Chance the Rapper joins 'Windy City Weekend' as Ryan, Val talk 'Avatar,' Chicago Bears
Chance the Rapper Museum of Science and Industry event scheduled for Friday
CHICAGO (WLS) -- This week on Windy City Weekend, Chance the Rapper is live in studio! And he's here with Essence Smith from SocialWorks.
They are excited to announce the fourth annual "A Night At The Museum" at the Museum of Science and Industry. It's a private event for guests to explore the museum "after hours" and see over 50+ event-only vendors, activities and performances including from Chance himself.
As part of the event, they are also asking guests to bring "warming items" to donate such as hats, scarves, coats and more. SocialWorks has received more than 156,000 donations and given them to over 81 shelters across Chicago.
"A Night At The Museum" is happening from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Museum of Science and Industry. Purchase your tickets here and enjoy a night of festive fun!
Alessi in the Kitchen
This "Million Dollar Spaghetti" recipe is buzzing all over social media. Celebrity Chef Tawanna Devine showed how easy it is to make in 30 minutes, and how to infuse Alessi's products into it.
"Million Dollar Spaghetti"
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 16 oz. roll of turkey sausage
- 1 box of Alessi spaghetti
- 1 stick of salted butter
- 1 small jar of Alessi pesto
- 1 small jar of Alessi sundried tomatoes
- 1 can of Alessi diced tomatoes
- 1 can or jar of Alessi tomato sauce jar or can
- 1 tube of Alessia tomato paste
- 2 tbs Alessi garlic puree
- 1/4 cup Alessi olive oil
- 1 jar of Alessi alfredo sauce
- 1/4 cup of fresh basil
- 1/4 cup of fresh Italian parsley
- 2 cups of fresh spinach
- 1 large red onion diced fine
- 1 medium shallot diced fine
- 1 each red and green bell pepper diced fine
- 1 cup grated and shredded parmesan cheese (1/2 for each sauce)
- 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese (1cup for alfredo sauce)
Boil your pasta in salted water, add tablespoons of olive oil, cook for seven minutes or until al dente. Drain your pasta (save 2 cups of the pasta water). Set aside.
Sautée meat in a pan, medium heat. Cook until brown. Remove meat, add all of your diced veggies to your meat pan. Reduce your heat and cook your veggies until they are soft or slightly brown. Do not burn. Add your garlic. Add your meat back to the pan. Add all of your tomato products. Add a cup of your pasta water. Add garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/2 stick of butter and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Stir on low heat until combined. Set aside.
For alfredo sauce, sautée 1 tbs garlic in a pan with 1 tsp of olive oil and 1/2 stick of butter. Add fresh basil, parsley, spinach. Sautée until soft. Add jar of Alfredo sauce, pesto, and one cup of pasta water. Stir on low heat until sauce is reduced. Add parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Turn off heat and set it aside.
It's time to assemble!!
Add your pasta to your alfredo sauce. Toss it until it is completely coated with the sauce. Plate your spaghetti, drizzle pesto over your pasta, and scoop a nice heaping amount of meat sauce on top of the pasta. Garnish with parsley and parmesan cheese.
You can find more Alessi products by visiting the Alessi website.
Poetry by Boots
Boots, otherwise known as Kimberly Brown, is a Chicago poet and artist. She brings her art to the masses by spray painting her poems all across the nation, in 34 states to be exact.
Her inspirational messages resonate with people so heavily that she is now being invited to cities such as Nashville and Corpus Christi to paint the towns with her poetry.
Adding her Instagram tag (@poetrybyboots) to the sprays has allowed her to create a loyal following on social media.
"Every day, I get about 200 tags of the sidewalk sprays or messages," Boots said.
But, her journey did not start out as positive.
"I never really started writing it until I went through the trauma of a breakup, and then I just decided, let's try to express this the best we can and try to get these emotions out, and it just kind of flowed out of me."
She has turned pain into poetry and thousands of people across the country have found solace in her words.
"Someone wrote me recently and told me that my book and seeing my sidewalk sprays was like their bible in rehab. That stuff is so empowering to my journey, knowing that just a simple stencil on the sidewalk can truly impact peoples lives," Boots said.
The sidewalk sprays were only the start. She is now the author of two books, "Cancun" and "Fury," in addition to successfully selling merchandise adorned with her poems so her readers can have access to her poetry on a more personal level.
Boots said she does this, not for the fame or recognition, but because of the connection it allows her to create with others.
She explains her intentions and begins the sprays saying, "I realized how therapeutic it was for me, but it also helps me let people know that they're also not alone."
Roeper's Reviews:
'Avatar: The Way of Water' - SPEND
13 years after the first movie, Avatar's sequel, "Avatar: The Way of Water" hits theaters.
'The Whale' - SPEND
"The Whale" stars Brendan Fraser, who plays an English teacher struggling to reconnect with his estranged daughter.
'The Son' - SAVE
Hugh Jackson stars in "The Son" as a father whose life is thrown into disarray when his ex-wife turns up with their teenage son.
'Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery' - SPEND
"Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery" is a holiday edition of Will Arnett's newest crime comedy, "Murderville." He stars alongside numerous special guests including his former "Arrested Development" co-star, Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph.
Bear-ly Accurate:
The Bear's only have a few games left this season, and, well, the season looks about as good as Ryan's predictions (pretty bad)!
But maybe Ryan and the Bears can get some luck from an old legend this week. Ryan heads down to Harry Caray's in River North to see if he can beat a seasoned bartender at his own game.
Tune in each Friday for a new prediction, and make your own list to see if you can beat Ryan's record this season!
THK Holiday Toy Drive:
That Harper Kid Nonprofit will be distributing toys to underserved youth in Chicago from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday at 8560 S. Cottage Grove.
For more info, visit their website www.thatharperkid.org.
