Green-Olive Chicken and Couscous

I came across this recipe in a Rachael Ray magazine feature on different grains. I love couscous but have usually prepared it to be eaten cold, more like a salad--that is, cooked it first and then mixed with vegetables and some kind of dressing. I like this warm preparation of couscous for moving into the cooler months and also just for something different! The flavor is unlike anything else I cook.

It is a bit tart so I might cut back on the lemon if I were making this for kids or other picky folk. I think the tartness might also come from the green olives. I don't know if they sell it any other way, but I've been buying jarred ones with pimentos in the middle. Anyway, I always thought Kea didn't like tart but he loves this so who knows.

I've left out the parsley both times because I couldn't find any. And the second time I made it, it came out a little soggy. Not sure if it's because I bought the whole grain couscous or because the chicken broth needs to be shorted. (I think I shorted it last time...)

Sun-Dried Tomato Muffins

My mom always makes craploads of muffins and then stores them in the freezer so we can just heat them up for breakfast when we want. I've been wanting to try making savory muffins--cuz a lot of times I am just not into sweet first thing in the morning. So I made these, baking them in muffin tins instead of a square pan. I'm not sure I would like these first thing in the morning either, but they are great for snacks. They only came out a little dry--probably because I used soymilk while the recipe calls for whole milk.

Stuffed Zucchini

This time of the semester--before things get crazy--I like to experiment with new recipes. I also like to avoid soups and stews as that's what I'll be eating through the long, long winter. Flipping through my recipes, I came across some for stuffed zucchini. There was Zucchini with Quinoa Stuffing, recently published in Real Simple; Veg Stuffed Yellow Squash, which I came across somewhere online; but Kea and I decided that we wanted meat so I searched and found this recipe. Ah Cooks.com--you always come through for me.

Actually that's not true. Cooks is a great resource but you just never know with the recipes. I was nervous about this but it came out great! I even used generic tomato sauce. And subbed tarragon for some of the basil because we RAN OUT OF BASIL. How does this shit happen!? I also added some salt while cooking the turkey because it worried me that the only salt in this recipe was in the 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire and 1 tablespoon of Parm. Plus you're supposed to season meat before you cook it right? Anyway, I have a light hand when it comes to salt and I was worried this would still be too bland. Before tasting it I thought I probably should've seasoned the zucchini too! Dar dar! But alas, it turned out great. I even cut the zucchini a little uneven but it cooked fine.

We ate it straight--using the plain zucchini sort of like rice or potatoes. I think this recipe is very forgiving!

Also, I did a coarse chop on the part of the zucchini I scooped out and stuck in the freezer for future use. I figure I can throw it in a soup or stew. Or like enchiladas.

I also found another stuffed zucchini recipe in which lean protein (eggs) is represented that I think I might try next time. Just to mix it up.

Making coffee gelatin

After trying the coffee gelatin at Mana Bu's, I wanted to try making it myself. Of the different recipes I found online, I followed this one most closely. Some others also added salt or lemon juice but I decided to keep it simple. I ended up making maybe about four cups of coffee--just cuz I decided to fill up my press pot. And I think I maybe only put enough grounds for two cups. Oops. haha... it was my first time using the press pot too so I felt very unsure of myself.

Anyway, it came out good. My friend Stacey was skeptical (as is mostly everyone I mention this too) but she liked it. Unless she is lying. Which she might. But anyway, I like it! Only thing is that I would make the coffee stronger next time.

Oh, and we had it with a bit of vanilla soy milk as that's what I had. That also worked well. I'd like to try making this for our next program party--hopefully next week! I want to get little containers with covers too.