There’s nothing quite like some well-earned time off in a cool new place, but vacations certainly don’t pay for themselves. Here are a few ideas for funding your next getaway.

1. The change jar: It’s not groundbreaking, but it works. Here’s an eye-opening stat: Putting $1.37 per day into your change jar adds up to $500 in a year!

2. Sell your stuff: We all have some clutter that we don’t need and have been looking for an excuse to get rid of, and that stuff can be pretty valuable. Think of what might be stored in your attic or basement—baseball cards, furniture, etc. It’s not junk, but it’s not doing you any good, and someone might find it valuable.

3. Set up a dedicated savings account: You could do this in your current bank account, or use one of several online services that are tailor-made for vacation savings. Have the money transferred directly from each paycheck so that you’re always saving on schedule.

4. Get the kids involved: Vacations are even more expensive when you’ve got a family. If your kids get money from jobs, chores, or an allowance, ask them to put a little money away for vacation here and there—it could end up paying for a meal or a night in a hotel.

5. Volunteer: Your church or community center probably organizes low-cost vacations where you can visit a new place and do some good by giving back to the community.

With Valentine’s Day, the Super Bowl, and the end of the Lunar New Year converging this weekend, there’s more fun than ever to be had in Chicago! 

“And the final rose goes to…”Bachelor: The Unauthorized Parody Musical!” Lincoln Park’s Apollo Theatre, 2550 N. Lincoln Avenue, presents this unauthorized tale of woah, singing his heart out to original tunes like ‘Sob Story,’ ‘Two-On-One Tango,’ and ‘The Date Card is a Riddle.’ With romance, competition, and contestants who “may or may not be here for The Right Reasons,” it may just remind you of someone you know/love/have loved before! Now through Thursday, February 17. For tickets, click here.

Facets Multimedia, 1517 W. Fullerton Avenue, celebrates your best friends in the world! From Friday, February 11 to Sunday, February 13, three films celebrating the power of women and their relationships. Galentine’s Weekend features ‘Set It Off’ on Friday, followed by ‘Mullholland Drive’ on Saturday, and two films on Sunday: ‘Frances Ha,’ and ‘Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion.’ For tickets, click here.

Nothing says love like…a new car! Or a day with the family! Take the whole family to the 2022 Chicago Auto Show starting Saturday, February 12 at the South Exhibit Hall, McCormick Place, 2301 S. King Drive. You’ll be humming “In My Merry Oldsmobile” Or “Baby You Can Drive My Car” before you know it! More than 1,000 shiny new cars of all makes, sizes and models, lots of demonstrations and kid-friendly activities make the nation’s largest Auto Show fun for the whole family! From Saturday, February 12 to Sunday, February 20, the show is open from 10am-10pm. On Monday February 21 (President’s Day) the show is open 10am-8pm. Tickets are $15 adults, $10 for seniors 62+ and children 4-12. Children 3 and under are FREE. For tickets, click here.

Tired of the same old Super Bowl fare? Think Greek! St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 2727 W. Winona, is hosting a Winter Greek Food Fest from Friday, February 11 thru Sunday February 13! According to Patch.com., you can keep warm with authentic homemade Greek food to take home for you and your family with favorites like souvlaki, gyros, pastichio and more. Due to Covid restrictions, they are offering this as takeout only. Party packs are also available. Opaaa! Pre orders are accepted.

And for those who are Anti-Valentiners…Safe House, 60 E. Ohio Street, hosts the ultimate Chicago Anti-Valentines Day Party.  The James Bond-themed restaurant say, “Calling all agents who have been burned by the flames of love! You’ve loved and you’ve lost. Now let it go at Operation: Bang and Burn, SafeHouse Chicago’s Anti-Valentine’s Day Party.

Drown your sorrows away with our “Better Than Happy Hour” specials, $5 Well cocktails, draft beer & house wine. Pour your heart out at the mic with live karaoke starting at 8pm.” For more information, click here.

Here’s to love and romance for us all!

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago

Homemade dips are the easiest appetizers for any party and especially this coming Sunday. Many dips are easy to make and are so much better than store bought!

French onion dip is one of my favorites and can be made the day before for even better flavor. Slice a large, sweet onion and drizzle with EVOO and salt and pepper. Grill on a grill pan on the stove till tender and charred, along with a large, unpeeled garlic clove. Peel the garlic and place in a food processor along with the cooled onion. Add 4oz. softened cream cheese, ½ cup full fat sour cream, ¼ cup mayonnaise, two tablespoons of lemon juice and two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce. Pulse until all the ingredients are combined (but leave it a little chunky). This is great with crudité as well as chips!

Queso is another dip so delicious made at home. Simply mix Velveeta with your favorite salsa. There are endless possibilities with the large array of salsas available. You can go hot or mild, smokey, chunky, or smooth. Heat in the microwave till melted, stirring frequently. 

Everyone loves guacamole! The basic recipe is fairly simple. Mash ripe avocado and add chopped red onion, jalapeno, and seeded plum tomato. I add garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Complete the dip with a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice and of course, hot pepper sauce. Here, too, there’s so much room for adjusting for your taste! A popular addition to the dip is fresh cilantro; I’m part of the population that really doesn’t like it, but if that’s your thing, add a good handful, chopped. It’s also good to leave the guacamole a little chunky but again, many people enjoy a smooth dip. Always make guacamole just before serving. 

Buffalo dip is great for those who like a little heat in their dip. Combine ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup hot pepper sauce, two tablespoons of whole milk and one 1-pound brick of room temperature cream cheese. Use a hand mixer. Add one cup of cooked, chopped chicken. Spread evenly in a glass pie plate or small casserole. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 25 minutes. Top with sliced scallions. You can drizzle a little bleu cheese dressing on the top if you like too!

All these dips are great with authentic tortilla chips. These are available everywhere now. I recommend salt free, as the salted kind can be overpowering. Pita chips are great too. You can make your own pita and tortilla chips if you are ambitious!

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago

There’s no doubt whatsoever that we’re still dealing with the winter season and all its cold temps and snow!  However, this first weekend in February means we’re one month closer to the spring season! In the meantime, here are a few ideas for you to have a fun weekend.

There’s plenty of talent in town this weekend to take in a live show or two. Here are just a few:

Returning to the Auditorium Theatre (50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr.) in The Loop for its third appearance in the “Made in Chicago” Dance Series, the Trinity Irish Dance Company takes center stage on Saturday from 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. with its unique blend of traditional and innovative Irish dance and live music. With a focus on the company’s powerful women dancers and its ability to incorporate various dance styles, you will simply be mesmerized by their footwork that seems so unreal!  It’s truly a pleasure to see!

If that weren’t enough, ABC’s number one entertainment show is hitting the road! That’s right, Dancing with the Stars will be live at the Rosemont Theatre (5400 N. River Rd.) in Rosemont this Sunday from 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. Not only will this tour recreate the most memorable dances from the program’s previous seasons, but it also will showcase brand new never-before-seen routines with a line-up that includes a host of famous names, some favorites from the show, a playlist of hot chart tracks and plenty of gorgeous costumes! If you thought the dancing was spectacular on TV, wait till you see it live!!

Resuming his mammoth farewell tour which began in 2018, Sir Elton John will be performing his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour at the United Center (1901 W. Madison St.) this Saturday from 8 p.m. – 11 p.m.  The audience will be taken on a massive visual journey spanning his entire 50-year career! This most likely will be your final chance to catch the Rocketman live before he takes off for retirement among the stars!

Join the Uptown neighborhood this Saturday (12 p.m. – 4 p.m.) for their annual Argyle Lunar New Year Celebration. The community welcomes the Year of the Tiger with a parade kicking off at 1 p.m. sharp at Argyle & Winthrop featuring dazzling dragons, dancers, drummers and more! Plus, several local organizations are planning pop-ups with family-friendly activities!

If you’re climbing the walls and just want to get out for a few hours, the Chicago Winter Art Fair brings together more than 20 vendors at Sleeping Village (3734 W. Belmont Ave.) in the Avondale neighborhood this Sunday from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. This event is free to the public where you can shop for ceramics, jewelry, vintage, prints, paintings and more from vendors like Cherry Picked Vintage, Everyone Has Ambitions, Not a Plant Shop and many others! Plus, local musician V.V. Lightbody will be on hand spinning tunes throughout the afternoon!

Finally, the Countdown to Super Bowl LVI is complete! We’ve made it to the end and only one result is left to be settled: which team will lift the Lombardi Trophy at midfield of SoFi Stadium next Sunday? The Bengals or The Rams? See you then!

Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago

Happy Lunar New Year! 

A new year brings new possibilities, new life, and new opportunities. On February 1, the Lunar New Year bid goodbye to the Year of the Ox, and entered the Year of the Tiger, beginning at sunset on the day of the second New Moon, following the Winter Solstice on December 21. 

What better way to celebrate the Year of the Tiger than with a special meal of traditional Chinese small plates? 

Known to world as Dim Sum, Lincoln Park’s D Cuisine recommends that a traditional dim sum is “best enjoyed with tea in the company of family and friends.”

We couldn’t agree more!

D Cuisine, under the direction of Chef/Owner Danny Fang, serves contemporaryversions of traditional dishes from his native Guangdong region of Hong Kong.

And just what is dim sum? D Cuisine describes it as “several kinds of steamed buns like char siu bao (roast pork buns), deep fried dumplings like hahm sui gohk (glutinous rice dumplings), rice noodle rolls like ngau cheung (beef noodle rolls) and desserts like djeen dui (fried sesame balls). Food is usually served three or four servings to a portion and arrives in bamboo steamers or on small plates.”

Ever-conscious of the need to please the customer, Chef Fang serves small, medium, large, and extra-large plates. Along with the dim sum choices, D Cuisine provides a full menu of Asian specialties, including unusual, palate-pleasing soups, such as Bamboo Fungus with Dry Scallop Seafood Soup, or a Shrimp with Tomato Tofu Soup.

The large menu features such specialties as Steamed Spare Ribs, Green Chive Dumpling, Baked Bbq Pork Bun, Baked Creamy Egg Yolk Bun, and Egg Tarts. Then, move Deep Fried Minced Pork Dumplings, or Honey Sauce Short Ribs. Other dim sum choices include Pan-Fried Pot Stickers and Pan-Fried Turnip Cakes. 

Your dim sum experience is complete with your choice of a sweet treat like Coconut Milk Red Bean Pudding or a light and refreshing Mango Pudding.

Google reviews were glowing. 

“Best Cantonese food in Chicago. As a Cantonese myself, I’m always so picky about dim sum and Canton food. And the chef here KNOWS how to make authentic Cantonese food. Must try: egg tarts, egg yolk buns, bbq pork buns, dried scallop & egg white fried rice, beef chow fun.”

This food was crazy good…it really hit the spot. Dim sum is freshly made and great quality, this is not your average cook-from-frozen dim sum a lot of other places have. If you live on the north side, you can save a trip to Chinatown and just get D Cuisine, it’s as good or better.”

“I got the shrimp dumpling, steam bbq pork bun, egg custard bun, stir fried sticky rice, and beef chow fun,” wrote another reviewer. “Everything was authentic and delicious. Haven’t had food this good in a long time.”

D Cuisine is located at 2723 N. Clark Street. They are open Monday to Sunday, 10am – 10pm, and walk-ins are welcome. For more information, click here.

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago