Couscous Casserole

I don't know why I have an affinity to want to throw all my ingredients into the same pot/pan/dish. But I am a big fan of making up recipes where I can call it a "hash" or "casserole" and it all comes together in the in one dish. I find comfort in what my mother used to deem "shovel food". You have one bowl of something that doesn't need to be cut or eaten separately and you can just shovel the goodness of it into your mouth. As if I need to eat any faster than the pace that I already inhale my food.

The problem is, often times, you say casserole or hash and people imagine something that is all one color and resembles what Doug Funnie was served in the cafeteria. Side note: I believe that this is the same reason people underestimate a nice Salisbury Steak. But the real problem with casseroles and hash is that they often times ARE made of really gross stuff! Shepards Pie..ew! Tuna Casserole..yuck! But I like to think that my casserole experiments stray away from these mistakes..and the one I made last night..was yummy and shovelicous!

-1 cup of chicken broth
-1 box of couscous (I use the the brand "Near East" Toasted Pine Nut flavor)
-1 cup spinach
-1 cup broccoli
-1 cup of cauliflower
-1 cup sauteed mushrooms
-1/2 cup of shallots
- 1 garlic clove minced
-2 tablespoons chopped basil
-1 tablespoons chopped oregano
-1/4 cup of Parmesan
-1/4 cup of grated Havarti with Dill cheese
-1 egg (beaten)
- dash of salt and pepper
-2 diced boneless and skinless chicken breasts
-1/4 cup dry white wine
-1/4 fat free sour cream

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and get ready to rock three pans at once!!
2. Put an inch of chicken broth in a sauce pan and add raw cauliflower and broccoli. Cover with a lid and put over medium high heat. Once the water boils turn the heat to low and let steam until the vegetables are soft. Once veggies are soft, drain and set aside.
3. While broccoli and cauliflower steams, follow the instructions for the couscous. Use chicken broth instead of water. When it comes time to add the couscous to the boiling liquid throw the spinach in as well. Fluff as directed.
4. While the veggies and the couscous are going on their own, heat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add chicken and mushrooms and cook until brown.
4. Once everything is all cooked and drained mix all other ingredients together in a baking dish
3. Bake for 30 minutes and let cool for 5 minutes.
4. Serve and shovel :)

Homemade White Wine Sangria and Margaritas

The weather, this past weekend, out on the Chesapeake Bay was perfect! My best girlfriend has a house on the bay and we escape D.C and go out to spend weekends laying out on her pier . We have a routine that begins about 10 a.m and goes until about 4:30 p.m. We like to start the day out on the pier in bikinis accompanied with coffee and summer must-reads. I'm currently gobbling down Ruth Reichl's "Tender at the Bone".

But...we get in a fair amount of caffeine and reading for the next few hours until it is time for something with a little more sustenance and we head into the house for lunch. Upon our return to the pier we begin the afternoon beverages of either the most amazing Margaritas you have ever tasted OR my newly perfected Sangria recipe. I was originally raised in the arm-pit of the state of Texas, a.k.a El Paso. One of the very few things I have taken from those years in the Ol' Border Town is my love and appreciation for quality Margarita. This means a beverage sans sweet and sour mix!

The Best Margarita.
(to get the perfect mixture of ingredients this beverage is better by the glass)

~ 2.25 oz. Tequila (roughly a shot and a half)
~ 1.5 oz of Agave Nectar (a shot)
~ 3oz. orange juice (2 shots)
~ 1 good and juicy lime squeezed completely= about 2 oz of juice (keep the lime and throw it in at the end)
~ 3/4 - 1 cup of water
~ ice
~ Margarita Salt

1. Combine Tequila, Agave, O.J, fresh squeezed lime juice, and water. Stir well.
2. Rub the already squeezed lime along the rim of the glass and then place the rim in Margarita Salt.
3. Carefully place ice and lime in glass without knocking off the salt on the rim.
4. Pour beverage over ice and lime.
5. Lick, sip, and enjoy :)

Homemade White Wine Sangria

~ 1 peach
~ 1 pear
~ 1 green apple
~ 1 orange
~ 1 lemon
~ cup of strawberries
~ cup of blueberries
~ cup of blackberries
~ cup of halved white grapes
~ 1/4 cup of Agave Nectar
~ 2 bottles of Pinot Grigio
~ 1 bottle of Champagne
~ 2 cups of Peach Rum

1. Cut up peach, pear, green apple, orange, lemon, strawberries, and white grapes. Don't bother peeling because the outsides of these fruits are packed with flavor!
2. Stir fruit, blueberries, blackberries, and Rum in a large bowl. Cover and let marinate in the refridgerator for 1-2 hours. However could go overnight.
3. Stir Agave, Champagne, and Pinot Grigio into fruit. Let this sit (covered) at least 2-3 hours or even overnight in the refridgerator.
4. Pour, sip, enjoy.

Note: I pour mine over ice but this is perfectly enjoyable without ice. Also the fruit packs a real punch so be prepared to not remain sober...:)

A Turkey Burger and Sangria from The Heights

The Burger Battle is very much like all categorical food competitions.



Where can I get the best Burger in DC? Where can I get the best Pizza in D.C ? Where can I get the best Margarita in D.C?



When I dine, when I spend money, and when I go whatever distance to curb my craving- I want to cut out all the wasted time and money and just get "The Best". The problem with awarding "the best" is obviously that the opinion is relative to the consumer. For example, the common opinion held that one can find the best Mexican food in D.C. at Lauriol Plaza, in my opinion, is NOT true. So I qualify this post (and all future posts) with an understanding that perhaps someone out there will think I am full of crap! (I'm aware this is fully possible).

But when I crave that delicious, juicy and flavor-filled burger experience, I head straight to my local favorite- The Heights. I order the Turkey Burger cooked medium, with Swiss cheese, and I substitute the Sun dried Tomato Pesto instead of Red Pepper Relish that it comes with. I can guarantee that this burger trumps any beef burger out there AND is better for you! It comes on a lightly toasted Onion Roll with these hand cut perfect fries (even though they never give me enough fries). The burger is BURSTING with flavor and juicy (if ordered medium). I know what you are thinking..if you are going to get a burger, you might as well get the big fatty fat chunk-mc-gee burger. And of course, there are those guys that think ground turkey is for sissy boys. However, I have tested my theory on many male and female friends and they all agree that it is one of the best burgers they have tried.

Given the weather, this entree is really nice when accompanied with the White Wine Sangria. At the Heights, it is perfectly refreshing with hints of peach, blueberries, melon, apples and citrus fruits. It does not strongly lean towards any particular fruit flavor and it isn't really sweet or tangy. It is just smooth, light and a wonderful outdoor cocktail. (A pitcher is only $25 and can easily quench the thirst of 4 people).

This duo, on the patio of The Heights, will cost you $20 bucks. But you leave with a fully satisfied craving and a slight buzz.