Chicken Couscous

Note: I am not a photographer nor am I a food stylist. I only hope that the photographs improve as the blog goes on...

Chicken Couscous from a recipe ripped out of a magazine in the waiting room of my dr's office

Makes: 4 servings. Prep: 10 minutes. Cook: 10 minutes.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 cups chicken broth

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional)

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup couscous

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

(This is where the rip is in my recipe. So, I just made the rest up as I went along!)

1) Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook until no longer pink. Remove from heat.

2) Add carrots and onion to the pan. Cook 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add garlic; cook one more minute. Add cumin, cinnamon, ginger and cayenne; cook 30 seconds longer. Add broth, raisins, and chicken; bring broth to a boil.

3) Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let couscous stand 10 minutes until all water is absorbed.

4) Stir in toasted almonds.

Why Two Cups of Coffee?

I read somewhere that the number of cups of coffee that a mother drinks is directly related to the number of children that she has. It's true. Before kids, I rarely drank coffee in the mornings. It was more of a treat than a necessity. After I had my first child, I started to drink coffee on a regular basis, but usually no more than a cup a day. Then, baby number two came and my full-fledged coffee addiction started. Now, I MUST drink coffee everyday, first thing, before I do anything. Then, I have another cup and perhaps another and then maybe I'll have another in the afternoon just so I can make it until bedtime.
This blog has nothing to do with coffee and everything to do with why I need to drink at least two cups of it. The normal things in a mother's day: cooking and cleaning, arts and crafts, fun and games, laughing and crying, silliness and crankiness (not necessarily in that order). And the things I do when the children sleep: reading, sewing, crafting and anything else that makes me happy.
Drop in regularly, say hello, and happy reading!