Feed some Katrina Evacuees - SEPTEMBER 27, 2005 (SEE BELOW)

As some of you may know, some of the hurricane evacuees were taken to Maywood Illinois. Unfortunately, they are being fed hospital food. Of course, I want to do something for that.

I am making arrangements to provide dinner on FRIDAY NIGHT FOR 40 people, but note, this is tentative. There is probably need for dinners on other nights as well. Please respond on this thread or otherwise contact me if you would like to participate. If you want to arrange other dinners this week, let me know, and I will put you in touch with the right people.

Rob

Rob,

I would love to participate, but this Friday does not fit into the schedule. If you secure this date let me know and I will find some way to contribute.

Flip

Hi,

What time is this planned for?

Regards,

Please let me know how I can help either with a donation or in preparing and serving.

YourPalWill wrote:Please let me know how I can help either with a donation or in preparing and serving.

I've left two messages for the contact I was given. I will post more as soon as I know.

Rob

Bear with me. We are getting there. I should have more detals later today.

Rob

Ok, we have our date for the dinner for the Katrina people at the Madden Facility in Maywood--September 27. That's next Tuesday. It's dinner for 60. I have nothing specific in mind, although when I was there the other day, there seemed to be a hankering for red beans...I'm thinking also some BBQ spareribs.

Now, the dinner is for approximately 60 PEOPLE. My thinking on the ribs at least, is that we can split up the bbqing amongst several volunteers, some people may even wanna just pick up a slab or two from Honey1 or something. We need the beans, rice, dessert, etc.

Please let me know ASAP if you can help/how you can help. I will post updates as they come in.

Rob

PS
I should add that dinner will be served at around 6 PM, but its not like it has to be served at 6 on the dot. People can surely come to help serve and hang out even if they do not wanna cook.

PPS
We need the ability to serve the food too, so if you do not wanna cook, we need plates and other eating stuff. Also non-alcoholic drinks will be needed.

Picking up ribs at Honey1-- that's a great idea. Two good causes in one.

Mike G wrote:Picking up ribs at Honey1-- that's a great idea. Two good causes in one.

Please let me know how much you will pick up.

Hi,

What about hot links? I could smoke up a mess of those.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

What about hot links? I could smoke up a mess of those.

Regards,

Great, just let me know how much you can do. No one person has to cook/provide for 60, but together, we can do it.

Rob

Hi,

I can do 20 pounds. I believe I have a large bottle of Louisiana hot sauce from my last travel south. If not, I have a bunch of Texas Pete.

Regards,

The restaurant Thyme has VERY graciously agreed to donate 16 whole roast chickens with mashed potatoes. Between that and Cathy2's sausage, and the few people who have suggested some other meat options, we should be fine on meat.

Breads, salads, drinks and especially desserts are still needed. Also, paper plates, forks, knives, etc. if you don't wanna cook.

If someone wants to volunteer to pick up the food from Thyme on Tuesday afternoon, I would REALLY appreciate that.

Rob

Vital Information wrote:If someone wants to volunteer to pick up the food from Thyme on Tuesday afternoon, I would REALLY appreciate that.

Rob,

I'll volunteer to pick up the food from Thyme and bring soda. As it gets closer to the date if you find yourself missing an essential, paper plates, forks etc., let me know and I will bring that as well.

Very nice of Thyme to donate the chickens.

Enjoy,
Gary

Should I still be thinking ribs or should I be thinking a side dish?

Not sure what your "meat options" calculation includes.

Mike G wrote:Should I still be thinking ribs or should I be thinking a side dish?

Not sure what your "meat options" calculation includes.

I think tips would make sense or a side dish or whatever you can do...

Rob

Rob, count me in for a big pot of red beans.

I will also do some simple Jambalaya as a side dish.

Rob,

If you still need desserts, I can make banana pudding... I think that is becoming my signature dessert... =)

Let me know how many trays....

YourPalWill wrote:Rob, count me in for a big pot of red beans.

I will also do some simple Jambalaya as a side dish.

Great!

I will take care of some plain rice. I think we are set on "main" dishes. Also, Flip is making some potato salad.

Dessert anyone?

Rob

CrazyC wrote:Rob,

If you still need desserts, I can make banana pudding... I think that is becoming my signature dessert... =)

Let me know how many trays....

Fantastic!

I have no idea how many trays, but enough for 50 or so people...

OK, desserts are covered. Its now mainly plates, forks, napkins, that kinda stuff, although as always, whatever you wanna do, goes over well.

Rob

Rob,

Will there be an opportunity to heat food up there? Otherwise I can take it fresh off the smoker and try to preserve the heat.

I have lots of paper plate odds and ends leftover from lots of occasions, plus cups et al ... if these are considered ok, then I will inventory what I have so we know of any shortages.

Will we be eating with the guests or going somewhere afterwards ...

Regards,

Just a few details, more to come:

The TIME for dinner is 6 PM, but it's not like we have to serve at 6 on the dot.

The LOCATION where the dinner is, i.e., where the Katrina people are living is the Madden Mental Health Facility. I've put a link to a Google map for Madden below. It would be "B" on this map. Go to the main entrance off of First Avenue and they will direct you to where the people are, which is Pavillions 5 and 6. Note, it is just north of the Eisenhower/290 at the 1st Avenue exit.

Map to Madden

Everything is coming together REALLY well, but there is still plenty of room for anyone who wants to participate. Here's the menu so far:

Chickens and potatoes - from Thyme - GWiv has is picking up/taking to Madden

Rib tips - MikeG (let me know if you are coming or otherwise how you are getting the stuff to Madden.)

Drinks - Gary

Hot Links - Cathy2 (let me know if you are coming or otherwise how you are getting the stuff to Madden.)

Potato Salad - Flip making, will get to VI some time on Tuesday

Cole Slaw - Flip has arranged with Pete and Johnny's in Lisle, will pass off to VI with potato salad

Red Beans - Our Pal Will has made and dropped off at Thyme which has aggeed to hold the beans for us until Tuesday, then re-heat. Gary will bring the beans to Madden.

Rice - I'll make, if anyone wants to make some rice too, that would be appreciated.

Banana pudding - Crazy C (let me know if you are coming or otherwise how you are getting the stuff to Madden.)

Bread pudding - The Condiment Queen

Plates, glasss, forks and knives - Gary and Cathy2 have both offered, but if someone else wants to step up..

Bread?


Missing anything?

I will be driving over to Madden... Feeling a little under the weather, so I might not stay the entire time...

Cathy2 wrote:Rob,

Will we be eating with the guests or going somewhere afterwards ...

I assume there will be enough food for all helpers but perhaps a post Madden prandial would be nice too. We can surely play it by ear.

Rob

VI,

I can make it tonight (sorry for the late notice) if you still need either additional supplies or help or both. Let me know if I'd be useful or in the way.

Hammond

PS. C2, we can reconnoiter Xmas venue afterwards.

I hope all went well. Please give us a report. thanks for putting this together, Rob. Sorry to have to miss out.

YourPalWill wrote:I hope all went well. Please give us a report. thanks for putting this together, Rob. Sorry to have to miss out.

Well, GWiv got there a few minutes before me. He says in a somewhat frantic voice, that no one's there, they all went to a Nation of Islam event. I'm like, that Wiv, what a joker...

You know even if everyone was present, there would have been a lot of leftovers. That's the kinda generosity our community offers. And I think there will be plenty of great food availble for a few days.

The rundown:

- Red beans from OurPalWill - I lived in New Orleans for 3 years. I've had red beans many a Monday. I've also had many an Illinois red bean. These were no faux red beans. Complex, meaty enough, filled with flavor, one of the guests actually said they were a bit too spicy for him, just great red beans.

- Roast chicken, mashed potatoes and grilled onions from Thyme. As I noted to Wiv, it is one thing for a restaurant to step up for something like this, it is even more when they step up without even being asked. Not only did Thyme help with its delicious food, they were crucial in pulling the whole thing off. They held the red beans for a few days, re-heated the food and helped make sure it all got to Madden. Thyme really came through. That's the kinda place you want in your city (especially as they can cook so well too!)

- Which gets me back to that not so kidder, GWiv. He also played a key role in making things happen. He drove down to Thyme to take all that stuff being held there, over to Madden. Along the way, he got a pan of Honey1 rib tips generously donated by MikeG, a bunch of pop, plates and plastic silverware. A very important set of tasks indeed.

- Those rib tips from Honey1 went very quick. I snuck in and grabbed one, and boy were they good. Thanks again MikeG.

- We said 6 PM but people started gathering as soon as the food arrived and as it was hot but losing heat (we had no warmers), we just started serving. This meant that Cathy2's smoked links did not show up at first. Still, when they did, the aroma of long smoking lured even the stuffed. I'm no pushover or patsey (really), but these were about the best Chicago style links I've ever had.

- Flip made too much potato salad and picked up too much cole slaw generously donated by Pete and Johnny's in Lisle, but everyone still loved it. The salads played perfectly against the other foods. Flip was a star server as well.

- Hatless Hammond brought too much bread (my fault) and was an all around help in fixing things up.

- Then, we got to dessert. Asian style banana pudding seemed, strangely enough to me, to be exactly Southern in style and deliciousness. CrazyC, I am sure, could take Singapore by storm with this dessert.

- The Condiment Queen, who also skillfully manned a rice cooker throughout the day so there would be enough bottom for the red beans top, made a stunningly delicious New Orleans style bread budding (recipe nod to Joy of Cooking). What made the pudding, of course, and what inspired one of the guests to tell me it made him feel like he was back home, was a gen-u-ine hard sauce stirred up by the Queen.

If not everyone made dinner, no one did not have a great time. Thanks again for pulling this together.

Rob

Thanks for the compliments on the red beans. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I pulled the recipe for New Orleans Red Beans from the Zatarain's website (x6).

YourPalWill wrote:Thanks for the compliments on the red beans. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I pulled the recipe for New Orleans Red Beans from the Zatarain's website (x6).

Well that explains it! Great thinking, nothing to be ashamed of at all