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A 12-year-old girl was shot December 4, 2021 in the Loop. | Adobe Stock Photo

Both shootings happened in the Central police district, which has seen a 20% increase in murders and a 56% increase in shootings this year.

A 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were wounded during a chaotic weekend night in downtown Chicago as police responded to roving crowds of youths.

The girl was shot in the back in the first block of North Michigan Avenue hours before the boy was shot in the arm not far away in the 200 block of North Wabash Avenue, according to police.

The girl was with a group of people when someone fired in their direction around 8:40 p.m., police said. She suffered a gunshot wound to the back and was taken in serious condition to Comer Children’s Hospital, according to police.

Police did not report the shooting until late Monday and reported no arrests.

Around 11:20 p.m., a 15-year-old boy was shot four blocks away. He bumped into someone on the street and they began arguing, police said. The other person pulled a gun and shot the boy in the arm. He was taken in good condition to Lurie Children’s Hospital.

Police said they dispatched extra patrols to control crowds. In addition to the two shootings, a CTA bus driver was beaten downtown and two cops were injured. At least 22 juveniles were arrested and two “replica firearms” were seized.

Both shootings happened in the Central police district, which has seen a 20% increase in murders and a 56% increase in shootings this year, according to police data.

The boy and girl are among more than 100 children 15 and younger who have been shot in Chicago this year, according to Sun-Times records. At least 27 of the children have been killed, more than all of last year.

Gun violence continues to outpace last year across the city, according to Sun-Times data.

At least 4,168 people have been shot in Chicago this year, an increase of 8.1% from this time last year — and about 70% more than this time in 2019.

There have been at least 754 homicides, 3.9% more than last year at this time and more than 60% higher than the same period in 2019.

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Mulled wine is a winter staple, from holiday markets to the ski slopes to a cozy chair in front of the fireplace on a cold night. | stock.adobe.com

To make a gift of it, write the recipe on a decorative card to ensure proper allocation of the basket ingredients.

During this season of giving, keep your gifts rich and real with homemade and locally sourced products, foraged decorations and repurposed items. A gift need not be pricey or fancy, and when it’s homemade, it conveys a personal, meaningful touch. Look to your community and Mother Nature for inspiration.

Seek out artisanal and handmade items, homemade food and drink, garden citrus and clipped branches, kitchen spices and Mason jars to converge, inspire and create thoughtful gifts for friends and family.

This DIY gift basket includes all the fixings to make mulled wine. Mulled wine, also known as gluwein, glogg and vin chaud, is universally pleasing. It’s a winter staple, from holiday markets to the ski slopes to a cozy chair in front of the fireplace on a cold night. Who wouldn’t want to curl up with a fragrant mug of vino — especially one fortified with spirits and fruit, laced with cinnamon and spice?

To make a gift of it, write the recipe on a decorative card to ensure proper allocation of the basket ingredients. The recipe is a keeper, and the ingredients … well, as you can see, while they are certainly key to the recipe, they can also be enjoyed on their own or put to another use.

In this case, a bottle of port and red wine, a little shot of orange liqueur, and sachets of spices and dried fruit are assembled in a basket with a few sprigs and leaves plucked from the winter garden to make a seasonal kit. Of course, this is a template, and if you have a favorite holiday drink, then change up the recipe accordingly — you get the gist of it.

Homemade Mulled Wine

Yield: Serves 5 to 6

INGREDIENTS:

Syrup:

1 cup port wine
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup orange liqueur, such as Gran Marnier or Cointreau
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Zest of one untreated orange
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

Wine:

1 (750ml) bottle full-bodied fruit-forward red wine
1/4 cup raisins, soaked in port wine or orange liqueur for at least 20 minutes
Cinnamon sticks or orange slices for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the syrup ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced by about half, about 12 to 15 minutes.

2. Add the wine to the syrup. Cover the pot and gently warm over medium-low heat, without letting the wine come to a boil. Taste, and if you prefer a sweeter drink, stir in additional brown sugar to your desired sweetness.

3. Strain into mugs. Add a spoonful of raisins to each mug and garnish with an orange slice or cinnamon stick.

Lynda Balslev is an award-winning food and wine writer, cookbook author and recipe developer. She also authors the blog TasteFood, a compilation of more than 600 original recipes, photos and stories.

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T-Pain, the “Buy U a Drank” singer, is now also an instructor via his new book, “Can I Mix You a Drink?,” co-written with professional cocktail expert and beverage executive Maxwell Britten. | Rowmel Findlay

The book features gorgeous photos of cocktails on sleek black pages, 50 alcoholic drink recipes, many named after some of his biggest hits.

NEW YORK — There may be a plethora of adjectives to describe music superstar T-Pain, but boring is never included. So when the idea of writing a book was presented, he knew what he would not be writing: an autobiography.

“I want to bring joy to other people. I don’t want to kill the mood. I want people to feel good when they read what I do,” said the “Bartender” singer. “So, I felt like why not do something that people can actually get something from?”

The “Buy U a Drank” singer is transitioning from consumer to instructor with his new book, “Can I Mix You a Drink?” Co-written with professional cocktail expert and beverage executive Maxwell Britten, the book, which features gorgeous photos of cocktails on sleek black pages, is filled with 50 alcoholic drink recipes inspired by Pain’s music and career travels. He also offers brief, personal anecdotes before each recipe, many named after some of his biggest hits.

Kingston Imperial/Penguin Random House
T-Pain has written a new book “Can I Mix You a Drink?” with professional cocktail expert and beverage executive Maxwell Britten.

“When I go to these different places, all these different things that I probably didn’t think I would like, I ended up liking when it was done correctly in the region and from the culture that I was getting it from,” explained the “Blame It” harmonizer. “It helped to make this book pretty broad.”

In an interview with the Associated Press, T-Pain talked about creating the book, his passion for music, and if he’s finally ready to embrace his position in history as a musical trailblazer. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q. How hands-on were you with “Can I Mix You a Drink?”

A. I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t just a book of like screwdrivers, so I definitely was hand-on with a lot of it. I put in my weird requests… the I’m So Hood drink, I requested that be served in a paper bag. The 5 O’Clock, I made sure that I had ice cream inside of it, like it was a beer float, basically. I had a song called “Red Cup” — one of the recipes is called Red Cup. It had to be served in a red cup — it’s the exact portions, and you actually pour into the lines on a red cup.

Q. What’s your favorite drink?

A. It was the “I’m Sprung” because I was drinking wine at the time. But now, it’s “I’m So Hood,” just because of the sheer ridiculousness of it being served in a brown paper bag… Seeing that paper bag just brings light to my day.” [Laughs]

Q. Can you tell us about your new music? “I Like Dat” has already hit 22 million views on YouTube, and you just dropped “I’m Cool With That.”

A. It’s fun to not have to chase anything. I’m actually having fun making music again, and it’s not a job. It’s actually still my passion. It’s not something that I have to do to survive. It’s just something that I’m doing with my hobby in my spare time, and if it comes out dope, then why not let the world hear it?

Q. You’re independent, so were you surprised at the success of “I Like Dat?”

A. Absolutely. Like I said, I’m not chasing the No. 1 spot, I’m not chasing money, so, you know, seeing the exposure and seeing the acceptance that it’s getting, yeah, that’s amazing…. The fact that people are still vibing with T-Pain in 2021 — yeah, I love it. That’s a dream come true. People would kill and die to last in the game this long.

Q. Eventually, you’ll have an album called “Precious Stones.” What can we expect?

A. The reason it’s called “Precious Stones” is because I feel like the world has been flooded with just the same white diamonds — like, white diamonds, meaning a metaphor as just the same kind of music all over the place. Everybody’s making the same music, everybody’s doing the same video… I look at jewelry like that and I’m like, “Why are diamonds so expensive if there’s so many of them?” Everything got diamonds in it, everything — but what you can’t find a lot of is those precious stones.

Q. You’ve received a lot of criticism in the past for popularizing Auto-Tune, but have you begun to realize how much you’re actually appreciated by your fans and music lovers?

A. I see it sometimes, man. And it does break through the negativity a lot… As an artist and as a public figure, we always see the negative first. That’s just what happens first. When we sit down and actually relax and chill out and stop trying to impress everybody, we do get to see the appreciation. And that’s where I am in my life. I’m actually chillin’, relaxing and sitting back and enjoying it.

Here are two recipes featured in “Can I Mix You a Drink?”:

I’m Sprung

Madelynne Ross of Bites and Bevs LLC
The “I’m Sprung” cocktail, created by T-Pain and Maxwell Britten.

Style: Built in glass

Base: Wine

INGREDIENTS:

3 ounces dry Riesling
1 ounce Giffard Crème de Pêche de Vigne liqueur
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
4 drops orange-flower water
Topped with LaCroix mango sparkling water

Glass: Wine glass

Ice: Cubed

Garnish: Fresh mint, orange wheel, strawberry slices, straw

Tools: Ounce jigger, mixing spoon, paring knife

DIRECTIONS:

1. Build all ingredients except the LaCroix in glass.

2. Top with a little sparkling water, then carefully top with ice.

3. Stir and top again, garnish, and serve.

I’m So Hood

Madelynne Ross/Bites and Bevs LLC
“I’m So Hood” cocktail, created by T-Pain and Maxwell Britten.

Style: Shaken

Base: Cognac

INGREDIENTS:

1 ounce D’Ussé Cognac
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce Olde English Reduction (see directions below)
Topped with Moët champagne

Glass: Large cocktail glass or goblet

Ice: Cubed for shaking only

Garnish: Lemon twist, small paper bag

Tools: Ounce jigger, Boston shaker, Hawthorne strainer, fine strainer, paring knife or peeler

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients except the champagne in Boston Shaker.

2. Add ice and give a hard shake, then double strain into glass.

3. Top with champagne, garnish, and serve.

Old English Reduction

Ingredients:

40 ounces Olde English malt liquor
5 cups granulated sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
4 anise pods
6 cardamom pods

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, add Olde English and spices. Heat to a simmer on medium, 10 minutes.

2. Once liquid is indicated as heated, reduce heat to low and slowly stir in sugar. Once all sugar has been fully dissolved, bring heat back up to a simmer. Periodically stir for 30 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Let chill in the fridge in an uncovered nonmetal container.

4. Strain out spices before using in recipe and keep refrigerated covered for long term shelf life.

All recipes copyright Penguin Random House and reprinted with permission.

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Marking the grand reopening of the gallery at Ace Hotel Chicago on December, 10 from 6-10 pm, Undertones is a photography and film exhibition curated and created by artist Steven Piper, designed to recognize the undecorated natural beauty within each model and therefore redefine what authenticity really means in today’s world.

“Imagery empowers people to recognize their own beauty is a form of love, unprovoked and independent from any trend,” said Steven Piper, artist, and director of the exhibition.

Telling Stories Differently

Stepping away from the chaotic center of argument and aggression, Undertones takes a unique approach by focusing on the universal issues hiding behind individual tragedies — unheard voices, untold stories, and underrepresented identities.

Curating a diverse team of 10 models, Undertones is determined to tell the stories from a raw human perspective. The viewers are challenged to rethink their definitions of beauty, and eventually reach the conclusion that authenticity is the essence of all things beautiful.

“The push to challenge society’s perceptions of beauty showcases the power of resilience and the journey of self-love that exists for folks who have historically felt or been unseen,” said Piper.

About the Artist

A native Chicago artist, director and photographer, Steven Piper is a self-taught artist who decided to follow his true calling in visual storytelling after spending his college years in business school. Pulling most of his artistic sensibilities from his time abroad in Paris, Steven’s work embraces the unique identity of each subject and composes a powerful visual narrative using sound, photography, and video.

Most recently, Steven has opened a new studio with several artists in the Flat Iron Building in Wicker Park. This new space is many things: a place to build community, a place to express himself, and a space to create the best work of his career yet, beginning with this new project: Undertones.

The Gallery at Ace Hotel Chicago is Back

The gallery at the Ace Hotel in the Fulton Market has always been a unique landmark for those familiar with the neighborhood. After over a year-and-a-half, the gallery is finally reopening with this brand new exhibition so suitable for the post-pandemic era.

Mark your calendars for Friday, December 10th for the opening of Undertones, starting at 6:00 pm. This is a non-profit exhibition. However, you can support the artist by purchasing an opening night ticket.

Secure your seat here.

Featured Image Credit: Steven Piper

The post New Exhibition, Undertones Marks the Reopening of the Gallery at Ace Hotel Chicago appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are not going to the College Football Playoff. They were revealed to be the team in the fifth spot of the ranking. That is the worst possible ranking to be in because it means that you just missed it. There is a decent chance that being a part of a […]

Notre Dame Football: 1 game defined the entire 2021 season – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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The Chicago Blackhawks are in a very interesting spot. They played very well on the east coast over the weekend. With wins over the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders, they took four out of six points (there was a loss to the New York Rangers). Things have been really nice for them ever since […]

Chicago Blackhawks: Jake DeBrusk would be a great fit via trade – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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Three people were wounded in shootings Dec. 6, 2021, in Chicago. | Sun-Times file photo

The day’s shootings happened on the south and west sides.

Three people were wounded in shootings Monday in Chicago, including a 43-year-old man who was wounded in a drive-by in the Lower West Side.

The man was moving from one tent to another tent about 6:30 p.m. in the 1900 block of South Canalport Avenue when a vehicle drove by and someone from inside fired shots, Chicago police said. He was struck in the leg and was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.

Hours later, a 27-year-old woman was shot in her home in Lawndale on the West Side. The woman was standing inside her home about 8 p.m. in the 1900 block of South Homan Avenue when someone from outside fired shots at her window, police said. She was struck in the shoulder and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition.

One other person was wounded in a shooting in Washington Park.

Nine people were killed, and twenty-three others were wounded, in shootings last weekend in Chicago.

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