Holiday help for nonprofits

holiday wish lists from local nonprofit organizations

If you’re like most Illinois Times readers, your life is safe and secure and the holidays are a time for family fun and delicious meals. Sadly that isn’t the case for everyone in our

Cook now, eat later. Skip the stress.

Here’s a guide to what to make ahead, when to make it, how to store it, and how to reheat it

Getting Thanksgiving dinner – or any holiday feast – on the table can seem like a math word problem gone awry.Question: If it takes four hours to cook a 15-pound turkey, and three of the s

A Christmas memoir

Found in an old desk, a bracelet of baubles and spheres

It was in Grandmother’s desk, the same desk she used to write to her sister in the 1880s. It is the same desk my mother used to write letters to me while I was in the army, and I have some of th

Take 10: top DVDs for the cable-rree

Catching Up With Cable

Don’t let those who’ve cut the cable miss out on their favorite shows. Holiday downtime is perfect for catching up on some of cables’ most popular and critically acclaimed shows. Her

The stream team

All it takes is an Internet connection to turn an ordinary set-top box into an entertainment library that knows no limits. Here are the season’s most desired devices

There are few things in this world more irritating than paying an oversized cable bill (OK, paying an oversized gas bill comes close). Thankfully,  TV fans don’t have to suffer the indignit

Keeping tabs

There’s no shortage of tablets worth putting in their hands this holiday season

Before the iPad debuted in early 2010, no one really knew they needed a tablet. But, gosh, how did we ever live without them? Lighter than a laptop with more real estate than a smartphone, tablets hav

The Gingerbread Queen

Johanna Rosson cooked with Paula Deen and threw down with Bobby Flay to earn her crown as the gingerbread queen

Johanna Rosson’s decorating skills are sweet.Rosson designs and builds gingerbread houses – and she’s been head architect for some of the best.In 2005, she appeared on Food Network&r

Amateur photogs, pro cameras

The season’s hottest cameras for aspiring shutterbugs

There’s an old saying among photographers that the best camera is the one you have with you. For many of us, that’s increasingly a smartphone. But if someone on your list relies only on a

Handheld hubbub

The Vita, PlayStation’s next-generation portable gaming device, took the top Hardware honors from the gaming press at E3 2011, but unfortunately, it won’t be available in North America til

Holiday lighting illuminated

Professional holiday decorators give their tips on how to make the season bright, indoors and out

Every year, holiday lighting manufacturers introduce more varieties of bulbs, strands, colors and accessories. Luckily for the seasonal lighting industry (and those who love cruising the neighbo