Autumn List 2024
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”
Here to welcome you to the greatest time of year. Not just because of cooler weather or the anticipation of Halloween but because of the constant changes happening around us each day. The official beginning of the end of the year. Absolutely nothing better. Here’s what I’d love to do this fall.
Make pasta from scratch.
Go to Downey’s Farm or a harvest festival.
Make a turkey poutine.
Make an apple or pumpkin savory dish.
See the salmon run.
And here are some of my past autumn lists incase you’re looking for more ideas of things you might want to do this season.
Summer List 2024 Recap
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
All right so that was the longest summer that ever summered. I don’t think I’ve ever had highs and lows are big as the ones that have happened these past few months, but I wouldn’t change a single second. Here’s a recap of how my summer list of things to do went.
1. Go to a carnival.
Went! It was in a parking lot in Queens, but that still counts.
Queens carnival
2. Eat the soft serve at either Seed + Mill in Chelsea Market or at L’Industrie.
Did it! The Seed + Mill (vegan) tahini soft serve changed my life.
Seed + Mill vegan tahini soft serve
3. Get out of town somewhere fun to celebrate our 15 year anniversary.
We went to Cooperstown! And I wrote about it over here.
Cooperstown, New York
4. Go swimming at least five times.
Oh, I demolished this one. Went over ten times for sure.
5. Make this truffled garlic bread with ricotta.
Did not do! Definitely forgot about this one. But really this is more of a holiday appetizer so stay tuned.
4/5! Very proud of that. Should I be proud of mostly completely a list of purely fun things to do? Absolutely yes. Organized fun should never be reserved only for children.
Autumn list coming tomorrow!
Best Summer Photos
Cooperstown, New York
Inside The Lake House near Cooperstown, NY
Inside The Lake House near Cooperstown, NY
We did a mini roadtrip to Cooperstown last month and I can safely say that I think we’re all not doing enough little trips. Truly what’s stopping us? They’re always the best. It’s never insanely expensive, but you get to take a break from regular life and go somewhere not far to experience something different and usually great. Some highlights from the trip below!
So the whole trip was basically organized around going to The Baseball Hall of Fame. That’s a normal thing to do, right? Honestly, you could spend hours there. It was incredible. I think I loved the mini exhibit that showcased the most famous fans from over the years, but there’s just so much to see. Would love to own one of those warm-up jackets. LOOK at that stitching (below).
Baby Dog at The Baseball Hall of Fame
Baseball origins
Fan appreciation exhibit
Bury me in this warm-up jacket
We stayed at this small inn (The Lake House) that was built in 1843, which was perfect. Our room itself was tiny, but the place was beautiful. The restaurant there was so good and it felt ancient, but in a good way. And it was right on the water of Canadarago Lake.
Canadarago Lake
Postcard of Canadarago Lake
If there’s mini golf in your small town, I will find it. We played a round at the western-themed Barnyard Swing Mini Golf and there were maybe two elements on the whole course that made it western-themed, which is both funny and exactly as it should be.
Barnyard Swing Mini Golf
Barnyard Swing Mini Golf
Visited the Cooperstown Cheese Factory, which I can’t recommend enough. They offered samples of ALL of the cheeses they sold, with no limit. Why the hell don’t all cheese shops have this policy? They also had this unbelievable cheese-dusted popcorn (that needed to be refrigerated because it was so fresh) that I will forever yearn for.
Cooperstown Cheese Factory
I love old covered bridges, so we drove to see the Hyde Hall covered bridge that was built in 1825 (and is the oldest extant wooden covered bridge in the United States). Some people do drugs, some people get a contact high from seeing dusty old bridges, I don’t make the rules.
Hyde Hall Covered Bridge
Hyde Hall Covered Bridge
Visited Willis Monie Books because I will always gravitate towards chaotic book stores.
Willis Monie Books
Got lunch at Cooperstown Diner, which was small and delightful.
Cooperstown Diner
Inside Cooperstown Diner
Stopped inside the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad Station. They had a mechanical miniature train set that made me feel alive inside? Haha?
Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad
We drove past the now abandoned Petrified Creatures Museum (located at 4638 US-20, Richfield Springs, NY 13439), which I would DIE to explore if it weren’t highly illegal.
Petrified Creatures Museum sign
Petrified Creatures Museum entrance
Such a great little trip. I also made a highlight reel from the trip that you can see over here.
Baby Dog, Canadarago Lake
August Actions 2024
The sunflowers outside my building
The sunflowers outside my building
SUMMER IS OVER! Extremely pumped to say goodbye to August. So many things are changing right now and I kind of can’t wait for what’s ahead. But before that, here were the highlights of the month.
Finished my Summer Saturdays series.
The best tweets of the month can be found over here.
Why don’t all cheese boards have corresponding cheeses labels?? SOMEBODY PUT ME IN CHARGE OF SOMETHING.
Cheese with labels >>
In love with these blue sky bran muffins. Who have I become? I like her?
The Freshly Brewed Coffee candle at Bath & Body Works smells like heaven on earth.
Truly their best scent
I found Walla Walla onions at my farmer’s market and they remain the greatest onion on the scene today.
My friend Richard made the best tomato pie I’ve ever tasted.
Tomato pie for life
I got the new Alex Trebek Jeopardy stamps and they’re a bit disappointing. I was hoping for more than just one design.
Marla came for a visit and we did so many fun things. We saw Suffs on Broadway, ate at Thyme & Tonic (incredible), tried on a million gorgeous things at both locations of Beacon’s Closet, we rode the Staten Island Ferry, ate at the always-great Rubirosa, went to Little Island for the first time, went to some of the Chelsea Thursday galleries and we perused Chelsea Market so we obviously had to get some Seed + Mill.
Suffs on Broadway
Beacon’s Closet
Gorgeous Marla
Little Island
A rat scared us out of Central Park approx. five seconds after this photo was taken
Manhattan skyline from the (free) Staten Island Ferry
Seed + Mill now has a chocolate drizzle option
I read Jennette McCurdy’s book and it was too real and too good.
My favourite pesto recipe is the How Sweet Eats one, but with walnuts instead of pine nuts.
Summer is the time to make peach daiquiris and this peach rose slushy.
Peach daiquiri
Fell in love with the restaurant Hillstone. On a mission now to visit all the locations eventually. The best parts about this place are the chilled salad plates, the chilled martini glasses that are replaced midway through your drink, an insane French dip sandwich (David Chang says that this sandwich “haunts him” and he’s right), a wildly good chicken caesar salad, servers only have three tables at a time so they can really focus on each customer, they don’t have food runners or bussers, the tables are drilled into the ground so there aren’t any wobbly ones, there’s freshly squeezed orange juice AND each table is designed to feel like it’s in its very own little VIP section. So impressed by the level of thoughtfulness at this place, I love it so much.
Caesar salad at Hillstone
Chilled glass at HIllstone
French dip at HIllstone
And speaking of hospitality, I read something recently that explains why I think I love restaurants so much. I’m the one who cooks at home (which I enjoy), but it’s nice to escape that sometimes and have someone take care of me in that way. It’s such a simple thought, but it blew my mind for a minute.
I finally deep cleaned my beauty blender by putting Dawn in some boiled water and then I let the sponge sit in that mixture for five minutes before rinsing in water. Reddit has all the answers.
I found a Sabon body scrub on sale at Marshall’s, which reminded me how much I love any Sabon products.
I’ve been living in the Essie colour Seas The Day.
Essie ‘Seas The Day’
Annoyance of the day: I absolutely hate that all brow pencils now come in that little mechanical tube (that always breaks). Remember when the Anastasia brow pencil was actually a real pencil that you could sharpen?? We’ve strayed too far from the light of god. It’s impossible to find a real, high quality pencil anymore.
Nathan and I spent our anniversary in Cooperstown, New York to go to the incredible Baseball Hall of Fame, so I’ll do a post about that later this week.
Denny’s has a Beetlejuice-themed menu right now that is a full party, even if it does sound somewhat gross.
Loved reading Pete Wells’ final NY Times piece.
Some things I watched:
Patriot Games - wow. Love 90s movies like this.
Six Days, Seven Nights - even Harrison Ford can’t save this movie.
Trap - I liked the first two thirds of it, but everything went downhill as soon as they left the stadium. This review sums up my feelings almost precisely.
Falling Down - great movie.
Wall Street - weird that I’d never seen it before, Martin Sheen was a smokeshow.
Consenting Adults - great idea for a movie.
Longlegs - love an original horror script.
I would normally list the things I’m looking forward to this month, but things are changing so fast right now that I have no idea what the end of the month will look like. I’m hopeful and excited, but I’m also terrified and I sort of just want to let this month happen.
She’s done with summer
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in July over here.
Summer Saturdays Vol. 9
Welcome to the final Summer Saturdays! Yes, I missed the last two weeks of this series but all we can do is move forward. I know that summer technically ends in a few weeks, but this year it’s over for me as of August 31st (today). Autumn will start as usual on September 22nd, but I would like the first three weeks on the month to remain seasonless. I can decide that, right? I have no desire to prolong summer and I refuse to start buying pumpkins. I intend to use this period of time to focus on myself and myself alone. The most self-involved three weeks I can imagine. But for now, here’s how my final week of summer went.
BAKING
These bran muffins are so incredible with added blueberries.
COOKING
Corn-on-the-cob is perfect right now, so it’s the only reason I turn on my stove these days.
CRAVING
One final lap swim of the season.
DRINKING
Nathan got this peanut butter coffee that’s actually delicious.
EATING
I had this perfect baked haddock when we were upstate that I’m still thinking about.
EXPERIENCING
Jeez, so many things have happened in the past few weeks. My dear friend Marla came to visit me and we had such a great time. Nathan and I also went to Cooperstown, NY this week, which was last minute but so nice. (There are highlights from that trip over here.)
Marla!
LISTENING
Since there was a roadtrip, I made this playlist for the drive.
LOVING
The gluten-free restaurant Thyme & Tonic on the upper west side. The noodles and the popcorn chicken were unholy.
Noodles from Thyme & Tonic
SHOPPING
The autumn candle trio from Bath & Body Works.
They always know how to take my money
WATCHING
Saw Longlegs in theatres and Nic Cage was great (duh). Love an original horror movie. My only notes? Legs could’ve been longer.
WEARING
I will continue to dream about this Dior skirt.
Dior skirt at Beacon's Closet
The previous Summer Saturdays Vol. 8 can be found over here and I have a summer highlights section over here.
Thank you for caring about any of these summer posts! I’ll likely be back for Fall Fridays on September 27th.
The Best Tweets of August 2024
Summer Saturdays Vol. 8
BAKING
I made these blue sky bran muffins because Nathan loves a bran muffin and they turned out great! Will add walnuts to the next batch.
COOKING
I was walking through the farmer’s market and was hit with the greatest idea of something to make: CAPRESE SCONES. So I found a recipe and it’s happening tonight. I’m going to use my already-made basil pesto (I use walnuts instead of pine nuts) instead of just plain basil leaves, so I can’t wait to see how it goes.
CRAVING
The baby tomatoes this time of year taste like candy. They are incredible.
Baby tomatoes from the Union Square Green Market, NYC
DRINKING
I made peach daiquiris for us and the only time I love an alcoholic frozen drink is at home. They’re so easy to make and it’s completely satisfying to just have one.
Peach daiquiri
EATING
I tried a sample of the Tropicana orange soft serve at Milk Bar and wow was it gross. What is happening with Milk Bar? No Thanksgiving croissant last year and now this?
The orange soft serve at Milk Bar
EXPERIENCING
I went to the restaurant Hillstone (my first time) and I have fallen in love (thank you to Irene for introducing me!). The service was outstanding and the food was ridiculously perfect. (And if you’re from Ontario, the vibe is extremely Canyon Creek-y, which obviously made me happier than I can express.) They bring you a chilled glass midway through drinking your cocktail and the salad plates come chilled, too. Is the secret to a perfect restaurant just chilling stuff? IT MIGHT BE.
Chilled glass at Hillstone, NYC
LISTENING
It has been so rainy and windy this week, it’s been amazing. My desk is right between two large windows so I keep the windows open wide mainly to hear all the wild weather noise. It’s a nice change from the garbage trucks and horns that are usually the norm.
LOVING
I cannot get enough of the RFK jokes. Haven’t seen a bad one yet.
Can we please make, “Looks like the worm is at the wheel” a common expression when someone is acting insane?
SHOPPING
I stopped by the best post office in the city in Union Square and got an insanely good stamp haul. I’ve been looking for those Lichtenstein ones for months.
A beautiful stamp might cure depression?
WATCHING
Saw Trap in theatres and liked two thirds of it! I also watched the horror movie Thanksgiving, which was actually pretty great. Surprising for me because I don’t love Eli Roth.
WEARING
I’ve abandoned my pink nails in search of something new. ‘Seas the Day’ by Essie is a minty-blue that I’m kind of loving.
Essie ‘Seas the Day’
Last week’s Summer Saturdays Vol. 7 can be found over here and I’m keeping a summer highlights section over here.
July Jiffs 2024
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
I might have to stop complaining about how I’m not a summer person because this past month was such a memorable one. Here’s what went down last month!
Nathan made Variety’s 10 Comics To Watch list this year!
I continued my Summer Saturdays series because apparently I’m obsessed with summer?
The best tweets of the month can be found over here. I also made a list of my favourite summer tweets.
I wrote about my favourite caesar salad dressing recipe in honour of its 100th birthday.
I tried the soft serve from Seed + Mill and it was unbelievably good. Top three in NYC, hands down.
Soft serve from Seed + Mill, Chelsea Market
I finally got to go lane swimming in Mississauga and it was all that I’d hoped it would be and so much more. Fuck Eric Adams for cancelling the lap swims in NYC for yet another summer.
The watermelon sangria at Bite is summer in a glass.
I finally visited the food hall at Queensboro Plaza and the options looked pretty good! The chicken caesar wrap at Bobwhite Counter was decent, but it’ll always amaze me when places don’t make their own croutons. It’s one tiny little step that makes or breaks it.
Chicken caesar wrap at Bobwhite Counter
The coronation chicken salad at Nomad Sandwiches is too good. Cold, curried chicken is not on enough menus in this city.
I just saw an ad for this, but Arby’s has a burger now?? Am I the only one this offends?? Their whole thing is that they DON’T do burgers?? That roast beef and cheddar is better than any fast food burger, what the hell is going on? I can handle a lot of things (really I can), but this crosses a line.
A reel told me to squeeze lemon on top of watermelon, so I did and it was fantastic.
I went to Canada for a little bit since the kids are off for summer break and I think I’m onto something here: yardwork is fun when it’s not your own house.
Airport pickup!
I used a screwdriver to do this and I’m kinda proud of that fact?
One of my most beloved hobbies? Before/after photoshoots, apparently.
It’s an illness, really
Went to Blue Mountain on a small trip with my family and it was perfect. We swam so much (once in the rain, and I hope everyone swims in the rain at least once in their life) and we also rode the Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster (something that’s been on my list for years), which was so much fun. I also won’t disclose how many times I went to the frozen yogurt place Menchies.
Blue Mountain, Ontario
Before the Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster
On the mountain coaster!
Swimming in the rain >>
Sunset w/ Layla, Blue Mountain
Parents, Blue Mountain
On the drive back from Blue Mountain, we found a farmer’s market-type store in hopes of finding some sponge toffee and dreams can come true.
Worth every penny
Ate at Lucia in Toronto and it wasn’t anything special, which was a bit disappointing but the company was everything I wanted so that made up for it.
Marla w/ the best gifts
Made these ricotta meatballs that turned out great, if not a bit too soft.
We went to Ribfest and I tried my first blooming onion. It was absolutely unreal. How did it take me this long to try one. Also got an oxtail poutine and (finally) the tri-colour popsicle I’ve been waiting on since last summer.
There are cathedrals everywhere for those with eyes to see
Oxtail poutine, I love this country
I wanted this so badly, I didn’t even care how bad my nails looked
The passport office in Mississauga is such a nightmare, it literally took four hours to get renewed (and that’s only because I showed up two hours before it even opened).
Tried this soft foot reel I saw (below) and it worked pretty well! I think you have to do it multiple times a week to really see longterm results, though.
Went to Spirit Tree Estate Cidery again with my niece Tianna and it remains great. Their daily soup is the main attraction here (we got the seafood chowder).
Tianna at the cidery
We also went to Activate again and I think I enjoyed it even more than last time. Obsessed with the hoops room. Makes me wish I had a basketball net.
Activate in Mississauga, ON
Went to the Asian Night Market in Mississauga with Harmeet and we got the cold noodles, which were spicy/great. Afterward we went to the Mexican restaurant in the food hall section of Square One (La Carnita) and had such a terrible experience. The short ribs we ordered were awful and our waiter absolutely hated us. And then we went next door to Farzi Cafe, where the drinks were fine but insanely overpriced. What the hell is going on at Square One?
I finally got Baby Dog in a kiddie pool and she could actually doggy paddle. It was the cutest thing anyone has ever seen.
I just learned about the ready-made sandwiches at Lazar Bakery in Mississauga and my lunches will never be the same again.
The foam soaps are the main reason I go to Bath & Body Works, but their bar soaps last such a long time. If you live in the United States then you should definitely get their app - they give you at least one free item every few weeks.
Baskin-Robbins rainbow sherbert continues to solve all.
Rainbow sherbert for life
I know it’s early, but the pumpkin pie M&Ms are outrageously good.
Pumpkin pie M&Ms
Some things I watched:
The Bear (season three): Cons first. Okay, I hated the first episode but it’s the weakest one of the whole season. Some of the dialogue is so badly written, it’s hard to watch sometimes. Why the hell was John Cena in it? He isn’t a good actor, let’s cut the shit. Now pros. Ebon is flawless. The Napkins episode was so well written. Jon Bernthal is such a great actor. The Al-Anon support group scene was so good. My jaw dropped at Josh Hartnett making an appearance, I’ll continue to love his renaissance. And I know I’ve complained about the overacting of Jamie Lee Curtis from last season, but I thought the birth episode was the best one of the entire season. That whole episode just captured mothers and daughters so well and how we see that our mothers fail us so much because our expectations of them are too insanely high so when they fall flat of those expectations, how crushing it can be to realize that they’re just human. That episode alone is why I’ll keep watching the show. I do think that a lot can be done towards the development of characters so that we have the time to care about them in the ways that the writers want us to, but there are these pocket episodes that are just so alarmingly true and good. It’s a fantastic show with absolute faults, but the reviews of this season were way too harsh.
All of the Naked Gun movies (rewatch): Okay these movies really hold up well. It was too much fun to watch them with the kids who actually really laughed and enjoyed them too. Romeo even referenced one scene weeks later to laugh about it, my heart swelled to say the least.
Blowout: It started out interesting and then took a sharp turn, hard pass.
Sabrina (rewatch): I was on a Harrison Ford kick and would’ve settled for anything, so this was nice to see again.
Twisters (theatres): I really wanted to hate it, but it was a party.
Creep (rewatch): Still great!
Mulan (live action): Rome insisted on us watching this and it wasn’t bad! I’m pretty anti-live-action, but this was surprisingly good.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (rewatch): Love a summer horror movie. There needs to be more seasonal horror movies.
The Craft (rewatch): I always forget how much I hate the bug stuff at the end, but it’s still a solid 90s movie.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: my dear friend Marla is coming to visit (!), cannot wait to see Trap next week, I’m keeping my eye out for any corn based seasonal dishes at the restaurants I love and I can’t wait to start preparations on this year’s costume…
Baby Dog in my baby blanket
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in June over here.