A New Gooseberry Patch Cookbook!

Look what arrived in my mailbox last week! It's a new cookbook from Gooseberry Patch called Simple Shortcut Recipes. And here's the exciting part:


My recipe for Chicken and Couscous was included! I love my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks, and I love them even more when I can get them for free. Would you like a free cookbook? It's easy! Send Gooseberry Patch your original recipes, and you might find your name in one of these cookbooks in the future! (I can't reveal my Mediterranean style chicken and couscous recipe here, but you can find it on page 136 of this new publication!)

I had to make a trip to the grocery store today, and when I pulled in the parking lot, I saw about one hundred women lined up on the sidewalk. What gives? And then I remembered. Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, was making an appearance today to sign her cookbooks. Folks were lined up nearly two hours before her appearance! If you've ever visited her blog, then you'll know what a hoot she is! I love her stories about Marlboro Man and their four "ranch hands", and her photographs are priceless.

Let me tell you, by the time I finished grocery shopping, the line had doubled! All those people waiting in the hot sun to meet her. Way to go, Rhee! From High Heels to Tractor Wheels to best-selling cookbook author. What a ride!

I can't see myself as a published cookbook author because, well, to tell you the truth, I don't like cooking nearly as much as I like eating. :) Grocery shopping is a chore for me, and I go into a panic every late afternoon when I realize I don't have a clue what I'm fixing for dinner. That's why I'm the queen of shortcuts! For example, I'll use a store-bought, pre-cooked rotisserie chicken when I'm short on time, and turn it into a main course recipe with a few ingredients from my pantry.

Today's recipe is one of my famous short cuts! I've modified this recipe from it's original, which appeared in a Parade magazine a few years back. My mom clipped it out and mailed it to me, and I have loved it ever since!

Chickpea Ragout with Chicken

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, diced
2 T. minced garlic
1 t. ground cumin
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 t. dried
2 t. honey
2 t. fresh lemon juice
1 3/4c. chicken broth
Couscous cooked according to pkg.
1/2 c. chopped parsley
Rotisserie chicken, cut and cubed

Heat olive oil in sauce pan over med. low heat. Add onion and garlic, sautee for app. 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cumin and stir. Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, thyme, honey, lemon juice, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, season w/ salt and pepper, and simmer for 4 minutes. While chickpeas cook, prepare couscous. Taste chickpeas and adjust seasoning. Remove thyme sprigs and stir in parsley. Serve over couscous in shallow bowls. Top with chicken and enjoy!

I have a rotisserie chicken waiting for me in the kitchen. Time to get creative!

Tell me...what's for dinner at your house?