Toasted pearl couscous with pistachios and pine nuts, chewy raisins, a hint of cinnamon, and a squeeze of lemon combine in this incredibly flavorful Israeli Couscous dish.

Perfect as a side dish or an easy lunch all on its own, this is one couscous recipe you need to try straight away.

Israeli Couscous

Over a year ago, my sister, Jenny, told me that she had a dish she wanted to make for me and described this Israeli Couscous. I’ve looked forward to trying it ever since the first time she mentioned it.

This past month, we finally had the chance to make this recipe together. Served with Pan Fried Chicken Thighs, this is a meal that is as perfect as it can possibly be.

Savory pine nuts and pistachios coupled with sweet raisins and flavorful mediterranean herbs and spices make Israeli Couscous recipe stand out. It’s so much better than just about any other couscous recipe I’ve tried.

I loved this couscous so much, I hid the leftovers in the back of the fridge and helped myself to them frequently over the next couple days.

This is a wonderfully easy side dish that is substantial enough to stand alone for a meal. Israeli Couscous keeps fabulously in the refrigerator and I can see myself making future batches to eat for my lunches all week long.

What is Couscous?

Couscous looks and cooks very similar to grains like rice and barley but it’s actually pasta! If you’ve only ever had traditional couscous, the itty bitty pieces that have a powdery texture, you might be surprised by Pearl Couscous.

This type of couscous (also called Israeli Couscous) is little round balls of pasta. Pearl Couscous are slightly chewy, a little bit nutty, have a satisfying bite, and taste absolutely nothing like traditional couscous.

Couscous is popular in mediterranean cooking but it’s also a way to shake things up if you’re tired of the usual rice and pasta side dishes. It goes so well in salads and stir-fries and is super easy to cook.

I am head over heels in love with this dish and I can’t encourage you enough to try it for yourself.

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Mouth-Watering Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Roasted sweet potatoes that are crispy and seasoned to perfection make the best side dish for any meal! We are sharing all the tips for making them the best.

Years ago I started to piece together different recipes for the most incredible roasted potatoes ever until I had what I thought was the best recipe ever. And then I saw a post all about adding baking soda to the water that you boil the potatoes in followed by a toss in an empty pan to make the edges all shaggy thus creating a crust on the potatoes and I’ve been sold ever since. Obviously I had no choice but to try the method on sweet potatoes (yams are fine) and my goodness, BEST DECISION EVER!!!

They are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and I literally cannot stop putting them into my mouth.

Ingredients for Roasted Sweet Potatoes

You only need a few ingredients to make these crispy sweet potatoes and you’ll feel like you’re eating at a fine dining restaurant. Good grief, I’m totally craving them now! Here is what you will need:

• Kosher Salt – seasons the water for boiling which will add flavor to the sweet potatoes
• Baking Soda – boiling the potatoes in baking soda draws out the starch and allows the outside to get brown and crispy
• Sweet Potatoes – yams work fine too
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – gets infused with rosemary and garlic and is the key to getting that crispy exterior
• Rosemary (fresh) – you want fresh for sure to get the max flavor, can you fresh thyme instead if desired
• Garlic – infuses the oil with tons of flavor
• Black Pepper – fresh cracker preferred
• Parsley (fresh) – used for a topping after roasting, add a fresh pop

Sweet and tangy glaze takes this slow cooker pork roast from just another crockpot meal to a tasty and fantastic meal.

Pork Roast with Glaze

This slow-cooked pork roast is both company worthy and also perfect for a lazy weeknight dinner. I’ve served this pork with smashed potatoes, over rice, (it’s really great with this mushrooms pepper rice pilaf) and stuffed into soft rolls.

This roast was a delicious surprise the first time I made it. I’d originally planned to oven-roast the pork in a more traditional style. However, in the interest of not spending my weekend evening working in the kitchen, I decided to put it in the crockpot that morning instead.

I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com and tweaked it a good bit to meet our needs. (Truth be told, it doesn’t have much in common with the original, but credit where it’s due, right?)

I did not expect the meat to cook so quickly and be falling apart at dinnertime, but it was absolutely perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing.

The sweet, tangy glaze takes just a few minutes to simmer and whisk together and the resulting meal is well worth the extra moment to make it special!

Pork Roast Recipes Slow Cooker

Slow cookers or crockpots are an appliance of which I have more than one. If you are an avid slow cooker user like I am, you might understand the need for more than one. So, let’s talk about my favorites:

First up is this Read more

Insanely Delicious Pumpkin Lava Cake

The recipe that has been hurting my brain for 4 years is finally here. Our insanely delicious pumpkin lava cake is going to blow up Christmas desserts for the rest of eternity. 

Aren’t you a little like me? You get to that big Christmas meal and go back and forth on which dessert you want to bring to the table, something chocolate, a little pie – oh but you ate pie for a week after Thanksgiving, so maybe not…

Pumpkin lava cake to the rescue!

I saw all of those chocolate lava cakes for years but never fully enjoyed one, so I decided that we need a pumpkin version. All the spice of a molasses or gingerbread feel but 100% pumpkin. I wanted to feel the Christmas spirit and for me that means smelling it and tasting it. You know I’m right, you walk into a place that smells of Christmas and you’re instantly all tingly like you are a little kid again. Chocolate is awesome, but Christmas needs spice!

Ingredients for

October 29, 2022

Welcome to the weekend, friends! Are you loving this fall weather as much as I am? I have a whole list of soup recipes to work on over the next few days and I can hardly wait to have the freezer filled with easy meals once again. I’m playing with a couple of new biscuit recipes too, so it’s going to be a tasty weekend.

ON THE BLOG this week: Creamy Turkey Green Chile Soup is loaded to the brim with chunks of leftover turkey and roasted green chile. My husband and boys give this recipe two thumbs up around the table every time I make this.

Cheddar and bacon filled Corn Waffles are great for Sunday brunch or for casual school mornings. I like to triple this recipe and stash them in sandwich bags in the freezer.

BBQ Chicken Zucchini Boats are a saucy, cheesy, deliciously hearty meal that is a refreshing change from the typical sandwiches we usually make with leftover chicken.

Sweet and rich with the slightest bit of crunch from the corn, this creamed corn is made as easy as can be with frozen corn. We enjoy it all year long.

Cheesy, savory, and creamy with a toasted, buttery top broccoli gratin is about to become the most requested vegetable by your family.

2 Ingredient Pancakes have been showing up all over the internet lately. Low carb pancakes that are easy to make, and tasty as can be, we’ve been making these 2 Ingredient Cream Cheese Pancakes for years.

Creamy vanilla cheesecake is poured over a simple graham cracker crust and then topped with a creamy layer of pumpkin to make this Cheesecake Pumpkin Pie. As much as this dessert looks fancy, this is a very simple pie recipe that results in an unforgettable finish for any meal.

Creamy peanut butter fudge filled with chunks of Oreo cookies is an irresistible favorite on any dessert table. The simple peanut butter fudge is made with just four ingredients before being generously filled with Oreos.

What I’m CRAVING: This Fall Harvest Salad by Modern Honey caught my eye and it looks sooooo good! Not only is it gorgeous, but it’s also loaded with so many terrific bites – fresh apples, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, feta or blue cheese, and crispy bacon.

My FAVORITE THING this week is my new waffle iron. I made the above corn waffles in