Monday, March 4, 2013

Dinner and a movie.

The other day I got a gchat from the husband asking me to pick up some things from Trader Joe's. I clicked on the link from Serious Eats and was salivating as I read the ingredients: Israeli couscous, lemon, feta, fennel, and red onion. Mike had to give an exam that night and it dawned on me that he would not be cooking. Whoa, whoa, whoa, I have to make this? I've gotten so used to Mike cooking dinner and me washing dishes (well, most of the time...). No problem, I can figure this out.

I picked up everything we needed from Trader Joe's and set to work. I chopped up the fennel and red onion to roast while watching HGTV. Side note: We've become addicted to shows like Love It or List It and Property Brothers. Can you say nesting? I use the term nesting loosely because there are no announcements, Grandma! I coated the fennel and red onion in olive oil and tossed with pepper and salt. Into the oven it went to roast. I set the timer (a timer we "borrowed" from lab) so I wouldn't forget them in the oven. From there I started the couscous, which requires sautéing in butter and adding it to hot vegetable stock. The timer went off for the roasting vegetables and I pulled them out to turn. Put them back in the oven to cook a bit longer... and I didn't set the timer. I also didn't have a timer on the couscous. Oops! I started working on some other things (i.e., watching HGTV) until I realized I had left everything on the stove and in the oven. But you know what? It turned out just fine! I don't recommend this method of cooking, but I'm thankful it turned out great.

When Mike got home around 9:30, we decided to just make grilled cheese and soup and enjoy my creation as a date on Friday. To go with the couscous, we bought chicken breasts and roasted them covered in onions and lemon, a perfect compliment.

That night we watched a hilarious movie: Lars and the Real Girl with Ryan Gosling and Emily Mortimer. The movie is about a super awkward guy named Lars who lives in the garage of the family home, which is occupied by his brother and pregnant wife. Lars doesn't really have any friends, except for an obnoxious office mate and a cute girl with a crush on him. One day a very large package arrives at the garage for Lars, and later that day he informs his brother and sister-in-law that he has a visitor. They are so excited because Lars barely interacts with them so they invite Lars and his guest over for dinner. The problem is that the guest is a life-sized, anatomically correct sex doll that Lars ordered off the internet. Hilarity (and some sadness) ensues. I really really enjoyed the movie and if you have Netflix, you can stream it on demand.

What movies have you seen lately? What's on your Netflix queue?

1 comment:

  1. I love Israeli couscous! This is my favorite recipe using it: http://www.thekitchn.com/quick-dinner-spicy-lemon-basil-119561

    I haven't seen any movies lately - my roommate has been introducing me to new shows (Americans, Smash, etc.) and I've keeping up with the two shows I watch regularly, New Girl and Top Chef.

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