June Jaunts 2022

by Liz Heather in , , , ,


Whoa boy, is this late! I’ve been traveling a ton, but I won’t let this lateness happen again. Here’s what went down in June.

  • The best tweets of the month can be found over here and here.

  • I recapped how my spring list of things to do went.

  • I wrote my summer list of things I want to do.

  • Some things I’ve watched & rewatched:

    • Friday Night Lights - it’s still a great show, just maybe not as incredible as I remembered it from the first viewing. Best two lines of all time though? “You might be the luckiest man and not even know it.” As well as, “Success is not a goal, it’s a byproduct.”

    • The Way, Way Back - UGH! It was not good. Other than Sam Rockwell being his usual great self, the whole movie just falls flat. As if someone watched Adventureland and loved it so much that they wanted to make their own terrible version.

    • PEN15 - An insanely good show. The best episode might be the bottle one about Maya’s mother. Can’t say enough good things about this perfect show.

    • Stealing Beauty - forever a favourite. A young girl goes to the Italy countryside to find herself? Nothing more poetic.

  • How do I feel about the trailer for Hocus Pocus 2? I just wish it had more of the classic cast in it. I’m hoping there will be surprise appearances by more of the original characters, so I’ll try to get onboard. I just hate new main characters being introduced in a beloved movie.

  • Forever in awe of how good the limited edition Kit Kat flavours always are.

  • I don’t even know the song but I love the line, “You don’t need Givenchy you need Jesus” and that’s just a very cool line. I should be embarrassed to say that aloud, but here we are.

  • I tried the chocolate cream cold brew at Starbucks and whoa. Fully understand the big deal now.

  • Trader Joe’s has this blood orange tea that is my summer iced tea obsession.

  • My dear friends Katie & Greg got me a gift certificate for Paintbucket in Brooklyn, so I went for a pedicure and loved it. Choosing a colour from a swatch on the wall is such a great idea. There’s definitely something The Wing-inspired about the design motif of the place itself, but I’m still into it. They offer wine and the service was great - of course it’s overpriced for what it is, but it’s nice to have a decadent little experience every once in awhile.

Paintbucket in Brooklyn

Some things I’m looking forward to doing this month: I’m going to write full posts on each city I visited on my trip from last month, I’d like to see something on Broadway, I want to eat all of the summer corn and tomatoes I can get my hands on, and I really want to watch the new season of Only Murders In The Building.

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in May over here.

“Hi”


The Best of 2021

by Liz Heather in , , , , , , , ,


Listen up, I love a best of list. I know we’re bombarded with them this time of year, but I simply have to do it and you can’t stop me.

BEST EXPERIENCES

The Christian Dior exhibit at The Brooklyn Museum

Visiting the The Octagon House in Irvington, New York

Seeing the Treasures exhibit at The New York Public Library

Visiting Salem, Massachusetts in October

Having my 16 year old niece Layla visit me in NYC

Layla in Coney Island, Brooklyn

The pumpkin flotilla in Central Park, NYC

Seeing the Halloween decorations on the Upper West Side

Seeing the new rooftop terrace at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library

Taking a day trip to Mystic, Connecticut

Swimming at the new Rockaway Hotel

BEST NEW RECIPES

Kale Caesar Salad with Chickpeas & Sweet Potatoes (but use this dressing instead) (I have made this salad approx. 500 times this year)

Caprese Chicken Pasta Salad (tastes even better if it’s been sitting in the fridge for a long time)

Crab Cakes (insanely easy and perfect way to make homemade crab cakes)

Crispy Hash Browns (ridiculously easy to make, I felt like a housewife in the 50s)

Green Garlic Toast (get it when green garlic is in season in the spring)

Lemon Basil Orzo (I eat this cold, straight out of the fridge it’s so delicious)

Lemon Butter Ricotta and Zucchini Pasta (with added fresh corn)

Cold Vegetable Noodle Salad (I wish the name weren’t so unappetizing, I love all cold noodle salads)

Lentil Bolognese (possibly the greatest vegan thing I’ve ever made)

Roast Beef Sandwiches (made these for Christmas Day lunch and might now become a tradition they were so easy and tasty)

Lamb Ragu (I can’t stop making this, it’s just such a solid meat sauce)

Lamb Ragu

Mushroom & Leek Bread Pudding (made as a side for Christmas dinner and it was spectacular, will definitely keep it in the sides rotation going forward)

Cheese Blintzes (why do I feel so fancy making these?)

Cheese Blintzes

Apple Fritter Cake (I didn’t think I’d enjoy a wet cake but here we are, it’s eons better than a dusty old apple fritter)

Strawberry Crumble Coffee Cake (truly a summer dessert that you must make with handpicked strawberries)

Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Salted Maple Icing (an autumn cookie that people go nuts over)

Chocolate Zucchini Banana Cake with Coffee Frosting (wildly good)

Hummingbird Cake (I wish this cake was made more often as a dessert in restaurants, it’s heavenly)

White Chocolate Apricot Scones (my favourite combination for a scone)

White Chocolate Apricot Scone

BEST FOODS I ATE

Duck fat confit poutine from Duck Season (honestly tastes like a Canadian poutine, which is a huge compliment)

The duck fat confit poutine at Duck Season pop up, NYC

The salsa at Ruta in Astoria (it’s this deep dark red salsa that is mind blowing)

The seasonal winter soups at Il Bambino (all of them are good, it’s madness, and they always come with this basil oiled bread)

The spinach soup at Il Bambino, Astoria

The seasonal focaccia at Lilia (this is the main reason to go here, yes the pasta is good but this bread is out of this world… and that salted green butter? Kill me)

The seasonal focaccia at Lilia, Brooklyn

Every single pasta at Forsythia (the short rib agnolotti especially but really every single dish I’ve tried I’ve loved)

Steak tartare at L’Artusi (not new but forever a favourite)

The steak tartare at L’Artusi, NYC

Anything (but mainly the croissants) from Mel Bakery

Ham and cheese croissant at Mel Bakery, NYC

Ramp croissant at Mel Bakery, NYC

Beyond Chicken Nuggets at A&W in Canada (does this one seem out of place in this list? I have diverse tastes!)

Emmy Burger Dumplings at Mimi Cheng’s (truly delicious and I’m not even a dumpling person)

The Emmy Cheeseburger Dumplings at Mimi Cheng’s, NYC

Turkey Club Sandwich at Marks Off Madison (a great club sandwich is an extremely hard thing to find and the search is now over)

The turkey club sandwich at Marks Off Madison, NYC

Croissant soft serve from Supermoon Bakehouse (love the imagination of this place, the summer soft serve is the absolute main reason to go)

The croissant soft serve at Supermoon Bakehouse, NYC

The fish and chips at Dame (again, this was better than some Canadian fish and chips places, just so perfectly cooked)

The fish and chips at Dame, NYC

The garlic bread at Carbone (it looks so boring but it is one of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating)

The garlic bread at Carbone, NYC

The pizza at Descendant in Toronto (worth the drive to Toronto from Mississauga)

Descendant Pizza, Toronto

BEST TV & MOVIES

Only Murders in the Building

  • Martin Short can do no wrong, but even ignoring that fact this is such a great new show. I’m so glad they’re doing a second season. Even if you can’t stand Selena Gomez’s voice, it’s fantastic.

The latest season of Dave (and especially this song)

  • Honestly, every episode has been better than the last. It’s wild. How are we not all constantly talking about what a great show this is?

Searching For Italy

  • Stanley Tucci + Italian food = all I’ll ever need.

The final season of Shrill

  • So upsetting that it was the final season, but what a perfect show.

Superstore

  • Completely didn’t expect to like this one as much as I did. Yes, the earlier seasons are better than the final ones but overall a great show.

Soul

  • Loved the entire message of this movie, more people should be forced into watching it. Comedians, specifically.

Pacific Heights

  • I LOVE this genre of movie. I’d never even heard of it, but Michael Keaton is phenomenal in it.

Promising Young Woman

  • Definitely the best movie of the year. Hands down.

BEST PURCHASES

Winter snowflake mug from Etsy

Temporary Ghost Tattoo from Etsy

Eyebrow Growth Serum

KKW Lip Liner Set

Banana Republic Factory pajamas

Drunk Elephant Tinted Face Sunscreen

Tea Tree Toner

Nordstrom Sandals

Earring Stand

Earring stand from The Container Store

Purse organizer from The Container Store