WOW….is my house feeling really bare…I usually pick up flowers and try to spruce up things around here from week to week..There really is nothing like fresh flowers around to keep your spirits up!! Even the $9.99 grocery store variety does the trick. I was walking the other day and noticed that there are so many beautiful and bright forsythia bushes popping up all over. I went home, grabbed my clippers and cut a few branches…I put them in a tall vase on my kitchen counter and Voila…What a difference!!!!! After almost a week, they are really holding up…Then I saw my uber-talented friend Stephanie post a photo of the ones she cut and arranged on her dining room table…andddddd a post was born. How fabulous do these simple arrangements look?
Here is my friend Stephanie’s Dining Room…ABSOLUTE PERFECTION…
Are you cooking a lot these days? Me too!! I decided to search Amazon for some new cookbooks and stumbled up Park Ave Potluck! It is a collection of recipes from some of New York’s Grande Dames of society.
Here is the description:
To benefit America’s leading center for the research and treatment of all types of cancer, here is a cookbook with a cause par excellence. The members of The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center are some of the most celebrated party givers in New York City’s fundraising world. Now the ladies of the society have opened up their private recipe files to present foolproof dishes that will turn any event–whether a cocktail party for sixty or a comforting family meal–into the talk of the town. Edited by acclaimed food writer Florence Fabricant, Park Avenue Potluck is filled with such recipes as Cheddar Chutney Croustades, Baked Spinach Risotto, Cider Roasted Pork Tenderloin, and Bermuda Banana Bread Pudding. This unprecedented peek into the dining rooms of Gotham’s poshest addresses offers up advice on entertaining in true New York style. Among the boldface names contributing are Coco Kopelman, Muffie Potter Aston, Nicole Limbocker, Daisy Soros, Patsy Warner, Alexis Waller, and Katie Colgate. Humorous anecdotes, insider tidbits, and party-planning advice from these grand dames make this the season’s choicest invitation. – Amazon.com
I read in the reviews that the book is worth it just for the Chicken Cacciatore recipe. I’ll have to add that to my must-try list..For more information or to purchase this book, click HERE.
Boy this quarantine/social distancing is rough..I think I am on day 16 now since I flew home from Miami, (which is rough in itself!!!). I have to say my girls are really getting me through. They are so much fun and really incredible…They are making the best of a sad situation and are turning it into a real comedy show. Between online schoolwork and all types of lectures which are way over my head, crafts, impossible puzzles, face-timing with friends, cooking , baking, smoothie making AND a new King Charles Cavalier puppy…I am exhausted!!!! Ha!!! But honestly, it’s really hard… I miss my friends..I miss seeing them face to face. Having lunch or dinner or seeing a Broadway show or discussing a book, or Harry and Megan !!!!!!!.or places we should go, books we should read, recipes we should try, blogs we should write, products we should try. Life can be a very lonely place which is why I always say I get by with a little help from my friends!!! This stay at home time is also a way for me to focus on my business and my partnerships. Did you notice the blog overhaul?…I’ve been working on it for over a month now…BUT one huge aspect of my blog that I am finally getting around to is trying out new products.
Yesterday in the mail I received a sample of Color Street Nail Products. Color Street is inspired by New York, the City That Never Sleep’s non stop energy and color fusion. They offer a vast array of nail colors and design. I tried the samples and OMG!!!!! They were incredible sooo easy to put on…they look fabulous and last and last. The BEST PART is that most sets are $11-$13 for all 10 fingers AND they have Pedi’s too…..HOW PERFECT ARE THESE FOR THESE STAYING HOME DAYS? Or what about a set or two in the Easter basket of your daughter (they come in petite too), your teen, 20 something, your mom, your sister, all your besties…Trust me they are going to go out of their minds……they are that good!!! You can choose from solid colors, french manicures and many artsy styles which are sooo popular right now and very very $$$$ at the salon.
Product Benefits
Base, color, and top coats of high-quality liquid nail polish in each strip.
Results in a brilliant, salon-quality manicure in just minutes. No dry time, smudges, or streaks. Lasts up to 10 days.
100% real nail polish, not stickers. Flexible—can be gently stretched for a perfect fit.
How to put on Color Street:
- Remove clear cover color strip protector. Select the size nail polish strips that best fit your nails.
- Peel polish strip. Gently peel the nail polish strip from its backing by pulling on the silver tab.
- Remove tab & select end. …
- Apply to nail & gently stretch to fit. …
- Gently file excess.
Are you ready to try your own set? Here is a link to the NS Lifestyles Nail Bar Party… This link will take you to all the color and design offerings for fingers and toes. TRUST ME!! For the price…this is one of the best products I have tried in a while!!!
I have been asked for some online shopping picks for WFH and beyond. I tried to find something in every category for you and kept things no more than $100. Everyone is spending more time communicating via facetime or skype or zoom, whether it be a conference call, online class, a consultation or just one of the new online concept happy hours or cocktail parties. Here are somethings that you can add to your wardrobe now that will give you a little boost and not break the bank…Bon Weekend!!!!!!
Under $100
These are such great Chloe sunglasses
Love this stripped Cashmere Sweater
An embroidered blouse is a must-have
The cutest flats in pink and snakeskin
A very cool sneaker with jeans!
Under $50
These Le Specs sunglasses are a great shape…
Love these Uggs too
Love this Top Shop dress. I tried it on..its soo cute!
This Color Block Sweater is my favorite
This recipe was featured in the New York Times this week. The secret is that 1/2 cup of flour yields delicious gooey brownies. I had a request for a chocolate recipe to bake while social distancing! This one looks perfect. (try it with or without the nuts too) I bet it will be your go-to for many months to come!!!
- ½ cup cocoa
- ½ cup butter (1 stick)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cup chopped or broken-up walnuts or pecans
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
- Heat oven to 325 degrees.
- Melt butter in a saucepan with cocoa and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, nuts and salt. Add to the cocoa-butter mixture. Stir until just combined.
- Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch-square pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake; the brownies should be gooey. Let cool, then cut into bars.
My good friend and fellow blogger, Stacy of Stacy Knows introduced me to the Bedside Reading Bookshelf. Jane Ubell-Meyer, founder of Bedside Reading is opening up her library for you during this quarantine time. Bedside Reading places books in 5-star hotels and while the travel world has come to a halt, she’s now passing along her bestsellers and classics! You basically choose which genres you are interested in….. And she’s ready to ship ASAP! The books are free all you pay is the shipping. Here’s the link to get your books: https://www.bedsidereading.com/bookshelf.html
