What happened last month? Oh I don’t know, nothing too monumental other than the fact that Nathan and I got engaged. WILD STUFF. Super jacked about it. But also here’s what else down last month…
I never wear strapless bras because they’re all terrible, so for years when I need to wear one I’ll just put on a corset (it sounds uncomfortable, but I swear it’s not). The first one I bought was about ten years ago from this great place (Orchard Corset on the Lower East Side) that only specializes in corsets. You walk in, there are boxes everywhere, it’s owned by a couple - one of them looks at you, tells you the exact right size to get and you’re set. I updated the one I got recently (it lasted ten years) and they cost around $70. They fit like a dream. Praying this place stays in business for eternity. (I also learned the proper way (below) to clasp one, how did it take me so long to learn this??)
Best corset shop in the world in NYC
The proper way to clasp a corset
The chain Jersey Mike’s came to Canada so I tried their signature sub (swimming in vinegar) and it was good. I wish it had even more vinegar, though.
DO NOT sleep on the incredible sushi from Hillstone.
Hillstone sushi with Irene
The new brown sugar foam at Starbucks is a problem, it’s so good.
Nathan and I saw Stranger Things on Broadway and visually it was fantastic! The story wasn’t the best and it’s way too long, but the plushies they sold are wonderful.
Lemax released their Halloween collection this year and I might have to buy the new wedding party, I don’t make the rules.
Wedding party from Lemax
Visited the Cheese Boutique in Toronto and I can’t believe how huge it is. It’s this giant cheese/meat/butcher/specialty foods haven.
This raccoon (below) came up to my parent’s window and I’m in love.
Cutest raccoon alive
My parent’s car had an air conditioning issue so I took it to our mechanic and they quoted us a minimum of $900 (!). Then I took it to Canadian Tire and they did the entire job for $275 and completely fixed the issue. Unbelievable. Love Canadian Tire so much.
I hate a sugar cookie, but the Crumbl wedding cookie was really good.
Wedding cookie from Crumbl
Something about having a Blue Moon on draft at a restaurant makes me so happy.
Draft Blue Moons = summer
Some things I watched:
Sirens (Netflix) - it was like a poor man’s White Lotus. Nice visuals, not much story, though.
Another Simple Favor - truly terrible. It’s as if AI wrote a movie about dumb hats in Capri.
The Mist - pretty good! Love a horror movie watch in June.
Milli Vanilli documentary - really good, so much I didn’t know about these guys.
Titan documentary - I wish it were more about the people on board and the details around the specific disaster rather than the company history, but maybe that’s just me.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: going to Montreal with Nathan, a million things to plan before the wedding, lane swimming and seeing the new I Know What You Did Last Summer in theatres.
I love Octobers but I’m grateful to be moving on to the holiday season. Halloween was so good this year. I used a fog machine (it’ll now have to be a staple each year) and a bluetooth speaker that played horror movie soundtracks and it was. the. best. Here’s what else went on last month.
You might think you’re better than fake tattoos, I assure you that you’re not
I hadn’t had a DQ cake in years, so I bought one and it remains as good as ever.
I don’t love donuts (too doughy), but a holiday themed donut? Obviously I'll get those.
Thanksgiving donuts from Sanremo’s in Etobicoke, Ontario
Thanksgiving was really great, if not a little quieter this year. The next-day sandwich was one for the books. (If I started a business that solely made these sandwiches and just tried out new versions each month, could that work? Call it Turkey Time? Patent pending.)
Thanksgiving dinner
Thanksgiving sandwich
Went to Downey’s for their pumpkin donuts (for a donut hater, I buy an alarming amount) and got this apple pie flavoured milk. It was a bit gross, but you have to try new seasonal items. It’s law.
Apple pie milk
Took my parents on an autumn drive through Belfountain and our car broke down in the middle of nowhere! It was exciting.
Where the car broke down
I went to Ottawa for the first time! The drive was intensely beautiful. My dumbass didn’t realize how close Quebec was, otherwise I would’ve made sure to get a poutine across the water. Next time.
Baby Dog in Ottawa!
Parliament Hill, Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa, Ontario
Stopped at The Big Apple on the way back and just wow. I’d never been there before, so I loved it.
The Big Apple in Ontario
I bought a few new pairs of bootcut jeans (I know, pretty cool) and had them all tailored. They fit perfectly. I will tailor my pants for the rest of my life now.
October sunrises >>
How is this real
Some things I watched:
Nobody Wants This: other than some really bad dialogue, I’d definitely watch season two.
English Teacher: best new show on TV, hands down.
Only Murders in the Building: good season, not great. Martin Short will be the main reason I keep watching.
The Blair Witch Project: I got my niece Maya to watch it and she loved it. A perfect horror movie.
The Return of the Living Dead: okay, it’s obviously bad but fun bad.
The Bob’s Burgers Halloween episode this year was awful?? What the hell?
I’ve been on a real Twilight Zone binge and this quote, “As long as there are men, there cannot be peace.” PREACH.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: good god, I don’t even know. The election is today so… let’s just wait and see what happens before I look forward to anything.
If you weren’t there you will never understand how absolutely terrifying this film was when it came out because at first nobody knew whether or not it was real https://t.co/6hNt2jYP4h
Passed a business guy in downtown Chicago who yelled "I don't care what they want, I need to be home on Halloween!" into his phone. There are 90s family-comedy films all around us for those with eyes to see.
Drew Barrymore being the biggest movie star in this film by far, being all over the film’s marketing & promotional material, & being positioned as the final girl in a Wes Craven slasher only to be the opening first kill is just simply iconic.
A quick reminder to everyone before Halloween: if someone shows up to your house in costume, it doesn't matter how old you think they are, give them candy. Our planet needs more joy, and we need to give kids smiles and sugar for participating in our silly traditions.
Every time I go to a haunted house, it never makes sense. Who lived here? They didn't have a kitchen or any bathrooms but a giant maze in the middle? Can that gentleman with the chainsaw help? This is an architectural nightmare.
god, never seen san francisco this bad. spiderwebs completely covering entire business, skeletons just strewn about sidewalks in every neighborhood, things have got to change
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I WILL NOT SHUT UP ABOUT GOOD SITCOM HALLOWEEN EPISODES. I physically can’t. So here are some more that I love (in addition to the dozens listed here)!
Halloween decor season is upon us! Maybe this is the year that I finally put up an autumn wreath. I’ve seen the Halloween trees that people have posted on Pinterest, but I don’t think I’m at that level of obsessiveness yet, give me a few more years.
Here are some great Halloween finds that I’m absolutely thinking about buying in the next month. (I bought the pumpkin mug a few years ago and it’s my favourite thing to use but ONLY in autumn - you have to have rules.)
Ghost Stoneware Mugs
$15 at Pottery Barn
Ghost Stoneware Pitcher
$15 at Target
Wooden Oak Leaf Shape Serving Board
$15 at Target
Pumpkin Drink Dispenser
$18 at Target
Pumpkin Stoneware Mugs
$60 for a set of four at Pottery Barn
Warm Apple Pie 3-Wick Candle
$26.95 at Bath & Body Works (but I’d wait for a sale)
Halloween Grass Wreath Black
$20 at Target
Black Cauldron Mug
$14.95 at Williams Sonoma
Ghost Stoneware Appetizer Plate
$3 at Target
Ghost Tea Towels
$22 from Etsy
Pumpkin Stoneware Appetizer Plate
$3 at Target
Jack Skellington Plush Pillow
$20 at Target
Nordic Ware Monster Cakelet Pan
$39.95 at Sur La Table
Spider Web Mini Waffle Maker
$9.95 at Williams Sonoma
Staub Mini Stoneware Pumpkin, 5 qt.
$34.96 at Sur La Table
Light-Up Bats Doormat
$49 at West Elm
Coffin Crossbody Bag
$24.99 at Spirit Halloween
Recently Deceased Crossbody Bag
$24.99 at Spirit Halloween
Sitting Animatronic Scarecrow
$99.99 at Spirit Halloween
Halloween Grass & Leaf Wreath
$25 at Target
Note: no these aren’t affiliate links in this post - Target rejected me for their affiliate program (rude much?), these are all just things I’d love to have.
