Halibut with Leeks

I cooked this recipe for Halibut and Leeks from the latest issue of Cooking Light last night. I haven't cooked much with leeks so I didn't know what to expect with them but it was a pleasant surprise that was quick and easy to cook.

Dutch Letter Bars

Dutch letters are a central Iowa specialty and treat. This recipe turns these pastries into a bar. Yum!

Dutch Letter Bars
1 cup butter

1 can almond paste
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk (reserve egg white)
1½ cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Sliced almonds
Coarse sugar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Melt butter and mix in almond paste. Add in remaining ingredients and blend well. Spread in 9x13 pan. Brush w/ beaten egg white; sprinkle w/ almonds and sugar

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown

Lemony Orzo-Veggie Salad with Chicken

We tried this Lemony Orzo-Veggie Salad with Chicken from Cooking Light this weekend and it was a nice summery meal.

Photo Courtesy of Cooking Light

Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Saiad

I've made The Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad several times and it is so good. You can substitute whatever you have on hand for veggies and omit anything you don't have. Be warned that it makes a HUGE salad. Seriously HUGE. So unless you are having a gathering, you may want to use half the box of pasta and cut the veggie portions as well.

Photo courtesy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Chocolate Nutella Cookies

I made these this weekend and they were delicious!

Chocolate Nutella Cookies Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 3/4 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of Nutella
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter in an electric mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and Nutella and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between each. Add the vanilla and mix for 10 seconds.

3 Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda (do not skip this step as sifting eliminates clumps of cocoa). Mix into the butter mixture on low speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides at least once to ensure even mixing. Fold in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts and refrigerate the dough for ten minutes.

4 Spoon tablespoon-sized drops of dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 6 dozen.

Recipe found on Simply Recipes

Brown Rice, Tomatoes and Basil

Made this last night with big cherry tomatoes. Yum! Lots of fresh flavor, good way to use up basil and would be an easy entertaining side since it is served at room temp.

Brown Rice, Tomatoes and Basil
1 cup Texmati brown rice (I used Uncle Ben's brown rice)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 cup Champagne or rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon good olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ripe tomatoes, large-diced
1 cup packed basil leaves (1 large bunch), chopped

Bring 2 1/4 cups water to a boil and add the rice and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Return to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed. Transfer the rice to a bowl.

Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, remaining teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Pour over the rice. Add the tomatoes and basil. Mix well and check the seasonings. Serve at room temperature.

Herb Cooking in the Summertime?

Ladies-anyone out here!? We have a much beefed up herb garden this summer and I'm in need of some recipes. We've got:

• Basil
• Dill
• Lavender
• Thyme
• Parsley
• Chives
• Rosemary
• Spearmint
• Sage

I have plenty of uses for dill and basil (though I can always use more). Any awesome recipes or simple things to throw together using any of these?