Top comments from Saturday: I LOVE cooking

Every now and then I experiment when I’m preparing my weekly meals. Sometimes I take the basics of a recipe and then change them – as I described in my journal at this link. But sometimes, folks – sometimes I create something new. Join me on my journey through recipe development.

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So I was thinking of a side dish for slow cooker lamb breast. I came across Israeli (pearl couscous) because I have some and haven’t had it in a while. I usually make it by sauteing mushrooms and onions, then roasting the couscous, then adding the broth, cooking and voilà. This time I wanted something that would go really well with lamb. The first thing that came to mind was that I have some Boursin cheese (shallot and chive flavored) that I desperately need to use. I could stir it in and give it some creaminess. But I didn’t know if that would work. So I googled it. And it works!

My next thought was that this would be super rich. Then I thought of lime juice. It goes so well with this and gives everything a needed freshness.

So far, so good. Then I posted my thoughts on Facebook and got scolded for not having any vegetables. So I decided to add peas to the mix. I also thought of some herbs. They would be dried but would still have flavor. Immediately I thought of dill and tarragon. They go well with lamb and mushrooms.

Then last night I had a wild idea with more spices. I said to myself, let’s do curry style couscous. Let’s add some turmeric and cumin. Then I looked up a little chart that says which spice/herb goes with what. Tarragon goes with dill and turmeric, but not tarragon. But I like tarragon. I did some more reading and found out that mustard powder goes with all of them. So mustard powder will hold everything together. So I’m going to add all the herbs and spices after I sauté the onions a little bit to make them pop. The Boursin will act as part of the coconut milk to give it some creaminess.

Pictures of the process will appear in the comments section since I talked a lot.

I’m excited to hear about your wild or semi-wild food inventions and how they turn out.

But now to the tops!

BEST COMMENTS

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From Belinda Ridgewood, a top comment that will put a smile on everyone’s face, and we really need it:

In Happy Lights Saturday Morning Garden Blog Post this morning, Birds and Bees23 shared a remarkable picture They had shot in their garden – a Silver-tailed flowercutter bee caught red-handed as she made off with a pretty pink petal piece to line her nest.

TOPMOJO

Top Mojo for yesterday, July 19, first comments and tips excluded. Thanks mike for the Mojo Magic! For those of you who want to know how Top Mojo works, please read his Top Mojo FAQing Diary.