My dad (بابا is what I call him) just retired and a bunch of friends and family gathered to celebrate. We had a potluck, which I love, but I think my dad put it especially well; he said that by asking everyone to bring something, it makes them feel like they are a part of the party… and that makes them feel more at home. And, it certainly did. People stayed and ate and danced and laughed together until early into the next morning.

!باز نشستگیت مبارک، بابا جان

Of course, it didn’t hurt that the all of the food was incredibly delicious.

My dad (بابا) prepares the steak kabobs (شیش کباب) and my uncle (عمو) handles the chicken (جوجه کباب): When the two of them put their heads together, the food is going to be good.

Fresh fruit: I spent the end of the night digging for cherries buried at the bottom of the basket

Corn salad in the foreground, Marinating vegetables in the background (eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, and chilis in olive oil and balsamic)

As in yesterday’s post, I wasn’t entirely lazy. I did marinate the vegetables and later grill them. I didn’t take a picture of the finished product, but take my word for it… they were great. I think the main trick for grilling vegetables is to make sure they maintain their texture. Make sure you have a well oiled and seasoned grill, get it incredibly hot, throw your marinated veggies on it (make sure they’re big enough that they won’t fall through), and turn them once after about a minute or two. They shouldn’t be on the grill for more than about 5 minutes. This should be plenty if your grill is sufficiently hot and you should get some nice char marks on them. If you want them a little bit softer, when you take them off the grill, cover them with aluminum foil and let them steam in their own heat for a little bit. If you want them saltier, toss a little soy sauce over them once they’re off the grill.

While the vegetables were done on a grill, the kabobs were done over an open flame (on a منقل)... I apologize for not having pictures of the kabobs over the coals.

Here’s a Blood Orange and some Foreshadowing

Blood oranges are finally coming into season...

What can you do with a cheap cut of meat? POT ROAST!

I’m almost looking forward to the rain tomorrow night, just because it will make staying in and eating delicious roast even better.