Ashli

I haven't even reported about our fun festivities last weekend, and it is already the weekend - again!

Here are the highlights of last weekend:

* A Pancake Party with our Dutch friends. We made American-style pancakes for them, and they made Dutch pancakes for us. Too fun!

* Tried a new Moroccan and couscous dish out for our friends Derek and Katie. The food and company was both fabulous. I'll share the recipe below.

* Tapas at La Tasca on Sunday night with Scotty and Rebecca. I had a half off coupon -- whoah baby -- so we tried so many yummy tapas. Good times!




Tonight we're headed over to Mike and Trudy's for crabs!!! I am so excited! Trudy is from Maryland, so this girl knows what's going on when it comes to crabs. Her husband just picked up fresh crab at the fishmonger this morning. What a treat!

Tomorrow MBA and I are planning on going for a run, attending the Leith Festival, and heading over to Katie's Mexican Fiesta Birthday Bash in the evening. Katie is even making homemade guacamole for the festivities -- yum!


Moroccan Chicken


Yield
4 servings (serving size: 2 thighs, 1/4 cup sauce, and 3/4 cup couscous)
Ingredients

* Chicken:
* 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1 teaspoon brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 8 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 1/4 cups shallots, peeled and quartered
* 1 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
* 12 whole pitted dates, chopped
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro


Couscous:
* 3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 3/4 cup water
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
* 3/4 cup uncooked couscous
* 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted


Preheat oven to 375°. To prepare chicken, combine first 9 ingredients in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour mixture. Reserve remaining flour mixture.
Heat oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on one side. Turn chicken; remove skillet from heat. Combine reserved flour mixture and shallots; add to skillet. Stir in 1/4 cup broth and dates. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until chicken is done.

Remove chicken from skillet. Place skillet over medium heat; stir in 1 cup broth. Cook 1 minute; stir in cilantro. Return chicken to pan. Cover; remove pan from heat.
To prepare couscous, combine 3/4 cup broth, water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon cumin in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in almonds. Serve with chicken and sauce.

A few notes from the chef: I used a separate baking dish because I don't have a pot or pan that can go from stove top to oven ... and it still totally worked. I only had one shallot so I chopped up a bunch of fresh garlic, and it was marvelous! I used dried figs instead of dates. Again, it was marvelous. And I didn't use almonds in the couscous. Also, I would recommend doubling the amount of couscous the recipe calls for. A very yummy dish all the way around!