They did get a nice 2 pound or so package of my Burger's country ham chopped up in them.

It's so nice that you all did this, and I'm sorry I couldn't participate. Tell us more about the folks there -- how many, when do they expect to return home, or to move on to somewhere else? What were their feelings about what happened, the response, and what will happen to their homes? And how did they feel that the food you supplied measured up -- has anybody brought anything better (can't imagine, but maybe Charlie Trotter stopped by last week, or something.) You good people all deserve a gold star, or a gilded drumstick, more aptly.

YourPalWill wrote:They did get a nice 2 pound or so package of my Burger's country ham chopped up in them.

Will,

The beans were fabulous. QC said, in their praise, "They contain meat that you'd actually want to eat" (i.e., not gristly junk added just for flavor). I'm sorry I didn't take some home with me, but there was a container shortage at the close of the evening.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:

YourPalWill wrote:They did get a nice 2 pound or so package of my Burger's country ham chopped up in them.

Will,

The beans were fabulous. QC said, in their praise, "They contain meat that you'd actually want to eat" (i.e., not gristly junk added just for flavor). I'm sorry I didn't take some home with me, but there was a container shortage at the close of the evening.

Hammond

Yes, next dinner, on to the supply list must go plastic wrap.

Vital Information wrote:

David Hammond wrote:

YourPalWill wrote:They did get a nice 2 pound or so package of my Burger's country ham chopped up in them.

Will,

The beans were fabulous. QC said, in their praise, "They contain meat that you'd actually want to eat" (i.e., not gristly junk added just for flavor). I'm sorry I didn't take some home with me, but there was a container shortage at the close of the evening.

Hammond

Yes, next dinner, on to the supply list must go plastic wrap.

Actually, I wished I had some Tupperware -- we left a lot of beans on the battlefield, and I hope someone takes good care of them.

David

Vital Information wrote:

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

Will,

The beans were fantastic! Where did you purchase the sausage for them?

Rob,

Once again, many thanks to you and your wife for arranging this. It was a wonderful experience. I was amazed to listening to these individuals describe their ordeal.

Flip

Flip, the sausage was a smoked andouille. The brand is Thibadeux's from Opelousas, La. It can be purchased at Treasure Island in Boystown.



It's a really good authentic product.

Vital Information wrote: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...

Rob,

Initially I was told "they all left" for a Nation of Islam event, thus the, if not frantic, certainly concerned, phone call. Turns out there was plenty of Evacuees around to enjoy dinner, and much left for when the others returned from the event.

It was a real eyeopener to have a chance to talk with Katrina evacuees. I realized, while conversing with Joseph Washington over dinner, an interesting man who stepped on an alligator, thinking it was a log, while assisting people into boats, that this was the first personal contact I had with Katrina evacuees.

Joseph Washington


John Bubala of Thyme generously donated 16 Roasted Shoal Creek Farm chickens, paired with grilled onions and rich mashed potatoes. Between Thyme's chicken, and the Honey 1 Rib tips Mike G donated, and I picked up to bring to Madden, I had serious thoughts about stopping my car on I-290 and digging in. Lucky both the chickens and tips were packaged tightly.

In addition to the terrific Honey 1 rib tips and Thyme Chicken, Cathy2 brought deliciously smokey, juicy, hot links, which she made on her WSM, YourPalWill's fantastic red beans and the Condiment Queen's rice. In addition to making rice and helping Rob organize the Condiment Queen also made a killer bread pudding and whiskey sauce. I'm not usually a bread pudding fan, but the CQ's was delicious.

David Hammond brought a boat load of bread and Flip's potato salad, which he made, was damn good, which a nice celery crunch, and the cole slaw Pete and Johnny's donated was top notch. CrazyC brought wonderfully rich banana pudding with an Asian twist, CrazyC really knows her way around a banana.

All, including myself, enjoyed the food, which was as plentiful as it was delicious.

Condiment Queen serving evacuees.





Flip in left foreground


Rob and the Condiment Queen's two lovely, helpful, very nice daughters were integral to the evening running smoothly, though the only awkward moment of the evening occurred when Hammond ticked off Sophie, which resulted in her beating him up.


One small point re YouPalWill's red beans. Hammond said "we left a lot of beans on the battlefield." He must have mean beans in the broad sense, as a general term for food, as the pan containing YourPalWill's red beans was scraped clean, all-gone, so-long. Those were damn good red beans.


I echo the previous posts in that it was an interesting evening and I was very happy to be a small part. Thanks Rob for setting this up.

A few additional pictures may be found here

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:One small point re YouPalWill's red beans. Hammond said "we left a lot of beans on the battlefield." He must have mean beans in the broad sense, as a general term for food, as the pan containing YourPalWill's red beans was scraped clean, all-gone, so-long. Those were damn good red beans.

If you had helped clean up ( ), you'd have noticed that CQ put a sign on tray of beans that we put into the refrigerator in back. I'm still regretting that I didn't take some of them home -- they were fabulous.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:If you had helped clean up ( ),
you'd have noticed that CQ put a sign on tray of beans that we put into the refrigerator in back.

Hammond,

Me not help cleanup? I was cleaning like a tornado while you were outside doing god-knows-what with the police officers. (In reality, the Condiment Queen, along with Rob, did most of the clean up)

I think you may be incorrect. I brought Will's beans from Thyme, where John B graciously held and warmed them before pickup, and there was only one tray. I thought the red beans were gone even before clean up. I realize you may have been distracted, what, with getting slapped around by Sophie and all.

I believe we will need confirmation from the Condiment Queen before the explosive bean issue is settled.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:I believe we will need confirmation from the Condiment Queen before the explosive bean issue is settled.

Enjoy,
Gary

I do not think so.

Vital Information wrote:I do not think so.

??

Simply was hoping you'd ask the CQ if there were, or were not, any of Will's beans leftover.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

Vital Information wrote:I do not think so.

??

Simply was hoping you'd ask the CQ if there were, or were not, any of Will's beans leftover.

Enjoy,
Gary

I'm glad this is preying upon your mind.

About leftovers, I'm still enjoying those wonderful wieners that C2 smoked -- it's amazing the flavor dimensions added by a little interaction with meat, fat and smoke.

Hammond

G Wiv wrote:

Vital Information wrote:I do not think so.

??

Simply was hoping you'd ask the CQ if there were, or were not, any of Will's beans leftover.

Enjoy,
Gary

She says who you gonna believe, your own stinkin' eyes or is it, a picture is worth a 1,000 words or is it, if a pan falls in the refridgerator and the door is closed, does anyone here it?

Vital Information wrote:She says who you gonna believe, your own stinkin' eyes or is it, a picture is worth a 1,000 words or is it, if a pan falls in the refridgerator and the door is closed, does anyone here it?

Rob,

Could you be just a little more obtuse? I almost understood what you said.

Enjoy,
Gary

Okay boyz, I'm willing to let this issue go, though it is one of tremendous moment and concern. I'm sure I was wrong, every last bean was surely eaten, and all is well in the land of LTH.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Hi,

Rob & Sheila - Thanks for the interesting experience. As always, I am glad to participate in a free will offering of food to those in need. While writing a check is one expression of charity, I prefer to do it on a more personal level where I know where my efforts went.

All the food brought was well made and from the heart. If that is not home cooking, then what is?

While CrazyC and I arrived a few minutes after food began serving, I can see from the pictures there were more people present than I saw.

It was great to see Rob's girls there fully participating and being their charming selves. The gift of giving is something they will carry all their lives.

All in all another great event I would likely not pursued on my own without the LTHforum community.

All the best,
Cathy

G Wiv wrote:

Vital Information wrote:She says who you gonna believe, your own stinkin' eyes or is it, a picture is worth a 1,000 words or is it, if a pan falls in the refridgerator and the door is closed, does anyone here it?

Rob,

Could you be just a little more obtuse? I almost understood what you said.

Enjoy,
Gary

For the record, we finished one tray of beans and left one tray with them. All the rest of the above is a joke only I seem to understand.

Rob

Vital Information wrote:For the record, we finished one tray of beans and left one tray with them. All the rest of the above is a joke only I seem to understand.

Rob,

I still don't quite get the joke.

Not to carry the bean thing any further, but I brought Will's beans to Madden, there was only 1 tray. If the first tray was eaten, then there was no second tray.

Enjoy,
Gary 'The Bean Counter' Wiv

G Wiv wrote:

Vital Information wrote:For the record, we finished one tray of beans and left one tray with them. All the rest of the above is a joke only I seem to understand.

Rob,

I still don't quite get the joke.

Not to carry the bean thing any further, but I brought Will's beans to Madden, there was only 1 tray. If the first tray was eaten, then there was no second tray.

Enjoy,
Gary 'The Bean Counter' Wiv

Surely part of the joke has to do with the amount of trays no? 'cause I seem to remember putting an whole tray in the fridge for later eatin'

There were three trays, none of you can count and Hammond created this whole farce to cover his theft of the third tray, which is sitting half eaten in his home refrigerator... all as evidenced by his new signature line, "That's not John Phillips Sousa you hear coming from Oak Park."

You gotta have at least one bean/fart joke in this thread