A Francophile podcast to help you dive deeper into French history, three new cookbooks, a film set in Britain about a moment in history that disrupted the patriarchy, Patrick Stewart on the piano and so much more. Books —The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone’s Mind by Jonah Berger After reading an excerpt of Jonah Berger’s […]
“I loved rhubarb, that hardy, underappreciated garden survivor that leafed out just as the worst of winter melted away.” —Judith Fertig When I saw the abundant, expansive green leaves and hot pink stalks, so thick and strong, singing to let their delicious tartness be appreciated, I knew my potential home was a home where such […]
A new French-food-inspired cookbook, a beautiful tour of homes from Eyeswoon’s Athena Calderone (Jenna Lyons’ and Nate Berkus just to name a few!), a new film rendition of a Jane Austen classic, Monet comes to Atelier des Lumieres in Paris, timeless decor and entertaining details, a sale not to miss and so, so, so much […]
Beauty —Eminence Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant About a month ago, I began using Eminence’s strawberry rhubarb dermafoliant once a day to gently exfoliate my skin. Recommended by the facialist I visit on a seasonal basis, I trust her taste and decided to give it a try. And I am quite happy that I did. The price […]
Weekly rituals infused into our everyday routines welcome anticipation with quick attainment, as we can look forward to them four or sometimes five times a month and experience the culmination in relatively a short amount of time. Such is the case for my Friday Nigh Lemon Butter Shrimp Pasta. For nearly 12 years and likely […]
Cookbook —Modern Lunch: +100 Recipes for Assembling the New Midday Meal by Allison Day With plant-forward recipes from the blogger behind Yummy Beat, discover new, inpired ways to update your lunch. Inspired by the seasonal fare and her travels around the globe, discover simple, delicious and healthy recipes to add to your midday eating repertoire. […]
Simple, delicious and seasonal. Somehow, this always leads me to some detail of the recipe that is inspired from the French culinary world, and the recipe showcased in the final episode of Season 1 is no different. Having heard the term clafoutis many years before, it certainly was something that caught my ear, but for quite […]
Stepping into the kitchen is much like stepping into a playground of culinary curiosities for me, and the more I learn about flavoring and how to add scrumptious layers of mouth-watering goodness to my meals simply by using what I already have in my épicerie, the more excited I become to cook at home. It […]
“Wake up and look for the happiness and share it.” —thoughts about life shared at one of the many lunches enjoyed with Patricia and Walter Wells on their terrasse in Provence. There are many different ways to learn any new skill, acquire any new information, to understand new-to-you concepts. For some, becoming accustomed to direct […]
Book —Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities and the Pleasures of Solitude by Stephanie Rosenbloom Loving. Absolutely loving. I almost didn’t write anything more as the title speaks for itself, and then when I share that the four cities are Paris, Istanbul, New York City and Florence, isn’t the deal sealed? So far I have […]
~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #211 ~Subscribe to The Simple Sophisticate: iTunes | Stitcher | iHeartRadio | YouTube | Spotify In America we have the story that … your sex drive evaporates. … Nobody wants to sleep with you, but you don’t want to sleep with them either. … And it turns out that that is really much more of a cultural story than […]
Beauty —Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Pure Retinol Express Smoothing Eye Mask As someone who is always looking for quality beauty products that I can depend upon, I took note after reading a blog post which shared beauty hacks that are worth having on hand. Customers continue to give it high reviews as it offers fast wrinkle-free […]
~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #165 ~Subscribe to The Simple Sophisticate: iTunes | Stitcher | iHeartRadio “Right food, right place, right time. It is my belief . . . that this is the best recipe of all. A crab sandwich by the sea on a June afternoon; a slice of roast goose with applesauce and roast potatoes on Christmas Day; hot sausages […]
~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #156 ~Subscribe to The Simple Sophisticate: iTunes | Stitcher | iHeartRadio Each time NYC stylist Tiffani Rogers stops by The Simple Sophisticate podcast we begin with a conversation about the most recent trends and fashion events, but then it leads to a life discussion as we both, women in our 30s who are striving to enjoy the […]
One of the biggest challenges new cooks in the kitchen encounter is knowing which fresh ingredients to incorporate into their menu in order to ensure the most delicious flavor. Okay, maybe just new cooks in the kitchen named Shannon found this difficult, ? but I have a feeling I am not alone. Admittedly, it has taken […]
The winter months and our skin. Depending upon where you live, the type of skincare you will need will be largely determined by the humidity (or lack thereof). The journey of my skincare regimen has been on-going and a savvy and more successful approach began in my thirties when I began to seek out professionals […]
Book —Thirty Chic Days: Practical Inspiration for a Beautiful Life by Fiona Ferris I am absolutely ecstatic to share Thirty Chic Days. Fiona Ferris is a long-time blogger who I can remember following for quite some time. I am so excited that she now has a new book we can hold in our hands and […]
Blog —Little Yellow Couch Zandra Zuraw and Karen June Grant make up the pair behind the lifestyle and decor blog, business and podcast Little Yellow Couch. I happened upon them as I follow Sharon Santoni’s blog, My French Country Home, and love their approach to living. It’s not about perfection but rather about cultivating a […]
“When great people cross our path, it forces us to reckon with what we’re doing with our lives.” —Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the 11-time Tony award winning musical Hamilton ~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #108 The people we come into contact throughout our lives either enter to offer an opportunity for us to change and […]
Book —Pen & Palate: Mastering the Art of Adulthood, with Recipes by Lucy Madison and Tram Nguyen Inspired by the posts from their Pen & Palate blog, Lucy Madison and Tram Nguyen offer a book for the young adult who is just stepping out on their own into the real world. With a dash of humor, […]
Blog —Beauty & Well-Being With the founder’s mother and grandmother both having worked as beauty editors for French Vogue, Clémence von Muffling took to the career of writing about beauty almost innately. Having worked for Clarins and Dior, her blog Beauty & Well-Beauty is a passion for revealing how to live well and doing it in […]
Shopping —Apprécier Earlier this month I came across a style article in The Wall Street Journal that caught my eye as it profiled a unique website, one of the like I have never seen before. Apprécier is the brainchild of Cynthia Weber-Cleary, InStyle magazine’s former fashion director, and Stephanie Stahl, former head of marketing at leather-goods maker Coach. And […]
Book —Love, Loss & What I Ate: A Memoir by Padma Lakshmi Known for starring in Bravo’s Top Chef, Padma Lakshmi’s memoir is receiving praise for the raw portrayal of her journey from South India to New York City as a young girl. Sprinkled with recipes as well as personal stories, discover the people who […]
Decor —West Elm Metal Framed Floor Mirror, Antique Rose Full length mirrors are a wonderful piece to add to a bedroom, closet, end of a hall or any space in which you are wanting the room to look larger. Having purchased a floor mirror from West Elm in the past, I can attest, the quality […]
