Afternoon Dance Breaks are a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. 

I grew up in the disco era, although at the time I felt I was way too cool to admit that I liked that booty-shaking music. 

Now I can freely confess I’m not cool at all, so let’s get that 120 BPM (beats per minute) music started.

Within the Disco Playlist you’ll find a couple of great disco tunes from 1978 and 1983. 

Top dance hits in those years came from The Bee Gees and Irene Cara. But I’ve got a couple other faves from those years, so check it out after the jump. 

Have I mentioned that we are embarking upon a kitchen renovation this year? That’s rhetorical, I know I haven’t. It’s all a little overwhelming and I’ve been alternating between giddy excitement and dread. Today excitement wins out.

We began in January, determining our vision for the space and starting the designer/contractor selection process. It took more than 3 months to do our due diligence, exploring our options – Big Box store kitchen, full-service design/build shops, other approaches … although DIY was never on the table. That is sooo not us. We finally selected Kitchens and Baths Unlimited and have been happy to work with lead designer Kelly Thayer.

Our 100+ year old home last received a kitchen remodel during the 1970s – picture linoleum, dropped ceiling, formica countertops, brown tile and wood paneling everywhere. Let’s just say … it’s time for an update.

Afternoon Dance Breaks are a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. 

Wikipedia sez: 

Give a listen to the Pop and Lock Playlist after the jump then get on up and show your moves!

As you know from recent posts I’m a big fan of the Pitchfork Music Festival, celebrating its 10th year this weekend in Chicago’s Union Park. Three days, three stages, 45 musicians/bands from a wide range of musical genres – some old favorites and many I’ve never heard of. There’s also food & drink (but no wine for sale – what gives?!) and a fair number of fairs: posters, crafts and records. Can’t wait, and now I don’t have to!

You can see that my festival survival kit is nearly ready to go. It includes (from left to right): the tote bag itself, Hawaiian print, very festive; frozen bottle of water; hand fan; spritzer bottle – a little mist in the face is good for what ails you when it’s 90+ degrees and humid; lipstick for when a girl wants to look pretty; hairbrush; floss; bandaids with Neosporin; aspirin; earplugs (very few bands are worth suffering hearing loss, sorry not sorry); camera; hand sanitizer; pen and notepad; Wet Ones; sunscreen; bug spray in a moist towelette format (genius!); bag of baggies and paper towels; bag of chipotle-roasted almonds (will have to disguise these - contraband!) The plaid blanket has water-resistant groundcloth on the backing which unfortunately will be needed – we’re due for rain on Friday and Saturday. There’s a green sheet, a blue rain poncho, a washcloth and a cute little cap. What you don’t see is the folding chair-in-a-bag which is for sure coming along with. And the mandatory pack of tissues we've discussed before. 

It’s embarrassing really – the tote bag version of a soccer mom’s minivan. Or maybe I’ve become the Be Prepared poster child. 

Afternoon Dance Breaks are a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. 

If these adorable little tykes aren’t frolicking, then I don’t know the meaning of the word.

Er, hmm, well, maybe I don’t?

Urban Dictionary sez:

I think that says (sorry, sez) it all. Check out the Frolic Playlist after the jump and then frolic with abandon like there’s no tomorrow!

Last week I shared some stories and pictures from our 4th of July dinner party + neighborhood fireworks show. Now we’re digging into the details with recipes and party-planning tips.  

Previously: Bodacious BBQ Sides and Perfect Picnic Pass-Arounds – Part 1 

My next Party-Planning Tip doesn’t even deserve its own number, it’s really a continuation of #1. Make ahead, even just a little bit helps. Thinking specifically about the proteins here. Sure, it’s fun to live-grill your party (which almost becomes a group activity) + awesome aromas, but depending on the size of your gathering there can be drawbacks to cooking the meal in front of your guests while fulfilling all the other hosting and cooking duties. For one, your guests don’t receive your full attention and two, did you see the part about all the other hosting and cooking duties?!

So for our dinner party on the 4th we planned the cooking time so that the smoked ribs and grilled chicken would be done shortly before the guests arrived, and wrapped them tightly to keep warm-ish. For the ribs, we sliced the racks, doused them with sauce, packed them into covered aluminum pans and stuck them back in the still-smoldering smokers until serving time. But the messy part was over and done before our guests arrived.

Afternoon Dance Breaks are a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. 

Wikipedia sez:

A sense of participation in a group event is among the chief appeals of rave music and dancing to pulsating beats is its immediate outlet. 

Raving in itself is a syllabus-free dance, whereby the movements are not predefined and the dance is performed randomly, dancers take immediate inspiration from the music and their mood … 

Several Pitchfork Music Festival musicians fall into the EDM (electronic dance music) category, and are featured on the Rave Playlist after the jump.  

Click on the pictures above to enlarge and read the captions.

Last week I shared some stories and pictures from our 4th of July dinner party + neighborhood fireworks show. Now let's dig into the details with recipes and a few party-planning tips that I’ve learned by trial-and-error after hosting more than a few soirees.

Here’s the menu. The bolded items are the ones we’ll discuss today – recipes after the jump.

Specialty Drink: Ilise’s Berry-Berry Good Limonade, spiked or not, as you please

Appetizers: Grilled Vegetables with Romesco Sauce and Sweet Pea-Guacamole; Garden Vegetable Refrigerator Pickles; Savory Pepita-Sesame Cookies; and Chipotle-Roasted Almonds.

Main course: Smoked Pork & Beef Ribs; Grilled Chicken Drumsticks with Mediterranean Vinaigrette*; Rachel’s Caesar Salad*; Cole Slaw; Potato Salad; Smoky Baked Beans*; and Rolls.

Desserts: Lemon Tart with Fresh Berries; Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream; Apple Pie; Chocolate-Covered Strawberries; and Cherries

* These yummy dishes will be featured in the Part 2 post, coming soon.

Chicago in the summertime is home to festivals of all stripes – citywide, neighborhood-specific, arts & culture-driven, music-oriented, food-focused, you name it. You might say it’s fest-a-palooza up in here. Oh yeah, we’ve got that too. (Lolla comes back to Grant Park July 31-August 2.)

Chicago’s most famous food festival is underway now, the 35th annual Taste of Chicago held downtown over 5 days in Grant Park.  Although the fest has been significantly downsized in recent years due to the City’s budgetary concerns, more than a million visitors are expected to visit 60+ food vendors and wander the grounds waving ginormous turkey legs, ears of roasted corn, and a few more exotic treats such as rattlesnake and rabbit sausage. There’s music too, free concerts starring Spoon, Erykah Badu and Weezer.

The original idea behind the festival was good – exposing people to a variety of cuisines and promoting Chicagoland restaurants – but over time it seemed to devolve into I-don’t-know-what. 

Used to be ten long days, almost always in sweltering weather, of large and unruly crowds (I know, #notallcrowds), pedestrian food offerings (pizza and burgers? really?), and the infrastructure/ traffic nightmare that occurs when a major festival is plopped right downtown in a major city. There’s always a post-Taste news piece about the tons of garbage and recyclables collected and it’s always astonishing. 

Did I mention -- 10 days? 

Kudos to the Taste of Chicago organizers for stopping the madness and making real changes to turn things around again with a shorter timeframe, a more manageable number of food stalls, healthier food options, and experiential elements such as the addition of food trucks and pop-up fine dining experiences with top-tier local chefs.

This tasty success story came to be through the delightful cross-pollination that seems to happen more and more frequently here at Entertain the Possibilities.

I’m working on another Cookbook Road Test post (coming soon to the Interwebz near you) featuring the Rick Bayless cookbook Fiesta at Rick’s. I tried several recipes including this one and ding-ding-ding we have a winner! I just couldn't wait to share this treat with you.

These are not sweet cookies, and they’re definitely not pretty cookies. In fact ‘cookie’ might be the wrong word altogether but neither Rick nor I came up with a better one. Shortbread comes close.

But enough about what it isn’t. This toothsome morsel IS a fantastic go-with for a glass of dry white wine. (Rick says they pair well with margaritas and I believe him. I happen to know they're also quite good with red wine, as rigorous quality control studies have been conducted. Only the best for my readers.) There’s texture and flavor and richness, all in 1-2 bites. Perfect for a cocktail party and very easy to prepare.

Recipe, pictures and music after the jump.

Afternoon Dance Breaks are a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. 

Congratulations to Misty Copeland who recently became the first African-American Principal Ballerina at the American Ballet Theatre, one of the top three ballet companies in the world.

Source: American Ballet Theatre

Let's celebrate her achievement with a Pirouette Playlist dance break, after the jump.

If you are a US-ian who celebrated our nation’s independence on Saturday, I hope you had a great time. In fact, I hope that everyone everywhere had a great weekend. Ideally one involving sunshine, barbecue, friends, food and fun. Not to brag but mine was fantastic. 

As previously mentioned, Ilise and I hosted an Independence Day dinner party on our patio with a neighborhood fireworks display of impressive caliber and duration providing entertainment for one and all. (Well, not such a good time for the pets with the near-constant snaps, pops, bangs and booming explosions.)

The most recent Supper Club celebrated Puerto Rican cuisine. Especially noteworthy was the cocktail created by my own dear partner and bar chef extraordinaire, Ilise.

Did you know that the Piña colada was invented in Puerto Rico? Sí, es verdad. But mastering the perfect Piña colada wasn’t enough for Ilise, no, she had a quest to make it even more tropical, fruitier, and yes, more booze-tastic.

Speaking of which, did you know that Puerto Rico is the world's leading rum producer? In that spirit (get it?) Ilise used 4 different kinds of rum in this recipe. The recipe will be delicious whatever kind of rum you use, so don’t worry about buying something special. But if you have a variety (or can borrow from a friend) give this a try – you won’t be sorry. Go big or go home, you know? Actually, you can just go to the next page for the recipe and pictures.

(Source for Puerto Rico factoids: ToPuertoRico.org)

Afternoon Dance Breaks are a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. 

It’s probably clear to you that I have a big list of synonyms and descriptive words for dancing that I refer to when creating these posts. Caper was on the list but I had to check for an actual definition … and so you shall have it too.

Caper  [key-per] 

Verb (used without object)
To leap or skip about in a sprightly manner; prance; frisk; gambol.

Noun

1. A playful leap or skip.
   
2. A prank or trick; harebrained escapade.
   
3. A frivolous, carefree episode or activity.
   
4. Slang. A criminal or illegal act, as a burglary or robbery.
   

 Source: Dictionary.com

So please give a listen to the Caper Playlist after the jump and skip about, prance or frisk to your heart’s delight! 

I’ve had no prior exposure to this fish, which some call the poor man’s lobster. I don’t know about that, and anyway I don’t like lobster (yes, I’m weird). But I was game to give this recipe a try, because I like to try new things and also the go-with ingredients are among my favorites: asparagus, mushrooms and potatoes. The recipe called for new potatoes, I used Yukon gold, so sue me. (Turned out fine.)