This sounds like a lot of fun! Please count me in. I am happy to bring paper goods/drinks, etc. If there is no need for that, I will choose something from the recipe index.

i intend to crash the party!
will bring booze, paper plates n stuff
-ep

Helen will also bring her rice cooker that can make up to 10 cups cooked rice. If anyone else's contribution needs rice, then advise to make sure we prepare enough.

It's not required, but I'd love to have some rice with the Meen Moilee.

will bring booze,

EP - if you find any interest in Rene G's posted Chicago drink recipes, I'd love to try one. You can bring the booze and if you need any special garnishes or mixers, just let me know.

Kennyz wrote:The leaves are green, but much more uniformly rounded then the one in your pic - with a single point at the tip of some of the leaves. Is the picture of the red one Hibiscus sabdariffa, also called Jamaican sorrel or "the other cranberry"?

Yes, the top photo is hibiscus, which struck me as likely to make very good ice cream.

The bottom plant is Rumex scutatus, French sorrel; you've likely got R. acetosa or garden sorrel.

i might change my mind and bring EvA's hazelnut torte recipe, as there aren't enough desserts yet, and if the tomato situation doesn't look promising. justjoan

Okay, to avoid being one of those people with their name in red, here's approximately what I'll be bringing (which is roughly similar to what I brought to the picnic last year.)

Crown Roast of Kangaroo

Ingredients
2 8-rib Frenched racks of Kangaroo (approx. 1 3/4 lb. each)
herb/spice rub of your choice
Approx. 3 cups vegetable filling for center of crown roast (e.g. 1” sq. chunks of various varieties of summer squash, chunks of cucumber, chunks of parboiled carrot, turnip, or other non-leafy vegetable).
Oil (ideally olive oil, possibly with butter, plus a neutral oil to raise the smoke point)
Herbed butter

Method:
Find a kangaroo. Make friends with it. Then find a few young, athletic-looking guys, and ask them to immobilize it (this is usually done by singing “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport”). Kill it and cut it apart. Or, if you’re as lazy as I am, or you don’t have any kangaroos hopping through your immediate neighborhood, you could get them from a place like exoticmeats.com.

If necessary, defrost the two racks of ribs in the refrigerator, at least overnight. Rub with your favorite spice/herb mix (I use a mix of garlic salt, pepper, cilantro, ground grains of paradise, cumin, and a touch of cayenne). Let it sit (it won’t hop, really, I promise) for at least 30 minutes, so the flavor of the rub can permeate the meat a little.

Take two racks of frenched ribs, and cut partially through the meaty side parallel to each of the ribs, so that each rib can easily form a semicircle. Brush with olive oil and sear, bone side up, ideally in a cast iron skillet. Let cool slightly, then, using kitchen twine, tie the two semicircles of ribs together, frenched side up, to make a crown. On a roasting rack (or jelly roll pan), roast in a preheated oven at 400° for 15 minutes, then turn off the oven. Check frequently, and pull the roast out of the oven when an instant-read thermometer shows an internal temperature no higher than 125°. (The meat is very lean, and can get dried out easily if cooked much beyond rare.) Let rest, covered with foil, for juices to redistribute – approximately 10 minutes.

While the roast is in the oven, use the same skillet you used to sear the meat, to cook the vegetables. (You may need to also use another skillet to accommodate all the vegetables.) If desired, lightly flour the chunks of vegetable. Sauté in oil until nicely browned. If the vegetables brown, but can’t be easily penetrated with a paring knife, place the skillet in the oven with the crown roast of kangaroo to soften.

Melt the herbed butter in a small saucepan.

Carefully slide the crown roast off the roasting rack onto a serving plate. Fill the center with the vegetables, and drizzle with the melted herbed butter.

Allow guests to cut their own kangaroo rib chops and get a healthy serving of vegetables on the side.

At one rib each, serves 16. Rib chops may be cut into smaller pieces to serve more.

I count 4 places remaining, I'd like to claim two of them – But I'm not sure what what we will bring, since that afternoon is the genesis growers farm party.

I'll be bringing Joel F's nuea nam tok (spicy beef salad).
Can't wait to see everyone/try everything this weekend.
Thanks for organizing Cathy2

If there is still a place left, I'd like to attend this event. I just returned from Egypt, and I'll be attempting a Nubian okra casserole that I learned how to make while in Aswan. I'll post the recipe as soon as I know it works, to make it an official entry on the board.

Even though they are often associated with Christmas, I'm going to bring Bridgestone's Swedish Meatballs, which will require a bit of warm-up time in an oven.

I figure this will be a nice homage to one of LTHForum's finest recipe/method post-authors, and one who, unfortunately, cannot be there with us.

=R=

Oh how I wish I could make it!

If not for the wonderful company and good times then to taste what "the hand of the Ron" can do with my humble recipe...

I truly appreciate the thought, Ron.

Unfortunately, I will have to cancel because of work obligations. Hope everyone has a lot of fun!

To anyone who is bringing drinks (or who still needs something to bring) - we do not have an ice maker so we'll need to get bagged ice to serve all beverages. We do have a supermarket a few doors down so if you want to wait and buy it here you can roll your stash down in the cart (as long as you roll the cart back or tip the bagboy who comes down with you ).

Yes, C2 and I were just discussing ice, and we are looking for someone to bring it. If we go by the standard rule of thumb for party ice is (1 pound per person plus another 10 pounds for each 25 people -- and more in hot weather), we will need about 80 pounds.

LAZ,

Coincidentally, I was just asking figmolly about this in the background. She thought 80-100 pounds would do. There is a store on her block selling ice at approx. $1.59/10 pounds.

I guess I am chintzy when it comes to ice.

Regards,

If there's still room, I'd like to come plus 1. As I just learned of it, I need a bit of time to think of what I'll bring.

Okay, I hear the clarion call for ice. --That's roughly a match for my cooking skills, though it may be a bit of a stretch since I more usually boil water than freeze it. Good thing that grocery is in the vicinity! Count me in.

I'll probably toss in something to drink, too.

--Matt

Hi,

Any people who want to attend now are on a waitlist.

Regards,

I am happy to come early and help set up.

If stove space is at a premium, I will probably prepare the radishes ahead and rewarm - but I would need a heat-source of some kind to do this.

If enough people could use it, maybe someone can tote a small microwave? Alas mine is built-in...

I haven't figured out how to post recipes, but once I do, I plan on bringing a yogurt panna cotta. (And I'm bringing two guests!)

Eaterlover wrote:I haven't figured out how to post recipes, but once I do, I plan on bringing a yogurt panna cotta. (And I'm bringing two guests!)

We have already topped off at 50 people. You and your guests are presently waitlisted.

Sorry!

Regards,

I am sad to report that the country ham is off -- in more ways than one. I don't suppose it will shock anyone to discover that a suburban Chicago basement doesn't provide the best conditions for longterm aging of country ham. Although it took power tools to cut into the thing, the interior was distinctly rotten.

So, I am planning on a city ham, using Cathy2's glaze. (This assumes I can find a suitable ham on the bone. Today's scouting expedition turned up only spiral sliced ham portions and ham-and-water product.) To provide a country element -- and lest we get too gourmet here -- I will also bring waderoberts' hominy casserole (for which I'm claiming oven time).

For those of you still pondering what to bring, I notice we have no breads so far. There are about a dozen recipes for breads and rolls in the index.

Kennyz wrote:I'll be adding to the vegetable mix through inspiration received from Stephanie Izard and Rob Gardner (Vital Information).Today, at a great discussion Rob led, he hailed the benefits of eating local, using sorrel as an example of the bounty of interesting local produce to which we have access. At Scylla - Stephanie's pre-Top Chef Chicago restaurant, she had a terrific sorrel ice cream on the dessert menu. I'll try to recreate it this week, using Green Acres Farm sorrel. I'll post the recipe next week.

Plan B: Beth from Green Acres explained that the sorrel has been completely picked over in the last few weeks, and although it'll be back again soon, it won't be in time for me to make the sorrel ice cream this weekend. So, staying local with Greean Acres Farm produce, I'll instead go with a tried and true recipe that I made a few weeks ago: Peppermint/ Red Fire Chip ice cream. Recipe to follow shortly.

i just realized cubs/sox game was moved to sunday eve for tv
so wait list folks have an opening as i cannot attend
-jim

LTHForum 1,000-Recipe Potluck attendees and dishes

This event is full.

Ann Fisher 1 Millionaire chicken
aschie30 1 YourPalWill's conchita pibil and veggies
*Cathy2 1 Rich 4's summer lemon soda and extramsg's brine method for homemade pastrami
Cynthia 1 Nubian okra casserole
Cookie Monster 1 Berry and peach cobbler or pierogi?
David Hammond+1 2 Gravlax and mustard
figjustin+figmolly 2 sazerac's meen moilee and G Wiv's Peruvian spicy dip
G Wiv+1 2 Jellied moose nose?
*gastro gnome+1 2 Molly Stevens' butter-glazed radishes and LAZ's Derby Day salad {stove}
Giovanna 1 Keri's hog-apple baked beans
GreenFish+1 (& baby) 2 TBA
helen+felix 2 Triple-cooked pork belly with preserved mustard and rice
jazzfood+1 2 TBA
jsv+1 2 Lella's pimento cheese and Bruce's olive salsa
justjoan 1 Marcella Hazan's panzanella or EvA's hazelnut torte?
jygach 1 Ramon's goi ga and red velvet cake with beets
Kennyz+1 2 Peppermint/red fire chip ice cream
*LAZ+RheS+1 3 City ham with Cathy2's glaze and waderoberts' hominy casserole {oven}
Mhays+1 2 Food desert Moros y Cristianos and meatloaf with masala curry sauce
mhl 1 Ice
nr706 1 Crown roast of kangaroo
Octarine+2 3 TBA
Rene G 1 TBA
ronnie_suburban+2 3 Bridgestone's Swedish meatballs {oven}
Santander 1 Bocadillo cantabrico?
stevez+1 2 trixie-pea's mac and cheese
tarte tatin 1 Soft drinks
Terrasini+1 2 TBA
thaiobsessed 1 JoelF's nuea naam tok
wustlmike+1 2 TBA


Total 49

Waitlist:
EaterLover+2 3



If your name is in red, please decide on a dish; if your name is in green, please post your recipe. Everyone, if you will need stove or oven time, please let us know.

Also, if you are able to come early and help set up, please volunteer.

*Set-up crew: Cathy2, gastro gnome, LAZ, RheS

Hi,

I would like to respectfully remind people that everyone is expected to bring stuff as well as pitch in.

A representative dish for the clan isn't quite what is desired. If you are bringing friends or family with you, then it is expected they contribute to the feast, too.

Chairs, plates and cups are provided by the $5 contribution per person, though infants are excepted.

We certainly could use some assistance on the early side setting up and everyone will help tidy up in the end. We are grateful to have Fig Molly and Fig Justin host us and want to leave them with a happy memory. Who knows, we may want to be on their good side to do this again someday.

Looking forward to a great occasion.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:I would like to respectfully remind people that everyone is expected to bring stuff as well as pitch in.

A representative dish for the clan isn't quite what is desired. If you are bringing friends or family with you, then it is expected they contribute to the feast, too.

Regards,

OK, instead of Peppermint/ Red Fire Chip ice cream, my guest and I will bring Peppermint Ice Cream AND Red Fire Chips

Seriously, though this rule sounds unnecessarily harsh to me (do we really need to have 50+ dishes?), I'll oblige and find something else to add.

Kenny,

It is also a bit much to expect individuals to supply goodies, then the couples and friends waltz in on one dish.

I am going to bring a 3rd dish: pesto made with garlic scapes I bought last weekend.

Regards,

I am only bringing one dish. The Chow Poodle will not be attending.