just arrived home from a trip and Jesus did we get some rain , have backed up sewage, I'll be cleaning for quite some time.

I won't be making the picnic and am hoping for better weather not just for my basement's sake but the picnics as well. Have fun

HI Everyone,

Tomorrow the weatherman promises high in the mid 60's with a 30% chance of showers. We will all be there bright as daisies with lots of food and conversation to share. If any rain should arrive, we do have our shelter to keep us dry.

If you haven't signed up and want to join us, then just show up as-is. You're one of us and we would love to meet you!

See you tomorrow!

Regards,
CAthy

I can't wait! For those of you who haven't met her in person (and anyone who has met her in person surely remembers her!) Cathy2 is the model to the far right in the LTH shirt ad at the bottom of your page. Chances are she'll be hard to miss, but be sure to tell her how awesome she is for making this happen. Every group needs people with lots of different skills. Cathy has them in abundance (pie-making, grub-eating, mushroom hunting, etc etc), but there's no question that as Social Director she has no equal.

I will bring two or three folding tables and a large cutting board and knife for my three Baylor melons. I also have a couple of large bags of Baylor peanuts, which I will keep far from Lucantonius.

As a very frequent reader (but not so frequent contributor), I will look forward to enjoying a fun-filled afternoon with the LTHers.

Hey guys! As I've said, I can't make it, but I just finished cupping the Coconut jello desert.

Here's a few pics:



I only had enough supplies for 56 samplings... Hope that's enough... I was short on supplies and stuck at work...

By the way, the tooth flosser was used to pop bubbles in the jello, not to clean teeth

By the way, the tooth flosser was used to pop bubbles in the jello, not to clean teeth

Can't wait to test them! I'm glad your wife will be able to make it.

Thanks!

Regards,

Well, I'm off to the picnic in about 30 minutes. See you in a few hours.

FYI, Accuweather says 50% chance of rain before noon, only 20% after.

Hey -

I'm skipping out, as I'm nursing a proto-cold and don't want to go and infect you all. Have fun!

MrsF and I left early -- neither of us are feeling 100% (head colds), and if we ate another bite, we'd explode. So we get to be first to post afterward.

Great stuff by all.
Some highlights, which I'm sure there are photos to be posted soon, and please don't take it as a slight if I didn't mention you:

The "Gary Special" hot links (took home a chunk for Thing2)
The smoked mozz caprese salad on a big sheet of banana leaves
Unpasteurized cider (mmmmm - liquid apples!)
Joan's amazing brownies
David's "Best Cookies in the Whole World"
The giant stuffed mushroom

There was no shortage of cameras--or food--at the picnic. I didn't even see the giant stuffed mushroom, and I'm sure I missed lots of other goodies as well. But as it was I should have eaten about 50 bites fewer than I did, so it's just as well I didn't try another.

Here are a few photos. Despite our worries, we had perfect weather--though there were reminders of the recent heavy rains.



The kids also loved the pinata


Cathy2 made sure no one missed their opportunity to try raccoon.

Trixie Pea offered us the fabulous burgoo she'd brought up from Kentucky



Bruce rested after his early morning drive and hard work at the cooker.



People were getting full, but Ed had a last bite of sorbet as he and Beth chatted with VI and BuddyRoadhouse

And scholars chatted (Antonius and GAF)


Thanks again to everyone--and that means all of us -- who made this happen. Good weather, great food, wonderful company.

Wait, there was racoon? I think I missed that one.....

I did partake of the mushroom, which was delicious!!!

The coconut cream stood out, too. Delicious without being overly sweet.

And I think I must have gone back for the Vietnamese chicken salad at least half a dozen times!!!

(oh yeah, and the people were great, too!!!! )

good company, good food, no rain and mud puddles to play in produced a perfect day. special thanks to cathy for organization and gary and bruce for cranking out those encased meats and other hot stuff. i'm only sorry i didnt get to meet everyone. thanks to all, justjoan

Thank you to everyone for their generous hospitality. I enjoyed my first LTHforum event despite my headcold (I apologize for being less social than usual).

Good times and great food! What else can you ask for?!?!?!

Thanks to everyone who made this great event happen!

Great event. I loved sampling everyone's culinary efforts and really enjoyed attaching names to faces (at least some of which I hope I'll remember). Special thanks to Cathy2 and G Wiv for organizing it and bringing a ton of equipment. And Bruce's BBQ/Smoker was an impressive addition to the event, too. And for the kids, second only to the mud, the piñata was a huge success -- so much happy, excited squealing and giggling.

Just a total success.

Cynthia wrote:
Just a total success.

Yup, that about sez it all!

Dittos to Bruce, Gary and C2 for all the hard work; thanks everyone else for all the delicious stuff. I might not even eat dinner.

Jazzfood’s most excellent heirloom tomato salad:



Really good sausage I couldn’t get the exact name for;



C2 enjoys her signature drink:


Chicagohotdog brought outstanding wieners and many savory pickles (about three pounds of which are now in my refrigerator):



In keeping with the LTH dictum that we leave no man (or family) behind, C2 jumps Ramon:

This was my first up close and personal LTH experience. The food and camaraderie were absolutely outstanding.

Thanks everyone - and what a cute shot of Sparky takin' a whack at the pinata, Ann! (a piece of it is proudly displayed on our dining room table)

Incredible food, incredible people - my brother from New York has spent the evening lamenting that you couldn't get a group this interesting or friendly together there. I spent the evening eating cold greens that I'd squirreled home; a great way to end the day of eating my way through encased and pulled meats.

Yes, big thanks to everyone, but especially to Cathy2 for making it all come together. I'm sorry we couldn't stay a little longer and get to meet a few more familiar screen names in person, but it was still incredible.

From reading above, I can't believe how many things I didn't try, and I thought I'd kept a pretty close eye on the proceedings. I guess we'll just have to do another. (Speaking of which, a straw poll of attendees indicated a decent amount of interest in "finishing" the North Clark-a-Thon yet this fall...)

The friendliness and generosity of this group is really something remarkable. Looking forward to the next LTH event (and the next and the next and the next...)

LTH,

An absolutely terrific day, weather, company, incredible edibles®.

Cathy2 is an organizational genius, and Bruce worked his pit like Yo-Yo Ma plays a cello, though everyone pitched in both with setup and cleanup, a group effort all around.

When you get 90ish LTHers at a picnic the food is pretty much guaranteed to be good, and it was. It'd be difficult to pick best bite of the day, really some pretty amazing food made by amazing people. Though over the top presentation goes to JazzFood for his grilled grape leaf encased mozzarella with heirloom tomatoes served on banana leaves, and Hammond wasn't entirely lying when he stated Worlds Greatest Cookie.

Ramon's pinata was a big hit and, kids being kids, so was the pool of rainwater in the middle of the field.



Myles G gives the LTHForum Picnic two thumbs up.


Amazing opportunity to get together with fellow LTHers, truly wonderful afternoon.

More, many more, pictures may be found here

Enjoy,
Gary

Dittos to all the compliments. At the picnic someone asked me: when you returned from a year in New York, what was the first culinary experience you longed for in Chicago. The answer (that I realized later) was an LTH event.

As for the cuisine, amidst all the wonderful food, the dish that will stay with me longest is the heirloom tomatoes prepared by JAZZFOOD: simple perfection.

Thanks for the recounts and pics! Looks like a blast! We (A2Fay, I and ...screennamepending ) wish we could have been there.
I hope to read and see more recaps of the event - LTHforum remains a window to prelapsian times in Chicago.

...thanks to all those metioned above, and also to the adorable Ms. Wiv for the bubbles, heart shaped sunglasses....etc. Truly a wonderful aunt to have, even those of us who have reached the age of consent.

Certainly the the heirloom caprese was terrific...although I didn't get anything but the tomatos. I was a little disappointed it wasn't served flaming, or at least some sparklers in the middle.

I had some truly wonderful dishes and desserts. However, I think the standout was Beth's ice creams and sorbets. I gushed on about them until she was embarassed. I don't think I have ever tasted that much peach in a peach sorbet without a flavor enhancer. Truly a masterful product.

Great times with good folks on a beautiful day, what's not to like.

It was great to match so many names to faces! We had a wonderful time and were so stuffed, did not eat dinner Thank you to everyone for the organizing, amazing food, and friendliness!

PS. Did anyone take dishes home that had been abandoned? I didn't want to scoop the brownies out of my pyrex dish so I just left it. I'm not in a panic for it - maybe at the next event I can grab it

messycook wrote:PS. Did anyone take dishes home that had been abandoned? I didn't want to scoop the brownies out of my pyrex dish so I just left it. I'm not in a panic for it - maybe at the next event I can grab it

Messycook, yes, The Wife and I took it home and it's in the dishwasher right now (we couldn't leave anything in the park, so we had to remove it). I'd be glad to bring it to the next event and hand off to you...

Hammond

I'd like to add my thanks and appreciation to all who planned and all who showed up. And whoever pulled the strings on the weather. Really, a terrific day all around...certainly worth traveling for!

Aaron

yes...great event. Nice to put a face to all the screen names. Of course, the only let down for me was the lard catching on fire.

Glad the 5 gal of pickles were put to use.

Highlights for me were:

Joan's Awsome Brownies
Alan's Buffalo Mozzarella in grape leaves
Hammond's Cookie

Using a few more of GWiv's pics since I took most of them anyway:

Prize For Organization


Cathy2, seen here with raccoon, The Other Slate-Colored Meat!

Prize For Slaving Away


Pitmaster Bruce (not shown)

Prize For Presentation


Jazzfood for Capreses Gone Wild

Prize For Prettiest Picture Taken By Me


See above

Prize For Best Idea Not Specified In Original Plans For Party


Ramon, for a piñata

Prize For Tastiest Dish In a Cookbook I Even Own Yet Have Never Made


Giovanna's garlicky potato salad from Patricia Wells' Trattoria (I assume it's from that, anyway)

No Picture, But I Kept Going Back For:
Watermelon ice or gelato or whatever it was.

Cover For The LTHForum Guide To Fashion: