Feel good food

I realized tonight that making a good meal, or at least one that I enjoy eating, makes me feel good about myself. So tonight's dinner was feel good food. I wll say that there's nothing bad about a meal that starts with this:

That is a bowl of delicious spices and chopped parsley that got turned into some beautiful beef kebabs that we had with a bit of rice, some Bick's pickles and some pickled beets that I whipped together just before Christmas. Here's the recipe. The flavours really hit the spot with me.

Ground beef kebabs

• 1 pound of ground beef (or lamb if you're feeling so inclined)
• 2/3 cup of chopped parsley
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp chili powder

Get 6 to 8 skewers. If you're using bamboo ones, soak them in water. Basically put all the ingredients together in bowl and mix them up making sure the parsley and onion is all evenly distributed.  Then make 6 to 8 evenly sized balls. Go fire up the bbq. Take each ball roll it into a bit of a cylinder then put a skewer through it. Mold the meat onto the skewer by squeezing it a bit. Pop them on a med-heat bbq and cook for about 12 minutes turning them occasionally.

Take 'em off and serve right away with rice, pickles, and even some yogurt dip if you like.

Shirin Kebab House.

On the way to the Great Canadian Superstore recently, G and I decided that it was time to have some delicious kebabs. We stopped at the Shirin Kebab House in Scarborough. The menu is listed on lightboards above the cash register. We stood there for a minute when the person working the counter brought out the most delicious looking plates of food to the people sitting at a table behind us. We asked them what they had ordered and were told it was #12. So yes, we ordered #12.

And then we sat down and waited. And waited. And waited. During this time the smell of meat cooking was wafting through the little room. The food is fresh made and so lovely that the wait seems almost non-existent once the food is put in front of you...


Can you believe that plate? Grilled lamb pieces, rice, grilled tomatoes, grilled peppers, green salad and yogurt sauce all fought for attention. The smokey flavor of the grill was really coming through, and the meat was perfectly cooked. The tomatoes were soft and squishy, perfect for squeezing on the very flavourful cooked rice. The salad was okay, but the pepper was absolutely amazing! Hot in the afterbite, but really just peppery and soft on the initial bite. Amazing!

The lighting was good, too, so my photos turned out pretty nice!

Yum!

I highly recommend this place. It's found at 1880 Eglinton Avenue East and is well worth the trip regardless of whether or not you are going to the Superstore!

The bad ending to this lovely day? After grocery shopping, we came home and began putting the groceries away. We had bought a few different cans of beans and I promptly dropped the bag of cans on my foot. No good at all. It's been a week now, and it still hurts, but my Mom is here (and she's a nurse) and says that it's going to sort itself out and already looks better. But I can't wear most of my shoes, which is awkward. Oh well.