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.
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.
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.)
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.
Spirit Tree Estate Cidery in Caledon
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.
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.
I went to my first Shakespeare in the Park to see Hamlet and it was incredible.
Hamlet in NYC
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.
Marla row boating in Central Park
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.
After a Jays game in Toronto
Learned how to make so many cake pops with my niece Maya.
Halloween cake pops by 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.
Homemade sausage pizza
I got to fly in the backseat of a Harvard airplane and it was unforgettable.
I’m Tom Cruise?
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.
Nathan’s show at The Gramercy Theatre for the New York Comedy Festival went so well, could not be more proud of this man.
Casey and Nathan!
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.
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.
The fried chicken sandwich at Shopsin’s in Essex Market.
Fried chicken sandwich at Shopsin’s
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.
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?)
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.
God, I miss that tan
Love colours on a man
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.
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!
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.
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 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.
Officially a nog head
We didn’t have the whole family together this Christmas (which never feels right), but we made the most of it.
Christmas kids!
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.”
Fully regret not buying this shirt
Train museums are the best museums, fight me
Maryland crab cake!
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.
sorry for being nostalgia baited but it was kind of nice where the internet was a single, solitary, unmoving place instead of a terror that extends to everywhere. you went to this specific spot to go to the internet. when you left the spot, you left the internet. it was a place https://t.co/CykSmj3qlw
I like that The Muppet Christmas Carol doesn’t burden us with what horrors a Miss Piggy/Kermit the Frog crossbreed would look like and just settled for “the girls are pigs the boys are frogs don’t think about the biology of puppet offspring”
My 38 yo brother is shipping Christmas gifts to me. For the address he put my first name/last name, care of DORK Inc., in case anyone is wondering if they ever grow up.
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”
— Hamilton Wright Mabie
I love that the first day of the winter is in the same week as Christmas, I always seem to forget that it is and it’s the nicest surprise every year. Here’s what I’d love to do this season.
Go skiing.
Eat ramen for the first time (I know, it’s insane this hasn’t happened).
Make some Christmas-y appetizers (cranberry grilled cheese, charcuterie wreath, etc.)
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).
Find a snowmobile and ride it. This one will be hard to do because I don’t know anyone with a snowmobile (mental note: make a resolution to befriend snowmobile types).
I’ll also watch some of these movies, obviously. And I hope you write a winter list of your own because no one is going to enjoy your life for you.
Autumn has ended! Welcome to the coziest time of year. Here’s how my autumn list went.
1. Make an apple flavoured dessert.
I made my favourite apple fritter cake for Thanksgiving. Might be my favourite apple dessert of all time? I also made apple cider doughnut cookies that were pretty great, too
Apple fritter cake
Apple cider doughnut cookies
2. Taste a turnip.
For some reason, every time I saw one at the grocery I winced and kept moving. Maybe I need someone to cook me a turnip? I don’t ask for much from my friends.
3. Make a homemade pumpkin syrup for iced coffee.
Did it! And I might do this every year from now on. Homemade syrup tastes eons better than any bottled one.
4. Wear bolder lipsticks.
I did! Mostly in October, but still.
5. Watch at least ten horror movies I haven’t seen before.
Sabrina The Teenage Witch (the movie) - not horror but spooky themed so I’m counting it. As well as Knock At the Cabin, Prom Night, Blades, Trick R Treat, Coherence, The Fog, Night Beast, Tourist Trap, The Black Phone and Child’s Play 2.
4/5! Okay, that’s pretty good. Winter list coming tomorrow!
Finally bought new nonstick pots and pans and IS THIS HOW EVERYONE IS LIVING? Had no idea this kind of kitchen ease was possible. My eggs are gliding in these babies, it’s almost sensual.
Loved Kaia Wine Bar on the Upper East Side. $8 martinis in 2023 is so unbelievable, I really should shut my mouth about it. I also tried birria tacos for the first time and lord almighty. Who wouldn’t want to dunk something delicious in something else delicious? Duck tacos were incredible, too.
I think these took off in popularity because someone smart decided not to call them “wet tacos”
I heard a great baking tip: make whipped cream fast in a food processor. So smart.
Experienced the awfulness that is Rolf’s German (Christmas) restaurant in the city. DO NOT GO. I let loose on a Google review and maybe that’s cold, but I had to, man.
So in love with the new Wegman’s in the city. I wish I could go back in time and tell kid Liz how much time she’d spend in grocery stores as an adult - she’d lose her little mind. There are just too many good deals at different grocers! I’ll never be above a good deal.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know how much I loved The Shark is Broken on Broadway. Best play I’ve seen in years. The Times critic Jesse Green is absolutely out of his mind for his review of it. (A deep dive of this man showed that he loved Shucked, so now I know he’s not the brightest.)
Vowing to get the Baskin-Robbins ice cream turkey cake next fake Thanksgiving. I did sample their Turkey Day Fixin’s flavour of the month and you know what? I respect it.
I saw too many outfit reels on Instagram and it altered my brain in thinking that I needed that one boring black, basic, long, “evening” coat that every white woman under 40 owns for every winter outfit so I bought the $50 one at Zara and returned it within two days. I’M NOT THAT WOMAN! Also that coat has the worst material, every single piece of lint in the air is attracted to it. Remember when Zara was good quality?
If you’ve ever used a Half Baked Harvest recipe, you might find this article interesting. The blogger apparently responded to the piece on Martha Stewart’s podcast, but I haven’t heard it yet.
Absolutely gutted that Duck Season is permanently closed! It had the only good poutine in this entire country. I’m not being dramatic.
So I’ve been doing this morning routine for about three weeks now and it’s wild how much happier it has made me. I wake up, make a spinach smoothie, walk Baby Dog, come home and eat an omelet and then open my email/look at my phone, etc. It’s been incredible. Also, not to overshare but I’ve also been drinking three liters of water each day and I don’t necessarily see a difference yet, but I do have an underlying better-than-you vibe that has been hard to shake off.
I don’t want to get you too excited but I am in possession of 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?)
My wonderful friend Richard made stuffing as a main entree for a dinner at home and CAN WE MAKE THIS A THING? Genius idea.
STUFFING FOR DINNER
You’re already Christmas shopping so just a gentle reminder: get the gift receipt.
The snow is coming and you will slip and possibly fall. Act accordingly.
I saw Priscilla in theatres and loved it. It was a little slow, but still great. I also bought the book it was based on, so that review is coming soon.
