that the chicken is covered well.

Cover the bottom of a large skillet with oil and heat on medium-high heat (7 out of 10 on my oven.) To check for readiness. Sprinkle a little flour in the oil. If it sizzles, it's good to go. If it starts hissing and popping, drop the temperature down and let it cool a little.

Carefully place the strips into the skillet. Don't overload the skillet. Give the strips a little breathing room. (If they start cooking too fast, drop the temperature down to 5 or 6)

Let the chicken cook for for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown on one side.You'll notice the color start to ease up the sides from the bottom. Don't flip them until you see this!
Turn the chicken and let it cook for another 3-4 more minutes. Place them on a paper-towel lined plate to drain grease.

When I fried the chicken thighs, because of the thickness, it look 8-10 minutes each side for those pieces. I had my range set between 4-5. I also put a lid over them after I turned them.



Adapted from My Nameis Snickerdoodle

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Fried Potatoes aka Fried Taters

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Everyone knows how to fry a potato; but do you know how to make a killer skillet of "fried taters?" This dish is perfect for any meal. Breakfast: biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon, and fried taters. Lunch or Dinner: Pinto beans, cornbread and fried taters. The secret to good ones is patience...which took me many years to learn. Also, don't use so much oil! I just barely cover the bottom of the skillet with it. I'd rather add a little to it than have too much.
I use russet, Idaho potatoes usually. But this meal I used some of the red potatoes from our garden. Wash the potatoes and cut them into fairly equal sized pieces.In  a large skillet heat enough canola oil to cover the bottom of the skillet and a 1/4 stick butter. I set my range to 6 out of 10.When the butter and oil is hot, add the potatoes in one layer. If you want to be really wicked; add a similar amount of bacon grease to the skillet in place of the butter! :-)Let the potatoes sit for 10 minutes and then turn them.They won't be brown, some will start to turn a little tan.Add around a 1/4-1/2 cup chopped onion. Sprinkle evenly over the top. Season with a little salt.After 5 minutes, turn the potatoes. I pick through and make sure all sides are getting evenly cooked/browned.Turn every five minutes until the color is a nice golden brown color. If you notice sides that aren't turning a color, flip them so they get cooked evenly.Lower the heat to 4 out of 10 and put a lid on them. Let them cook for about 8 minutes. Turn the potatoes again and let them cook covered for about 4 more minutes. Move to a paper-lined platter.The final product. The texture will be perfect! Nice and soft on the inside with a great texture outside.

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Baked Ham

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One of my favorite Sunday meals has a baked ham center stage. My favorite cut is a shank portion. This is so easy you'll wonder why you don't fix a ham more often! There's plenty of fat to season the meat as it's cooking, but they seem to yield a lot more meaty slices. And leftovers? For breakfast you can chop up a slice or two for omelets or a ham and mushroom quiche. When lunch rolls around, you can fix a ham salad sandwich or just put a slice on a roll with a slice of Swiss cheese.

When the temperature cools off a little; I'll get Andy to smoke one of these on the Bubba Keg. That definitely puts a different spin on it! Smoked ham is quite the treat!
INGREDIENTS:

  • 10 lb. Shank Portion Ham
  • 12 oz. Diet Sun-drop (or Pepsi or Coke)
Drop the upper rack in your oven to allow ample baking room. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. The label says 325 degrees, but I know how my oven bakes and this is what works perfect for me everytime.
Using long aluminum foil, take two pieces and join them to make one extra large piece to wrap your ham in. Lay them on top of each other and fold up about 1/4" where they join. Fold two additional times. Lay in a 9x13 baking dish.
Rinse off ham and don't forget to remove that plastic circle on the bottom. Place ham in the center of the dish. Pour one 12 oz. Diet Sun-drop (or substituted drink) over the top of the ham. Tightly wrap and seal up the ham. Place in oven. 

It takes 20-25 minutes per pound to properly bake a ham. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees. You know when the meat pulls off the bone, it's there.
The ham I baked was a 10 lb. ham. I set the timer on my oven for an hour and a half. When the timer went off, I dropped the temperature to 325 degrees and baked the ham for an additional two hours.
When it is finished cooking, take it out of the oven and let it sit untouched for a minimum of 15 minutes before you cut into it. Speaking of which, I'm fortunate Andy can slice a ham and make it look decent.


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