Paulina is hosting a fun opportunity to get you in the holiday spirit! Come join her for a jolly good time at the European Chalet Banquets for a special photo op with the man in red himself, Santa Claus.
They will have local vendors on site, along with cookies, hot chocolate and coffee! You can take a photo with Santa with a $10 donation to Chicago Unity and Parenting! It's the perfect way to create lasting memories with your loved ones!
"Cookies with Santa" is being held Sunday, Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. over at the European Chalet, 5445 S. Harlem.
RIVER CITY CHURCH GIVES BACK FOR THANKSGIVING
Windy City Weekend: River City Church gives back
Thanksgiving is a time to gather around with family to enjoy a great meal! But not every family has the means to bring a turkey to the table.
To help fight this in their community, Bishop Rodney and Pastor Stephanie Hutton of River City Church in Chicago Heights organize a Thanksgiving meal giveaway every year! Their goal is simple; provide as many families as they can with a full Thanksgiving meal.
The Hutton's have spent the last 15 years collecting monetary and food donations to pack boxes with ingredients, pies, and even a full turkey. They then deliver the packed boxes to people in the community who need it most. Last year, they hit their goal of 100 families fed, and this year they want to do even more!
You can help support their mission by dropping off food at River City Church in Chicago Heights. You can also make a donation online at https://www.rivercitychicago.org/.
ALESSI IN THE KITCHEN
Windy City Weekend: Alessi in the kitchen
Thanksgiving is just two weeks away, and if you don't know what to bring, Alessi has you covered. Chef Ted Pappas over at Brookhaven Market in Arlington Heights is teaching us how to make a hearty wild mushroom and truffle risotto.
Wild mushroom and truffle risotto
Ingredients:
- Vigo Arborio Rice - 1 cup
- Alessi Porcini Mushroom Risotto - 1 packet
- Alessi Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Black truffle oil - 2 teaspoons, for drizzling
- Fresh mushrooms (a medley of cremini or shiitake), sliced - 1 cup roughly chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3-4 cups chicken broth, warmed
- Reserve cup chicken broth if traveling with this dish
- Fresh thyme - for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Recipe:
Sauté the onion and mushrooms: Heat 1 tablespoon Alessi Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add another 1 tablespoon of Alessi Extra Virgin Olive Oil and stir in the fresh mushrooms and cook until they're golden.
Cook the risotto: Add the Vigo Arborio Rice and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add 1 cup of warm broth, stirring constantly until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Continue adding broth in small increments, stirring until each addition is absorbed before adding more.
Mix in the porcini mushroom risotto packet: Add the Alessi Porcini Mushroom Risotto, including any seasoning in the packet, and finish adding the remaining broth. This gives it a layered, savory flavor with rich mushroom undertones. Turn to simmer and let cook untouched for 18-20 minutes until creamy.
Finish with truffle oil: Once the risotto is creamy, stir in the black truffle oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish and serve: Top with fresh thyme and serve. If taking dish on the road, wait until serving to top with fresh thyme.
And as a special treat to really impress the family, Chef Ted also shared his recipe for delicious antipasto skewers!
Antipasto skewers
Ingredients:
- Vigo marinated artichoke hearts - 1 jar
- Alessi sun dried tomatoes - 1 jar
- Vigo Castelvetrano Olives - 1 jar
- Mozzarella balls - 24
- Charcuterie salami - 12 slices folded twice into size
- Fresh rosemary - for garnish
- Alessi Balsamic Reduction (optional) - for drizzle
- Vigo mixed Italian olives (alternate) - 1 jar as an alternate to the Vigo Castelvetrano Olives
- 24 bamboo skewers
Recipe:
This recipe makes two different versions of antipasto skewers.
Artichoke heart, mozzarella ball and salami skewers: Add 1 Vigo Marinated Artichoke Heart, 1 mozzarella ball and 1 folded salami to skewer. Repeat until number of desired skewers are completed.
Sun dried tomato, mozzarella ball & green olive skewers: Add 1 Vigo Castelvetrano Olive, 1 Alessi Sun Dried Tomato and 1 mozzarella ball to the skewer. Repeat until number of desired skewers are completed.
As an option for additional flavor, drizzle Alessi Balsamic Reduction on the sun-dried tomato, mozzarella ball and green olive skewers.
As an alternative, use Vigo Mixed Italian Olives instead of the Vigo Castelvetrano Olives for additional flavor layering.
Make sure to stop by BrookHaven Market in Arlington Heights for all your Thanksgiving dinner needs!
And make sure to give them a follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/brookhavenmkt/?hl=en.
ROEPER'S REVIEWS: SPEND OR SAVE
Windy City Weekend: Spend or save?
Ryan and Cheryl preview upcoming movies with film critic Richard Roeper.
"A Real Pain" - SPEND
In "A Real Pain," Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin are cousins who go on a tour of Poland in honor of their recently deceased grandmother.
"Return of the King" - SPEND
"Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley" is a new Netflix documentary about the Elvis comeback special in 1968.
"Red One" - SAVE
Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans and Lucy Liu kick off the Christmas season in the action comedy "Red One." It's about saving Santa Claus after he's been kidnapped from the North Pole.
THE MAGNIFICENT MILE LIGHTS FESTIVAL
Windy City Weekend: Mag Mile Lights Fest
Ryan and Cheryl were joined all show long by Chicago's Own Pack Drumline. The Drumline will be a part of The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival next weekend.
The magic of the holidays, Chicago style is captured for viewers around the country with spectacular entertainment, beloved characters from Walt Disney World Resort, luminous floats, Santa and dazzling fireworks as more than a million twinkling Michigan Avenue lights set the stage for the broadcast of the fantastic Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival.
The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival steps off on Oak Street and travels down Michigan Avenue on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 5:30 p.m. ABC7 Eyewitness News anchors Cheryl Burton and Ryan Chiaverini will serve as co-hosts of the broadcast along with ABC7's Judy Hsu and Hosea Sanders, who bring sparkle and excitement reporting street side.
You can catch the parade right here on ABC7 airing Sunday, Nov. 24, from 6-7 p.m. on ABC7 Chicago. Encore broadcasts will air Sunday, Dec. 1, at 3 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 8, at 4 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 15, at 11 p.m.
The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade will be available on demand and stream on abc7chicago.com and ABC7's Connected TV Apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku.