Easy Empanadas from Argentina to Winnetka

The best empanada recipe is a mystery in itself, since every household in every province in Argentine has a different recipe, all claiming they are the best! Baked or fried, fillings vary according to taste and local ingredients, but we can definitely agree that the traditional Argentine empanada is made of meat. And when I […]

by Bene Nordenstahl

Chicago Expert Geoffrey Baer on What Makes a Great Neighborhood

A great neighborhood is hard to define, and wonderful to find. Neighborhoods aren’t legally described geographic locations, like towns; rather, they are a subjective combination of the geographic and the psychological. By intuition and common consensus, people just agree that an area with shared traits is a neighborhood. Shared Great Traits Experts do agree on […]

by Susan B. Noyes

Shop for Deep Discounts in Pleasant Prairie

Does the thought of shopping at outlet malls conjure visions of endless hours sifting through racks of damaged merchandise in last year’s style or in a color no one wanted? Think again. Our favorite factory stores offer first quality, current season designer merchandise at a fraction of what you’d pay on the North Shore. Eight […]

by Joan Vesselinovitch

Like Angels on Wings’: The Chicago Lighthouse

The year was 1997. Sally Higginson and Betsy Brint, the “former Schwartz sisters” of Highland Park, as many refer to them, were celebrating Mother’s Day with their families. With lots of small children and distracted mothers, the only one paying attention to the eight-week-old baby in a carseat was the bachelor brother. “Hey, when do […]

by Laura Tiebert

The Northern Suburbs: What We Love

We love our neighborhoods!   Make It Better asked our readers what you love most about the place you live, and we received answers from Lincolnshire to Lake Forest; Evanston to Barrington. Here is what makes our towns and villages amazing places to live, make friends, raise children, enjoy nature and connect with culture and […]

by Laura Hine