Is it worthwhile to improve your property, or is moving a better choice?

Unless you built a custom home, you probably have a long list of things you’d like to improve in your current home. Browsing online listings might get you in the mood to upgrade to a new home, or you might be thinking about renovating your current home after binging on HGTV. The answer to renovation vs. relocation depends greatly on what you’re trying to fix.

Thinking about a new kitchen?
If you’re dreaming of a chef’s kitchen with new appliances and beautiful cabinets, renovating your own kitchen gives you incredible ROI and is less costly than moving. You’ll increase the value of your own home if you ever decide to sell, and there’s a great sense of accomplishment that comes with completing a custom renovation.

Need more space?
If you’re running low on bedrooms, there may not be a lot of options. Converting an existing room to a bedroom doesn’t create any new space. If you’re in a condo, an addition is probably impossible. And additions can be expensive even if it’s a possibility. Moving is usually the best option.

If the neighborhood isn’t ideal
You may have seen some potential for your neighborhood when you first moved there, but perhaps it still isn’t welcoming the shops and restaurants you expected. If that’s the case, consider moving. There’s no sense in waiting years for the neighborhood to improve, especially if you can move to a house in the same price range in a more preferred part of the city.

With Halloween just a couple of weeks away, now is the time to bask in scary movies, eat great treats, and enjoy the beauty of the autumnal outdoors. Chicago knows how to celebrate the season!

Campfire Horrors, an outdoor horror movie series featuring spooky classics and campfires for roasting marshmallows, celebrates the season with free screenings of the scariest movie classics. Screenings will be held at 7pm on every Friday of October, as well as select Saturdays at Dvorak Park, North Park Village Nature Center. This weekend, Scream will be shown on Friday, October 15, at Northerly Park, 1521S Linn White Drive, at 7pm.The Nightmare Before Christmas will shock on Saturday, October 16, at North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N Pulaski Rd., at 7pm. Masks are required, and the Chicago Park District recommends dressing warmly. Free admission.

The 57^th Chicago International Film Festival, North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, kicks off Wednesday, October 13 and runs through October 22. Over 80 feature films and 60 film shorts from around the world will be screened in theaters, at the drive-in, and streaming. Films ranging from heart-wrenching dramas to eye-opening documentaries to midnight shockers, at the AMC River East 21, at the Music Box Theatre on Southport, and the Gene Siskel Film Center on State Street—plus drive-in screenings at ChiTown Movies in Pilsen. Ticket and pass prices vary, check website for details.

The Lincoln Square Farmers Market features over 40 vendors each week at the Lincoln Thursday afternoon on Lincoln and Leland Avenues, from 3-7pm. The market connects local farmers, artisans, and food purveyors to the Northside of Chicago. Vendors include Elsie Mae’s Canning & Pies, a small family bakery using local produce and family recipes passed down through generations to preserve traditional style baking and canning, and Copacabana, a local, fair trade, ethically sourced chocolate truffles and gianduja chocolate spreads. Free admission.

Join Lincoln Park’s Lakeshore Sport & Fitness, 1320 W. Fullerton, for their Falloween Fest! On Saturday, October 15, from 2-5pm, families can enjoy Euro Bungee, a 90ft inflatable obstacle course and a 40ft inflatable slide. Families can also enjoy ghoulish performers, carnival games, pumpkin painting, cotton candy & snow cones. Admission is free, but some attractions, activities and food & drink do require tickets that can be purchased the day of the event. The event will be held outdoors in both the parking lot and on the rooftop. If the weather proves to be ghastly, we will move to the indoor tennis courts. Lakeshore members will RSVP on the MyLSF App. A limited amount of tickets are available for non-members and should be reserved in advance through Eventbrite.

Alison Moran and Dean’s Team Chicago

So far we’ve covered how to reduce food waste and how to get the most out of various pantry items with different lifespans. Now, let’s take on best practices for freezing meat!

Keeping meat frozen is the best way to guarantee freshness for the long term. The most important aspect of freezing meat, or anything for that matter, is temperature! Freezing temperature should always be 0 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, otherwise you’re asking for germs and microorganisms.

Amazingly, if kept at 0 degrees Fahrenheit, meat will be safe to eat indefinitely. Of course, there is a big difference between safe and good. 

Have you ever eaten a meal that “tastes like refrigerator”? That’s the result of meat being freezer burned! So how long should meat stay frozen before it goes bad? Here are a few guidelines for freezing meat for optimum taste:

Chicken: A whole bird can be frozen for up to a year.  Chicken parts such as wings and drumsticks are best kept for 9 months or less; anything skinless should only be kept up to 6 months.

Beef: Meat like steaks and roasts can last up to 8 months, but you’ll get the best quality before 4 months. Ground meat of any kind contains more air – the enemy of longevity in meat – so the MAX life expectancy is 4 months!

Lamb or Pork: Chops, lamb and pork are also best by 4 months but, if you’re clever, can be stretched to 6! Larger cuts of pork and lamb can last up to 8 – 12 months. Processed meats like sausage, hot dogs, lunch meat, and ham should be eaten within 6 – 10 weeks to get the best flavor. Bacon in its original vacuum packaging can be frozen for 6 months. 

Fish: Seafood is delicate, but surprisingly lean fish can last up to 8 months!  Fatty fish like salmon, on the other hand, should be frozen no more than 2 – 3 months. 

When it comes to cooked meat saved as leftovers, well wrapped beef and pork will last 2 – 3 months; poultry and fish dishes last double that!

As mentioned above, air is the enemy of longevity in frozen meat of any kind. It causes the nasty freezer burn that, while harmless, makes food disgusting! Many guidelines state that leaving the meat in its original packaging and overwrapping it with heavy duty freezer wrap such as foil, plastic wrap or freezer paper can delay freezer burn – I disagree. 

In my opinion, unless vacuum sealed, packaging leaves too many air pockets for freezer burn to form! To better preserve meat, use foil or heavy-duty freezer bags. Pro-tip: do not wrap meat in foil alone! Use wax or parchment paper first. There should be no direct contact between foil and food. Be sure to wrap your food tightly, squeezing out as much air as possible. 

Check out www.foodsafety.gov for more guidelines. 

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago

As we continue to embrace all that October has to offer us here in Chicago, this weekend brings a variety of autumn favorite events as well as gearing up for the arrival of Halloween!

Autumn’s cool breezes are a perfect backdrop for the 6^th annual Lincoln Park Wine Fest taking place in Jonquil Park (1001 W. Wrightwood Ave.) this Saturday (11 a.m. – 10 p.m.). This fest transforms the park into an open-air market featuring wine and food pavilions where sommeliers and brand ambassadors coach you through a two-hour tasting session. A general admission ticket comes with a sample of 12 varietals of wine and a commemorative tasting glass while a VIP ticket also includes an extended tasting with five additional specialty wines! There will also be products/services of wine-centric vendors to help you become a wine connoisseur and impress your friends!

Now through October 31^st, the Lincoln Park Zoo (2200 N. Cannon Dr.) celebrates the wonderful world of autumn with Fall Fest. This annual fest is loaded with fall festive activities that include a pumpkin walk, live professional pumpkin carvers, animal viewings and learning chats, musical entertainment, an endangered species carousel, a Lionel train adventure and much more!

It’s never too early to begin celebrating Halloween, especially when there’s an abundance of events to attend! Now through October 31^st, Rizzo’s Bar & Inn (3658 N. Clark St.) in the Wrigleyville neighborhood offers their Sweet Dreams: Halloween Pop-up Experience. Guests will step into a fragmented, macabre world where 20 classic horror movies collide for an epic and twisted Halloween experience! Come meet Freddy, Jason, Leatherface and IT – if you dare!

Come have a howling good time at Brookfield Zoo’s annual Halloween celebration Boo! at the Zoo kicking off this Saturday and Sunday (10 a.m. – 6 p.m.). Don your favorite costume and check out the creatures, creepy crawlers, and more while taking memorable snapshots at the many Halloween-themed photo frames and vignettes throughout your journey.  Afterwards, head on over to the West Mall for the Crazed Maize corn maze or take a spin on the Creepy Carousel or even the Haunted Hayride. Plus, “Pumpkins To The Animals” takes place at 10:30 a.m. both days with the goats and wallabies on Saturday and the polar and brown bears on Sunday. As you exit the park youngsters will also receive sweet treats courtesy of Ferrara Candy! It’s a fun-filled and not-so-scary event for the entire family to enjoy!

In case you weren’t aware of it, it’s also the Bank of America Chicago Marathon this Sunday which means you’ll have to deal with some street closures if you’re out and about that morning. While it’s too late to be a runner, come join tens of thousands of spectators cheering on the participants as they make their way through the 26.2-mile course on the city’s streets! And while the start and finish line in Grant Park isn’t open to the public, it’s suggested that spectators head to neighborhoods like Greektown, Lincoln Park, Boystown, Chinatown and Pilsen where crowds of onlookers will be toting handmade signs, blaring music and encouraging all the participants as they whiz by!  There will be a Runner Reunite area in Grant Park (9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) where you can meet your runner. Please note that face masks are recommended in both the reunite area and along the marathon route.  Now get out there and do some cheering!

Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago

Etta=’Keeper of the hearth’

With fall weather clamoring for rustic colors and warm fireplaces, Etta, with locations locally in Bucktown and River North, is a perfect place for family to gather, celebrate, and laugh around a wood-fired hearth. Patrons of Etta will find a celebration of rustic cuisine that is thoughtful of the season. And, just as the kitchen is the focal point of interaction within a home,  Etta’s open kitchen design gives guests that same intimate experience.

Etta creates sophisticated, yet familiar dishes using expert cooking techniques. Created by the same team that designed Maple & Ash, Etta serves a frequently updated menu of wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas, and farm fresh salads. 

Online reviewers raved about their focaccias and pastas. “Absolutely amazing on all fronts,” raved one reviewer. “Staff, service, and the food knocked it out of the park. I could eat a boatload of the ricotta pillows. The focaccia, either kind, is a must!”

“All pastas were fresh and made in house,” another reviewer noted. “The WOOD FIRE PIZZA was really good.”

Dinner starters include a fire-baked focaccia with ricotta and honey truffle, or a bubbling shrimp, lively when combined with ginger, chiltepin chile, smoked tomato and mint. Creative and festive salads include the Little Gem Salad, with kohlrabi, avocado, and scallions with a lemon dressing. Or the Etta Chopped Salad, a unique version of the classic, with red onion, hot smoked salmon, dill yogurt, champagne vinaigrette, avocado, eggs, grains and cheese, and everything bagel spice. 

Pastas and pizzas are sumptuous, and feature unique combinations for your palate. Try the Chitara Pomodoro, with cherry tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and burratta. Or the Pappardelle, with roasted corn, duck sausage, almond and tarragon. Their wood-fired pizzas include unusual combinations, like a sweet-savory coppa and fig, with arugula, burrillo, and guajillo. An adventurous palate may also enjoy the Fire Pie- a tasty combination of sausage, giardiniera, and chile de arbol.

Families and friends can share special memories and great food by ordering Etta’s special Wood-Fired Picnics, featuring Crispy Porchetta and fire-roasted Pork Collar, served with hearth bread, lettuce cups, escabeche, caper relish, and “refreshingly spicy things.”

Brunches, served on weekends, offer wood-fired pizzas, buttermilk pancakes with roasted berry jam and whipped vanilla ricotta, short rib hash, breakfast sandwiches, huevos rancheros, and many other tasty takes on traditional breakfast and lunch fare. They also serve a special menu of handcrafted cocktails and beverages.

Etta’s Bucktown location is at 1840 W. North Ave., Chicago. They are open daily forlunch from 12pm – 3pm, Dinner hours are 5pm – 10pm. On weekdays, excluding Friday, Etta serves a Happy Hour Pizza & booze from 3pm – 5pm. Weekend brunch on Saturdays and Sundays is from 10:30am-3pm. Reservations are recommended.  For more information, click here.

Alison Moran and Dean’s Team Chicago