Small Household Food Exchange @ HD Cuisine 9/12 6:30pm

It’s been about a year and a half since some of us LTHers from small households have been able to get together.

If only we could think of an appropriate venue to renew the monthly tradition …

ronnie_suburban wrote:Good stuff over at HD Cuisine.

He’s not alone in that opinion.

So, the Small Household Food Exchange will convene Sunday, September 12 at 6:30 pm for the Hawker Delights at HD Cuisine in Wheeling.

So get to work cooking dishes to share with other LTHers. (And don’t worry about the rumors about LTH palate sophistication — often the simplest dishes are the best, while other offerings have been spectacular failures [don’t look at me like that, C2].)

Or don’t … maybe you just want an excuse to try an interesting restaurant … everyone’s welcome to join for the three c's — camaraderie, conviviality and companionship.

Due to limited seating at HD Cuisine, we”ll have to cap attendance at 8, but we can set up a wait list. We already have a reservation. Those who exchange dishes will have first priority, but they should post by Wednesday September 8, to allow cooks to plan, shop and create.

The Basics
We’re always interested in fresh blood. Even if you can't exchange, please join us for dinner and conversation! But we encourage all to bring a few samples of the cuisine you enjoy at your home; it’s a great way for all of us to get to know each other better, discuss food and cooking techniques, and ultimately, later, have a meal at home that we might not have thought of making for ourselves.

What is the Small Household Food Exchange, you may ask.
Most importantly, it’s a gathering of like-minded folks at an interesting restaurant for a meal, taking advantage of the ordering power of a good number of people to share and sample a good number of menu items.

The Small Household Food Exchange started so that those of us in 1-2 person households who love to cook aren't stuck eating that big pot of chili for a whole week. Instead, we make 4-10 servings of one dish, and bring home 4-10 different dishes. Exchanging participants bring one pre-portioned serving of their food for every exchanger who has RSVP’d to come and bring a dish that month. The priority will be for entrees, meats, soups, salad, stews, pastas, grains, etc. (Check the Events Board, there’s a separate Dessert Exchange.)

The fine print
Number in the group: We will cap attendance for this gathering at 8, (food exchange participants also at , so that, this month, participants are never making more than 8 servings of anything. Couples can be counted as one serving, or two — if you come as a couple, please specify whether you're bringing one or two dishes to exchange.

There will be no restrictions on the food – we’re an omnivorous bunch. IF ANYONE HAS ANY ALLERGIES, PLEASE LET THE GROUP KNOW.

The containers/delivery system: Everyone in the group should use the GLADWARE 3 1/8 CUP PLASTIC CONTAINERS (7” x 7” square container with a blue lid). Look for this on the label:
Gladware.jpg

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. 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 no one has to run out and buy more.
Ideally, everyone will find a way to label their containers, describing the contents, so we don’t end up staring into our freezers at a field of blue-lidded containers and wondering what’s in each one (not that there’s anything wrong with the occasional surprise …).

Please RSVP your attendance by responding in this thread. If you're exchanging, please post what you're bringing at least three days before the gathering.

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.

Hope to see you there!

Attending:

Dinner and Exchange
nr706 — Oyster Chowder
moetchandon — Lamb Shoulder Something
Cathy2 — Smokey Chipotle Beef

Dinner and sparkling company
GAF

Save the date!
Sunday, September 12, 2021, 6:30 pm

HD Cuisine
27 Huntington Ln (strip mall on north side of Dundee Rd)
Wheeling, IL 60090
(847) 777-1031

Yay!

I will be there with something interesting, once I figure it out.

Regards,
Cathy

Count me in for dinner and sparkling conversation.

I will be making something with lamb shoulder. Haven’t decided exactly what, but I’ve been wanting to cook one for a while now and this seems like a good time to do it.

Hi,

I will make 'Smokey Chipotle Beef.'

This can be served in tacos. Do you want me to supply torilla's or is this something you keep around the house anyway? Or I can Mexican rice, instead.

Regards,
Cathy2

Pix or it didn't happen. At least in the HD Cuisine thread.