April 9, 2024

March Magic 2024

by Liz Heather in Beauty, Family, Food, Links, Personal, Products, Recipes, Television, Travel

March was a whirlwind, here’s what went down last month!

The best tweets of March can be found over here.
I recapped my winter list of things to do.
I wrote my spring list of things that I’d love to do this season.
I served on a jury and it was an awful experience. I’m begging you to never do it. It wasn’t even a murder case and it was still horrible to be apart of.
Am I nervous about The Body Shop closing a TON of stores? Yes, yes I am.
I’ll never be above a new Trader Joe’s candle scent.

My sister-in-law made one of the greatest desserts I think I’ve ever tried: lemon sorbet blended with mascarpone. It sounds so simple, but I promise you the flavour was mind-blowingly good. A perfect summer dessert, too.
I think I found the best lip oil that isn’t expensive or sticky: Colourpop’s Lux Lip Oil in Dew Drop Clear.
My sweet dear friend Jenn sent me See’s Candies chocolates for my birthday and good god were they incredible.

I made a Thai green curry for the first time and it was fine, but I think this is something that I’m only gonna order out from now on. It just didn’t taste the same when I made it at home. (It could’ve been because the coriander seeds I ground up had expired last year? Would that have made a giant difference in taste?)
One of my all-time favourite scenes in a movie:

I said goodbye to my blonde hair!

I’ve decided that March = tres leche cake season, so I had to make one.
I went to Niagara Falls with my family and it was such a great time.

I also went to Mount Airy in Maryland with Nathan and it was a perfect way to spend a birthday. He got a chocolate cake from Wegman’s that honestly was even tastier than my favourite chocolate cake.

I got the Lemax NORTH POLE MAIL ROOM from my brother & sister-in-law and my life might be complete?
The Nordstrom flagship happy hour remains one of the best in the city.

Some things I watched:
- Baywatch (season 1): Okay, the pilot of Baywatch is one of the best pilots I’ve ever seen. Honestly rivals the Lost premiere. Makes zero sense. Kind of a great show?
- Ready or Not (the Canadian show): I love that you can find most of these episodes on YouTube.

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I have to try the special ramp & cacio e pepe dumplings at Mimi Cheng’s, Nathan’s going to be on The Tonight Show for the third time on April 12th (!), I really want to go see the blooming cherry blossoms in Central Park and I can’t wait to see Rachel McAdams in Mary Jane on Broadway (Nathan’s birthday gift to me!).

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can read what went on in February over here.

March 29, 2024

Spring List 2024

by Liz Heather in Personal

It’s spring! Here’s what I’d love to do this season.

See at least one Broadway play.
Go to Smorgasburg for the first time.
Declutter the house (donate old books, organize movies, etc.).
Make a spring bolognese.
Start reading a new book.

As always, I encourage you to make a list of your own. If you’re looking for some ideas, here are some past spring lists I’ve made:

Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018 and Spring 2016.

March 28, 2024

Winter List 2023 Recap

by Liz Heather in Personal

It’s common to complain about how long winter is, but it’s the perfect amount of time. My only complaint about this season was how little snowfall there was, but that’s my issue every year with any amount of snow - it’s never enough. That being said, did I make the most of the season? According to my winter list, no. Haha. But according to real life? It was wonderful.

1. Go skiing.

I did not, but this one is truly not my fault because snow conditions were so poor this year.

2. Eat ramen for the first time.

Okay, no it didn’t happen. Was there a reason it didn’t? Nope. I just never found myself in the mood.

3. Make some Christmas-y appetizers (cranberry grilled cheese, charcuterie wreath, etc.)

Yes! Finally! And they were great.

4. Get the lobster bisque from The Soupman (the Seinfeld soup nazi) near Central Park (I haven’t eaten it in years and it’s incredible).

Fully forgot.

5. Find a snowmobile and ride it.

No snow = no snow mobiles, I don’t make the rules.

Okay, this list didn’t go very well with 1/5. But that’s okay. I suffer from a condition where you can delude yourself into thinking that your past failures don’t define you. Spring list coming tomorrow!

March 1, 2024

February Feats 2024

by Liz Heather in Beauty, Best of NYC, Food, Links, Movies, Personal, Television

Welcome to March! You’re well aware of how much I love this month. Will I overdo it and be left a shell of a person come April 1st? Most likely, but there’s nothing that can be done about that! Here’s what went down last month.

The best tweets of the month can be found over here.
I kept up with my weekly Winter Wednesdays series.
I finally finished the Mel Brooks memoir I’ve been reading for months.
If this coat (below) was under $100, then I would’ve had no choice but to buy it.

Some things I baked:
- God, I love a small batch cookie recipe.
- People won’t shut up about this New York Times marry-me chicken recipe but I absolutely would reject that proposal. I made it and it was FINE at best. And more recently, I made a cauliflower soup of theirs and it was bland as hell! I definitely need to take a step back from their recipes. Maybe the food styling is what’s tricking me? Gorgeous looking food doesn’t always taste amazing. There’s a lesson there??
- I made this brioche berry bread pudding that was delicious. Something feels very wrong about using strawberries in February, but the Grand Marnier soak really helped the flavour.

I can’t stop wearing these Aerie brown stockings.
Found a new coffee shop that I’m loving - Sonbobs in Astoria.
We bought Baby Dog a ramp to get on and off our bed and it’s been a huge help. Sometimes she’ll just leap off into the pillows alongside it, so it may take some time for her to trust this new inanimate object in her life.

I tried out a colour corrector from Huda because the internet told me to and it did absolutely nothing different to my face hahah?? Sometimes I seem smart and other times I do stuff like this.
Nathan and I saw the play An Enemy Of The People with Jeremy Strong (from Succession) and Michael Imperioli (from The Sopranos & The White Lotus) and it was great! Absolutely love the Circle in the Square theatre. $40 tickets straight from the box office can’t be beat.

The winter kale salad at Uva Next Door on the Upper East Side was top tier.
The patty melt at Daily Provisions? Wow. Makes zero sense that a coffee shop has that good a sandwich.
I’ve finally learned my lesson and I’ve stopped using third-party websites for booking travel. Took me decades to learn this lesson.
Also, I’m sure no one but me buys Visa gift cards - but just incase, stay very far away from the brand Vanilla. I’ve had so many issues with money that was loaded improperly and their customer service is nonexistent.
Some things I watched:
- Sometimes I Think About Dying: so great! Our friend Dave does such a great job in it.
- Two Weeks Notice and The Wedding Date (combining them because they don’t deserve individual billing): WOOF. Why do I do this to myself when I have a list full of actually watchable movies?
- If Lucy Fell: an old Sarah Jessica Parker movie? Course I’d watch that. It actually wouldn’t have been so terrible if the main guy wasn’t such an awful actor. He wrote, directed and starred in it, which was the wrong decision.
- Waiting To Exhale: such a great rewatch.
- Once Upon A Crime: perfect rewatch. It’s baffling that this movie did so bad at the box office.
- New season of Curb: ugh. I don’t want to be mean, but I really hate this show now. The storylines are so tired and it really didn’t need to come back at all. (Richard Lewis will remain the best thing about the whole show.)

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: taking Baby Dog to Niagara Falls, I really want to try the vodka chicken parm from Compton’s in Astoria, excited to spend some time with my brother + family visiting from Scotland and there are so many birthday cakes I get to make for other people this month.

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can read what went on in January over here.

February 8, 2024

January Jewels 2024

by Liz Heather in Beauty, Best of NYC, Family, Food, Links, Movies, Personal, Products, Recipes, Television

The first month is over!

I compiled my favourite photos of 2023.
I made a list of the very best of 2023.
The best tweets of the month can be found over here.
I recapped how my 2023 resolutions went.
I made my 2024 resolutions.
I reviewed the new costume exhibit (Women Dressing Women) at The Met.
I started writing a small weekly update entitled Winter Wednesdays.
I made a brioche french toast with homemade Nutella whipped cream that was unreasonably good. It was surprisingly hard to find a bakery that had ready-made brioche, but Whole Foods made this possible (unfortunately).
For new years day, I made this pork tenderloin with a honey garlic sauce that I’m absolutely going to make again this week.
My nephew Rome really got into this book of final last words, so he kept reading them aloud all month and this (below) is one of my favourites.

I visited the new (and finally open) Central Library in Mississauga and it’s so disappointing. The layout is terrible, the kids area is practically nonexistent, the shelving is appropriate for toddlers, the parking garage uses pay parking before 6pm and even the entrance is so badly designed that the front librarians have to wear their winter coats because of the breeze coming in from the main doors.
I’ve mentioned this already, but I can’t stop myself from trying to remember the old days of Square One (the mall in Mississauga). I’ve found a few photos that triggered some things in my brain and for some reason I need to write them out here so that I don’t accidentally forget them again. Do you remember when there was the movie theatre where Goodlife is now, next to The Bay? And the toy store Toys Toys Toys next to the theatre? Or the swinging ship boat ride infront of The Bay? Or all of the water fountains in the two-level food court! A giant Burger King used to be where Earl’s is now and people would wait inside it because that’s where the buses used to stop. The slushies at Woolco (that closed in1994) are cemented in my brain as the best in the world. The pretzel stand outside of Walter’s Music and down the isolated escalator from that parking lot that was next to Sears. And the Biway, Everything For A Dollar and Grand & Toy in that same Walter’s hallway. The giant HMV that used to be next to Donato. The Marks and Spencers that had a huge clothing area and then a separate grocery area. The greeting card store (my first job!) Your Expression that was around the corner from where the TD is now. The PJ’s Pets (the pet store) that used to be where Bulk Barn is now, with their rows and rows of fish tanks. Oh my god the It Store, Le Chateau, Jacob (where Wilfred is now), Diana Sweets, Black’s Cameras, Music World, Green Earth (that store with all the spiritual items and wooden figures), the coat check at Customer Service, Starstruck Entertainment, that Victorian store that used to be outside Walmart where the Tim Hortons is, the La Vie En Rose that was hidden away, the West 49 store, the restaurant that was in the space where Chipotle is now, Glamour Shots, Pegabo, Spencer Gifts. And if you’re truly insane and you want to see video footage of the mall from the 90s, I found one.

I made this chocolate brownie cake for Maya’s 13th birthday and it was incredible. I made it with chocolate cream cheese icing, which only elevated it.

Ate at Torrisi and yes it was fine, but absolutely not worth the money. The ham appetizer and the dessert were the only things that were unique and fantastic. I think I’m vowing to actively not go to trendy places this year, they almost always disappoint.
In love with the thin pizza at Emmett’s on Grove and how they abnormally slice it. Fully recommend.
Once every few years I’ll add a new makeup product to my routine (or update something that I’ve already been using), and I really love the Selena Gomez Rare Beauty contour stick (in Happy Sol). I’ve retired my NARS contour powder for it. I did try the Fenty contour stick but couldn’t find the right colour for my face.
I’m TikTok’s biggest critic, but I love this (below).

Discovered the holy grail of at-home waxing strips.
Started using Palmer’s Cocoa Butter at my parent’s house because of the dry air and I’m not sure that it’s the best lotion but it absolutely smells the best.
I’ll always give a new restaurant a chance, but the lunch special at Thai Villa is truly nothing special.
Went to the new Hamburger America and it was good!
Some things I watched:
- Air: fine, but easily could've been a Wikipedia read instead of a movie.
- No One Will Save You: hated it so much.
- Speed: still amazing. Tianna kept accidentally calling it “Fast” hahahah.
- The Morning Show: I stopped at the first episodes of season three. Season two really turned me off, especially when season one was pretty great. The writing overall isn’t very good, so it’s a bit of a mystery why I kept watching. I think I was just desperate for something new to watch. Other season one thoughts: the music choices are terrible and corny. Why is the adolescent daughter Lizzy played by an actress who seems 40? And you might not agree with this, but Mindy Kaling is a bad dramatic actress.
- Destination Wedding: I watched fifteen minutes and it’s the worst written movie I think I’ve seen in years. Had to abandon. (And this is hard to admit since I love Keanu.)

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: my annual boycott of the superbowl, I’m going to try and see Back To The Future on Broadway, my friend Dave is in a movie that’s playing at the Angelika so we’ll go see that and I’d really love to finally finish the Mel Brooks book I’m reading.

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can read what went on in December over here.

January 12, 2024

2024 Resolutions

by Liz Heather in Personal

It’s 2024. Why.

Before I let you know what my 2024 resolutions are, here are some other things of note that you might be interested in doing right now.

Every January I make sure to:

Mark down all important anniversaries/birthdays/holidays/weddings (also Daylight Saving Times, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving) on my calendar.
Check expiration dates for my passport/license/health card/insurance/vet vaccinations and write down any important renewal dates.
Schedule all my doctor, dentist and hair cut appointments for the entire year.
Go through my entire fridge and throw away anything expired (this should really get done every month, but I’ll tell you right now that I never remember to do that).

RESOLUTIONS

Read at least one book per season.
Take Baby Dog on an adventure at least twice a season.
Properly go on a date with Nathan at least once a month.
Try at least one new restaurant each month.
Go on a solo trip.
Style outfits with more care. (I’ll forever have that Bill Cunningham quote floating around my head, “Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.”)
Have a final manuscript in my hands that I will continue to submit until someone wants to publish it.
See at least twenty of the movies that have been on my to-be-watched list for literal years.
Stop agreeing to things that I don’t want to do.
Continue to photograph all of the things that bring me joy.

BONUS: Reread and remember these resolutions at least once a month.

If these seem like frivolous and unserious goals, then we probably wouldn’t make great friends. I make these resolutions intentionally because they’re important to me and to my well being. And I encourage you to make your own in the same fashion. I don’t mean to sound preachy, but everything gets harder with each passing year, so I think it’s best to carve out time for the things that make you happy.

You can see how I did with my 2023 resolutions over here, if you’re interested.

And if you’re looking for more resolution ideas, here are some past ones of mine: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014.

January 11, 2024

2023 Resolutions Revisited

by Liz Heather in Personal

Time to revisit the resolutions that I made in 2023! This is definitely my favourite post of the year because I will forever love accountability. The best part about making resolutions is going back and seeing how they went in reality. Why are people so anti-resolution? My guess is because most of us think that resolutions are supposed to be serious and not at all fun. Well, news flash - I’m here to tell you that you’re allowed to make fun ones. Also I’m bringing back “news flash.”

Throughout the year, I kept making my seasonal lists (spring, summer, autumn, winter). I got really into making reels, Nathan did his second Tonight Show, I got to visit the abandoned City Hall subway station, I toured the gorgeous Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, went to a tulip farm in New Jersey, we celebrated my dad’s 100th birthday with a giant party and a family trip to Scotland, I saw a ton of shows on Broadway (Death of a Salesman, Moulin Rouge, Shucked, Pictures From Home, Bad Cinderella, Hamlet at Shakespeare in the Park, Six, The Shark is Broken). I started the Summer Saturdays series, as well as Fall Fridays. I saw the Lagerfeld costume exhibit at The Met, I got to see this incredible private rehearsal of a play with Michael McKean, I flew in a Harvard plane, I continued my domination of Halloween, Nathan had three pretty significant pieces written about him in The New York Times, I compiled my favourites of 2023, and I found my favourite summer photos as well as my favourite photos of the year. And here’s how my 2023 resolutions went.

1. Read at least one book per season.

Spring: Keep Moving by Dick Van Dyke

Oh my god, that’s it. I read one book last year. Nobody tell my dad because that’s embarrassing as hell. That’s the worst I’ve ever done with my reading goals. Definitely aiming to better about that this year.

2. Take Baby Dog on an adventure at least twice a season.

Done! She went to Canada a total of three separate times this year, and I took her on Central Park walks each season. She also did her pet volunteering a few times and I also took her to the air field where my brother and I got to fly in those planes.

3. Try at least one new restaurant each month.

January: Carne Mare (such a beautiful space, it’s perfect for a special occasion, caviar mozzarella sticks were slightly overrated but everything else was good), Little Ruby’s Cafe (so great for lunch) & Bistro Eloise (had the best onion soup in all of NYC, that broth was unreal, escargots was fantastic)

February: The Bar Room (the grilled chicken on top of their caesar salad was unparalleled), Nubeluz by Jose Andres at The Ritz-Carlton (everything was great, view is perfect), Golden Unicorn (suck city, don’t go) & Olio E Piu (so terrible, begging you to never go)

March: The now-closed Quality Eats (that short rib hash was great), Wayan (best dishes: the corn fritters, the spring rolls, the lamb kebabs and the chocolate chip cookie with cheddar ice cream) & The Grill (the MP pasta appetizer was the most incredible thing we ate - they used this crank-type machine table-side to make the broth for the pasta sauce out of MEAT BONES and I’m still thinking about it, other highlight was the gluten-free zucchini cornbread)

April: Hawksmoor (flashy and beautiful inside, but no real substance), Pete’s Tavern (space is great, food is fine and service was attentive but odd) & Figlia (best Italian in Astoria, by far)

May: Spirit Tree Estate Cidery (so wonderful, can’t wait to go again)

June: S& P (fine, absolutely nothing special) & Sojourn (the duck spring rolls are insanely good)

July: Superiority Burger (veggie burger was great, everything else was just average), Modern Bread and Bagel (the gluten free latkes and french toast sticks were unreal) & Rubirosa (great space, great food)

August: 111 by Modou in Glasgow (fantastic!)

September: Shukette (truly special), Margaritaville in Times Square (the key lime pie is legit here) & Shopsin’s (great chicken sandwich)

October: Beetle House (too fun) & Oscar Wilde (so seasonally perfect)

November: Kaia Wine Bar (insanely good birria tacos and a great happy hour)

December: Mel’s (good, but never need to go again)

4. Properly go on a date with Nathan at least once a month.

Did it! Some of the dates included: going to see Death of a Salesman on Broadway, which depressed us so much that we silently went home and immediately to sleep. He made me see Scream VI against my will, we got drinks at Sunken Harbor Club, went bowling in Astoria, had a night at Rec Room in Square One, saw Talk To Me in theatres, went to Shot of Art together, devoted each Sunday in October to horror movies, we saw The Shark is Broken AND LIFE WAS CHANGED FOREVER (we loved it) and we also went to Maryland for New Year’s Eve.

5. Every month, cook something I’ve never cooked before.

January: penne alla vodka (this recipe sucked, but I want to try it again) and lasagna soup (wonderful, definitely would make again)

February: greek chicken meatballs (hard pass, too bland)

March: chicken marsala (I’ve made this at least ten times since March, favourite recipe of the year) & tres leche cake (heavenly)

April: steak Diane (really, really good) & asparagus soup (phenomenal)

May: lemon almond pudding cake (pretty boring, wouldn’t make again) & a classic bread pudding (simple and great recipe)

June: strawberry cobbler bars (good, but nothing to make again) & this dark chocolate cake with this icing (unbelievably tasty)

July: nothing this month (I’ll blame it on traveling)

August: stuffed summer shells (so, so good) & homemade pizza (which I promise to shut up about after this post)

September: tomato tart (good, but a ready-made puff pastry would’ve tasted better here) & pecan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (meh, don’t need to make again) & pumpkin spice syrup for iced coffee (wow)

October: apple cider doughnut cookies (good!) & a coconut chicken tikka masala (good but I never need to do it again)

November: a rice krispies pumpkin pie (hilarious)

December: espresso martini cookies (good!) & a mushroom loaf (truly great) & chocolate pistachio shortbread cookies (the worst! I think I just messed up the recipe though so this is on me)

6. Go on a solo, alone trip.

Biggest regret on this whole list. I’ve wanted to do this for years, so I might just keep it on the 2024 list.

7. Have at least one advertiser on this site.

Not yet! But I’ll keep trying.

8. On the first of each month, try something new.

Jesus, these resolutions were lofty! Big nope on this one.

9. Buy a keyboard and start playing piano again.

Hahahah, not even kinda. Great idea in theory. I did play piano each time I visited my parent’s house, though, so that’s something. A pathetic something, but a something. Don’t worry, I won’t try to take a half point here.

10. Have my book in at least one bookstore by the end of the year. Even if I have to self-publish and then physically put it on a shelf myself.

Okay, truthfully I didn’t even remember this was a resolution, so I didn’t even submit it anywhere for at least half of the year. But this is exactly why I need to revisit my resolutions list at least once a month. (It’s not lame if that itself is one of my resolutions, yeah?)

One thing that I’m so happy that I kept doing throughout the year? My monthly roundup posts. They’re basically little monthly journal entries that make me realize how good I have it sometimes, and I’m so grateful that anyone wants to read them. Here are the links to the last twelve months of them: December 2023, November 2023, October 2023, September 2023, August 2023, July 2023, June 2023, May 2023, April 2023, March 2023, February 2023 & January 2023.

And here are all the best tweets posts from 2023 as well: January, February, the best Valentine tweets, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, the best Halloween tweets, November, December and the best Christmas tweets.

So if we’re keeping score (we are), I did 4/10 on my resolutions (dear god). But see the thing is - this was one of the best years I’ve had in a very long time, so that’s important to note. You can brutally fail at resolutions and still make some progress because this felt like a very full year with a lot of things that went in the right direction.

2024 resolutions coming tomorrow!

January 7, 2024

The Best of 2023

by Liz Heather in Best of NYC, Personal

So many great things happened last year and if I don’t tell someone, I will burst.

BEST EXPERIENCES

Nathan put out his first special (Money Never Wakes) and it got three separate mentions in The New York Times throughout the year. He also did The Tonight Show for the second time, so I think it’s clear that you cannot stop this man. So deserved and incredible.

I saw the student designs at FIT, which were unbelievably good. Nicer than even some Met exhibits I’ve been to. Must go again.
I spent late February in Canada and got an unholy amount of snow.

Seeing Tao of Glass (the Philip Glass production)! Such a great birthday gift from my niece Layla. Philip Glass was even there for opening night, which was too wild for words.
How on earth I got lucky enough to be invited to a private rehearsal of a play with Michael McKean? I’ll never know. It was surreal. He was so wonderful and it’s insane that I got to see this. (Jessie, I’ll remember this forever.)
I visited a tulip farm in New Jersey (who the hell knew that New Jersey cared about tulips? Not me).

Toured the gorgeous Kings Theatre in Brooklyn.

Stopped by The Museum of Failure popup.
I got to visit the abandoned City Hall subway station, which has been a dream of my mine for years.
The two best happy hours I learned about this year: the one at The Smith and the one at the Nordstrom flagship.
My niece Tianna and I went to the Spirit Tree Estate Cidery in Caledon and it was so wonderful! We had flights of different ciders, insanely good pizza and I bought a jug of coffee milk that blew my mind.

Took the kids to roller skate at Scooter’s. Insane that this place has managed to stay open and I’m grateful that it has.

Having very strong opinions on the Karl Lagerfeld exhibit at The Met.
Celebrated my dad’s 100th birthday with a giant party that was so memorable and perfect. He also had a small segment air about his birthday on Global News!

He also got a letter from King Charles for his 100th birthday, which is a big deal whether you care about the royals or not. And since his coronation was in the middle of May and my dad’s birthday was the first week of June, there’s a very good chance that this was the very first 100th birthday letter signed by THE KING OF ENGLAND, which is absolutely the neatest thing on the planet.

Loved starting my Summer Saturdays series as well as Fall Fridays that I think I’ll keep doing annually.
I went to my first Shakespeare in the Park to see Hamlet and it was incredible.

Rented row boats in Central Park for the first time with Marla (if you live in New York and think you’re above doing this I’m here to tell you that you aren’t) and it was very special.

Family trip to Scotland! Oh lord, I still haven’t done a post about that. Coming soon!

Went to a Blue Jays game with my brother Robbie and some of his kids, which was so great.

Learned how to make so many cake pops with my niece Maya.

The pure joy of making homemade pizza (with store-bought dough). It’s so much better than I remember homemade pizza being. Maybe it’s because you need to heat the spread-out dough (on parchment, with olive oil rubbed on top) for ten minutes at 450 degrees and THEN put all the sauce/toppings/cheese on it and put it back in for another ten minutes at 500 degrees.

I got to fly in the backseat of a Harvard airplane and it was unforgettable.

I got Baby Dog’s teeth cleaned for the first time in her life and it was a phenomenal experience. I was at Pet Valu and saw that they worked with an organization that cleans your dog’s teeth without putting them under anesthesia. The people at KissableK9 Care were beyond impressive and kind and the whole thing took thirty minutes. I have before and after photos that are pure insanity. I would post them here, but like… even a chihuahua likes her privacy sometimes.
The Shark is Broken on Broadway. REFUSING TO SHUT UP ABOUT HOW GOOD THIS WAS.
Paid my respects to Jimmy Buffett who passed away on Labour Day weekend by going to the Margaritaville in Times Square.

Honestly the key lime pie here is seriously the best

Nathan and I went to Shot of Art to paint, which was unexpectedly fun.

I met horror legend R.L. Stine!

Nathan’s show at The Gramercy Theatre for the New York Comedy Festival went so well, could not be more proud of this man.

Ice skating with friends at night might be the answer to everything.
Nathan and I spent the last days of the year near Baltimore in Maryland and went to The B&O Railroad Museum and watched a marathon of The Twilight Zone for hours. For a moment it felt like I’d died and gone to heaven.

BEST NEW RECIPES

Truly can’t stop making these sesame chicken meatballs.
Okay, “apple nachos” is a terrible name for them, but that’s the only label I can think of for this great snack. The recipe? Sliced apples, almond or peanut butter, granola pieces and chocolate chips. Heaven on a plate.

Lasagna soup was a favourite winter recipe, though I am tempted to try Chef John’s version next time.
The only short rib bolognese recipe I’ll ever use from now on.

My favourite chicken marsala recipe of all time.
Tres leche cake. I sort of like the idea of making this every March.

Asparagus soup forever.
These protein cookies were so good.
This dark chocolate cake with this icing recipe. UNREAL. (Pro tip: don’t refrigerate it, it tastes incredible at room temperature, even days later.)
A lemon blueberry layer cake that was such a perfect summer dessert.

Summer steak salad took over so many dinners.
And heirloom tomato toast took over so many lunches.
Summer stuffed shells is the perfect hot pasta dish I’ve come across in a long time.
Pumpkin spice coffee syrup for morning iced coffees in October.
Apple cider doughnut cookies.
A pumpkin pie rice krispies fake pie.

Espresso martini cookies.
This insanely good mushroom loaf.

BEST FOODS I ATE

The onion soup at Bistro Eloise in Queens.
The tomato potato chips from Eataly.
The spring rolls at Wayan.
The market price pasta appetizer at The Grill in the Seagram Building. UNHOLY.
All of the pasta dishes at Figlia in Astoria.
The duck croquettes at Satis Bistro in Jersey City.
The Bobbie (a Thanksgiving sandwich) at Capriotti’s.
Thai green curry. I’d never tried it before this year. No one told me it was this good!
Tim Hortons maple crunch ice cream.
The duck confit spring rolls at Sojourn on the Upper East Side.
A Canada’s Wonderland funnel cake with strawberries will forever be my favourite summer dessert. It’s untouchable.

The gluten free latkes and french toast sticks at Modern Bread and Bagel on the Upper West Side.
Maple syrup greek yogurt (when did I become Buddy from Elf?)
Sponge toffee. Again, no one told me.
The foot long freak fries at the CNE.

The tomato salad at Shukette.
The fried chicken sandwich at Shopsin’s in Essex Market.

The egg nog greek yogurt at Trader Joe’s.

BEST TV & MOVIES

The Banshees of Inisherin - loved it.
Pamela, A Love Story - love her, loved this.
The newest season of Dave. A perfect show.
Barbie - did I watch it twice in theatres in two different countries? I DID.
The Bear (season two) - such a perfect show. Favourite episode was definitely the Richie one (“Forks”).
The Summer I Turned Pretty (season two) - I’m not even embarrassed by how much I love this show.
Outer Banks (all seasons): I can’t explain the grip this show has on me. The disgust-turned-to-love I have for JOHN B confuses even me. Such a fun show. Leave it to your 12 year old niece to introduce you to the best/worst TV shows.

BEST PURCHASES

A new hair straightener (Kipozi) that works wonders.
Blister bandages - not a sexy thing to have on this list, but still a relevant one.
I got a pair of Levi’s ribcage straight ankle jeans (the first non-skinny jeans I’ve had in fifteen years maybe) and I’m so in love with them. The amount of times I’ve declared to Nathan that these “are, like, a really cool pair of jeans” is… excessive.
The vintage fur coat that I got from Exile Vintage in Toronto. A beauty.
The Essie polish in the colour “sew gifted.”

The self-heating eye mask from Holler & Glow at Target.
For months, I lived in this Aritzia 1/2 zip sweatshirt. In black as well as white.
Bike shorts with pockets change everything.
My green running shoes from Call It Spring.

Olive green running shoes from Call It Spring

New pots and pans! I never knew I could live such a non-stick life, it’s amazing.
The fact that I now own THE GLOOM ROOM. My overly generous friend Yassir got it for us and my life might now be complete? Words can’t express the beauty of this piece. (I couldn’t stop saying how “coveted” it is in the “miniature community” at fake Thanksgiving and I think it might have ended the party early?)
Mighty Patch nose patches. Favourite pimple handler of all time.

BEST IDEAS

My friend Marla mentioned how she gives her young sons a small amount of money for birthday gifts for people in their lives and then each kid comes up with an idea based on what that person enjoys and buys the gift. And honestly, what a perfect idea. Gift giving is a skill and absolutely should be taught to young kids (especially boys) since it’s such an important part of living. Love this so, so much. Every parent should be doing this.
A gentle reminder to take photos of good outfits.

Okay, if you’re not buying wild blueberries then you should be. I’ve had it with the cheap, flavourless blueberries that are the size of softballs. BLUEBERRIES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TEENY. The frozen, wild ones from Whole Foods are the best tasting ones I’ve found in NY (the wild ones at Wegman’s are pretty great too), but the Canadian frozen ones from the east coast are top tier too. Make blueberries tiny again.
I got a “root shadowing” done at Bloc + Mane in Etobicoke and it was everything I needed. It’s a process that blends your hair colour if you’ve dyed it in the past year but you don’t want that aggressive grow-out line.
For years I’ve wondered who the hell goes to the Uno or Applebees in my neighborhood when you LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY and there are a million better options. But for whatever reason, I found myself in one and I’m sorry but $7 martinis are the absolute main reason to go there.
A great baking tip: make whipped cream fast in a food processor. So smart.
My wonderful friend Richard made stuffing as a main entree for a dinner at home and CAN WE MAKE THIS A THING? Genius idea.
Writing down the special/funny moments that happen to you that you want to remember, and then putting them in a jar on your desk.

Maybe this is corny but I read this in a NYT article a year ago and I always keep it floating somewhere in my brain to not forget: “I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days is 100 percent, and that’s pretty good.”
Another great idea from that same article: “Greet people with their first names. They’re delighted.”

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

Josh wine. UGH! The grossest wine brand of all time, which makes sense since it’s also the worst name for a wine brand…?
An at-home frother. It just didn’t work. One day I’ll have a fancy espresso machine and that will be when I can froth finally.
The restaurant Olio E Piu in the West Village. Trash!
The movie Tusk. One of the most originally awful movies I’ve ever seen.
Scream VI. Just horrible. TEAM NEVE FOREVER.
The Broadway play Shucked. I will continue to fight every single person who claims this is a good production.
Experienced the awfulness that is Rolf’s German (Christmas) restaurant in the city. DO NOT GO. I let loose on a Google review and never looked back.
The Crown (last season) - UGH. Just terrible. Don’t give me a glass of wine and ask me about this show, I promise that you will regret it.

And here were my favourites from 2022, if you’re interested.

January 5, 2024

Favourite Photos of 2023

by Liz Heather in Family, Personal

(You can see my favourite photos from 2022 over here.)

January 1, 2024

December Dalliances 2023

by Liz Heather in Best of NYC, Family, Food, Movies, Personal, Products, Recipes, Television

Welcome to the last monthly post of the year! I would say that this felt like a fast year but truthfully it still feels like 2012 to me so my opinions might not be reality-based. Here’s what went down last month!

Here are the best tweets of the month.
The best Christmas tweets can be found over here.
I recapped how I did on my autumn list.
I wrote my winter list of things that I want to do.
I got drinks at The Peninsula, which was fun and Christmas-y but wildly overpriced.

Some of the department store windows in NYC this year were fantastic.

The New York Public Library, December 2023

I made these espresso martini cookies and they were really good.
Nathan’s special was named Best YouTube Special of 2023 by The New York Times (!!!!!!!)
Finally got dinner at Mel’s (in the old Del Posto space) and it was good! But I never need to go again.
We’ve needed new pots and pans for over a decade, so it was immensely satisfying to buy this set from Wayfair.
I made this apple crumb cake over Christmas break and I didn’t try it (!), but it wasn’t a big hit since it was only half eaten by the time I left for New York so I should remember not to make this one again. (Also I never want to become the type of person who doesn’t eat the things she makes for others, it goes against everything I stand for??)
Speaking of Christmas food, so much was made!
- Still obsessed with making homemade pizza with sausage and fennel.
- Two charcuterie boards: I will forever add candy to these boards going forward. And I finally made the ricotta jam jar and it was a a big hit. Absolutely should be on all charcuterie boards at all times. (The tip I use to make this faster: make the tomato jam yourself, but absolutely buy jarred pesto.)
- The mushroom loaf (that I learned about from this tweet) that I will absolutely make again, it was so good.
- The leftover turkey sandwich: always a winner.
- The Nutella cookies: always my favourite. Next year I won’t be so stingy with the amount of Nutella.
- Made the spinach & artichoke puff pastry Christmas tree for the second time and I absolutely love this recipe. It’s delicious, beautiful and actually not difficult to make.
- Not every recipe can be a winner, so the losers this year? The Christmas lunch roast beef sandwiches. The meat was overcooked and tough enough that it made me instantly decide to try a new lunch recipe next year. Also I’ve messed up shortbread on TWO different recipes this month. The Alison Roman ones I always make during the holidays AND a new recipe of chocolate pistachio shortbread cookies. Both doughs were beyond crumbly, and they just didn’t taste right. So I’ll need to take a long shortbread break.

I’m still learning how to create a good board

Spinach & artichoke puff pastry Christmas tree

Obsessed with the Mighty Patch nose patches.
Some things I watched:
- I started Office Christmas Party and stopped it after twenty minutes, it was so bad.
- I finished The Crown. Oof. Other than the fact that this was, by far, the worst season of all - it really made me focus on what a terrible show it truly is and how thankful I am that it has ended. I hate that it was based on all of these real people, but so much of it is fiction. If the writers/creators would have just committed to either being fully truthful or fully fictitious then I wouldn’t be left with this feeling of disgust. There’s so much to complain about, but I’ll let it go because let’s just be glad it’s done. But really… the ghost of Diana? God, this series was sick.
The egg nog flavoured Greek yogurt at Trader Joe’s is spectacular.

We didn’t have the whole family together this Christmas (which never feels right), but we made the most of it.

Did my annual skating night with some close friends that truly heals us all, haha.

Buying skates at age 38 was the smartest decision I’ve made in my adult life

Nathan and I spent the past few days near Baltimore in Maryland and went to The B&O Railroad Museum (yes the B&O Railroad from Monopoly), which is a must-visit attraction if you’re nearby and then I had a great crab cake from Alexander’s Tavern.

Fun clouds make a photo a thousand times cooler

I told Nathan that one of his resolutions will (not “should”) be “take more photos of Liz.”

Train museums are the best museums, fight me

Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: looking forward to seeing the Restaurant Week menus (it starts on January 16th), I’m going to start using this first-of-the-month checklist again and I’ll recap my resolutions from last year as well as make new 2024 ones.

If you have any interest in the other monthly roundups of 2023, they can be found here: November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February and January.