Dinner Tonight

Hubby got home tonight. He was going to be late and wanted me to feed the kids first...

So I fed them mac 'n cheese and hot dogs. They were happy (btw... I don't like mac 'n cheese in a box. I cook the mac, then mix in a can of Cambell's cheddar cheese soup. YUM!).

Then I made hubby a lovely lamb tagine. I used the left over lamb chops from the previous meal that I pictured cut the meat off the bones. Added in onions, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, chick peas and chopped tomatoes. I cooked this mix with olive oil, chili powder, thyme, cumin, coriander, garlic and some special paprika from the Pays Basque called Esplette, which is one of the first chili peppers in Europe as chilis are from North America, and therefore post 1492 (as are tomatoes, squash, turkey, chocolate, vanilla, corn, potatoes and a bunch of other stuff too... Yes, I am a tremendous geek, especially when it comes to food). I served this lovely mixture over saffron couscous that was made with lamb stock created from the bones from the chops (cooking is about efficiency... never, NEVER waste food). The rest of the stock was used in the tagine.

Maybe someday I will get one of those fancy tagine pots (is it a pot?) but I seemed to manage just fine with a big frying pan with another frying pan over the top. I figured it would help keep the majority of the steam in, and I was RIGHT!

Hubby approved of dinner. And at very least the smell of cumin and coriander (with a sprinkle of cilantro) filled the house.