My recipe modifications for the week

Since I am always making modifications, I thought I should document them :-) To start, the Capellini Caprese was soooo good! I didn't cook the onions, tomatoes, etc. Instead, I cooked the pasta, rinsed it and then added the tomatoes, basil and diced fresh mozzeralla. For dressing, I minced onion and garlic, combined with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was caprese with pasta and we all loved it!

We also enjoyed the Couscous with garbanzo beans, prunes and almonds. I don't think it would have been as good without the butternut squash, so if you make it, also make the squash. Rather than spicing the couscous with cinnamon and mint, I used cumin, coriander and cayenne. I was worried it would be too sweet if I did the cinnamon in the couscous and served it with candied squash. I think I made a good call. The kids ate every drop on their plates!

Finally, Harsha is home tomorrow, Friday, so we celebrated with wassail, an almond cake, and berries. The recipe for the cake was actually a Pistachio cake, however I didn't have any in the house. I used almonds and 1 tsp almond extract. It was wonderful!