HOLIDAY IDEAS THAT WON’T BREAK THE BANK (IF YOU STILL HAVE A BANK)

Candace Jordan, NBC Chicago Street Team

On Wednesday, December 10th, C-House Chef/Owner Marcus Samuelsson, will be signing copies of his latest book—Soul of a New Cuisine –at the C-View Lounge located on the 29th floor of the Affinia Hotel, 166 E. Superior.  The meet and greet book signing will take place from 5-7 PM, no reservations required.  The book is $45 and would make a great stocking stuffer for the gourmets in the family.

Come meet the Broadway and Joffrey stars of “Dirty Dancing” in a benefit for the Joffrey Ballet’s Academy of Dance on Monday, January 5th, in the Joffrey Tower (10 E. Randolph) from 6-8 PM.   There will be a wine and cheese reception, silent auction and performances from the cast to benefit dance scholarships.  It will be an exciting once-in-a-lifetime evening for a very worthy cause.  Come celebrate with us!  Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door.  To purchase tickets please go to dirty@joffrey.org or call (312) 386-8944.

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? If you haven’t, check out the best gift guide I’ve seen in a very long time: The December issue of Elle magazine has 10 pages of incredible finds with over 100 items under $100, 50 under $500 and 20 under $1000. This is the kind of guide we need unless we’re Warren Buffet! Some of my favorites include a necklace by Yves Saint Laurent that holds a duo lip color combo in its gold pendant on a black silk cord for $65 (Marc Jacobs makes a similar, daisy-shaped solid perfume charm necklace on a leather cord for $35 at Sephora), a travel clock in a croc box by Charlotte Moss for $100, leather faux python flats in multiple colors by Nine West for $69, Fashion Rules board game for $100 at Fred Segal in L.A., 12 months of colorful journals boxed at Pottery Barn for $99, beautiful Left Bank candle by Charlotte Moss for Agraria for $55, colorful suede baby booties a la UGGS by Cole Haan for $55, silver champagne straws (set of two) by Christofle for $150, red lizard dice set by Tod’s for $295 and a gold champagne cork necklace by Maison Martin Margiela for $295 at Fred Segal in L.A. This is just a sampling of the terrific and unique gifts in this issue. Move over, O Magazine: Elle has you beat this time! Photos (from top left): Yves Saint Laurent’s lip gloss pendant; Cole Haan’s suede baby bootie.

There is a new chef in town that you won’t want to miss at the Peninsula’s Shanghai Terrace.  His name is Chef Ping Xu and he has 12 years of culinary experience and hails directly from Shanghai.  I went for a tasting and the food and ambience were incredible!  Hats off to the Peninsula,108 E. Superior Street,  for scoring another 10 with Chef Ping!  Book your reservations now to celebrate the Chinese New Year (312) 573- 6744.  Starting Thursday, January 22nd—January 29th, the Peninsula will be hosting a Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea with a tasty menu and some surprises for the kids!

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!  Stay tuned for “Holiday Tips from the Pros” coming soon.  (: