Moroccan dinner...maybe

The other day I was at Treasure Island, buying groceries for that night's dinner. I saw an endcap of cous cous and reached for what I thought was a box of "original" flavor. Upon further inspection when I got home, I realized that I had instead grabbed tabouleh (which, I know, is spelled nothing like "cous cous"). I'd never made tabouleh salad, but it couldn't be easier...follow the directions on the box, add some chopped tomato and mint and a good squeeze of lemon. Delish.

What does this have to do with Morocco? Technically nothing, as tabouleh is from the eastern Mediterranean region, and Morocco is in western Africa. If anything, cous cous is native to Morocco, but the Mister and I make it so often it reminds us more of Wicker Park than Marrakech. But still, my accidental tabouleh purchase got me thinking about that part of the world and a themed dinner...

First, I'll check out Flavors of Morocco: Delicious Recipes from North Africa by Ghillie Basan (above, left).  The table will be dressed with Moroccan Tea Glasses from World Market and Morocco Dinnerware by CB2 (both above, right). I'll just find some Moroccan music on iTunes and, ooh! Maybe I can hire a belly dancer!

Oops. Belly dance is Egyptian.

I'll bet it goes great with tabouleh.