August 5, 2023

Summer Saturdays Vol. 6

EATING

The haddock from Pendulum in Glasgow was so incredibly good - and that’s coming from someone who’s a real snob about halibut being superior to haddock.

Unreal haddock at Pendulum in Glasgow, Scotland

DRINKING

So much lemon water and white wine this week. (…why am I acting full-white?)

COOKING

Decided I absolutely have to make this mushroom marsala pasta this weekend.

BAKING

Already prepped some white chocolate scones, though I’ll definitely change the fruit since raspberries are so boring.

CRAVING

Summer tomatoes, so I’m going to one of these farmer’s markets this weekend.

LISTENING

My summer 2023 playlist.

WATCHING

Did I see Barbie a second time? YUH HUH. Need to catch up on The Summer I Turned Pretty and And Just Like That tonight.

Seeing Barbie for the second time with Camden

WEARING

Nothing new, but some great old finds that I’d forgotten about in my closet.

Begging you to take more outfit photos of yourself

EXPERIENCING

Sooo… is this the best time of the year? The final days of summer have begun and the countdown to Halloween can’t start yet but I can start THINKING about it starting soon. Anticipation is almost better than the actual thing. Why am I like this.

LOVING

Sun-In, pastel nail polish and Creamy Maple Almond Milk (for at-home iced coffee).

Insanely good flavour to *tempt* autumn next month

SHOPPING

There’s a $6 kiddie pool I ordered for Baby Dog from Giant Tiger because I want to see if she’d enjoy the cool water on a hot day. Promise to follow up on how she likes it because I can sense you really care.

You can read last week’s Summer Saturdays Vol. 5 over here and you can see my summer highlights on Instagram over here.

August 1, 2023

The Best Tweets of July 2023

by Liz Heather in Links

The best tweets of July 2023.

July 29, 2023

Summer Saturdays Vol. 5

by Liz Heather in Summer Saturdays

This week’s edition is being written from Scotland, so it might be pretty UK-centric.

With Robbie, Gary & Camden near Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

EATING

Been on a real tapas kick lately, I can’t get enough. Tinto Tapas Bar in Glasgow was stellar.

DRINKING

All sangria, all the time.

COOKING/BAKING

Not a thing. Vacation = no kitchen time.

CRAVING

Need to find some good fish and chips before I leave.

LISTENING

The Barbie soundtrack on repeat.

WATCHING

This 1950s movie called It Should Happen To You that’s about a woman who rents a giant billboard above Columbus Circle just to put her name on it.

WEARING

Aerie leggings are the only leggings to travel in.

EXPERIENCING

Took a day trip to Edinburgh with my brothers and one of my nephews, which was such a perfect day. Went on a boat ride on Loch Lomand with the whole family.

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LOVING

Getting to see what Iceland looks like from above (on an unplanned stopover to Scotland).

SHOPPING

The Barbie section at Primark in the UK is too good.

You can read Summer Saturdays Vol. 4 over here, you can see my summer highlights on Instagram over here and I’ve got my Scotland highlights over there too.

July 22, 2023

Summer Saturdays Vol. 4

by Liz Heather in Summer Saturdays

EATING

The heavenly latkes at Modern Bread & Bagel on the Upper West Side.

DRINKING

Cappuccinos in the sky at Manhatta. Love that this place doesn’t need a reservation for an evening drink anymore.

COOKING

I made some veal meatballs out of some Costco ground veal I found in my freezer, then I baked the meatballs, some marinara sauce and melted fresh mozzarella balls on top. I’m friggin Emeril over here.

BAKING

Black bean muffins and yes they sound gross, but they’re so dark-chocolatey you don’t even taste the bean.

CRAVING

The vegan chicken parm from VSPOT in Brooklyn.

LISTENING

Heart of Stone from Six on Broadway on repeat.

WATCHING

The new season of The Summer I Turned Pretty and it’s so, so good. Love a good teen summer love triangle. Using a pumpkins song in a prom scene? The key to my heart.

WEARING

New favourite thing to do: try on insanely expensive dresses on and take photos. Stay tuned.

EXPERIENCING

My dear friend Marla came for a visit and we did everything. Saw the new wing at the Natural History Museum, the Kusama exhibit in Chelsea, stargazing on the High Line, pizza at Rubirosa, rented row boats in Central Park and saw Six on Broadway.

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LOVING

All things Barbie. The movie was phenomenal. Margot Robbie was stellar, Ryan Gosling was so funny, I can’t wait to see it for a second time.

SHOPPING

My favourite bra of the past ten years (Natori) is half-off on sale at Nordstrom right now, so I had to buy a new one.

You can read Summer Saturdays Vol. 3 over here, and you can see my summer highlights on Instagram over here.

July 15, 2023

Summer Saturdays Vol. 3

by Liz Heather in Summer Saturdays

EATING

The patatas bravas at Huertas were the best I’ve ever had.

DRINKING

An unholy amount of iced coffees with vanilla sweet cream.

COOKING

I had a piece of leftover steak, so I made Philly cheesesteak potatoes that were unexpectedly great. It was literally just sliced steak, sautéed onions and provolone atop some cubed, roasted potatoes with a basil dip. Am I entering my era of creating my own (albeit basic) recipes? I MIGHT BE.

BAKING

Absolutely nothing, it’s hot as hell.

CRAVING

Making a mental note to get the incredible Emmy burger cheeseburger dumplings (only available in July) at Mimi Cheng’s.

The cheeseburger dumplings at Mimi Cheng’s, NYC

LISTENING

How have I never heard of the song deja vu before? In love.

WATCHING

I watched the newest season of Black Mirror and my favourite was definitely Beyond the Sea. That scene after Josh Hartnett puts his kids to bed and goes downstairs with his wife? May have watched that scene more than once. I also started the newest season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, which can be pretty corny but can also make you teary? Can’t explain it. Love it.

WEARING

Living in these all-red running shoes.

EXPERIENCING

I took a brutal fall on a sidewalk in the East Village and the wound is… wild. I really didn’t want to pay for a doctor visit, so I just went to a CVS pharmacy and begged a pharmacist to take a look and tell me what to do (is that as sad/cheap as it sounds? yup!) and thank christ for pharmacists.

LOVING

I don’t tend to idolize anyone physically, it’s not really my style. (I mean, except for early-aughts Joshua Jackson, Pennywise-era Bill Skarsgård, Riverdale-era Skeet Ulrich and any-time-he-appears-in-water Jason Mamoa…) Okay, forget what I said, I pine like no other. And I can’t get these outfits on these men (below) out of my mind. Just flawless. And they’re all Gucci?? I’ve gotta start paying attention to the Gucci men’s collection runway shows.

Oh my jesus, I’m relooking at those photos and maybe I just like a half-open dress shirt?? Yep, cracked the code. Someone convince Nathan to stop buttoning up to his chin, please?

SHOPPING

Secured my Barbie ticket. Now we wait.

You can read Summer Saturdays Vol. 2 over here, and you can see my summer highlights on Instagram over here.

July 8, 2023

Summer Saturdays Vol. 2

by Liz Heather in Summer Saturdays

EATING

Finally tried the veggie burger at Superiority Burger and it’s as good as everyone claims.

DRINKING

Not Caesars, that’s for sure.

COOKING

I can’t stop making this steak salad.

BAKING

These protein cookies are perfect as breakfast side, but also great for when you’re traveling.

CRAVING

This garlic butter pasta sauce that looks incredible.

LISTENING

To the new Olivia Rodrigo song Vampire.

WATCHING

I rewatched the second season of Big Brother (mainly because of how much I loved Will Kirby when it first aired) and it’s a great summer rewatch. Also saw the new Indiana Jones, which was great (except for the last ten minutes).

WEARING

The OPI Barbie collaboration has a firm grip on me.

EXPERIENCING

After years of trying, I finally won a ticket to Shakespeare In The Park (Hamlet) and it was so good.

LOVING

Every single thing on the menu at Figlia in Astoria.

SHOPPING

The Holler and Glow self-heating eye masks finally got restocked at Target so I loaded up.

You can read Summer Saturdays Vol. 1 over here, and you can see my summer highlights on Instagram over here.

July 6, 2023

Summer Steak Salad

by Liz Heather in Food, Recipes

I adapted this Food & Wine steak salad recipe and I can’t describe how much I love my version better. A perfect summer meal. I promise you.

Ingredients

Romaine lettuce (or whatever leafy green you like)

Grilled halloumi, chopped (or shaved slices of parmesan)

1/4 cup red onion, sliced

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon maple syrup

Kosher salt

Pepper

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cuts of steak, grilled (your choice)

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk the red onion with the rice wine vinegar and let stand for 10 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil and mustard and season with salt, pepper and maple syrup. Add the tomatoes and lettuce and toss to coat. Lay the sliced steak atop the salad and pour a little of this basil vinaigrette onto the steak if you’re feeling fancy.

July 4, 2023

June Jaunts 2023

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

Sometimes you need a mini day trip to see a horse in New Jersey

June was so packed with stuff, I can’t believe it’s actually over. Here’s what went down!

I started a new series of posts I’ll do for the whole summer - Summer Saturdays, which is just a summary of what I do each week. Volume 1 posted over here.
I recapped how I did with my spring bucket list.
I wrote a brand new summer list of things I’d love to do.
I finally wrote about seeing the Karl Lagerfeld exhibit at The Met.
The best tweets of June can be read over here.
I made these strawberry cobbler bars that were pretty good, but I think I liked this strawberry crumble cake recipe a bit more.

I bought this Aritzia 1/2 zip sweatshirt in both white and black and I’m really considering getting the pink one now, too. I might have a problem.
If you like dark chocolate, then you must make this dark chocolate cake. It’s the absolute best recipe I’ve ever tried. And with this chocolate icing? Unreal. It’s heavenly. (Pro tip: don’t refrigerate it, it tastes incredible at room temperature, even days later.)

I was about to talk about how great my dad’s 100th birthday went, but there are so many details that I’ll just do a post about it this week instead.
I will never get over how incredible the frozen yogurt at Freshii is. Nobody talks about this enough.

Freshii frozen yogurt might even be better than TCBY

A great small batch pancake recipe I keep using.
I went to Activate and it was surprisingly really fun! It’s kind of like Squid Game but in real life and with less death.
I made this basil sangria during a blackout at my parent’s house and it was so strong and perfect.

Did you know about the secret, unadvertised Baskin Robbins deal? On the 31st of every month (on months that have 31 days), they offer 31% of all scoops and pints. Pass it on.

I made a lemon blueberry layer cake that was such a great summer dessert, absolutely would make again.

I ate at the S&P counter and it was only fine? NYC has so many options, I’m angry that anyone ever told me this place was anything special.
The duck confit spring rolls at Sojourn however are little bites of luxury. I will return.
Here’s one of the recent Zara dresses that I can’t stop wearing.

I’m so sick of pants without pockets, so I’m obviously in love with these green Halara bike shorts.
A great (updated often) list of carnivals in the NYC area.
Always gonna be excited when Trader Joe’s drops a new candle scent.

Trader Joe’s salted caramel and pistachio scented candle

I tried some curried fried rice at a friend’s house recently and I can’t stop thinking about it, such a genius way to do fried rice.
I’ve been eyeing mattress toppers for a few months now (my mattress is old and springy), but they’re always too expensive. So instead I bought a thick comforter for about $20 and spread that underneath my fitted sheet and it is now the most comfortable bed in this country. It’s a strange feeling to have all the answers and still not be ruler of the world?
Officially into rhubarb now since I was introduced to this rhubarb syrup, which is a phenomenal mixer for anything alcoholic.

Lays, I love you. Never stop with your insane flavours.

I was in Canada for a bit and good god, it was a perfect spring visit.

Fully recommend having friends who just GET IT

I went to Canada’s Wonderland with my nieces and there is nothing more satisfying than the end-of-day funnel cake you’re legally required to have before leaving. Also loved the new(ish) Yukon Striker.

I stopped by the new reincarnation of Zellers (it’s in a weird, small section at the back of The Bay) and the deals are wild. Go. If they bring back those Zellers diners with that gravy, they will be unstoppable.

The Barbie section at Ulta is wild. I want it all?

Truly all the Barbie collaborations are wonderful.
I got a “root shadowing” done at Bloc + Mane in Etobicoke (by the lovely Amanda) 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.
The USPS new stamps this year are insanely cool.

A gentle reminder: your beach body is already here.

Some things I’ve watched & rewatched:
- Since the new Indy was coming out, I rewatched Temple of Doom and wow is Kate Capshaw so unbelievably bad in it. Sure I’m no expert on great acting, but this is just torture to watch.
- And Just Like That: I’ve said it before, but we’re in a hate/hate relationship. The dialogue is so horrid that it reinforces the idea that anyone can succeed in the entertainment business. Talent has zero to do with it.
- The Bear (season two): absolutely LOVED it. Did they use an offensive amount of R.E.M. songs this season? Sure! But once you look past that, it’s a flawless season.
I bought these gorgeous olive coloured running shoes from Call It Spring that are beyond comfortable.

Men’s running shoes are eons prettier than women’s

I’d love to try any of these summer recipes:
- Vietnamese Tomato Salad
- Marinated Zucchini with Hazelnuts and Ricotta
- Summer Coconut Chickpea Curry
- Burger Au Poivre (everything should be au poivre, as far as I’m concerned)

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: are you aware that there’s a third My Big Fat Greek Wedding coming out?? And I can’t wait for some reason? Even I don’t really understand why, but I loved that first one so much when it came out. Other things: obviously excited for Barbie, my great friend Marla’s coming for a visit (!), I really want to find some good soft serve and I have a family trip to Scotland that I can’t wait for.

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

I just told her she isn’t coming to Scotland with me

July 1, 2023

Summer Saturdays Vol. 1

by Liz Heather in Summer Saturdays

Inspired by one of my favourite bloggers Jessica Merchant and her weekly Summer Fridays posts - I’m starting my own, but only for summer and only on Saturdays. Here’s what going on!

EATING

The duck confit spring rolls at Sojourn on the Upper East Side - CHRIST. Unreal.

DRINKING

I’ve been making iced tea with the different flavours in the Celestial Seasonings Fruit Tea Sampler, then I mix it with seltzer when I’m pouring a drink and I promise you it’s better than every pop/soda known to man.

COOKING

I keep making this summer salad with pearl couscous (cooked in chicken broth) that I’ll mix with grilled/chopped halloumi and green peas then I pour in a basil vinaigrette to bind it all together. It’s incredible cold or hot.

BAKING

I tried a new chocolate cake recipe and it’s hands down my new favourite. It’s (sorry) moist as hell and maintained its deliciousness even on the fifth day in a cake stand at room temperature. (As long as you’re a dark chocolate fan, you will love this.)

CRAVING

I’m itching to go to a low-maintenance carnival. And I’m counting down the days to peak tomato season.

LISTENING

On repeat at the moment: London Boy, Yuck and the entirety of Beck’s Odelay.

WATCHING

I finished the second season of The Bear and it’s even better than the first. I’m up to date on And Just Like That and it’s making me want to write an essay on the fact that we’ve entered The Era of The Hate-Watch.

WEARING

These Halara bike shorts with pockets in the colour Grass Grey Green, which feel like BUTTER. And I’m still living in the Aritzia 1/2 zip heather cloud white sweatshirt.

EXPERIENCING

Nathan and I went bowling with some friends this week at Astoria 360 Bowl and I may or may not be really good at bowling now? I mean, did I crack 100? Not even kinda, but, like, the confidence was there. Which might be due to my 100+ hours of Wii bowling.

LOVING

This article on the most beautiful dining cars on luxury trains.

SHOPPING

I don’t have any weddings coming up, but if I did I’d rent this Fuzzi Abito Patchwork dress. I had a clutch just like this one that I got in Miami years ago and I used to so much that it disintegrated, so I might get that one in tan. And I’m still on the lookout for the Lichtenstein stamps.

Happy Canada Day!

Also, you can see my summer highlights on Instagram over here.

June 30, 2023

The Best Tweets of June 2023

by Liz Heather in Links

The best tweets of June 2023.