January 30, 2025

The Best Photos of 2024

by Liz Heather in Personal

January 3, 2025

December Dalliances 2024

by Liz Heather in Food, Ideas, Links, Movies, Personal, Reviews

The last monthly post of a year that was intense and full of change! Here’s what went down last month.

The best tweets of December can be found over here.
I recapped how my autumn list of things to do went.
The President’s Choice Elk Crossing ice cream is unbelievably good.

The restaurant Earl’s put out a cookbook and I can’t stop making their chicken hunan kung pao.
I found out that the house from the movie The Santa Clause is in Oakville, so I had to drive past it. And look at their perfect decorations.

I found a dupe recipe for the Levain dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookies and I truly can’t tell the difference.

Got a Philly cheesesteak from Gladiator Burger and wow. Will definitely return.
I will fully admit that crumbl cookies are overrated, but their monthly dessert specials are wondrous. Look at this eggnog tres leche (below). She’s beautiful.

I perused the new Half Baked Harvest cookbook and it’s absolutely nothing revolutionary, there’s a cheeseburger pasta in it for christsake. I still think we should force a limit on how many books a food blogger can release.
I did make these white wine mushroom stuffed shells and they were (as most HBH recipes are) probably too cheesy, but the vegetarians liked them so I guess it was a win.

I also made this slow cooker roast and it was so easy and perfect for lunch sandwiches on Christmas day. And secured the greatest (Canadian)grocery store cake: the caramel crunch cake.

Ate at this great Mexican place The Mule in Hamilton.

Some things I watched:
- Die Hard - yes, it’s insane that I’ve never seen it before now. So good.
- Challengers - LOVED Zendaya’s character. Second favourite movie of the year (first was Anora). Only question was HOW was that hotel bed that big??
- Jagged Edge - pretty good. I love this genre of movies (80s/early 90s thriller/mystery).
- Carry On - anticlimactic ending, but overall not terrible.
- Nosferatu - liked it! Honestly it could’ve just been the fun of who I saw it with, but truly hard to tell.
These little guys (below) continue to make me smile each day.

Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: 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 2025 ones.

If you have any interest in the other monthly roundups of 2024, they can be found here: November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February and January.

December 20, 2024

Autumn List Recap 2024

by Liz Heather in Personal

Today is the last day of autumn and was it just me or did it feel a year long? It’s one of the greatest seasons so it felt good to drag on, but man - summer feels like a decade ago. Here’s how my autumn list of things went!

1. Make pasta from scratch.

Didn’t even KINDA do this one. I think you need to be in a very secure place mentally to want to make pasta from scratch?

2. Go to Downey’s Farm or a harvest festival.

Did it. And I feel awful saying this, but I think I’m over it? Maybe it’s a temporary feeling.

3. Make a turkey poutine.

I’m mad that I forgot this one.

4. Make an apple or pumpkin savory dish.

Okay, this is getting embarrassing.

5. See the salmon run.

Didn’t even see them swim.

1/5! My take on this low score is that I was busier getting my life together this season so I didn’t have much time for small luxuries, so I’m counting this as a win. But I hope to get at least 2/5 next season, so we shall see. Winter list coming tomorrow…

December 2, 2024

Navigating November 2024

by Liz Heather in Food, Ideas, Links, Movies, Personal, Recipes

All of the Christmas gifts are bought and under the tree, why the hell don’t I do this every year? People are mean in those mall parking lots, so I’m grateful to be done the shopping portion of the season. Now there’s just decorating and cooking left, which is kind of the best part. Here’s what went down last month!

The best tweets of November can be found over here.
I read and reviewed Anna Marie' Tendler’s memoir Men Have Called Her Crazy.
Got an oil change for $66 with no appointment at Royal Lube (perfect name, no notes) in Mississauga. Am I nuts or is that really good in 2024?
I tried the 10 3 2 1 method and it sucked! Completely did not work for me.
I made these ricotta beef shells that were good, but honestly a lasagna would be more satisfying.
Will never tire of my favourite chicken marsala recipe.

Chicken marsala over tres leche mashed potatoes

I took a day trip to Buffalo (and woof, I really don’t like that city), but I’m happy to report that the Wegman’s ultimate chocolate cake remains the greatest cake in the history of grocery store cakes.
I made tres leche mashed potatoes and they were phenomenal. Making them again for Christmas.

Hot take: suburban Targets are too big. It’s enough already.
I got a tub of white chocolate raspberry butter from a holiday market and it’s changed all of our lives, it’s so good. (It’s made me want to make a bunch of different butter combinations for the holidays, so I’ll report back.)
Love a seasonal flavour and these (below) are pretty great.

Some things I watched:
- Perfect Days - pretty long, but liked it.
- Getting Lost (the documentary about the show Lost) - look, I was a fan of the show but I wasn’t a superfan so maybe I’m not the key demographic here. It definitely could’ve been edited/shortened, but I did love Kate’s explanation of the finale.
- The Martha documentary on Netflix - loved it. Yes, she’s a bitch (with the way she talks to her staff) but she’s insanely rich so I don’t see why that’s surprising. Nice people aren’t exceedingly rich, it’s that simple.
- The Weekend Away (Netflix) - not terrible!
- Anora - best movie of the year, hands down.
- Cast Away - god, it’s still such a great movie, especially this monologue.
- The John Mulaney SNL - okay, the man is not funny. I’d say it’s bewildering that he’s so popular but so many famous comedians are terrible…? So this makes sense?
- Bowen Yang in this Shrek sketch is so goddam funny, I’ve watched it five times.

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: cannot wait for that first snowfall, there’s a maple syrup museum I want to take the kids to, already bought my bayberry candles for Christmas Eve, I’d love to make homemade ricotta after watching Ina do it and I will definitely be watching some of these movies.

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

November 5, 2024

October Occurrences 2024

by Liz Heather in Food, Halloween, Movies, Personal, Recipes

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 made a list of my favourite Halloween tweets.
Put up some new Halloween decorations.

The best tweets of the month can be found here.
I made this apple crisp coffee cake, which was fantastic. I’d prefer more crumble than cake, though.

I tried the new spicy all dressed chips and it’s a big meh. All dressed is already so perfect, they really should just leave them alone.
I got a ton of old VHS and camcorder tapes converted to digital at Digital Treasures and they did such a good job.
I’ve been constantly wearing the Anne Marie Beretta coat I got last month at the vintage clothing show.

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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.)

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.

Took my parents on an autumn drive through Belfountain and our car broke down in the middle of nowhere! It was exciting.

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.

Stopped at The Big Apple on the way back and just wow. I’d never been there before, so I loved it.

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 >>

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.

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

October 3, 2024

September Shenanigans 2024

by Liz Heather in Beauty, Food, Ideas, Links, Movies, Personal, Products, Quotes, Recipes, Television

Welcome to the absolute best time of year.

The best tweets of the month can be found over here.
I wrote about going to Cooperstown, New York.
I compiled my favourite summer photos.
I recapped how my summer list went.
I made an autumn list of things I’d like to do.
The AirTrain at JFK was half price for the entire summer! Am I the only one who finds that crazy? In a city where everything costs more with each passing day. Blown away by that. It’s back to the ridiculous/normal pricing now, but still.
I went to my first dog swim event (!) and it was absolutely heaven on earth. At the end of summer, public pools open up their pools on the last swim day of the season to let dogs go swimming and it’s as great as it sounds. (Baby Dog is too delicate to partake, but we watched from a safe distance.)
Forever a lover of autumn mums. And $9 for 9” ones at Home Depot? Get the hell out of here with that pricing. Amazing.

I’ve been using GrandeLASH for almost a month now and I’m not really noticing that much of a difference, so if this doesn’t work I’ll give Revitalash a try and if that doesn’t work? I think I can officially say goodbye to lash serums at last. It’s too exhausting. I can’t care about tiny little pieces of hair for the rest of my life.
I will never shut up about how incredible this foot peel is from Target. I only need to use it twice a year and it gives you BABY SOFT feet.
Went to Dyments Farm in Dundas to try their burger and whoa. Definitely worth the drive.

In love with everything at Aerie right now, they’re reminding me of early Aritzia pieces (at the old Aritzia prices) and I should really shut up about it before it becomes like current Aritzia and therefore is way too expensive.
Came across a new way to do beach waves with a straightener and it totally works.

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Are you aware that Staples recycles all old electronics? I brought in some old printers and it’s way easier than taking it to a dump.
Is The Ordinary a con? I have never had a positive experience with any of their products. Even the name makes me think they’re just messing with us?
Tried and absolutely loved the gluten-free Costco frozen pizza. Makes no sense.
The smash burgers at Oklahoma Burgers in Mississauga are decadent as hell.

Went to the Toronto Vintage Clothing Show for the first time in years and got an insanely nice coat. I only want fun coats for the rest of my life. Also got a mini glass bottle of perfume from the 40s to stay in my purse that was $5.

Perfumes at the Toronto Vintage Clothing Show

In love with this Simons belt.
I made these turkey meatballs from the LCBO magazine Food & Drink and they were pretty disappointing. Must remember to not trust all their recipes.
The dark chocolate pistachios from Trader Joe’s are unholy. Could eat bags and bags of them.
Ridiculously in love with the Whole Foods pumpkin bites. A perfect autumn bite.

Some things I watched:
- The Perfect Couple: Okay, I could argue for an hour about how bad this was. Yes, a whodunit is fun. But that’s where the fun ended. It was so badly written and terribly shot. God, anything can be made these days.
- The Trini episode of Atlanta: what a great episode. Makes me want to watch the rest of the show.
- Only Murders in the Building: Really liking this season. The Perfect Strangers moments? Wonderful. I kind of need Richard Kind and Martin Short in a scene together soon though (Clifford reunion!).
- English Teacher: best new show I’ve seen in SUCH a long time. I love the kid Jeff. The music choices are so good. So many good lines, I can’t even quote them all.
- Mamma Mia: I’d never seen it, so we put it on and yikes. I truly hate singing in (most) movies. Fast-forwarded all the songs. Other than that, not a terrible movie.
- Emily in Paris: this tweet really sums up the show.
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: Only my ten year old nephew could get me to watch something like this. It wasn’t terrible! Weird to hear Pete Davidson in it, but definitely not the worst thing I’ve ever seen.
- Hustlers: Not good. But Mister Bruce was the best part.
- Rewatched: The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Dangerous Minds, Barbarian, Old. All still great.
- I’m watching tons of Twilight Zones episodes each night and this quote (below) from the episode Passage on the Lady Anne just swallowed me up.

“Love has its own particular point of view. It sees everything larger than life. Nothing is too ornate, too fanciful, too dramatic. Love demands the theatrical, and then transfigures it. It turns the grotesque into the lovely, as a child does. With it, we can see what we wish to see in other people. Without it, we can’t see anything at all. We can search forever, and never find.”

— The Twilight Zone

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: finishing up my Halloween costume, cooking everything for Thanksgiving, making the leftover sandwich and I really want to see the movie Hush.

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

September 23, 2024

Autumn List 2024

by Liz Heather in Personal

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald

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.

September 21, 2024

Summer List 2024 Recap

by Liz Heather in Personal

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.

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.

3. Get out of town somewhere fun to celebrate our 15 year anniversary.

We went to Cooperstown! And I wrote about it over here.

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!

September 20, 2024

Best Summer Photos

by Liz Heather in Family, Personal

September 17, 2024

Cooperstown, New York

by Liz Heather in Personal, Travel

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Visited Willis Monie Books because I will always gravitate towards chaotic book stores.

Got lunch at Cooperstown Diner, which was small and delightful.

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.

Such a great little trip. I also made a highlight reel from the trip that you can see over here.