The Doings Western Springs

A Valentine’s Day dinner your family will love

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:56:01 -0600

Warm, gooey pizza is the perfect Valentine’s Day treat. Keep the good times rolling with this sweet dessert: Strawberry Sushi.

Doings Calendar for Feb. 9

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:11:48 -0600

The Doings welcomes items for the Community Calendar. Items must be received a minimum of 10 days prior to publication. Email items to doingsnews@pioneerlocal.com. Community A partnership between Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana and the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, encourages people to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting, help girls reach their cookie goals and learn the facts about sustainable palm oil use, as well as other viable environmental practices. Customers who support the Girl Scout Cookie program in 2012 will receive one free child’s admission per paid adult admission when they bring …

How digital culture changed dating

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:06:03 -0600

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Teacher brings Yiddish music, stories into kids’ lives

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:14:57 -0600

They were playful songs she used to sing to her children in the car or at home, anywhere where she could put a smile on their faces. And anywhere where she could continue to teach them Yiddish. Dr. Khane-Faygl Turtletaub of Skokie always sang her made-up songs to her kids in Yiddish, a language she wanted to pass down to them. A Yiddish teacher at Northwestern University, Turtletaub is now trying to pass down her treasured language to other children as well. Her songs make up a vibrant new book/CD, “Yiddish Songs For Children.” “The first words my children ever …

Chocolate for your wardrobe

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:00:03 -0600

Chocolate has powers. It’s been a magical food flavor for millennia. It’s been a holy substance for religious rites, as well as payment for taxes and goods. In modern times, the sweet delight most often serves as an offering to attract the attention — or procure the forgiveness — of the object of one’s affections. So it’s quite reasonable that several local chefs have combined their love of chocolate and their passion for helping others pursue culinary career ambitions in a tasty project to promote a worthy cause. Chocolate event Because sugar is the livelihood of most of these creative …

Community Calendar

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:01:28 -0600

The Doings welcomes items for the Community Calendar. Items must be received a minimum of 10 days prior to publication. Email items to doingsnews@pioneerlocal.com. Community Boy Scout Troop 12 of Western Springs will hold its annual Pancake Breakfast from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 5 at First Congregational Church of Western Springs, 1106 Chestnut St. Tickets are $5; children under 3 are free of charge. Tickets may be purchased at the door. A breakfast of pancakes, sausages, juice and coffee will be provided. WDCB Jazz Salon at Mayslake — Enjoy an evening of jazz featuring Claudia Hommel and Bobby …

Shadow dancing

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:59:13 -0600

It’s party time in Punxsutawney. On Feb. 2, Phil, the world’s most beloved groundhog, will let us know the prognosis for spring. If he sees his shadow when he ventures out of his hibernation burrow for the day, it’s cold and snow for six more weeks. If he doesn’t see it and stays to party, spring, everyone hopes, comes sooner. But no matter what Phil does, the folks of Punxsutawney, Pa. — and their tens of thousands of guests — will raise a glass to the prophetic critter. The Punxsutawney Area School District takes the day off, and this year …

Sendak world comes alive at library

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:24:12 -0600

It’s hard for families to get past the east side lobby of the Skokie Public Library these days. That’s where they’re greeted by the world of renowned illustrator Maurice Sendak. The national traveling exhibition, “The Worlds of Maurice Sendak,” will remain there through Feb. 26. Sendak illustrated more than 100 picture books including famous titles such as “Where the Wild Things Are” and “In the Night Kitchen.” In addition to displays of murals and books and most noticeably, an eye-catching “life-size” Wild Thing, the exhibition explores the history of this legendary creative force. As a child, he became fascinated with …

Doings Calendar for Jan. 26

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:09:06 -0600

The Doings welcomes items for the Community Calendar. Items must be received a minimum of 10 days prior to publication. Email items to doingsnews@pioneerlocal.com. Community WDCB Jazz Salon at Mayslake — Enjoy an evening of jazz featuring Claudia Hommel and Bobby Schiff from 7:30-9 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook. Adults only; $25 premium seating; $20 general admission; and $18 for seniors over 65 and students and groups of six or more. For tickets, call (630) 206-9566. The Runner’s Soul, 5 S. La Grange Road, La Grange, will feature a Newton Natural …

Art Institute of Chicago plans to increase docents

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:11:17 -0600

For the first time in three years, the Art Institute of Chicago is looking to add to its volunteer docent corps, part of a plan to increase the number of school groups visiting the museum.

Rice goes glam as risotto

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:58:58 -0600

Rice is the staple food for more than half of the human population. That’s according to the International Rice Research Institute. And chefs help us consume our share of that rice when they turn the humble staple into the gourmet delight known as risotto. “Risotto is easy to make and it can take on many different flavors,” said Luis Quiroz, chef de cuisine at Barrington Country Bistro in Barrington. A challenging part of the process can be ensuring that the correct amount of liquid, which usually consists of chicken or vegetable stock and white wine, is cooked into the rice. …

Next up for our book club is Skloot’s ‘Immortal Life’

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:54:00 -0600

The next book live chat for the Pioneer Page Turners online book club will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 2 and will feature The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Henrietta Lacks, an African-American tobacco farmer in the south, played a vital role in the development of the polio vaccine, as well as advances in gene mapping, in vitro fertilization and cloning. But she never knew it. Diagnosed with cervical cancer in January, 1951, neither she nor her family were aware that the doctor had taken cells from her cancerous cervix during her radiation treatments and sent …

Doings calendar for Jan. 19

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:31:47 -0600

The Doings welcomes items for the Community Calendar. Items must be received a minimum of 10 days prior to publication. Email items to: doingsnews@pioneerlocal.com. Community Cantigny Golf will host the first-ever Cantigny Golf Show from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Feb. 2. The show will be the first opportunity of the year for area golfers to sample the new 2012 equipment lines from major club manufacturers. The show also will feature programs by Cantigny’s teaching professionals, clubfitting seminars and golf fitness demonstrations. Admission is $10 and parking is complimentary; children 12 and under are free. Preregistered guests will be entered to win …

Here be dragons

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:51:32 -0600

Flashy costumes parading through brilliant streets of Chinatown. Dancing lions and that colorful, undulating dragon. Endless food. Chinese New Year is anything but a drag. So ushering in Chinese year 4710 during the third week of January certainly won’t be. From crimson-hued cocktails to dumplings with fire-breathing hot sauce, chefs everywhere plan to welcome the new year of the dragon. Patrons will be seeing red at Big Bowl, which has a location in Lincolnshire. The restaurants, which will serve such Chinese New Year menu items as the aforementioned dumplings and spicy hot sauce, will run a drinks list during their …

Doings Health Calendar for Jan. 12

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:15:56 -0600

Blood Drive Fitness Aging Care Connections, 111 W. Harris, La Grange, offers Sensible Fitness, a movement and exercise class for seniors, as well as those with dementia/Alzheimer’s. Classes are from 9:30-10:20 a.m. Fridays, and taught by award-winning RightFit. Seven sessions for $56 or pay $10 per class. To register, call (708) 354-1323, Ext. 228. Aging Care Connections, La Grange, offers gentle exercise classes for seniors who suffer from arthritis and would like to maintain flexibility. The classes are offered at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 111 W. Harris Ave., La Grange. The cost for each one hour class …

Doings calendar for Jan. 12

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:16:32 -0600

The Doings welcomes items for the Community Calendar. Items must be received a minimum of 10 days prior to publication. Email items to: doingsnews@pioneerlocal.com. Community Interfaith Career Network will host a program, Federal Jobs and how to Improve Your Chances, at 7 p.m. Jan. 19 in the St. John of the Cross Parish Center, 5005 S. Wolf Road in Western Springs. Participants will learn about the government job postings website, receive an explanation of the GS pay system and review resume writing toward the federal goal. Speaker is Becky Brillon, program director of the Community Career Center in Naperville. This …