Winter Wednesdays Vol. 8
BAKING/COOKING
I made this brioche berry bread pudding and it was actually pretty great. I don’t love boring desserts, but this one was a hit.
CRAVING
This baked goat cheese salad. When I first moved to New York in 2005, I ate a similar salad with a dijon vinaigrette but the goat cheese was encrusted in puff pastry at this great (obviously now-closed) French place downtown and I still think of that salad to this day. It should be illegal to be this nostalgic.
EATING
So much parmesan-topped asparagus. Oh! I also made a wildly lackluster cauliflower soup from the NYT. Not many things more disappointing than a giant batch of homemade soup that sucks.
EXPERIENCING
I started mixing body oil with body lotion and… why am I not in charge of more things? Truly life-changing. I always wondered what the purpose of pure body oil was and now everything makes sense.
LOVING
Since I don’t have Spotify Premium anymore, I started making more playlists on my free account so the variety alone will make up for the lack of control. New playlists include a best of the 90s and best of the 00s.
SHOPPING
I didn’t buy one this week. But I am thinking of overhauling my whole closet, there’s just so much I hate about my winter wardrobe.
WATCHING
I just learned that Pluto has a million Twilight Zone episodes available, so that’ll take up the rest of my year.
WEARING
I heard a styling tip that wearing brown stockings instead of black makes an outfit look more put-together (I swear there was some kind of real logic to this that I can’t remember now), so I tried it this week with these Aerie brown stockings and I loved how it looked.
You can read last week’s Winter Wednesdays Vol. 7 over here and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Winter Wednesdays Vol. 7
BAKING/COOKING
I made these small batch oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with a Dairy Milk chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips and they’re insanely good.
CRAVING
I’ve been in this routine of waking up really early, going on a long walk, eating breakfast and then starting the day at around 10am and it’s been incredible. My plan is to keep doing this Monday to Friday, and then really make Saturday and Sunday more intentionally luxurious, like maybe introducing morning baths on weekends. No one tells you how boring your life gets as you age, they also don’t tell you how wonderful it becomes to embrace the boring.
EATING
On one of my morning walks I found this small coffee shop Sonbobs in Astoria and it’s so lovely. The owner is often curt (in a refreshing way) that I wish more women were, and the baked goods are unholy.
EXPERIENCING
My love for New York City snow is infinite.
Union Square Park, February 2024
LOVING
The ramp we got for Baby Dog for the side of our bed is perfect. Sometimes she’ll look at it and intentionally just jump from the floor to the bed in a defiant “I don’t need this shit” type fashion, but it’s great to use at night when she can’t see as well.
SHOPPING
I bought some medium-sized gold hoop earrings because I’m trying to try new things.
WATCHING
The terrible rom coms on Tubi. Don’t ask me why. I won’t do it again. Did anyone on earth actually like Two Weeks Notice??
WEARING
More Nordstrom finds.
You can read last week’s Winter Wednesdays Vol. 6 over here and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Winter Wednesdays Vol. 6
BAKING/COOKING
I made this honey garlic pork tenderloin again and it’s such an easy, fulfilling meal.
CRAVING
A vanilla ice cream sundae with hot fudge. No idea why. Maybe because it’s impossible to find on adult restaurant dessert menus?
EATING
The red meat at Bistro Eloise is unparalleled.
EXPERIENCING
Snow in New York! It’s insane that schools were closed for that amount of snow, but I shouldn’t be so negative. Just grateful to have any.
LOVING
My friend Dave is in the movie Sometimes I Think About Dying that’s playing at the Angelika and it was great! He did such a great job.
SHOPPING
So I caved and finally bought Baby Dog a ramp for the bed. She’s been having a hard time seeing things at night, so hopefully this’ll help things.
WATCHING
I rewatched Waiting To Exhale and it still really holds up well. It’s also a perfect breakup or men-ain’t-shit movie.
WEARING
Night eye cream from Amore Pacific. I’ve had it for years and never used it. So I’m trying to care about these things, even if the interest lasts a month.
You can read last week’s Winter Wednesdays Vol. 5 over here and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Winter Wednesdays Vol. 5
Baby Dog over NYC
Baby Dog over NYC
BAKING/COOKING
I made this garlic butter chicken orzo that was really good and would be even easier to make with a rotisserie chicken.
CRAVING
The mushroom risotto at Alioli in Mississauga is one of my favourite things to eat when I visit my parents.
EATING
The homemade hot sauce at Coppelia in Chelsea might be the best one I’ve ever tasted at a restaurant before.
EXPERIENCING
Forced the kids to play Mystery Date with me and that game really stands the test of time.
Mystery Date
LOVING
San Remo’s had this giant Nutella selection of baked goods for World Nutella Day and their fritter was wild.
Nutella Fritter at San Remo’s in Etobicoke, ON
SHOPPING
Finally bought the tea tree shampoo and conditioner from The Body Shop (because I am single-handedly keeping that store in business). I’m excited to see if it’s worth the hype (the hype that I’ve created in my mind, not one person on this earth is hyped about tea tree shampoo anymore, I realize).
WATCHING
I saw some old episodes of Curb since the new season is back this week and I’d completely forgotten how much I hate the newer seasons. Just absolute trash.
WEARING
I’m in such a clothing rut. I just spent three weeks visiting my parents and when I’m there I wear the same three things over and over, so maybe I’m recovering from that? I need to shake things up.
You can read last week’s Winter Wednesdays Vol. 4 over here and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Winter Wednesdays Vol. 4
BAKING/COOKING
I made this brioche french toast with nutella whipped cream and it was spectacular.
CRAVING
Coffee Crisp mini eggs.
Found them at Shoppers
EATING
I’ve never loved Oreos, but the maple syrup ones from Quebec are pretty sweet.
EXPERIENCING
Anger at the fact that the new Mississauga Central Library has electronic return boxes outside the entrance. What the hell was wrong with a BOOK SLOT?? A real PERSON used to be on the other side of that box checking in the returns and now that job is nonexistent. I’m becoming Nathan and I’m not mad about it.
LOVING
I’m on a mission to find photos of Square One in the 90s (the mall near my parent’s place) and these photos are making me remember so many things I thought I’d forgotten.
The food court wishing fountains!
The glass elevator!!!!
The movie theatre that is now a GoodLife!!
SHOPPING
In love with the Veet waxing strips (the blue box). Will only be using this brand from now on.
WATCHING
Finally watched No One Will Save You because everyone told me how good it was and please remind me to stop listening to everyone. It BLEW.
WEARING
The underwear special at Aerie isn’t necessarily a steal, but I can’t think of a better place within that price point.
You can read last week’s Winter Wednesdays Volume 3 over here and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Winter Wednesdays Vol. 3
Baby Dog, January 2024
Baby Dog, January 2024
BAKING/COOKING
This chocolate brownie cake for Maya’s 13th birthday.
CRAVING
Chocolate covered toffee. But, like, from a farm shop.
EATING
Chicken marsala on repeat.
EXPERIENCING
Shoveling snow off the driveway, which might be the greatest chore of all time? It’s just so quiet and perfect.
LOVING
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter cream. My hands are in hell at my parent’s house with how dry it is and this stuff helps a ton.
SHOPPING
Love these purse hooks I got for my mom’s car.
WATCHING
Rewatched Speed and it really holds up well. Such a great movie. I may or may not have borrowed all of Keanu Reeves’ movies from the library.
WEARING
Essie’s ‘all things ooo’ - love a pastel in the winter.
You can see last week’s Winter Wednesdays Volume 2 over here and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Winter Wednesdays Vol. 2
Mississauga, January 2024
Mississauga, January 2024
BAKING/COOKING
I haven’t made it in years, but this cacio e pepe recipe is definitely an all time favourite to make.
Cacio e pepe
CRAVING
Tres leche cake. So she’s getting made this weekend.
EATING
So many one egg omelets, I have a problem.
EXPERIENCING
The new renovated Mississauga Central library. And it’s awful. All that money and it’s absolutely soulless. The book/movie shelves are so low to the ground, it’s as if some alien designed this place. And I understand that’s helpful towards children, but this isn’t a library exclusively for children. It’s literally the main branch in all of Mississauga, so there’s no excuse. And to top it all off, it’s PAY PARKING. The Burnhamthorpe location is so much better thankfully, so I don’t think I’ll ever go back to Central again.
Her expression is accurate
LOVING
Behold my new favourite photo of Baby Dog.
Baby Dog, over Buffalo
SHOPPING
Got these turkey stuffing potato chips and they didn’t blow me away.
WATCHING
I started watching The Morning Show and the acting is great, but the dialogue is pretty terrible at times. And the whole COVID second season, UGH. Not for me. We’re not far enough away from 2020 to have any kind of real perspective on anything, so this was just bad television. I’ll truck through season three and see if it can get the glory of season one back.
WEARING
I live in this Aritzia headband this time of year. The matching mittens are perfect.
You can see last week’s Winter Wednesdays Volume 1 over here and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Winter Wednesdays Vol. 1
C’mon!
C’mon!
The beginning of Winter Wednesdays! Did you ask for it? No? Are you getting it? Yes!
BAKING/COOKING
On New Year’s Day, I made this pork tenderloin with a honey garlic sauce that was actually pretty good for a last minute recipe.
CRAVING
Snow. I need it. It’s been so windy and rainy in New York this week that I’m counting down the days that I’ll hopefully see a snowstorm in Ontario this weekend.
EATING
Went to the restaurant Torrisi (by the Carbone people) and it was overrated. I think 2024 is the year that I stop going to trendy places. There’s rarely any substance. We tried the zeppole ham appetizer (which was really good), the lunch sandwich (the bread was phenomenal, but the meat was too fatty), two pastas that were only okay and a great tiramisu dessert. Is that worth the $100 per person it was? Heavens no.
Pasta at Torrisi, NYC
EXPERIENCING
I saw the new fashion exhibit Women Dressing Women at The Met, so I’ll do a full post on it this weekend.
LOVING
The thinnest, greatest pizza I’ve had in years at Emmett’s on Grove (we ordered the Hot Girl and added pineapple to it). And is it just me or are cutesy menu names embarrassing? Always make me cringe.
SHOPPING
Trying to find these love stamps at the post offices near me and they are annoyingly sold old everywhere.
WATCHING
I saw the movie Air last night and it was good. It easily could’ve been cut thirty minutes, sure. And not to be harsh, but it did just feel like a two hour Wikipedia page entry.
WEARING
My new Top Shop coat. I waited until the Nordstrom sale when it was $85 and now she’s all mine.
Top Shop coat
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.