Ina Garten's Couscous with Toasted Pine Nuts

I don't know why, but I always thought couscous was tricky to make. I think it had somehow been categorized with quinoa in my head (which isn't really tricky, but takes a long time...and, unfortunately, isn't something Chris likes). But it seemed like the perfect accompaniment to go with my slow cooker lamb shanks, so I opened up my new copy of Ina Garten's How Easy Is That? (which, by the way, I really like) and checked out her recipe for couscous with toasted pine nuts.

The recipe I used is basically this one, but uses yellow onion rather than shallots (2 cups - roughly two small onions, and the proportions don't need to be perfect, of course); leaves out the currants; and uses quite a bit more parsley (1/2 cup).

Ina, in her oh-so-encouraging-way, tells her readers, "If you can boil a pot of water, you can make couscous." Having botched many "easy" recipes over the years, I was skeptical - but now that I've made this one, I have to admit - it really is easy. And fast. And delicious. I've made it twice already this year, and have a third on the schedule for this week. Thanks, Ina!