Oh boy! Is it cold outside! I mean bitterly cold! Grey and blustery! Snowy and frigid! I wish I could crawl into a semi-hibernation mode, slowly and steadily! Somebody needs to douse me with gallons of hot tea or brandy, may be! Sadly, curling up with a favorite book under a cozy blanket drinking endless cups of steaming tea (made by someone else) is a luxury – it is a price one has to pay for growing up!
This was an extra long weekend, today being President’s Day and the 5 year old’s school was closed on Friday as well. The arctic blast forced us to stay in for the better part. Last night the school declared that it is going to be a snow day today as well! Staying in means cooking a lot and eating a lot! And that is exactly what we have been doing!

At KFB, this week belongs to Antara Ray of Antypasti and this recipe is inspired by her Mediterranean couscous salad! Her blog is a wonderful mélange of exotic travels and exquisite food. A Management Consultant by profession, she manages to steal time away from her busy life to go on vacations, submerge herself in culinary adventure of sorts and share those delicious experiences with us!

The husband teases me often saying that I sometimes buy things just so that my pantry looks good! Guilty as charged! I just love opening the cabinet doors and looking at the spices and lentils and what-nots. This recipe also gave me the opportunity to open the box of couscous which had been sitting pretty on the top shelf for a while now!

Ingredients:

• Couscous – 3/4 Cup, uncooked
• Chicken Broth (or water) – 1 Cup
• Tomatoes – 3/4 Cup (I used grape tomatoes, halved)
• Cucumber – 3/4 Cup, cubed
• Kalamata Olives – a handful, halved and pitted
• Dried Dill Weed – 2 tsp (you can use fresh as well)
• Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
• Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp (or more if you prefer it a little more tangy)
• Salt to taste 
• Feta Cheese – a handful (I had no feta on hand, and it was too cold to go out to buy some)

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat and stir in the couscous. Remove from heat, cover and let it stand undisturbed for 5 minutes. Then fluff it using a fork. Or, you can cook the couscous according to the package instruction.
In a large-ish bowl, throw in the halved tomatoes, olives, cubed cucumbers and dill weed. Add the couscous to it and mix to incorporate.
In another small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil and salt. Drizzle it over the couscous and toss to mix. Cover and refrigerate to let the flavors blend in.
Sprinkle cheese before serving.