This time of year, the number of fresh vegetables is more than you can possibly consume or give away! In our mother and grandmother’s day they would of course can their excess produce. I know many people are bringing this back, but I’ve never really had the time or inclination. If you’re like me and don’t want to do that, check out online how you can safely can food. Go to https://nchfp.uga.edu. It’s the National Center for Home Food Preservation. 

I choose the easier method of freezing. Most vegetables like beans, peas, and carrots freeze well. They do need to be blanched first. Blanching is quick cooking in salted boiling water. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a teaspoon of salt. Drop in cleaned and trimmed vegetables. Cook for two minutes and remove with a spider or slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water. Dry on paper towels till cool. Put in quart size freezer bags and freeze flat. They can be used like any other frozen vegetable. 

For tomatoes there are several ways. For all recipes you will need to skin them first. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling simmer. Cut a small X in the bottom of each tomato and place in the water. After a minute or so you will see the skin start to loosen. Remove and place in a water bath. When it’s cool, core, quarter and place in quart size freezer bags. This size is equal to a 29 ounce can of whole tomatoes and can be used as such. Fresh tomato sauce is also easy to make and freeze. Sauté one chopped medium onion in 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. When the onions are soft add 3-4 cloves of finely minced fresh garlic. Cook for an additional two minutes. Add tomatoes along with 1 teaspoon of oregano and salt and pepper to taste. This freezes well and can be used anytime you would like marinara!

Herbs can be preserved in several different ways. Whether you grow your own or buy at the farmers market, you know they lose their freshness quickly. Herb butters are delicious and can be used in many applications from vegetables and meats. Wash dry and chop fresh herbs of choice before adding to softened, unsalted butter. It’s best to use premium butter as they have less water and more butterfat which freezes better. Form into a small log with parchment paper. Twist the ends and overwrap with foil, then freeze. 

Make herb ice cubes for stews, soups and gravies. Fill ice cube trays half full of filtered water and clean, chopped fresh herbs, then freeze. Fill the rest of the way with filtered water and freeze again. The two-step process is necessary because the herbs float. Herb vinegars are also delicious and easy to make. Add cleaned, whole herb sprigs to red wine vinegar. Keep in a dark place out of the light. Herb oil is also good, but always store it in the refrigerator as moisture from the herbs can cause bacteria growth. Use in a month or two.

Does anyone else have any other ideas for easy vegetable preservation?

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago

Unfortunately, summer is slowly melting away but not this August weekend here in Chicago!  We’re not ready to give up on summer just yet, and here’s why.

The 94^th edition of the world’s oldest and largest African-American parade, the Bud Billiken Parade, will help kick off the upcoming school year at 10 a.m. this Saturday on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive from 39^th to 55^th Streets in the Bronzeville neighborhood.  Along this two-mile route, you’ll see colorful floats, marching bands, talented dance and drill teams, and notable figures along with this year’s grand marshal, Grammy-winning poet J. Ivy.  Then all are welcome to join in the post-parade festivities being held in Washington Park!

The Roscoe Village neighborhood is all set to kick off their 26^th annual Retro on Roscoe this Saturday and Sunday (12 p.m.-10 p.m.) at Damen Avenue and Roscoe Street.  This festival stretches six-blocks containing three stages of live music featuring tribute bands performing hits from the ‘80s and ‘90s; top neighborhood restaurants serving up their summer treats; tree-lined streets setting the scene for artisans, antique vendors, and cool merchants for your shopping pleasure; a family area offering inflatables, crafts, balloon artists, face painting, music, rides, and more; and finally, for the car enthusiasts, there’s the Antique and Classic Car and Motorcycle Show showcasing over 50 antique, classic, and muscle cars.  If you’re looking for a blast from the past, this is the place to be!

The 41^st annual Northalsted Market Days® welcomes you this Saturday and Sunday (11 a.m.-10 p.m.) to Halsted Street from Belmont Avenue to Addison Street in the Lakeview neighborhood.  It’s a ½-mile-long summer celebration of live music with all-day lineups on five stages, DJs, dancing, food, and drink along with over 250 unique vendors, arts, crafts, and more!

Returning after a three-year hiatus, the Ginza Holiday Festival takes place in the parking lot of the Midwest Buddhist Temple (435 W. Menomonee St.) in the Lincoln Park neighborhood this Saturday (11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.) and Sunday (11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.).  It’s a celebration of Japanese culture featuring Waza artisans from Japan displaying crafts handed down through generations; performances by Minyo folk dancers, Taiko drumming, and martial arts demonstrations; many Asian themed craft vendors; and, of course, their famous charcoal-grilled Chicken Teriyaki which can be pre-ordered!

Also getting in on our street festival season of fun is the far Northwest Side neighborhood’s Edison Park Fest this Saturday and Sunday (12 p.m.-10 p.m.) at 6755 North Northwest Highway between Oshkosh and Ottawa Avenues.  This fest is packed with live music, delicious food from local restaurants, a beer garden, a classic car show on Saturday, a bingo tent, a bags tournament, and a host of activities for the kids that include carnival games and rides, and more!

Celebrating pop culture, Chicago’s longest-running fan and comic convention is back with FAN EXPO Chicago 2023 this Saturday (10 a.m.-7 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (5555 N. River Rd.) in Rosemont.  Besides shopping for exclusive pop culture merchandise and collectibles or geeking out with other fans for virtual meetups, movie screenings, game nights, and more, be sure to experience the once-in-a-lifetime iconic cast reunion from the classic sci-fi movie Back to the Future with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Tom Wilson!  Other reunions at the expo include Chevy Chase, Anthony Michael Hall, Christie Brinkley, and Randy Quaid (National Lampoon’s Vacation), Giancarlo Esposito, and Henry Winkler (The Mandalorian), and Sam Raimi (legendary director of Breaking Bad).

Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago

On a recent Sunday night, craving delicious pasta and other Italian delights, several friends and I got together in Little Italy (on Chicago’s West Side) at Tuscany on Taylor,  a stylish trattoria serving Italian wines and Tuscan-inspired seafood, pastas and wood-fired pizzas.

There were 13 of us to make happy, including four teenagers and my 96-year old mother. Somehow, in the midst of a bustling dinner service, the attentive waiters stayed long enough to listen to our needs and wants and provided excellent service, starting with a tableside preparation of crushed garlic and parmesan for the warm bread that accompanies every meal. 

Our table started with Calamari Fritti, served with their house cocktail sauce and lemon garlic aioli. The calamari was delicious, devoid of the often rubbery texture that plagues most preparations. Two platters served our group well. 

I continued with their pizze as a main course, choosing Prosciutto E Funghi straight out of their wood-burning oven. The mushrooms, prosciutto cotto, and fresh mozzarella blended well together in the wood burning oven, the salty prosciutto a revelation. The crust could have used one less minute in the oven to avoid getting burned. 

My 18-year-old was enraptured with their Cedar Plank Scottish Salmon, seared and served with a delicate lemon and evoo sauce, along with cherry tomatoes, olives, onions, and green beans. They were enamored of their Roasted Potatoes, alive with rosemary, sage, garlic, and evoo. And I made quick work of their Sautéed Spinaci, enhanced with evoo and garlic. 

Also not to be missed is house favorite Pollo Parmigiana, with house-made tomato sauce,  fresh melted mozzarella and parmigiano. Nor my friend’s favorite, the Raviolini Pera, with roasted pear, parmigiano, toasted nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and mascarpone cream. The unusual combination somehow blended together for a delicious bite. 

Substitutions are welcome, particularly for food allergies and other mitigating factors. 

And as we always say, “Leave room for dessert!” Cannoli wraps cookie pastry around a creamy ricotta, mini chocolate chips, and pistachio. Limon Sorbet is served in a hollowed-out lemon, which enhances the flavor and the experience of the cool, tart sorbet.

We’re not the only ones who’ve enjoyed Tuscany on Taylor. One Google reviewer said:

“A delicious spot that welcomes you with some excellent Italian options. They bring crushed garlic and olive oil to the table immediately, and that kicks off the cuisine.

The antipasto options are good and the pasta choices are quite unique. They some wonderful flavor profiles along with some classic favorites. Solid prices and portion sizes. I really enjoyed my experience, thank you to the team.”

Tuscany on Taylor is located at 1014 W. Taylor Street. They are open Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, 4pm-9pm, and Friday and Saturday, 4pm-10pm. They are closed Monday and Tuesday. For reservations: call 312.829.1990, or click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago

Just because you’re not filthy rich, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to have a home that you can call “luxurious.” Sure, celebrities may spend over seven figures building and designing homes that are over the top, but there are plenty of subtle ways that you can achieve a sense of opulence in your home, affordably.

1. Add Molding and Trim

One of the most effective ways to add a classy and sophisticated feel to a space the affordable way is by adding molding and trim around the room. These elements provide an esthetically appealing framework for any space, and show that every detail has been taken into consideration throughout the decorating process.

You can add trim and molding in a variety of ways, including:

Baseboards – These begin at the floor and extend around the room’s perimeter.

Crown molding – This runs along the ceiling of a room, and should roughly be about one inch thicker than the baseboards.

Casing – This is found around widows and doorways, and is usually added to provide a transitional cue from one room to the next.

Be sure to take proper measurements, and use matching paint or stain on all of your molding and trim to get a united look.

2. Layer Your Floor Coverings

To add a charming and cozy feeling to your rooms, make sure not to skimp on the floor layering. Not only will layering your floor coverings provide more comfort as you walk around the space, it also adds a sense of luxury to the room.

Start off with a basic layer – hardwood is usually your best bet when it comes to adding a rich flavor to the room. Wood – or faux wood – complements a number of colors and textures quite nicely. Then add your personal touch with area rugs. While you can add just about any color or pattern you like to suit your tastes, Oriental designs have a natural capacity to add a luxurious feel to a room.

3. Create Ambience With Lighting

The ambience of a room can often be achieved with small elements, such as light fixtures. Rather than adding only one type of lighting to a room, consider adding a variety of types of fixtures to the space.

Lighting is key to creating a classic and comfortable ambience. Mix it up with pot lights, table lamps, wall sconces and pendant lighting with bulbs that are soft and diffused. You can even mix soft colors for added effect – for instance, white and pink complement each other well to create a subtle hue. For overhead light fixtures, install dimmer switches so you can control their brightness.

4. Add an Antique Element to the Space

Nothing adds more grandiosity to a room more than antique pieces. While filling the space with such decor can be expensive, sometimes all you need is one antique piece. Adding elements like these can provide visual interest while still keeping the space modern with more conventional pieces.

Antique mirrors are a great choice, as they will add depth and weight to any room. You can even anchor the room with an armchair or armoire. Sometimes even a decorative antique vase or lamp can do the trick if you’re a little hesitant about going the antique route.

5. Add Warm Colors to the Space

All luxurious spaces have one thing in common – they offer a welcoming and cozy aura. And one of the most effective and easiest ways to achieve this feeling is with the use of warm color palettes. There’s something to be said about using the right paint color.

For decades, psychologists have studied how specific colors evoke certain feelings and emotions in people, so there’s a real science to it. To create a luxurious feel in your home, stick to warm colors like yellow, orange and red, which are typically perceived as cozy and intimate. Tan hues also serve as an excellent neutral base that can help you build brighter, bolder colors.

6. Add a Focal Point

Every room that evokes a sense of grandeur has a focal point – be it a fireplace, a great piece of art work, or even a table and chair set. With a clearly defined focal point, everyone who walks in the room will immediately be drawn to that element.

The best way to choose your room’s focal point is to highlight an existing detail. If you’ve got a gorgeous, old fireplace, for instance, use that. You can add a new mantle to revamp it and add more character to it.

If the room has an oversized window that allows a ton of natural light in, you could effectively use that as a focal point too. Simply add a decorative chair under it to emphasize its magnificence.

7. Add Plush Throw Pillows

It’s impossible to envision a luxurious home without visualizing plush, comfortable seating in the space. But rather than splurge on a completely new set of extra cushiony sofas and chairs, just adding a few plush throw pillows into the mix can be enough to achieve that feeling.

Opt for rich fabrics and gorgeous colors to maximize this effect, and use textures and patterns that will bring more depth into the space. No matter what your style is, include pillows in various sizes and colors to add depth.

Who wouldn’t want to live in a home that looks and feels like it could be featured in a magazine? The good news is, you don’t have to break the bank to achieve this look. With a few simple and creative touches, you can effectively create a luxurious feel in your home that you and your guests will adore.

If Chicago can have a Museum of Ice Cream, an Art Institute, a surgical science museum, and a Museum of Science and Industry, then by all means, it should have a museum devoted to nearly a half-century of video games. 

I was an avid Pong and Ms. Pac Man fan in my youth. So it’s nice to have a place to celebrate these innovations. They hold a place in my heart that bears the memories of video game dates, sometimes besting my date, followed  pizza and breaking my curfew. 

Enter Chicago Gamespace, 2418 W. Bloomingdale Avenue. The museum was founded by curator Jonathan Kinkley and co-curator Tim Lapetino. Asthe curators say on their website, Chicago Gamespace is a place “Where visitors learn about, play, and are inspired by a collection of the most important video games from the 20^th century.  It encompasses a permanent collection, special exhibitions, a library of video game-related magazines and books, and a shop of video game art prints.”

They opened in 2021 with a celebration of “Nom Nom: 40 Years of Pac-Man Design and History” Whether you’re a fan of Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Defender, Centipede, Pole Position, Oregon Trail, Super Mario Brothers, Tetris, Zelda, Mortal Kombat 2, Doom, NBA Jam, Cruis’N USA, and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time among others, the history of the gaming world is yours in the two-story structure that serves as the site of this unique museum. 

Event: Celebrating 40 years of ‘TRON’

Forty-one years ago, future Oscar winner Jeff Bridges and Chicago-area natives Cindy Morgan and Bruce Boxleitner starred in the Disney classic ‘TRON,’ reportedly the first computer-generated film. As They are transported inside the software world of a mainframe computer where he interacts with programs in his attempt to escape, as reported by Wikipedia sources. Now through August 27, Chicago Gamespace is paying tribute to the game universe of TRON.

Visitors will enter through Flynn’s Arcade, the immortal arcade owned by Jeff Bridges’ Flynn character in the sci-fi classic, and learn about the original TRON arcade game’s history and development before entering an immersive Light Cycle arena featuring other games from the franchise. 

Chicago Gamespace is open Saturdays and Sundays from  1-5pm. A general admission ticket is $8 (age 13+). Kids admission is $5 (ages 5-12). Veterans and kids under 5 are free.  Admission also includes access to the second floor video game history collection. To reserve tickets, click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago