Small Household Exchange @ BALMORAL 10.13.19m 5 PM

The Small Household Food Exchange, among other things, is an opportunity for everyone to describe and show off their cooking skills.

It is also an opportunity to gather a small group to try a restaurant where a few people may not be enough. On this occasion, we are going to congregate at Al Bawadi Grill ---NO NO NO - We are moving to Balmoral due to this thread:

I hope those attending like their meat, because their meat or kabob platters are divine:

LARGE MIXED MEAT PLATTER (SERVES 5-6 PEOPLE)
A mix of shish kabab, kufta kabab, chicken kufta, shish tawook, quails, lamb chops, shawerma, grilled onions and tomatoes served over our famous biryani (red) and saffron (yellow) rice and garnished with fresh parsley and roasted silvered almonds. ($4 charge for any additional item change)
$99.99
OR
LARGE MIXED KABAB PLATTER (SERVES 5-6 PEOPLE)
A total of fifteen skewers of 5 shish kabab, 5 kufta kabab, 5 shish tawook, shawerma, grilled onions and tomatoes served over our famous biryani (red) and saffron (yellow) rice and garnished with fresh parsley and roasted silvered almonds. ($4 charge for any additional item change)
$99.99

WITH
1 Round Plate - Humus, 1 Round Plate - Baba Ghanouj, 1 Square Tray - Fattoush Salad, 1 Round Plate - Muthawama, 1 Dozen Pita Bread, 1 Round Plate, Mixed Pickles & Olives

So get to work cooking dishes to share with other LTHers.

Or don’t … everyone’s welcome to join for camaraderie, conviviality and companionship.

Note that we cap attendance at 12 with a maximum of 10 people exchanging dishes. Those who exchange dishes will have first priority, but they should post by May 11, 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 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 at each gathering at 12, and food exchange participants at 10, so that participants are never making more than 10 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). 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 one week before the monthly gathering. 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
Cathy2 - Lamb and feta stuffed cabbage
NR706 - ravioli made from the leftover Eland from the picnic.
moetchandon - Butter Chicken with cauliflower and jasmine rice

Dinner and sparkling company


Sunday, October 13, 2019

Balmoral Restaurant
40W099 IL-64
Campton Hills, IL 60175
http://www.balmoralrestaurant.com/

In.

Contemplating, but not 100% sure I'll be in town.
Cathy - would you mind listing a few dishes that were "hits" in previous exchanges to give me an idea? Off the bat, I'm thinking smoked jerk and tandoori chicken parts for an offering. Maybe some slow cooker nihari / nehari.

seebee wrote:Contemplating, but not 100% sure I'll be in town.
Cathy - would you mind listing a few dishes that were "hits" in previous exchanges to give me an idea? Off the bat, I'm thinking smoked jerk and tandoori chicken parts for an offering. Maybe some slow cooker nihari / nehari.

This is the range of food exchanged since January. Please make whatever pleases you, because that's pretty much what any of us do.
nr706 —Savory Dinner Ice Cream - Ham & Cheese
moetchandon — Jambalaya
Cathy2 — Cauliflower Kuku
Cathy2 - Turkey Tetrazzini
nr706 - Choux pastries — Pick A Choux
moetchandon - Cheese lasagna
nr706 — Salmon Mousse with other stuff
moetchandon — Salisbury Steak
Cathy2 — Pasta a la Norma
Pie Lady — Sri Lankan fish curry with roasted cauliflower
Cathy2: Jókai bableves.
Pie Lady: Guava swirl cheesecake
NR706: Cullen Skink, because he likes the name
Moetchandon: Chicken Piccata
DiverseDancer: Thai Green curry modified for the plant paradox level of healthy (probably the only noticeable change will be the the lack of eggplant, and not served with rice.) Made with BBQed (lightly smoked) turkey breast instead of chicken, because that is what I have. I will also bring my signature hummus, with one new (secret till Sunday) enhancement.
nr706 — Firm Spoonbread or loose Cornbread with sausage, bacon and veggies
Cathy2 — Stuffed Grape Leaves
moetchandon — Carne Adovada
Pie Lady — champagne chicken with mushrooms

I’m in for dinner and exchange.

Hi,

This is something I am thinking about, but I am intrigued: Yucatecan picadillo negro tacos. Extramsg's staff meal today was those, but I am intrigued by a sauce made with burnt peppers.



Regards,
Cathy2

If you try it, you better warn your neighbors. I wouldn't want to be downwind of that smoke.

I am make a Butter Chicken with cauliflower and jasmine rice.

Hi,

I am now teetering between stuffed cabbage or Italian meat sauce over soft polenta, which garnered first prize at the Illinois State Fair, 2018.

I am just bursting at the seams for long cooked food presently.

Regards,
Cathy2

Hi,

A convergence of many influences, we are changing our destination from Al Bawadi Grill (no fear, we will get there soon enough) to Balmoral, because Nr706 is of Scottish heritage AND it is his birthday (which the restaurant allows a discount for the table).

Thanks to Dave148, irisarbor, JoelF and diversedancer for providing information on a rare Scottish restaurant.

Regards,
Cathy2

Balmoral Restaurant
40W099 IL-64
Campton Hills, IL 60175
http://www.balmoralrestaurant.com/

Full disclosure - birthday was a week and a half ago. But we can still get the discount.

BTW — I'll be bringing ravioli made from the leftover Eland from the picnic.

Finally settled on lamb and feta stuffed cabbage.

Still intrigued by the sauce make with burnt chilis, though it will be someday in the future.

Reservation at 5 PM under my name.

See ya!

Cathy2

Intrigued, but can not make it (yet). Are the dishes' recipes ever posted here?
Enjoy and Happy Belated birthday!

jilter wrote:Intrigued, but can not make it (yet). Are the dishes' recipes ever posted here?
Enjoy and Happy Belated birthday!

Hi,

I guess if somebody asked! Sometimes I will link to a recipe I found.

The cabbage rolls today were from two recipes:
- Lamb and feta stuffed cabbage rolls
- Lamb and rice stuffed cabbage rolls

Skipped nuts, added dill instead of oregano (out of it), cinnamon, cumin and skipped cayenne (one can always add heat, but it is impossible to take it away).

I make lamb stuffed grape leaves, so I emulated some techinique from there: cooked the onions then added rice and some liquid to partially cook. Briefly rehydrated the currants.

If I had ground pork in the freezer, I would have gone in a very different direction. I am happy it was lamb and now I have new cabbage roll variant to draw on.

Regards,
Cathy2

P.S. I hope you will join us sometime soon! We don't live that far from each other. If we go somewhere far, we can carpool.