La Cronaca – Upcoming Events, Fundraisers & Italian Fun! 

Jan –  Feb 2025 

Dear Sisters and Brothers, 
Let’s Celebrate La Cronaca: Flavors, Sounds, and Solidarity! 

A story of Italian taste, joyful events, and fundraising. 

 
Here’s what’s going on in our lively Italian American community: 

🎉   Upcoming Events 

January 

🎉 Grand Lodge Event: Chicago Bulls Game 🎉 
Join us for Chicago Bulls Italian Heritage Night on January 2nd! 
Celebrate Italian pride, basketball excitement, and community spirit—all in one unforgettable evening! 🏀 

 

✨ You’re Invited! ✨ 
Chicago Heights Lodge 1430 
📅 January 17th 

Please join us for a Mass in Loving Memory of Our Deceased Members, as we honor their lives and lasting contributions to our Lodge. 
🙏 Mass will be followed by a Dinner of Fellowship and Remembrance. 

📩 For reservations and more information, contact: gmancin1@att.net 

 

🎲 January 20 – Lodge Meeting 
📍 American Legion, Tinley Park – Leone D’Oro 

Get ready for Game Night! Bring your competitive spirit and join the fun. 
Plus, indulge your sweet tooth while supporting our World’s Finest Chocolate Fundraiser! 🍫 

Join us on the third Wednesday of the month at the Tinley Park American Legion Hall, 17423 67th Ct, Tinley Park, IL, starting at 6:30 PM. 
Visit our Facebook page for upcoming events & meetings. 

 

February 

17 Feb — Lodge 2700 Leone D'Oro Lodge Meeting 
Location: American Legion, Tinley Park 

📅 February Meeting 
Celebrate Fat Tuesday in style with Culture Night—an inspiring and informative Italian-themed evening! 
🍽️ Enjoy great company and delicious dishes at our Potluck Dinner. 

Highlights of the Night: 

  • 🎭 Fat Tuesday Fun  

  • 📚 Author Event: Carla Simonini 

  • 🌍 Cultural Travel Night 

  • ✈️ Triple-A Trips Information 

Reservation & Contact 

To attend meetings or events requiring reservations, email osdia2700@gmail.com with date and number of attendees. 

🍝 Recipe of the Month 🍝 

 🍄 A Taste of the Italian North  

Northern Italy’s Culinary Heritage 
Northern Italian cuisine reflects centuries of cultural exchange and adaptation shaped by geography and history. The Alpine regions absorbed Germanic and Austrian influences, introducing hearty bread dumplings like canederli and butter-rich dishes. Trade routes through Lombardy and Veneto brought rice, leading to iconic risottos such as Risotto alla Milanese. Proximity to France and Switzerland inspired creamy sauces and fondue-style dishes, while fertile plains and mountain pastures provided dairy for world-class cheeses like Gorgonzola and Fontina. This blend of local resources and cross-border traditions created a cuisine that is robust, elegant, and deeply tied to its mountainous and river-rich landscapes. 

👨‍🍳 Here are some of our favorites;   

1. Traditional Trentino‑style Canederli (Knödel) 

  • Source: Visit Trentino (“The original recipe for Trento‑style dumplings”) 

  • Recipe highlights: 

    • Uses stale bread soaked in milk, mixed with sausage or speck, cheese (Trentingrana), eggs, parsley and seasonings. 

    • Prepared by forming into balls and cooking for ~15 minutes in homemade vegetable broth. 

    • Includes detailed broth recipe and practical tips like testing one dumpling for dough consistency. 

  • Link: Visit Trentino original Canederli recipe 

2. Canederli with Speck & Cheese – Great Italian Chefs 

  • Source: Great Italian Chefs “Canederli – speck, cheese and bread dumplings” 

  • Recipe highlights: 

    • 200 g stale bread soaked in milk, combined with speck, Emmental (or similar Alpine cheese), eggs, nutmeg, parsley, and flour. 

    • Onion and speck are sautéed in butter, then mixed with bread. 

    • Dough rests 30 minutes, then shaped into ~24 small dumplings. 

    • Boiled for ~5 minutes and served in warm beef broth with grated Grana Padano. 

  • Link: Great Italian Chefs – Canederli 

3. Authentic Venetian Tiramisu 

  • Source: Cook In Venice – “Best Original Tiramisu Recipe” (originating from Treviso in Veneto) 

  • Recipe highlights: 

    • Savoiardi ladyfingers quickly soaked in strong coffee (no added liqueur in authentic version). 

    • Cream is made with egg yolks beaten with sugar, mascarpone, and whipped egg whites folded in. 

    • Assembled in layers and chilled for 4 hours; topped with cocoa before serving. 

  • Link: Cook In Venice – Original Tiramisu 

 

🏆 Bocce D’Oro – Assemble! 

           "La Bocce D'Oro" 

📧 Look out for email with game nights and times and player rotations.  

Let’s bring home the gold!  

 

📌 Reminders 

🌐 Facebook & Website: osia.uno 

 

📧 Lodge Emails: 

Reach out to our local lodges, where the heart and heritage of our community beat stronger than a double espresso on a Monday morning! 

 

🙏 Preghiera e comunità – Sempre insieme! 

(Prayer and community – always together) 

Editor and writer: Mario D'Antonio 

OSDIA President Leone D'Oro #2700  

OSDIA Grand Lodge of Illinois and Wisconsin Historian 

 CONTACT US: 

Website: www.osia.uno 

MarioDAntonio@MDWorks72.onmicrosoft.com