Five on Friday: Macarons

Confession time…I am obsessed with macarons. They are the perfect little treat to indulge with over tea or a glass of wine. I’ve found a number of spots in metro Detroit that have the best macarons and every time I pass by I make sure to get some. I once tried my hand at making my own (before we had phone cameras) and I sincerely appreciate all the work that goes into making them.

Before I list my five favorite spots, I want to mention that I am in fact talking about macarons and not macaroons. A macaron is meringue based, while a macaroon is coconut based. If you’re looking for macaroons, I LOVE the ones from Godiva and usually pick some up when I’m getting my free monthly truffle.

Le Detroit Macaron

This is one of my favorite places. I had met the original owner a number of times because she was my cousin’s friend. She sold it a few years ago to a wonderful young women and it’s one of my favorite businesses to support. Whenever I’m in Detroit, I always stop by and pick up a box. They are coming up with new flavors all the time and they are delicious. They even made my special elderberry ones for the Royal Wedding!

Cannelle Patisserie

I’ve mentioned Cannelle Patisserie a number of times before. I threw an amazing Uncorked and Unwined champagne tasting a number of years ago and got all the treats from Cannelle Patisserie in Birmingham. They recently opened a Detroit location that I’ve been meaning to try, but if you’re looking for authentic Parisian bread and desserts, this is the place to go.

Le Bon Macaron

This was a little gem I discovered after a client meeting in Ann Arbor. I needed to work remotely and send a few emails and found a place to enjoy some tea and macarons in the process.

Gateaux Patisserie

As you may have read, I’m currently teaching at the University of Michigan – Dearborn and it gives me the perfect excuse to stop at Gateaux and pick up some macarons and some of their rose tea to go. They also have an amazing tea service that I’ve enjoyed. Pay attention to their Instagram page because they frequently do Harry Potter themed macarons.

Love & Buttercream

Love & Buttercream has a little shop in Birmingham that has a lot of fun treats. They also have delicious macarons like these bunny ones I got for Easter last year.

Let me know your favorite spots to get macarons!

For more Five on Friday posts, click here.

Glamorous Moms Foundation

Ever since I started my Miracle Morning journey, one of my goals has been to get more involved in charitable causes whether that was by donating, supporting events or volunteering my time. One of the books that really charged me to define the causes I felt most passionate about was Jean Shafiroff’s Successful Philanthropy. Shafiroff encourages readers to identify the causes that are most important to them and really focus on them versus trying to do a little bit of everything. One of the causes that I am most passionate about is supporting mothers and children.

When my friend Shannon, from Glamorous Moms, launched her own nonprofit organization, the Glamorous Moms Foundation, I was thrilled to join the board and support mothers and children. Our mission is to provide support, inspire, and build confidence in women and children in our community to enhance the quality of life, leading them to health, happiness, and safety. We provide a giving and comforting community that educates, strengthens and supports moms, expectant moms, women, and children who need it most.

We support other service organizations by providing comfort and life necessities (education, daily needs, and monetary support) to women and children to make meaningful change. Our first project was a toy drive over the holidays that allowed us to donate to a number of organizations over the past few months.

We have a number of exciting things coming up including our annual Glamorous Luncheon on May 16. If you’re in the metro Detroit area, I would love for you to join us!

I’m thrilled to be involved in this organization and to be able to get more involved with the cause. I can’t wait to see what we can do in 2020 and beyond!

What’s Better than Brunch?

Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to Royal Oak Brunch Bites. All opinions expressed are my own.

For today’s Five on Friday post, I thought I would share more information about one of my favorites events, Brunch Bites! This is an annual event that happens in Royal Oak and Chicago and is the perfect time to round up your gal pals for one super brunch!

Read to the bottom for a chance to win two tickets to tomorrow’s event. Here are a five things to know about the best event of the year!

What’s on the Menu?

Red Velvet and Buttermilk Pancakes, that’s what!

Can we Brunch all Day?

Yes, there are 12 restaurants on the menu, which means you get a food and drink offering at each location.

Brunch Bites Menu

What Should I Wear?

Comfortable shoes because you will be walking and layers…this is Michigan after all. After that, all graphic tees are welcome! I have my eye on this one currently…

What is Brunch?

This is the very official Wikipedia definition: Brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch eaten usually during the late morning to early afternoon, generally served from 10 a.m. up to 2 p.m., and regularly has some form of alcoholic drink (most usually champagne or a cocktail) served with it. The word is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch. Brunch originated in England in the late 19th century and became popular in the United States in the 1930s. But mostly…

Where can I get Tickets?

You can buy them for $40/ticket here. Or you can win a pair from me by entering the giveaway below:

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Dance Your Way to the Mamma Mia 2 Screening

Disclosure: I received complimentary passes to the screening in exchange for this post. Scroll down for your chance to win tickets to the screening.

Mamma Mia is a classic, so creating another reason to get together and dance it out in a Mamma Mia sequel sounds like a good time to me. Who doesn’t love dancing, Amanda Seyfried, ABBA, Cher and Greece? Put that all together and you have a fun girls night out for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

It’s been ten years since Mamma Mia hit theaters so it’s about time for us to sing, dance, laugh and love all over again. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again! takes place on the magical Greek island of Kalokairi with all of your favorite ABBA songs. The film goes back and forth in time to show how relationships forged in the past resonate in the present, Lily James will play the role of Young Donna.

Mamma Mia is a timeless coming of age story with a fantastic soundtrack. Amanda Seyfried always looks fabulous and no doubt will have the perfect wardrobe. For a preview, you can get her SHEIN Striped Off Shoulder Tie Cuff Blouse for $12:

What are the Greek Isles without a fantastic bronzer? Tina Earnshaw is the makeup artist on the film and shares the top three bronzers and brushes she used on her website. They are Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base ($50), Tom Ford’s Ultimate Bronzer ($112), and the Terrybly Densiliss Sun Glow ($116):

Join me on Tuesday, July 17 for the advance screening of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again at 7 p.m. at the MJR Grand Digital Cinema Troy. Enter below for your chance to win a pair of tickets. Winners will be named on a first come, first serve basis and I will email you all the details.

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If you miss the screening, you can still catch Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in theaters on Friday, July 20. What is your favorite ABBA song?

For more movie posts and recaps, click here.




Take a Trip Around the Sun with Kenny Chesney

Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to this concert in exchange for this post. 

Summer is almost here and it’s time to plan out summer concerts! One of the biggest summer concerts this year is Kenny Chesney at Ford Field on August 4. If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, you can find them at www.ticketmaster.com. This is right before my husband’s birthday and he loves country, so it’s the perfect concert for us. If you don’t know, Kenny’s fan club is called No Shoes Nation, and he recently put together a special album for the fan club. You can see all the tracks, here.

For this concert, Kenny will play all the new songs from The Big Revival and Cosmic Hallelujah and throw in many of the favorites from No Shoes Nation. Joining him for this year’s trip around the sun will be Academy of Country Music Male Vocalist and Country Music Association and ACM Single of the Year winner Thomas Rhett (“Die a Happy Man,” “It Goes Like This,” “Craving You (feat. Maren Morris)”), good time band Old Dominion (“Break Up with Him,” “Song for Another Time”) and newcomer Brandon Lay.

If you want to get your pre-party on, Ford Field is hosting a Beach Bash from 1-4 p.m. before the show on Brush St. and part of Adams St. 93.1 NASH FM and 99.5 WYCD are providing live entertainment and the event is free and open to the public. If you don’t have tickets, you can still attend the Beach Bash and have some country fun.

I’m still loving “Come Over,” it definitely reminds me of my love story.

According to Kenny, “There’s nothing like a stadium full of people coming together to remind you what life’s about. The energy, the moments, the fun. Every single one of these artists who’re coming out with us for Trip Around the Sun live their lives the exact same way: they work hard, they appreciate what they’re given and they love music every bit as much as they love life. I, personally, can’t wait to see this show hit the road.”

If this is going to be a fun date night with my husband, I definitely need to go a little country. Country is all about that girl next door vibe, so you have to think effortless, simple but cute without trying too hard. I was looking for a sundress to wear that was maybe white with eyelets, and this Gianni Bini Lila Tiered Eyelet Lace Dress is perfect. Plus it is early enough to wait for it to got on sale.

Since this one is indoors at Ford Field you don’t have to worry about it getting too hot and can rock those cowboy boots for the perfect country look! I liked these Dingo Marlee Women’s Slouch Boots with the gold toe! This would be the perfect item to use all that Kohl’s cash on.

Ford Field’s bag policy will allow you to have a clutch with a strap or a crossbody bag with a strap. My Coach Messenger Bag is always my go to for concerts or sporting events and I just saw this adorable new version, the Coach Camo Rose Floral Cross-Body Bag, plus it’s on sale!

What are your favorite country concert looks? I hope to see you at Ford Field on August 4!

For more information on the Trip Around the Sun Tour, please visit www.fordfield.com.




Find Your Perfect Wine at Vinotecca Birmingham

I was invited to the opening event by Vinotecca. All opinions are my own. 

I was disappointed when Vinotecca announced that it was closing in Royal Oak to make way for the new Jolly Pumpkin. I’ve had a lot of fun attending their Black Wine Night over the years. But my frown was quickly turned upside down when it was announced that Vinotecca would be moving to Birmingham instead.

One fun element about Vinotecca is the owners are a father-daughter team (my dad and I are obviously doing the wrong types of bonding activities). John Jonna has 40 years of experience in the wine business and is a sommelier and cheese expert (who knew this was a thing?). His daughter, Kristin, is a certified specialist of wine. I had no idea that John founded Merchant’s Fine Wine (one of my favorite places when I lived in the Dearborn area).

When I RSVP’d for the opening event, I had no idea I would get the wine education I did. My friend and I decided to cozy on up to the bar and we ended up getting a personal wine education from John himself. He shared some of his favorite wines with us and the best part was that for every wine he poured us he had a story to go along with it either about the wine or how he first discovered it. If you are an expert or a novice you will definitely learn something at Vinotecca. Here are a few of the wines John selected for us and some interesting details about them.

Don & Sons 2015 Pinot Noir

This winery is now in its fourth generation and the family has definitely got the hang of it if their namesake wine is any indication. It’s based in Sonoma and the grapes are sourced from the Coast and the Petaluma Gap and Russian River Valley. This is a varietal so it is 94% Pinot Noir blended with Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvingon and Zinfandel which makes it great for everyday drinking. This is also a good one to serve to newbies or if you are having guests over and aren’t sure what they will like.

Stephanie Aviron 2015 Chenas

Now here is where I really learned something. John gave us a brief history of what a Beaujolais wine is and why they are so interesting. I had never heard of Beaujolais, so this was a treat for me. This wine is made from the Gamay Grape and gets its name from the Province of Beaujolais in France. They use a different technique in the winemaking process called semi-carbonic maceration. They put the whole grape into a stainless steel tank to ferment and the bottom grapes get crushed and essentially the carbon dioxide they create starts to saturate the grapes that didn’t get crushed and makes them ferment. There are all different types of Beaujolais wines and the different strains/versions are called crus (like crews). From what John told us finding a good Beaujolais is something of a treasure hunt and people spend years trying to find one that speaks to them. This wine did that for him and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Chateau d’Orignac Pineau Des Charentes

This was another gem, something I had never heard of before which isn’t surprising as the Pineau isn’t very well known outside of France. It even has a legend surrounding it! Apparently in 1589, a winemaker accidentally added grape must into what he thought was an empty barrel, but it was full of eau de vie (or a fruit brandy. They put the barrel in the cellar to ferment and when they brought it out a few years later they had made a Pineau! It contains 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon with about one-third Cognac. You serve it chilled and is wonderful with desserts and cheese. It should be as it takes nearly 10 years to make!

2014 Triton Tinta de Toro

This Tempranillo was made in Spain and John had visited this vineyard and had a lot of fun stories to tell around this wine. During the Middle Ages, Toro was Spain’s most famous winemaking region and these wines accompanied Spanish explorers to the New World. This is a hearty red wine with an elegant finish. The wine is named Triton after Neptune and his son from Roman Mythology. They were the gods of rivers and lakes and the river Duero plays an important part in the creation of this wine.

I had a lovely time at Vinotecca and guarantee you that I will be back again. I’m always looking for a good wine bar, and Vinotecca gives you wine and a little education to go with it.

For more Wine of the Week posts, click here.




The Bodyguard

Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to Broadway in Detroit’s The Bodyguard. All opinions expressed are my own.

I remember the day when my mother finally let me watch The Bodyguard. It was a popular movie and rated R and I remember she had to go see it first and then decide if she was going to let me watch it. It was a big deal. I LOVED that movie! We had the soundtrack on tape and on CD and I remember playing I Will Always Love You before dinner and belting it out all around the house (until my mom couldn’t take it anymore haha).

Needless to say, I was thrilled when I found out The Bodyguard was a musical and coming to Detroit. I enlisted my bestie Jen to come along with me for the show and pre-warned her that I might sing along.

The Bodyguard takes the original movie to the next level by adding some of Whitney Houston’s most iconic songs to the mix including So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, and I Want to Dance with Somebody. In case you’re not familiar, The Bodyguard tells the story of former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer who is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from a stalker. Deborah Cox, a Grammy® Award-nominated and multi-platinum R&B/pop recording artist and film/TV actress plays the starring role. Folks, she is the real deal. Her voice was unbelievable. Here is a little taste of her encore performance from the show:

This was one of my all-time favorite shows that I’ve ever seen live. I knew every word to every song and it had me singing them all week – in the shower, in the car, to my niece Skyler. I couldn’t get enough! From the costumes, the performances, the songs and the storyline, this musical had it all! My favorites are Queen of the Night, Run to You, I Will Always Love You, I’m Every Woman and I Have Nothing (which is my favorite song from this soundtrack). I also loved that they included some of Whitney’s other songs – it just made it better.

I would highly recommend that you take your favorite gal pal out for a fun evening – especially if you are 90’s kids. The show runs through January 28 at the Fisher Theatre. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 1-800-982-2787 and online at Broadway in Detroit or Ticketmaster. The performance times include:

  • Tuesday through Saturday evening performances at 8 p.m.
  • Sunday evening performances at 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
  • Special open captioned performance on Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m.

The Fisher Theatre also serves beverages, so we were able to have some wine with the show (definitely helping with my sing-along skills).

I would definitely go and see this show again, it was fabulous! You can see the official trailer for the tour below:

Are you a fan of The Bodyguard? If you’ve seen this musical, I would love to hear your thoughts.

For more Broadway in Detroit posts, click here.




An American in Paris

Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to Broadway in Detroit’s An American in Paris. All opinions expressed are my own.

Ladies, may I introduce you to my new friend, Gene Kelly:

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I was thrilled to be invited to Broadway in Detroit’s presentation of An American in Paris this week. I had never seen the movie before but pretty much love everything Parisian. To get prepared for the show, I decided to watch the movie and was pleasantly surprised. First of all, HELLO GENE KELLY! Who knew he was so dreamy?

The movie reminded me a little bit of LaLa Land and surprisingly Cocktail, but since those all came after the original movie they may have taken their cues from my new friend Gene. Without knowing anything about the premise, I ended up knowing a lot of the songs. After seeing the movie I couldn’t wait to see the musical version so I invited my friend Carolyn out for a Parisian themed night on the town.

I wanted to find a French restaurant in Detroit and another friend recommended Cuisine. I had never heard of it (which is surprising since it’s been around for a long time) but was excited to make a reservation.

We went full on French and tried the duck leg confit and roasted breast with foie gras. If you know me, a lifelong picky eater, this was out of my comfort zone, but I liked it and am glad I tried it.

The staff was awesome and had us out of there quickly so we could head over to the Detroit Opera House for the show. Of course, I had to partake in some bubbly as we headed into the theatre. An American in Paris was inspired by the Academy-Award winning film and tells the romantic story about an American soldier, a mysterious French girl and an indomitable European city, each yearning for a new beginning in the aftermath of World War II.

By the time we got to the show, I had been singing the songs all day, from “I’ve Got Rhythm” to “‘S Marvelous” I was in the perfect mood to see this. I thought the musical was so well done! They explained a lot more of the storyline in more detail than they did in the movie version. It definitely helped to set the scene for what was happening in that time period and why it was significant to the story. People didn’t really need that backstory for the movie because the audience was living it. The dancing and the talent in the show was stunning. It made me want to get up and dance.

You can see the show in Detroit at the Detroit Opera House through December 10. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 1-800-982-2787 and online at Broadway in Detroit or Ticketmaster. tickets will also be available for purchase at the Detroit Opera House and Fisher Theatre box offices. The performance times include:

  • Tuesday through Saturday evening performances at 8 p.m.
  • Sunday evening performances at 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
  • Special open captioned performance on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

I highly recommend grabbing your bestie and taking her out for a French themed night on the town. Detroit was the first stop on the North American Tour so if you’re not local take a look at the official website to see if it’s coming to your area. You can see a little preview of this show below:

Broadway in Detroit has a fabulous line up this year with shows like The Bodyguard, Les Miserables and Cinderella coming to town this year. I can’t wait! If you’ve seen An American in Paris, I would love to know what your favorite song is or your favorite part of the movie.

For more posts about the local Detroit scene, click here.




Every Story Has a Bead

Disclosure: I received sample products from Trollbeads in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

A few Saturdays ago, I hosted a party at the Trollbeads store in Twelve Oaks Mall. Trollbeads only has seven storefront locations in the United States and Michigan is lucky to have one of them.

I didn’t know a lot about Trollbeads before the event, but after six hours in the store, I feel like I’m an expert! I love that every piece is so unique an each customer can create something that expresses their individual personality.

Trollbeads was founded in 1976 in Copenhagen, Denmark. In Denmark the word “troll” is used to refer to all mythical creatures. The first Trollbead, Faces, included six troll faces as you turn the bead and is still part of the collection today:

I had a lot of creating all of my own pieces at the event, one of my favorite looks was this tiara. There are so many fun and different ways you could adorn this. This would be great for a wedding, shower or any special event.

I’ve talked about upping my bangle game before and I just loved these gold bangles and could have a lot of fun creating a stack of them.

I also did a silver stack and I just adore the butterfly stoppers on these bangles. In the silver you have three different choices of bracelets, the bangle, the twisted bangle and the traditional foxtail bracelet:

I tried my hand at creating a pendant necklace. Some of the beads were so unique and beautiful.

They also had this pendant on display in the store and I thought the combination was beautiful:

I ended up leaving with my very own foxtail bracelet and my first “Unique” bead:

If you’re interested in starting your Trollbeads collection, visit the store at Twelve Oaks Mall and mention DetroitDuchess for 10% off your order. Make sure to post a picture of what you get!

For more fashion posts, click here.



Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

I love all things pirates! Every year I try to do something fun or silly to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day. You can even see this post on my favorite pirate items. I’m also a big fan of rum…maybe I’m actually a pirate… You probably won’t be surprised to hear that I love Johnny Depp’s character in Pirates of the Caribbean.

I am excited for the next installment of the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales opening on May 26, 2017. To celebrate I’m giving away eight pairs of tickets to an advance screening of the movie on May 22 at the MJR Troy Grand Digital Cinema 16 at 7 p.m.

The movie starts out with Jack Sparrow on the run again and as you can see from this clip, he is still up to his old tricks. I’m looking forward to a movie marathon this week (complete with some rum) to get ready for this screening:

If you would like to join me for the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales screening for you and a guest, enter the Rafflecopter below and I will announce and contact the winners on late Friday night/Saturday morning.

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For previous movie reviews, click here.





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