Shrimp in Ginger Butter Sauce

***This is SUCH an easy, fast, and delicious way to prepare shrimp. The ginger butter sauce was fabulous...I'm loving fresh ginger lately. You'll only need 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to complete this dish! The only thing that I changed were the amounts...the recipe says it serves one, so I just doubled everything to serve two. It was a hit in our house. I found this recipe in the Sept. 2008 issue of Gourmet magazine (my new favorite mag!).***

From Gourmet magazine:
Shrimp in Ginger Butter Sauce
Serves 1
"Ginger and cilantro add Southeast Asian oomph to this French-style butter sauce, which lightly coats big, meaty shrimp. For more recipes inspired by the City of Light, visit our Paris City Guide."

Ingredients:
6 oz large shrimp in shell, peeled
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger
2 tablespoons medium-dry Sherry
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro

Directions:
Pat shrimp dry and season with salt.

Heat butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sauté ginger 30 seconds. Add shrimp and sauté 2 minutes. Add Sherry and sauté until shrimp are just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with: a baguette; green beans

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Cake

***When a friend, Peggy, recently asked me to make a double chocolate cake for a party, I had just the right recipe in mind. I had seen this recipe on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa canister, and I had also heard wonderful things about this particular cake over on Good Things Catered. So, I decided to give it a try. And let me just tell you...making a chocolate cake and not eating a slice was EXTREMELY hard for me...LOL....I am very much a chocolate addict. I was very pleased with the results, though. The cake was wonderfully moist (just look at the pics!) and the frosting was out-of-this-world delicious. Seriously...this cake is my new go-to chocolate cake.

Peggy wanted a fall-themed cake, preferably with sunflowers. I had a lot of fun thinking of ideas for this cake!***

Cake Batter = Chocolately Goodness!

Just look at those yummy layers...

Ingredients:

2 c. sugar

1-3/4 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. Hershey's Cocoa

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 c. milk

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 c. boiling water (or 1 c. freshly brewed, hot coffee)

For the Frosting:
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted

2/3 c. Hershey's Cocoa

3 c. powdered sugar

1/3 c. milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, make frosting:

Stir melted butter into cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add a small amount of additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. (Yields about 2 cups frosting.)

Frost cake when completely cooled, as desired.

Source: Hershey's Kitchens

Sauteed Chicken in Riesling (Poulet au Riesling)

***I know, I know...you're probably wondering why in the world I haven't been posting as much lately. I apologize...things have been kind of busy. I did accomplish something pretty cool though. I ran my first 5K this weekend! It was the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I had a blast! It's such an amazing thing to see SO many people unite for one cause. There was somewhere between 13,000 - 16,000 participants!

But, don't fear...I have A LOT of posting to catch up with. I've been in the kitchen almost every night, and there are tons of photos on my camera right now...and they can't wait for their turn in the spotlight. :)

Tonight's post is yet another wonderful dish from my new favorite cookbook, Williams-Sonoma: Paris. This dish was incredibly tasty...I can't imagine chicken sauteed in a fabulous wine not being good...can you? The meat was so tender, and we were all glad there were left-overs for the next night.

You'll enjoy this one!***

Ingredients:

4 1/2 lbs. chicken pieces, preferably legs with thighs attached

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive-oil

6-8 shallots, about 1/2 lb. total weight, chopped (I used onion)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bottle dry Riesling (I used Relax Riesling...in a blue bottle)

3 Tbsp. small pieces dried mushrooms such as chanterelle, cepe, or fairy ring (I left these out)

2 cups chicken stock

2 tbsp. coarsley chopped fresh tarragon

3/4 cup heavy cream

A few drops fresh lemon juice (optional)

2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

1-2 tbsp. chopped fresh chervil (I used fresh parsley)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper, then rub with the olive oil. In a large, heavy nonstick pan over medium-high heat, brown the chicken in batches, turning occasionally, 10-15 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter.

2. Pour off all but 1 tbsp. of fat from the pan and return to medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the Riesling, raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half, 10-15 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, stock, and half of the tarragon. Pour the sauce into a roasting pan at least 4 inches deep and large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer. Arrange the chicken on the sauce.

3. Bake the chicken until opaque throughout when pierced with a knife, 35-40 minutes. Raise the heat to 400 degrees F. and continue baking until the edges of the skin are crisp, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a deep platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.

4. Spoon off any fat from the sauce. Place the pan over high heat, bring the sauce to a boil, and cook, stirring, until reduced by about half, 7-8 minutes. Stir in the cream and taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and with lemon juice, if using. Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with the chives, chervil, and remaining tarragon. Serve at once.

Source: Williams-Sonoma: Paris Cookbook

GrannyRene's Chicken & Dumplings / Steamed Cabbage

***My sweet grandmother, GrannyRene, recently came to stay with us, and we had so much fun! We got into the kitchen and cooked up a storm...Chicken & Dumplings, Steamed Cabbage, Collard Greens w/Ham...just to name a few of her specialties. Growing up, she made Chicken & Dumplings often. It has always been a favorite of mine...just the smell of it cooking brings back so many wonderful memories. I've made her Chicken & Dumplings before, but I really wanted GrannyRene to teach me how first-hand. She has several tricks that make them really special! She even wrote down all the recipes for me. I've included a scan of those too. In my opinion, you can't beat a hand-written recipe lovingly written by the cook!

There are so many ways that you can make Chicken & Dumplings (with herbs, onions, etc.), however, GrannyRene's simple recipe is packed with flavor and will always be my favorite! The flavor in this dish will surprise you, considering the short ingredient list. It's perfect on a cool fall evening, and it is the ultimate comfort food!***

Chicken & Dumplings

- GrannyRene's Original Recipe

Ingredients:

1 (2 lb.) whole, boiler chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup (you can also use cream of chicken soup instead)

2 Qts. water

1/2 cup flour

1 (12 oz) package of frozen dumplings

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut chicken up into desired pieces. Wash and remove excess fat and skin.

Put chicken in a heavy pot and cook in 2 quarts of water until fully cooked and tender. Remove from broth and let cool. Remove meat from bone, tearing into bite-sized pieces.

Add cream of mushroom soup to chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Let broth come to a boil.

Take the dumplings and break into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle dumplings with all-purpose flour until they are covered well (see above photo). Add dumplings to the chicken broth. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook until dumplings are done (The flour on the dumplings will help to thicken the broth). Add the bite-sized chicken pieces to make your meal complete!

Steamed Cabbage

- GrannyRene's Recipe

Ingredients:

1 medium cabbage

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup water

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

To prepare cabbage for cooking, remove first 2-3 outer leaves of cabbage. Cut into four quarters. Remove the center stem of each quarter (see photo below). Wash and drain on paper towels.

Take outer half of each quarter of cabbage and cut into small strips (see photo below).

Place 1 cup water in a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Put cabbage strips in pot; add olive oil and cook about 20 minutes.

Cut up the remaining cabbage and add to the pot (see below). Cook about 10 minutes longer. By cooking some of the cabbage longer than the rest, you will end up with a nice mixture of soft and crunchy cabbage.

THE BEST Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The other night, I had a craving for a chocolate chip cookie. I didn't have the ingredients I needed to make my usual stand-by cookies, but then I remembered seeing Katie's "Undisputed Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" recipe on her blog, Good Things Catered. I mean, what recipe isn't amazing with a title like that?!? Plus, these cookies are right out of the ATK test kitchens, so you know they'll be great!

After deciding on a recipe, I threw on my apron, got my mixer ready (a.k.a. Black Betsy) and went to work. And let me just tell you...these cookies ARE amazing! They are think, chewy, chocolately, and down-right fabulous. They are the best right out of the oven...but watch out...they don't last long! ;) My craving for a chocolate chip cookie turned into a craving for several!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm

1 c brown sugar, packed

1/2 c granulated sugar

1 large egg plus

1 yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

-Adjust oven racks to upper & lower-middle positions & heat oven to 325. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

-Whisk dry ingredients together; set aside.

-With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter & sugars until thoroughly combined.

-Beat in egg, yolk and vanilla until combined.

-Add dry ingredients & beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips.

-Roll scant 1/2 cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball.

-Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft & puffy (about 17-20 minutes)

-Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking and place on wire rack to cool.