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LIZ HEATHER

May 1, 2024

April Activities 2024

by Liz Heather in Advice, Beauty, Best of NYC, Food, Ideas, Links, Movies, Personal, Products, Quotes, Recipes, Reviews


Union Square market flowers

Union Square market flowers

  • The best tweets of April can be found over here and the best NYC earthquake tweets are over here.

  • Loved this part from a NYT newsletter about the eclipse written by Elizabeth Dias: “For a nation pulled apart by every manner of division, the eclipse also offered a moment of unity, however brief. It was a reminder to everyone, on the same day and at the same time, that life can be magical. That being alive is a collective experience. That there is something astonishing about being part of the greater story of things.”

Eclipse Nathan!

  • In Nathan news, he was on The Tonight Show for the third time promoting his new special (Down With Tech), and Vulture wrote two pieces about him and the new special (!) - so he’s had a great month.

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Baby Dog came to The Tonight Show

  • I made this asparagus soup and it’d be a better recipe if it were strained, but it was perfectly fine. I think this is another one of those foods that tastes better when it’s a special at a restaurant.

  • I tried and finished a bottle of “hair growth support” powder and it didn’t do much. Can someone please remind me never to cut my hair again?

  • Loving the acne spot treatment from Bubble.

  • Am I waiting for the August Nordstrom sale to buy a coat that I basically already own but in a different colour? Obviously.

My other coat in the background: “…GIRL”

  • Made this New York Times couscous and why can’t I seem to remember that their recipes are very blah? It’s as if it were AI generated. Oh no, are recipes going to be created by AI in the near future? Oh my god they are, aren’t they.

  • I made the switch to Redken shampoo and conditioner and Nathan and I both have seen a huge difference. My hairdresser passionately convinced me that I should stop buying cheap shampoo and it really was great advice.

  • I made this dark chocolate strawberry yogurt bark (below) that’s pretty fun if you’re desperate and don’t have ice cream.

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  • I saw the new Diane Von Furstenberg line at Target and the kids section is beyond cute.

  • I know I won’t shut up about Wegman’s, but are we all aware of how good their individual cookies are? And their slices of chocolate cake? And their family-sized protein powder with 1 gram of sugar?? The deals are almost infuriating.

  • In NYC restaurant talk: the pasta at Ci Siamo was phenomenal (better than Lilia), the cocktails are better than ever at Manhatta, the kale caesar at Fumo is incredible, the fried chicken at COQODAQ is overrated but their chicken curry is outstanding (I also loved that they had house wines, BRING BACK HOUSE WINE + HOUSE WINE PRICES), the malt vinegar skinny fries at Motel Morris are perfection and the vodka parm at Compton’s in Astoria is only okay (again proof that TikTok famous sandwiches contain more hype than flavour).

Ci Siamo, NYC

Manhatta, NYC

  • Snack I can’t stop eating: hummus mixed with feta and chopped red onions (dipped with either sliced cucumbers or carrots or pita chips).

  • Saving my money now for the new Lemax phantom castle that comes out this Halloween.

  • I met Harrison Ford (!) near Columbus Circle and he was very kind and extremely handsome. And I’ve never seen such a confident stride in my whole life. Man’s a stud.

Highlight of life

  • I’ve been making this spinach wrap (below) for weeks and can’t get over it. I’ve been topping it with shredded chicken and either buffalo sauce or tzatziki sauce.

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Spinach & egg wrap with shredded buffalo chicken

  • In my quest to dress better, I bought these perfect gingham pants.

  • SNL had two especially good sketches this month: Jumanji and The Engagement.

  • I visited The Pastry Box in the East Village and it was ridiculously good.

The Pastry Box, NYC

The Pastry Box, NYC

  • Some things I watched:

    • Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (HBO) - it was fine, I was hoping to like it more.

    • Quiet on Set (HBO) - nuts. Parts of it are really hard to watch.

    • Past Lives (Prime) - heartbreakingly good, just loved it.

    • Late Night with the Devil (AMC+) - I liked the style of it, but the ending was sort of ruined for me inadvertently. Hard to say if it was actually good.

    • Alien (in theatres) - Nathan and I saw the 45th anniversary screening of it (I’d never seen it before) and it was fantastic. Weird that I’d never seen it and weirder that I loved it?

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I’m seeing Belle & Sebastian at the new Paramount Theatre tonight, I’ll definitely go see the new fashion exhibit at The Met, I might try to see I Saw The TV Glow at the Angelika and I really want to get to Smorgasburg sometime this month before it gets too hot to enjoy.

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

TAGS: monthly, monthly post, monthly roundup, Liz Heather, April, April Liz Heather, April Activities, April Activities 2024, Harrison Ford, spinach wrap, spinach egg wrap, easy wrap, healthy wrap, April flowers, Union Square market, eclipse, eclipse quote, Elizabeth Dias, NYT, Vulture, Nathan Macintosh, eclipse glasses, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon, Baby Dog, Down With Tech comedy special, Down With Tech, asparagus soup, hair growth serum, hair growth powder, acne spot treatment, Bubble, acne spot treatment Bubble, August Nordstrom sale, couscous, Redken, hair advice, dark chocolate strawberry yogurt bark, ice cream alternative, Diane Von Furstenberg, Target, Wegman's, Ci Siamo, best pasta NYC, Manhatta, Fumo, best kale caesar NYC, best chicken curry NYC, COQODAQ, Motel Morris, best fries NYC, malt vinegar fries NYC, house wines NYC, Compton's, Astoria, Compton's Astoria, TikTok, Jessie Hooker-Bailey, snack, hummus, great snack, healthy snacks, Lemax phantom castle, easy wrap to make, gingham pants, Target best pants, Jumanji SNL, The Engagement SNL, SNL, The Pastry Box NYC, Albert Brooks, Quiet on Set, Past Lives, Late Night with the Devil, Alien


April 9, 2024

March Magic 2024

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


March 2024

March 2024

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

My nephews, March 2024

  • 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.

Spring candles from Trader Joe’s

  • 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.

See’s Candies

  • 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!

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  • 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.

Baby Dog in Niagara Falls

Romeo, Niagara Falls

Camden, Niagara Falls

Family!

  • 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.

Our Airbnb in Maryland

Wegman’s cake

I love him

Small town butter >>

Sleepy Baby Dog

  • 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.

Happy hour at Nordstrom, NYC

  • 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.

C’MON

TAGS: monthly, monthly post, monthly roundup, Liz Heather, best of NYC, Rachel McAdams, Mary Jane Broadway, birthday, family, nephews, Niagara Falls, jury, jury duty, The Body Shop, Trader Joe's candles, spring candles, lemon sorbet, lemon dessert, best lemon dessert, Colourpop, best lip oil, dew drop clear, lux lip oil, See's Candies, Thai green curry, That Thing You Do, best scene That Thing You Do, goodbye blonde, new hair, tres leche cake, Mount Airy, Maryland, Wegman's, best chocolate cake, salted butter, small town butter, amish butter, Baby Dog, Baby Dog Macintosh, Lemax, North Pole Mail Room, Nordstrom flagship NYC, Nordstrom happy hour, Baywatch, Ready or Not


March 1, 2024

February Feats 2024

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


NYC, February 2024

NYC, February 2024

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.

Bury me at the Nordstrom flagship

  • 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.

Brioche berry bread pudding

  • 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.

Baby Dog begrudgingly on her new ramp

  • 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.

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TAGS: Liz Heather, monthly, monthly post, monthly roundup, February, February Feats, February Feats 2024, An Enemy of the People NYC, Broadway NYC, NYC, NYC snow, Mel Brooks, Mel Brooks book, leopard print coat, Nordstrom, Nordstrom flagship NYC, small batch oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, marry me chicken recipe, NYT, New York Times, cauliflower soup, Brioche bread pudding, Grand Marnier, Aerie, Aerie stockings, Sonbobs Astoria, ramp, Baby Dog, Huda, colour corrector, color corrector, Jeremy Strong, Michael Imperioli, Uva Next Door, Upper East Side, Daily Provisions NYC, patty melt NYC, Vanilla gift card, Sometimes I Think About Dying, Two Weeks Notice, The Wedding Guest, The Wedding Date, If Lucy Fell, Sarah Jessica Parker, Waiting To Exhale, Once Upon A Crime, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Richard Lewis


February 7, 2024

Winter Wednesdays Vol. 5

by Liz Heather in Winter Wednesdays


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.

TAGS: winter, Winter Wednesdays, Winter Wednesdays Vol. 5, Baby Dog, garlic butter chicken orzo, alioli, mushroom risotto, best mushroom risotto Mississauga, Coppelia, best hot sauce NYC, Mystery Date, San Remo's, Nutella, Nutella fritter, World Nutella Day, tea tree, The Body Shop, Curb Your Enthusiasm, clothing rut


January 24, 2024

Winter Wednesdays Vol. 3

by Liz Heather in Winter Wednesdays


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.

TAGS: Baby Dog, Liz Heather, winter, Winter Wednesdays, Winter Wednesdays Vol. 3, Essie, all things ooo, pastel nail polish, Keanu Reeves, Speed, purse hooks car, Palmer's Cocoa Butter, snow, chicken marsala, chocolate toffee, chocolate brownie cake


January 17, 2024

Winter Wednesdays Vol. 2

by Liz Heather in Winter Wednesdays


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.

TAGS: Winter Wednesdays, Winter Wednesdays Vol. 2, Liz Heather, winter, cacio e pepe, Hamburger America, Mississauga Central Library, Mississauga library, Baby Dog, turkey stuffing potato chips, The Morning Show, COVID, Aritzia headband


January 1, 2024

December Dalliances 2023

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


Grand Central Station, December 2023

Grand Central Station, December 2023

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.

With Diana at The Peninsula

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

Saks Holiday Display, 2023

Rockefeller Tree, December 2023

The New York Public Library, December 2023

The NYPL Christmas Tree, 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.

Sausage & fennel pizza

Christmas tree charcuterie board

I’m still learning how to create a good board

Ricotta jam jar

Mushroom loaf

Leftover turkey sandwich

Nutella-stuffed cookies

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.

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.

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.

Baby Dog in slumber

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TAGS: December, December 2023, best of December 2023, December Dalliances 2023, Liz Heather, Grand Central Station, The Peninsula Hotel, Christmas in NYC, holiday windows NYC, Saks holiday display, Saks holiday display 2023, Rockefeller Christmas Tree, NYPL, New York Public Library, Christmas trees NYC, espresso martini cookies, Nathan Macintosh, New York Times, Mel's, pot set, Wayfair, apple crumb cake, Christmas recipes, mushroom loaf, homemade pizza, ricotta jam jar, leftover turkey sandwich, Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies, spinach and artichoke Christmas tree, upstate-style roast beef sandwiches, shortbread, chocolate pistachio shortbread cookies, charcuterie board, Mighty Patch, Office Christmas Party, The Crown, egg nog, egg nog Greek yogurt, skating, The B&O Railroad Museum, Alexander's Tavern, Baltimore, Maryland, crab cake Maryland, Baby Dog


November 8, 2023

October Occurrences 2023

by Liz Heather in Best of NYC, Family, Food, Halloween, Links, Movies, Personal, Recipes


This backyard is all I need sometimes

This backyard is all I need sometimes

That was one of the longest Octobers I’ve ever experienced and it couldn’t have been better. Here’s everything that went down last month:

  • The best tweets of October can be found over here, and I also did a post about the best Halloween tweets.

  • Our costume!

  • I started doing weekly Fall Fridays recaps because I can’t shut the hell up.

  • Made Halloween cake pops with Maya with meltable chocolate from Michaels (the funfetti vanilla is the best one) and I think these might be among my favourite desserts now. Nothing says ‘I’m almost 40’ like discovering how good cake pops are 15 years after they became popular?

Maya’s Halloween cake pops

  • Got a drink at Beetle House (the Beetlejuice-esque bar in the East Village) and that place is a party. Cocktails with dry ice should be mandatory at all bars for the prices we’re paying these days (I’d run on this platform alone if I were up for mayor).

Cocktail from Beetle House, NYC

  • I used a few of the single packets of the Dennis Gross triple eye serum and I could really see slight results in only a couple days. So annoying when expensive skincare products actually work well.

  • This chicken marsala remains one of my favourite top three dinners to make.

It’s a tall order, but please serve this chicken marsala at my funeral

  • TIP: if a recipe calls for softened butter but you forgot to soften it in advance, you should just brown the butter instead. This works for me literally every time. Browned butter is incredible.

  • Finally went to the Oscar Wilde bar and it was beautifully decorated for Halloween. It also had one of the best lighted washrooms I’ve ever seen in NYC.

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  • It’s one week into November so have I already had the Thanksgiving dumplings from Mimi Cheng’s as well as the Bobbie (Thanksgiving) sandwich from Capriotti’s? We both know the answer, don’t make me say it.

  • Made pecan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but they were only okay. I think I’ll steer clear of the baking recipes from Bon Appétit for awhile. Independent bloggers almost always have better dessert recipes.

Underwhelming pecan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

  • Okay, the flagship Nordstrom in Manhattan? New favourite place to shop for dresses. There’s also a great happy hour bar on the fifth floor with this incredible locker that charges your phone while you walk around.

  • I’ve made the Chrissy Teigen jalapeno corn pudding for the past few years as part of our Thanksgiving meal and I might finally be sick of it? Looking for new corn recipes.

Jalapeno corn pudding

  • My favourite freezable meal right now is this short rib bolognese.

  • Walked through a section of Central Park that I’d never seen before (the north woods) and it felt like an entirely different park.

Look at that little face

  • Made apple cider doughnut cookies that turned out great. I thought the cinnamon sugar topping sounded a bit boring, but it was perfect.

Apple cider doughnut cookies

  • It is both a blessing and a curse that I learned of Nuts Factory existence (it’s basically American Bulk Barn).

  • Made this coconut chicken tikka masala in the slow cooker and it was pretty good. I doubt I’ll make it again though because I never cook rice anymore and this is a recipe begging for rice. (Why don’t I like to cook rice? Um, it takes forever? And I threw out my rice cooker because I hate having useless appliances that I’ll use once a year.)

  • The focaccia ready-made sandwiches at Eataly? Holy shit. Unbelievably good.

Focaccia sandwiches at Eataly, NYC

  • Went to Canada for Thanksgiving and it was so lovely, as always.

Camden leaves October 2023.jpeg
Camden October 2023.jpeg
Gary Heather October 2023.jpeg
Liam Tianna Downeys October 2023.jpeg
Romeo October 2023.jpeg
  • Some things I watched:

    • Sabrina The Teenage Witch (the movie): I had no idea it was a movie before it was a show. I’ll always love Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina, so this was a great find.

    • Urban Legend: totally forgot about how good this movie was. With the exception of the dog-in-a-microwave scene, obviously.

    • Knock At The Cabin: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, M. Night Shyamalan’s movies are always so hit or miss and this one? STUNK. I really hate that he insists on making cameos in them, too.

    • Prom Night: Great! Jamie Lee Curtis is a phenomenal dancer. Nobody talks about that.

    • Blades: it’s literally just a Jaws parody but with a lawnmower instead of a shark. So what I’m saying is that it was fantastic.

    • Trick R Treat: so terrible.

    • Halloween (the Rob Zombie one): UGH! Awful! Nathan claims that I hated it because apparently I don’t like “dysfunction or reality.” WHO DOES.

    • Coherence: so good! Everyone should see it.

    • The Fog: loved it! So fun when the villain is weather. And I LOVE the fact that when it was first released, they installed fog machines in some movie theatres where the movie was showing. God, that’s great.

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: Nathan’s big Gramercy show this weekend, buying new cookware finally because our pots specifically are pretty toxic, might make these salted chocolate pecan pie bars for (fake) Thanksgiving later this month and I can’t wait to finally eat at the Christmas restaurant in the city Rolf’s.

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went on in September over here. And my autumn highlights on Instagram can be found here.

October 2023

TAGS: Liz Heather, October, October Occurences, October Occurrences 2023, monthly post, monthly roundup, best Halloween tweets, best Halloween tweets 2023, Halloween costume 2023, Halloween cake pops, Beetle House NYC, Dr. Dennis Gross, Dennis Gross triple eye serum, best chicken marsala recipe, softened butter, butter tip, Oscar Wilde bar NYC, Mimi Cheng's, Capriotti's, Thanksgiving dumplings, Thanksgiving sandwich NYC, pecan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, Bon Appetite, autumn recipes, Nordstrom flagship NYC, charging stations NYC, Chrissy Teigen, Jalapeno Corn Pudding, Thanksgiving recipes, short rib bolognese, Central Park, Baby Dog, apple cider doughnut cookies, Nuts Factory, coconut chicken tikka masala, Eataly NYC, Eataly focaccia sandwiches, family, The Heathers, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Urban Legend, The Fog, Knock At The Cabin, M. Night Shyamalan, Prom Night, Jamie Lee Curtis, Blades, Jaws, Trick R Treat, Halloween Rob Zombie, Coherence, movies, Bon Appétit


October 20, 2023

Fall Fridays Vol. 4

by Liz Heather in Fall Fridays


BAKING/COOKING

If the kids spend the weekend, I will always make a lasagna.

Homemade lasagna >

CRAVING

The pumpkin spice latte flavoured Coffee Crisp. Good god.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Coffee Crisp

DRINKING

Hot apple cider tastes good only once a year and the time has come.

EATING

The green thai curry and pad thai from Nimman Thai in Toronto. Phenomenal.

EXPERIENCING

I took a wildly hot bath the other night before bed (like right before bed) and I slept so deeply that night, it felt like being under a trance. Fully recommend.

LISTENING

To a stray cat who’s purring at my parent’s front door right now and it’s killing me. Is this someone’s cat? Why is it being so friendly to us? Should I not have pet it and fed it this morning? Also when did I fall in love with cats? Is this all because I haven’t seen Baby Dog in six days and I’m lacking animal affection?

Mystery cat WHO HAS WON MY HEART

LOVING

That my brother, sister-in-law and nephew came for a visit from Scotland and it coincided with being so perfectly autumn-y right now.

Camden! Autumn!

SHOPPING

I tried the Salicylic Acid Acne Day Dots (from Peace Out) and I think they worked fine? There’s just something I love more about the Mighty Patch ones, though.

WATCHING

I saw the movie Coherence and loved it.

WEARING

Hair spray! Why am I not doing this more? It solves so many hair problems.

Hair spray is the answer?

And I’ve created an autumn highlight reel on my Instagram incase you care!

TAGS: Fall Fridays, Fall Fridays Volume 4, The New Yorker autumn cover, The New Yorker October 20 1956, Liz Heather, lasagna, pumpkin spice latte Coffee Crisp, Coffee Crisp, hot apple cider, green thai curry, pad thai, best thai Toronto, Nimman Thai, hot bath before bed, stray cat, Baby Dog, Scotland, autumn, autumn leaves, Peace Out acne dots, acne day dots, Mighty Patch, acne patches, acne dots, Coherence, hair spray


October 13, 2023

Fall Fridays Vol. 3

by Liz Heather in Fall Fridays


BAKING/COOKING

I make this chili basically every week because it’s such a good lunch option.

CRAVING

The hibachi fried rice at KanaHashi in Brooklyn. Best I’ve ever had in New York, by far.

DRINKING

Okay, I definitely overdid it this week by going to The Beekman, Nubeluz and Oscar Wilde. NOT GOING OUT AT ALL THIS WEEK.

EATING

No one told me that the Eataly pre-made focaccia sandwiches are actually good.

Focaccia sandwiches at Eataly, NYC

EXPERIENCING

I took Baby Dog on a walk through the North Woods of Central Park and it was unbelievably beautiful. Am I am the only idiot who didn’t know this park had waterfalls? I’d never walked this far north before.

North Woods in Central Park, NYC

LISTENING

Finally listened to the new Olivia Rodrigo album and the best songs are making the bed and pretty isn’t pretty.

LOVING

The KIND caramel almond & sea salt bars? Too good. Also the leaves have finally started changing and I can’t get enough.

Autumn happening in Queens, NYC

SHOPPING

Hopefully this Trader Joe’s Woodlands candle will be the last candle I buy for a while, my candle storage area is a smidge out of control.

Woodlands candle at Trader Joe’s

WATCHING

Out of all the horror movies I’ve been watching, The Fog has been the best one so far. I love a movie that starts and you’re immediately into it.

WEARING

I’m following through with one of my autumn goals of wearer bolder lipsticks.

Lipstick is MAC’s Lipglass in Woman of Mystery

And I’ve created an autumn highlight reel on my Instagram incase you care!

TAGS: Fall Fridays, Fall Fridays Volume 3, The New Yorker autumn cover, The New Yorker October 13 1986, chili, best chili, slow cooker chili, fried rice, best fried rice NYC, best fried rice Brooklyn, KanaHashi, The Beekman, Nubeluz, Oscar Wilde, Eataly, Eataly NYC, Eataly focaccia sandwiches, Baby Dog, Central Park, north woods, Central Park North Woods, Central Park waterfalls, Olivia Rodrigo, KIND bar, KIND caramel almond sea salt, autumn, leaves changing, autumn leaves, Trader Joe's, woodlands candle, Trader Joe's candles, The Fog, horror movies, bold lipsticks


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