CROWDED KITCHEN!

CROWDED KITCHEN

This blog describes itself as "flexitarian" and has restaurant quality recipes that can bring people together despite any dietary differences. Choose any recipe from any part of the blog. You can choose a recipe that suits your special diet or personal eating habits, or you can try something new! Have fun exploring! Remember...you can PLAY with the recipe if you want - you don't have to do it exact. Be creative and talk to us about what you did different! For example, you can substitute ingredients, add meat to meatless dishes, make a regular dish gluten free, or just adjust things in the recipe that you feel need adjusting! Have fun...make it yours! :)) When you find something that 'speaks' to you, leave a comment and let us know what you're bringing!

If the event is "full" just jump on the waitlist no matter how long it is! As events get closer it is likely that you may be moved to the "going" list if people drop off.

EVENT ROAD MAP:

• Peruse the blog and choose at least one recipe. Don't feel obligated to double the recipe - everyone will take a small portion, and not everyone will eat every single thing. So feel free to prepare one regular recipe as written, but you can make more if you really want to.
• Leave a comment, and let us know what you're bringing. Please try not to duplicate dishes. We want to experience as many recipes as possible! Hopefully we will all find new blogs and recipes that we really love and can add to our cooking repertoire as time goes on!
• Prepare your dish at home and bring it to the event. If you are preparing a hot dish, think about how you want to keep your dish warm. We have a microwave and a stove / oven available for warming. You might also consider a crockpot, warming tray, chafing dish, or insulated carrier. It may also be just as tasty served at room temperature! Whatever works for you - just plan ahead!
• Attempt to arrive on time (by 6:00) with your dish. If you arrive late, there is a good possibility that your dish may not get eaten. We want everything available for sampling at the beginning and we will probably start each event within 5-10 minutes after 6:00 just to give everyone a chance to settle in.
• Place your dish on the table, label it, get a name tag, and grab a cup of coffee :). You can either create a label for your dish at home or use the provided labels. You can indicate if your dish is vegan or gluten free (or any other special diet.
• Allergies: Please label all nuts, nut based flours, coconut, gluten, dairy, shellfish, and mushrooms for allergy purposes. We have members that are allergic to these foods. (If anyone is allergic to something other than what is listed, please let me know).

RSVP:
Please be sure to change your rsvp if you cannot attend. Please do not wait until the last minute to do so. This makes it very difficult for people on the waitlist to research recipes and have time to cook. No-shows make it impossible for others to attend. If you don't show up for a meetup or back out last minute, we may scoot you over to the wait list for the next event to give someone else a chance. We want to be fair to everyone and give everyone equal opportunity to enjoy these events! :)

PROVIDED:
There will be paper goods, disposable utensils, serving utensils, name tags, labels, coffee, tea, creamer, and water. That being said, we are asking that every few events, each of you consider donating one of the following to help with supply costs. DONATIONS ACCEPTED:

• a small box of eating utensils - clear or white
• or a small bag of ground coffee, ground decaf, or tea (no more keurig)
• coffee filters
• cold cups for water
• hot cups with lids
• napkins

Some people may opt to bring their own plate to cut down on trash and costs. This is purely a personal choice, and we will always have paper plates available! Also, if you are interested in leftovers, please BRING YOUR OWN take-out container. There will probably be an opportunity to take some left-overs home at the end of the evening! Tomorrow's lunch? We will not be providing take out containers so please remember to pack one!

$$ CONTRIBUTIONS:
It is suggested that attendees contribute $3 - $5 at each event (contribution bucket provided). Meetup expenses do add up, the cost to organize a group increases each year, and it does take time and effort to make things nice :). If you would like to see what your contributions are going towards, all expenses and donations are recorded, but the link often doesn't work on mobile - only on a computer. You can find a record of expenses and contributions here. We appreciate any and all donations!

We are looking forward to meeting you, discussing recipes, and spending time with you around the table! See you soon! Have FUN exploring and cooking!

Christine and Alison