Feb 9, 7PM, 2nd LTH Small Household Food Exchange @ Marie’s

Feb 9, 7PM, 2nd LTH Small Household Food Exchange @ Marie’s

Our First Small Household Exchange was a unanimous success.

For our 2nd LTH Small Household Food Exchange, we’ll meet up @ LTH GNR Marie’s Liquor and Pizza

Marie’s Liquor and Pizza
4129 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60630
(773) 725-1853

I’ll keep a running tally of participants here; anyone can come, whether or not they made it to the first one. Post to this thread to reserve your place.

Participants (in or out for dinner)

1. Hammond (in for dinner): mulefoot hog pozole
2. Hellodali surrogate (no dinner): Bittman's braised lentils, Ethiopian-style.
3. Cathy2 (in for dinner): spaetzle and sauerkraut
4. Mrs. and Mr. Foodie1 (in for dinner): pork menudo over rice
5. leek (in for dinner): turkey chili and boozy short ribs over noodles
6. GAF (in for dinner): lamb tagine
7. RAB (in for dinner): töltött káposzta (aka Mama B's stuffed cabbage).
8. ymas (in for dinner): spiced beef, corn bread cobbler
9. jygach (in for dinner): slow-roasted pork with fennel, tomatoes, and olives

So, bring NINE servings of your selected dish to this event.

REVIEW OF HOW THIS EVENT IS RUN

Gathering time

Second Monday of the month, 7:00 pm

Location

GNR restaurants to be determined each month

Number in Group

Attendance at each gathering is capped at 12 so that participants are never making more than 12 servings of anything. Couples will be counted as one serving (unless each person wants to be counted as one participant, in which case they will bring multiple servings of two separate dishes.

The Food

Each participant will bring one pre-portioned serving of their food for everyone who has RSVP’d to come that month. A serving is whatever you think it is for your food item. For soup, it may be two cups say; for pastrami, 4 oz. (or more if you make more generous sandwiches). The priority will be for entrees, meats, soups, salad, stews, pastas, grains, etc. One dessert is okay each month, but we don’t want 6-7 dessert offerings as everyone was mostly interested in main meals. There will be no restrictions on the food – we’re an omnivorous bunch, but we do have one mushroom allergy in the group, so please alert the group if you’re making something with mushrooms. Again, that doesn’t mean that the ingredient is off limits; it just means you need to let everyone know if you are using it that month. We decided we don’t want to start running any list of off-limit foods or ingredients.

The containers/delivery system: Everyone in the group will buy 12 or so of the Gladware 3 1/8 cup plastic containers (it’s the approximately 7” x 7” square). You’ll portion your food into those containers to bring and hand out at the gathering. You can freeze them or not depending on your schedule and when you make your food. There is no need to fill the container, just put in whatever is a serving to you. If you use something else to deliver your food that month (Ziploc bags, plastic wrap, etc.) you should also return the empty containers from the last round so that everyone always has a stash of these containers for the exchange and doesn’t have to run out and buy more. Please label your containers with the name of the dish (an ingredients list is nice but not required). If there are garnishes or other elements that are to be added to your dish before serving, please indicate that on the container.

The Process

Each of us will take turns being the organizer each month. Each time we meet, someone will offer to organize the next month’s gathering.

Approximately two weeks before the next gathering, the organizer will post a new thread to the events page announcing the date and the location for that month and asking for RSVP’s.

Participants will need to RSVP their attendance by one week before the monthly gathering. They will then need to post what they are bringing by three days before the gathering (sooner is probably better). This is to help make sure we get some balance in the food so that we’re not all bringing something that has to be eaten in the next 2-3 days; that there’s a balance of stuff that can be frozen for later, or eaten sooner.

The organizer will monitor the thread to see what people are bringing. The organizer will also make reservations for the group at the restaurant where we will be gathering. People can choose to stay for dinner or just come and exchange food and leave. Just let the organizer know so they can get an accurate count for the reservation. Other LTHers are welcome to join us for dinner, even if they are not bringing food to exchange. Usually, we’ll buy dinner as a group and split the bill.

After dinner, each person will put their servings at their place at the table, and each participant will move about the table, collecting one serving from each of the other participants.

We all agreed to stay relaxed and flexible with the exchange as there will likely be some bumps in the first few months and questions we haven’t thought of will come up and we’ll have to figure them out. Remember that the core purpose of the exchange will be for a group of LTH’ers to exchange good food they’ve made with minimal hassle and restrictions.

David "I eat pork three times a day" Hammond

I will be there with ropa vieja (I think - depends on how it turns out when I try it this weekend).

I will actually not be able to attend as I am teaching one of my workshops at U of C that evening. I will ask my boyfriend to deliver the goods and pick up my shares, though he probably won't stay for dinner. Unless someone who lives up north wants to bring my dish if I drop it off on Sunday and I pick up my shares later on Monday?

And Dave, I think the second Monday is February 9.

Hellodali wrote:I will be there with ropa vieja (I think - depends on how it turns out when I try it this weekend).

I will actually not be able to attend as I am teaching one of my workshops at U of C that evening. I will ask my boyfriend to deliver the goods and pick up my shares, though he probably won't stay for dinner. Unless someone who lives up north wants to bring my dish if I drop it off on Sunday and I pick up my shares later on Monday?

And Dave, I think the second Monday is February 9.

Duly noted and corrected ( )

Hi,

I am soooo in. I have several thoughts on what to bring, but will need to confirm later.

Regards,

Looking forward to the event! I'll bring Filipino pork menudo over steamed rice.

Will be staying for dinner along with Mr. Foodie1...

HI

Count me in. I may be arriving closer to 8, though. Not sure at the moment if it's just me or also the DH.

Making something meat-stew-y (boozy beef, perhaps).

I think I'm a yes. I will bring Lamb Tagine.

I really enjoyed the first exchange (something new and exciting in my lunch bag each day), but am still not certain of my schedule for the week of the 9th. It's my company's annual meeting, and I may or may not have work obligations that night. I'll try to post as soon as possible if it looks like I can make it.

-Dan

I'm making my famous midwestern soupy turkey chili (it's very good). I should be on time, and the DH will be otherwise committed for the evening, sadly.

I'm in for dinner and the exchange. My dish is TBD.

Hi,

If you froze the spaetzle, how did it fare? I'm contemplating making my Grandmother's Saturday night favorite of spaetzle and sauerkraut. If the spaetzle from last month didn't do well frozen, then I will make something else.

Regards,

I have another freezing question. Traditional accompaniment with ropa vieja is fried sweet plantains and rice and black beans. If I can only make one of those which would people prefer - plaintains or rice and beans? And how would the plantains fare in the freezer?

I froze the spaetle and they seemed fine (as far as I could tell...)

Lee

leek wrote:I froze the spaetle and they seemed fine (as far as I could tell...)

Lee

Thanks!

I will make spaetzle and sauerkraut for this month's round.

Regards,

Hellodali wrote:And how would the plantains fare in the freezer?

I think plantains that have been frozen and thawed would be texturally challenged. If they are anything like bananas (and I think they probably are), they will thaw into a mush.

Unfortunately I will be unable to attend. See you guys in March!

-Dan

Since we will be a small group again, I will request the "in for two" option, which would up our participant number by one - I make 2 different dishes (second dish would probably be the boozy beef "short ribs" over noodles if they have them again at Costco). If the group is against, then I'm OK with that.

leek wrote:Since we will be a small group again, I will request the "in for two" option, which would up our participant number by one - I make 2 different dishes (second dish would probably be the boozy beef "short ribs" over noodles if they have them again at Costco). If the group is against, then I'm OK with that.

I'm just fine with that, though if there are objections, let's hear 'em.

HI,

How can anyone object to more?

Regards,

So we each bring SEVEN containers to share.

GAF wrote:So we each bring SEVEN containers to share.

Thanks, GAF. I modified original post to reflect this clarification.

Hi,

May I make a wee suggestion? Why not have two lines:

1. Leek (in for dinner) - food item 1
2. Mr. Leek (in for dinner) - food item 2

Otherwise if she was bringing and he is tagging along, then:

1. Leek (2 for dinner) - food item

Less cognitive jumbling or mistakes from reading the info wrong.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

May I make a wee suggestion? Why not have two lines:

1. Leek (in for dinner) - food item 1
2. Mr. Leek (in for dinner) - food item 2

Otherwise if she was bringing and he is tagging along, then:

1. Leek (2 for dinner) - food item

Less cognitive jumbling or mistakes from reading the info wrong.

Regards,

leek, is DH coming?

I would really like to participate, but Monday evenings continue to be difficult for me. Is there anyone near me who'd be willing to bring my contribution to the dinner and pick up my shares? (I would of course deliver my contribution to and pick up my shares from whoever is standing in for me.) I live in East Village/West Town and work in Evanston.

If this kind of community supported dining exchange pick-up arrangement is too complicated, I completely understand. I'm just trying to figure out a way I can join in!

Sharon

Hi

2 dishes, no hubby

Lee

Edited to add:

Soupy Chili ingredients -
Ground Turkey, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, chili molido (no idea what kind), chipotle in adobo, Ro-Tel (regular and fiesta), corn, beans

Boozy Beef w/noodles ingredients -
beef, onion, celery, carrot, bay, thyme, worcestershire sauce, chipotle in adobo, chicken stock, red wine, tomato, noodles

Since most of the other dishes are meat dishes, I'm thinking to mix things up a bit I will change my dish to Bittman's Braised Lentils, Ethiopian-style. It's not an authentic Ethiopian dish, but quite tasty.

I'm new to lthforum, but would like to attend if there's still room. Please let me know if i've a spot -- thanks!

Regards,
Yumi

ymas wrote:I'm new to lthforum, but would like to attend if there's still room. Please let me know if i've a spot -- thanks!

Regards,
Yumi

Yumi, yes, there's still room. Please confirm and let's us know if you're coming for dinner and what you'll be bringing.

Looking forward to the event, and will post what i'll bring as soon as i can decide what to make -- thanks!

Is it too late to join the group? If not, I would like to attend dinner and bring food to share.

Thanks.

Jyoti