Fabululous Flirty Aprons (and gloves) keep you beautiful while you're in the kitchen!
I seriously can not get over how adorable these aprons and gloves are from FlirtyAprons.com! I've always been a fan of beautiful aprons, but these are even cuter than the (ahem) seven I already own!
Just one of the many reasons to love Flirty Aprons is for their designs in dressier colors like black, for more elegant occasions such as dinner parties or romantic evenings, when something cutesy would ruin a gorgeous outfit.
And they're about half the price of any similar designs I've seen.
How about these gloves! If you've seen me in the kitchen you know I never wash anything without putting on my trusty rubber gloves. FlirtyAprons's sassy red gingham and polka-dot versions are so cute, I'll look forward to washing dishes.
Oh, be sure to check out the aprons for men too. Extremely masculine and functional, each one has that little extra something to suit your man's personality. My personal favs are: I Like Big Buns and I Turn Grills On :-)
You've got to check FlirtyAprons.com out! Which are your favorites?
If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
https://stylenectar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/stylenectar.png00Juliane Porterhttps://stylenectar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/stylenectar.pngJuliane Porter2011-04-14 18:52:002025-12-06 15:04:50Lookin’ Good in the Kitchen with Flirty Aprons
The Violette Fizz is one of the Spring Cocktails featured currently at Bar Pleiades in NYC's Surrey Hotel
One never knows what surprises New York City traffic may pull. So when our driver promptly delivered us to Cafe Boulud (sumptuous details to be posted soon!) for our pre-theater dinneran hour early last Thursday…
Fate stepped in and redirected us to Chef Daniel Boulud's equally fabulous Bar Pleiades next door, where we happily sipped the time away on beautiful cocktails from their Spring selections.
The Violette Fizz, created by Bar Pleiades's genius mixologist, Maura, is a delightful concoction of Creme de Violette topped with an egg white and lime cream. Refreshing and garnished with a delicate violet, this tangy-sweet and light cocktail is perfection.
Nestled in the Surrey Hotel of NYC's Upper East Side, Daniel Boulud's Bar Pleiades is an upscale Coco Chanel inspired bar striking the balance of a well-made cocktail – elegant without being self-absorbed, cosmopolitan rather than edgy,and intimate without being stuffy. The selection of cocktails is updated seasonally to keep things fun and fresh, while a mainstay of classics are on the menu year-round. The bar will be happy, however, to make any cocktail you've had at any time of year, whether or not it's currently on the menu.
The decor is chic and gorgeous: polished black and white lacquered surfaces, pearl quilted booths, and intimate areas for privacy. This is both an ideal spot to meet someone and do some people watching on Madison Avenue. The service is warm, attentive and informative.
What is your favorite spot for a cocktail in New York City… or elsewhere 'round the world?
Daniel Boulud's Bar Pleiades's decor is chic and gorgeous
If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
https://stylenectar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/stylenectar.png00Juliane Porterhttps://stylenectar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/stylenectar.pngJuliane Porter2011-04-11 20:36:002025-12-06 15:04:52Daniel Boulud’s Bar Pleiades
Sweet Polenta Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting and Fresh Berries
What better way to celebrate the onset of Spring than with these beautiful italian-inspired cupcakes! Fresh berries atop a sweetened, cornmeal cake and a pillow of mascarpone cream.
Simple. Beautiful. Delicious.
And a perfect time to share two of my favorite cupcake accessories…
Silver cupcake liners, which I always have in stock for when the cupcake mood strikes. And, since cupcakes are a great treat to share with other people, a practical and easy way to transport them – the Cupcake Courier. I highly recommend this little baby. It has room for the tallest of cupcakes, or mounds of berries as the case may be, and they're all safely nestled and snapped into an easy to use container that I believe will survive even the bumpiest of car rides.
Sweet Polenta Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting and Fresh Berries nestled inside the Cupcake Courier (the top is currently off).
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup polenta, finely ground (if you'd prefer a more "textured" cupcake, substitute medium ground polenta)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 sticks butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
6 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (the best you can get, it makes a HUGE difference in your baking results)
zest of 2 lemons
16 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus a pinch for the egg whites
4 cups mixed berries (I used blueberries, blackberries & raspberries)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 2 cupcake pans with 24 muffin liners. Sift together the flour and baking powder then whisk in the polenta and salt.
In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy. While the mixer is running add the egg yolks, one at a time. Beat in the milk, vanilla, and lemon zest. With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients to this mixture until just incorporated.
In a separate, clean, dry bowl whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add a teaspoon of powdered sugar while the whites are mixing. Add half of the whites to the first mixture and beat with the paddle. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites with a large spatula to lighten the batter by incorporating air.
Spoon the batter into the lined muffin tins, filling each til about 2/3 full.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center. Cool each pan on a wire rack for a few minutes before removing the cupcakes. Again, cool the cupcakes completely to room temperature while before frosting.
Combine the mascarpone cheese with the confectioners' sugar slowly. Once you're past the stage of loose powdered sugar, beat together with a whisk until combined. Ice the cupcakes with the mascarpone frosting and top each with a mound of berries. Enjoy!
Recipe inspired/adapted from Michael Chiarello
If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
https://stylenectar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/stylenectar.png00Juliane Porterhttps://stylenectar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/stylenectar.pngJuliane Porter2011-04-05 00:04:002025-12-06 15:04:53Sweet Polenta Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting and Fresh Berries
A recent trip to visit family brought us to Greenville, South Carolina, a historic city of cozy neighborhoods with mature oak-lined streets and a downtown overflowing with culture and great restaurants. During our stay, we were treated to a wonderful Thai dinner at Lemongrass Thai Cuisine on North Main Street downtown.
The food at Lemongrass is delectably fresh while delivering the diverse spices and aromas of Thai cuisine- salty and sweet, fiery and mild, sour and bitter – into perfect harmony. The presentation of the meal was colorful and authentic, incorporating the rice tureen, clay pots and artful yet not-too-fussy arrangements.
Keeping it a little lighter, I ordered the Vegetarian Massaman Curry, a combination of mixed vegetables, potatoes, onions and pineapple sauteed in coconut milk and – of course – massaman curry, (a fragrant yellow curry that incorporates ground peanuts, lemongrass, and tamarind together with warm spices such as cardamom, bay leaves and fennel), topped with cashew nuts and avacado. Absolutely phenomenal.
In fact, everything we ordered was terrific. Fluffy jasmine rice. Tender, perfectly cooked squid, muscles and shrimp flavored with basil, lime and ginger in the Tom Yum Talay (soup). Crisp vegetarian spring rolls served with a tantalizing Thai sweet and sour sauce. Hungry yet?
So, not only do I recommend the city of Greenville, SC as a great place to visit, but a stop into Lemongrass Thai Cuisine is essential while you're there!
Do you have a favorite Thai restaurant or Thai dish? Do share 🙂
Last Saturday, Jim treated me to Puccini's Madama Butterfly at the Kennedy Center Opera House. The sold-out performance was absolutely magnificent, closing to a standing ovation, bravos galore and me (and a whole lot of other people) in tears.
Set in Japan, depicting the love affair between the 15-year-old Japanese geisha, Butterfly, and a young American naval officer, Madama Butterfly is beloved by music lovers everywhere for its wealth of melody and poignant, heart-on-the-sleeve emotionality. Take a peek at the opera through its spellbinding aria Un Bel Di Vedremo (note; same opera, different production than one we saw).
Perhaps the roots of my love for opera go back to my maternal grandmother who was a trained opera singer. My parents, avid opera patrons, first exposed me to performances via the Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcasts, aired each weekend, spicing up our family's weekend chores. However, it wasn't until my late twenties, during a performance by Placido Domingo, that I became permanently transfixed, on a whole new level, by the passion and power of opera.
It delights me to see the appreciation of opera on the incline, perhaps due in part, to the Met's high definition simulcasts, making first-rate opera available in theaters around the world. Have you been to any of these fabulously up-close productions? If so, which opera did you see?
For an extra treat, here is footage into scenes and music from a very old production of Madama Butterfly, featuring the glamorous Maria Callas, one of the most renowned opera singers of the 20th century.
Oil on Archival Linen Covered Board (Click Image for better, larger view)
Lookin’ Good in the Kitchen with Flirty Aprons
Fabululous Flirty Aprons (and gloves) keep you beautiful while you're in the kitchen!
I seriously can not get over how adorable these aprons and gloves are from FlirtyAprons.com! I've always been a fan of beautiful aprons, but these are even cuter than the (ahem) seven I already own!
Just one of the many reasons to love Flirty Aprons is for their designs in dressier colors like black, for more elegant occasions such as dinner parties or romantic evenings, when something cutesy would ruin a gorgeous outfit.
And they're about half the price of any similar designs I've seen.
FlirtyAprons.com's Sassy Rubber Gloves
How about these gloves! If you've seen me in the kitchen you know I never wash anything without putting on my trusty rubber gloves. FlirtyAprons's sassy red gingham and polka-dot versions are so cute, I'll look forward to washing dishes.
Oh, be sure to check out the aprons for men too. Extremely masculine and functional, each one has that little extra something to suit your man's personality. My personal favs are: I Like Big Buns and I Turn Grills On :-)
You've got to check FlirtyAprons.com out! Which are your favorites?
If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Daniel Boulud’s Bar Pleiades
The Violette Fizz is one of the Spring Cocktails featured currently at Bar Pleiades in NYC's Surrey Hotel
One never knows what surprises New York City traffic may pull. So when our driver promptly delivered us to Cafe Boulud (sumptuous details to be posted soon!) for our pre-theater dinner an hour early last Thursday…
Fate stepped in and redirected us to Chef Daniel Boulud's equally fabulous Bar Pleiades next door, where we happily sipped the time away on beautiful cocktails from their Spring selections.
The Violette Fizz, created by Bar Pleiades's genius mixologist, Maura, is a delightful concoction of Creme de Violette topped with an egg white and lime cream. Refreshing and garnished with a delicate violet, this tangy-sweet and light cocktail is perfection.
Nestled in the Surrey Hotel of NYC's Upper East Side, Daniel Boulud's Bar Pleiades is an upscale Coco Chanel inspired bar striking the balance of a well-made cocktail – elegant without being self-absorbed, cosmopolitan rather than edgy, and intimate without being stuffy. The selection of cocktails is updated seasonally to keep things fun and fresh, while a mainstay of classics are on the menu year-round. The bar will be happy, however, to make any cocktail you've had at any time of year, whether or not it's currently on the menu.
The decor is chic and gorgeous: polished black and white lacquered surfaces, pearl quilted booths, and intimate areas for privacy. This is both an ideal spot to meet someone and do some people watching on Madison Avenue. The service is warm, attentive and informative.
What is your favorite spot for a cocktail in New York City… or elsewhere 'round the world?
Daniel Boulud's Bar Pleiades's decor is chic and gorgeous
If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Sweet Polenta Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting and Fresh Berries
What better way to celebrate the onset of Spring than with these beautiful italian-inspired cupcakes! Fresh berries atop a sweetened, cornmeal cake and a pillow of mascarpone cream.
Simple. Beautiful. Delicious.
And a perfect time to share two of my favorite cupcake accessories…
Silver cupcake liners, which I always have in stock for when the cupcake mood strikes. And, since cupcakes are a great treat to share with other people, a practical and easy way to transport them – the Cupcake Courier. I highly recommend this little baby. It has room for the tallest of cupcakes, or mounds of berries as the case may be, and they're all safely nestled and snapped into an easy to use container that I believe will survive even the bumpiest of car rides.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 2 cupcake pans with 24 muffin liners. Sift together the flour and baking powder then whisk in the polenta and salt.
In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy. While the mixer is running add the egg yolks, one at a time. Beat in the milk, vanilla, and lemon zest. With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients to this mixture until just incorporated.
In a separate, clean, dry bowl whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add a teaspoon of powdered sugar while the whites are mixing. Add half of the whites to the first mixture and beat with the paddle. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites with a large spatula to lighten the batter by incorporating air.
Spoon the batter into the lined muffin tins, filling each til about 2/3 full.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center. Cool each pan on a wire rack for a few minutes before removing the cupcakes. Again, cool the cupcakes completely to room temperature while before frosting.
Combine the mascarpone cheese with the confectioners' sugar slowly. Once you're past the stage of loose powdered sugar, beat together with a whisk until combined. Ice the cupcakes with the mascarpone frosting and top each with a mound of berries. Enjoy!
Recipe inspired/adapted from Michael Chiarello
If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Lemongrass Thai Cuisine, Greenville, SC
Vegetarian Massaman
A recent trip to visit family brought us to Greenville, South Carolina, a historic city of cozy neighborhoods with mature oak-lined streets and a downtown overflowing with culture and great restaurants. During our stay, we were treated to a wonderful Thai dinner at Lemongrass Thai Cuisine on North Main Street downtown.
The food at Lemongrass is delectably fresh while delivering the diverse spices and aromas of Thai cuisine- salty and sweet, fiery and mild, sour and bitter – into perfect harmony. The presentation of the meal was colorful and authentic, incorporating the rice tureen, clay pots and artful yet not-too-fussy arrangements.
Keeping it a little lighter, I ordered the Vegetarian Massaman Curry, a combination of mixed vegetables, potatoes, onions and pineapple sauteed in coconut milk and – of course – massaman curry, (a fragrant yellow curry that incorporates ground peanuts, lemongrass, and tamarind together with warm spices such as cardamom, bay leaves and fennel), topped with cashew nuts and avacado. Absolutely phenomenal.
In fact, everything we ordered was terrific. Fluffy jasmine rice. Tender, perfectly cooked squid, muscles and shrimp flavored with basil, lime and ginger in the Tom Yum Talay (soup). Crisp vegetarian spring rolls served with a tantalizing Thai sweet and sour sauce. Hungry yet?
So, not only do I recommend the city of Greenville, SC as a great place to visit, but a stop into Lemongrass Thai Cuisine is essential while you're there!
Do you have a favorite Thai restaurant or Thai dish? Do share 🙂
Madama Butterfly
Puccini's Madama Butterfly
Last Saturday, Jim treated me to Puccini's Madama Butterfly at the Kennedy Center Opera House. The sold-out performance was absolutely magnificent, closing to a standing ovation, bravos galore and me (and a whole lot of other people) in tears.
Set in Japan, depicting the love affair between the 15-year-old Japanese geisha, Butterfly, and a young American naval officer, Madama Butterfly is beloved by music lovers everywhere for its wealth of melody and poignant, heart-on-the-sleeve emotionality. Take a peek at the opera through its spellbinding aria Un Bel Di Vedremo (note; same opera, different production than one we saw).
Perhaps the roots of my love for opera go back to my maternal grandmother who was a trained opera singer. My parents, avid opera patrons, first exposed me to performances via the Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcasts, aired each weekend, spicing up our family's weekend chores. However, it wasn't until my late twenties, during a performance by Placido Domingo, that I became permanently transfixed, on a whole new level, by the passion and power of opera.
It delights me to see the appreciation of opera on the incline, perhaps due in part, to the Met's high definition simulcasts, making first-rate opera available in theaters around the world. Have you been to any of these fabulously up-close productions? If so, which opera did you see?
For an extra treat, here is footage into scenes and music from a very old production of Madama Butterfly, featuring the glamorous Maria Callas, one of the most renowned opera singers of the 20th century.
Oil on Archival Linen Covered Board (Click Image for better, larger view)