September 5, 2023

August Actions 2023

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

Summer is almost over and I think this is the first time in years that I’ve been a little sad to see it go. I was able to visit Scotland with my family, Marla came to see me in New York, I spent the majority of August in Ontario with friends and the kids, we played so much of Wii’s Warioware: Smooth Moves, I’m maintaining the tan of my dreams and I’ve never eaten so much fresh corn in my life. What kind of summer-loving fiend have I become?? In any case, here’s what went down in August.

I finished my Summer Saturdays series that I loved doing. I’ll definitely do this again (maybe sooner than you think).
The best tweets of August can be found over here.
Loving the new Urban Outfitters Cherry ICEEEE nail polish.

The coolest job of life would be to come up with nail polish names

Obsessed with making this heirloom tomato toast as long as it’s in season.
Made these stuffed summer shells that I’d definitely make again. Summer pasta is underrated.

Went to a Blue Jays game with my brother Robbie and some of his kids and it was so great.

I need to bite the bullet and just buy the Lemax pumpkin patch train, right?
Maple syrup greek yogurt? I never knew how much I needed you.
Also made cake pops for the first time with my niece Maya and they turned out perfect. Halloween cake pops up next.
At my parent’s house, I found myself constantly making pizza (with store-bought dough) and it’s so much better than I remember homemade pizza being. Maybe it’s because you need to heat the spread-out dough (on parchment, with olive oil rubbed on top) for ten minutes at 450 degrees and THEN put all the sauce/toppings/cheese on it and put it back in for another ten minutes at 500 degrees.

If you’re anywhere near Woodstock, Ontario then you need to get these incredibly squeaky cheese curds.
Went to the Humber Bay Shores Farmers Market and got this great honey soda.

My greatest discovery this summer? Sponge toffee is ungodly perfect. NO ONE TOLD ME.
In my shopping cart:
- These gorgeous creamy nude polish collection.
- Snow globe Christmas stamps from the USPS.
- Warm Apple Pie candle at Bath & Body Works
- Witches dancing in the moonlight from Lemax (okay, I legit might have a problem)

I’m in love with the Silk Creamy Maple Almond milk flavour for iced coffee.
My dad got a letter from King Charles for his 100th birthday, which is a big deal whether you care about the royals or not. And since his coronation was in the middle of May and my dad’s birthday was the first week of June, there’s a very good chance that this was the very first 100th birthday letter signed by THE KING OF ENGLAND, which is absolutely the neatest thing on the planet.

Dad’s 100th Birthday letter from King Charles

I went to the CNE with my mom and it was lovely. Tried the footlong freak fries that were texturally amazing. I was intrigued by the street corn soft serve but was unwilling to spend over $5 for it. And nobody should pay over $20 for a pina colada in a pineapple so we made them at home instead.

I tried the Benefit brow pencil (because I was temporarily out of the Colourpop one I love) and it was absolute trash. Returned it immediately.
Also flew in a Harvard airplane!

Some things I watched:
- Barbie (for the second time): would honestly go a third time if anyone’s into it.
- The Summer I Turned Pretty (season two): I think I loved this season even more than the first. I loved that almost every episode had some fun event that took over the entire episode (the carnival one, the house party one, the motel one, etc.).
- Outer Banks (first two seasons): I can’t explain the grip this show has on me. The disgust-turned-to-love I have for JOHN B confuses even me.
- Simply Irresistible: so laughably awful, I’m surprised Sarah Michelle Gellar got any work after this. The magical crab was the best character.
- M3GAN: first of all, it’s not a horror movie so it’s weird it was sold that way. It’s really not good, but also very fun to watch with kids.
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit: I forced the kids to watch this one because my brothers and I saw it about ten thousand times when we grew up. Heathers love this movie.
- Junior: how did I never see this 90s classic? It should be law to watch one 90s movie each month. They’re so uncomplicated and good.
- The last ten minutes of Beverly Hills Chihuahua: I came home to my niece Tianna watching this with my mom and Baby Dog and I saw literal minutes of it and cried. I can’t see pretend-dead-dogs even when they turn out to not be dead. I’M ONLY HUMAN. (The movie itself seemed actually adorable, maybe.)
- And So It Goes (the Michael Douglas/Diane Keaton movie): ugh! So bad. When you get Rob Reiner to do a job meant for Nora Ephron - you get this piece of shit.
- And Just Like That (season two): are there people out there who don’t see what a train wreck this show is? I want to talk to them. Also, Carrie is not a cat person. Whoever made that choice truly does not understand this character. Since when does Steve speak Italian? Charlotte was the real winner of the season.
- Only Murders In The Building (season three): love how it’s starting out so far, but it’s not really as exciting as the previous seasons.
- Summer Rental: truly the worst John Candy movie of all time.
- Talk To Me: good/original, but too much gross-out horror for me.
Since it’s the first day of school today, I always think of what we should’ve been learning in school instead this time of year.
I got Baby Dog’s teeth cleaned for the first time in her life and it was a phenomenal experience. I was at Pet Valu and saw that they worked with an organization that cleans your dog’s teeth without putting them under anesthesia. The team at KissableK9 Care was beyond impressive and kind and the whole thing took thirty minutes. I have before and after photos that are pure insanity. I would post them here, but like… even a chihuahua likes her privacy sometimes. Cannot recommend KissableK9 enough!
Visited the Applewood outdoor pool in Mississauga a few times and I can’t wait to try their lane swimming next summer.

My babies! (Yes their boyfriends are my babies too I guess…?)

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: putting the final touches on my Halloween costume, creating an autumn list of things to do, taking Nathan to see The Shark Is Broken on Broadway and I really want to eat the tomato salad at Shukette.

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in July over here. And my summer highlights on Instagram can be seen here.

August 14, 2023

July Jiffs 2023

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

July was so busy that I barely had any time to loathe this awful time of year! Here’s what went down last month.

I started doing Summer Saturdays, which is a weekly roundup of what happens each week.
The best tweets of July can be found over here.
I can’t stop making this steak salad.
Went to the new Superiority Burger and the veggie burger was great, but the rest of the menu wasn’t anything terribly special.

Veggie burger at Superiority Burger, NYC

Appeared on Paul’s TikTok again!
Went to Shakespeare in the Park (Hamlet) for the first time and it was so, so good. Didn’t even mind the thunderstorm that happened mid-show, that’s how good it was. There was a gentle breeze of mild B.O that also wasn’t even that unpleasant. Had no idea that the Delacorte Theatre is closing after this season, so it’s especially neat that I got to go this year. ALSO I might like Shakespeare?? So many lines were ones I never realized were from Hamlet. And so many lines from Frasier too!

Currently living in these green Halara bike shorts with pockets.
The greatest chocolate cake recipe I’ve come across.
I physically can’t shut up about these great black bean muffins that I just add protein powder to in order to eat homemade protein snacks.
Always a solid experience at Amelie in the West Village.

With Jessie at Amelie in the West Village

Went bowling at Astoria Bowl 360 and it was great. They’ve updated it a bit so it’s not as grimy as it used to be, which I guess is a good thing.
Got the Natori bra that I’ve loved for years (and lasts years) at the Nordstrom sale.
Marla came to visit and we did as much as humanly possible, some highlights:
- Visited the MoMA and the new wing at the Natural History Museum
- Had the gluten free latkes and french toast sticks at Modern Bread and Bagel and everything tasted ungodly good
- Saw the Kusama exhibit in Chelsea
- Stopped by the weekly stargazing event on the High Line
- Finally ate at Rubirosa
- Rented row boats in Central Park
- Saw Six on Broadway and actually liked it (loved Marla saying before it started, “I don’t understand what they’re gonna do for *80* minutes.” Hahahahah)
- Drinks in the sky at Manhatta will always be a good idea

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The duck confit spring rolls at happy hour at Sojourn are wild. Gotta return.
For years I’ve wondered who the hell goes to the Uno or Applebees in my neighborhood when you LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY and there are a million better options. But for whatever reason, I found myself in one this month and I’m sorry but $7 martinis are the absolute main reason to go there. I forever remain on my mission to find the deals and drink the deals.
New favourite place to eat in Astoria: Figlia.

I went on a family trip to Scotland! Full post coming this week.

Some things I watched:
- The Summer I Turned Pretty - so unbelievably fun.
- Dave - so great! How have I never seen it before?!
- The new Indiana Jones - loved it, except for the end.
- And Just Like That - okay yes it’s still terrible, but Charlotte has really been shining in the latest episodes.
- Black Mirror - watched all the new episodes and I really don’t think Ayo Edebiri is a good actress. Loved Joan is Awful since it felt like a more modern Truman Show. And Josh Harnett? A god.
- It Should Happen To You - I saw this when I was so young and just fell in love with the idea of someone renting a billboard solely to just see their name in big letters. Great movie.
- Barbie - phenomenal. Would see again. Will continue to buy (almost) any merch.

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I’ll continue to do things off of my summer list, I definitely want to try lane swimming at a pool in the area, I’m determined to get Baby Dog in a kiddie pool to see if she would like it and I’d love to go to a Jays game if timing permits.

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in June over here. And my summer highlights on Instagram can be seen here.

July 4, 2023

June Jaunts 2023

by Liz Heather in Best of NYC, Drinks, Family, Food, Ideas, Links, Movies, Personal, Products, Recipes, Television, Travel

Sometimes you need a mini day trip to see a horse in New Jersey

June was so packed with stuff, I can’t believe it’s actually over. Here’s what went down!

I started a new series of posts I’ll do for the whole summer - Summer Saturdays, which is just a summary of what I do each week. Volume 1 posted over here.
I recapped how I did with my spring bucket list.
I wrote a brand new summer list of things I’d love to do.
I finally wrote about seeing the Karl Lagerfeld exhibit at The Met.
The best tweets of June can be read over here.
I made these strawberry cobbler bars that were pretty good, but I think I liked this strawberry crumble cake recipe a bit more.

I bought this Aritzia 1/2 zip sweatshirt in both white and black and I’m really considering getting the pink one now, too. I might have a problem.
If you like dark chocolate, then you must make this dark chocolate cake. It’s the absolute best recipe I’ve ever tried. And with this chocolate icing? Unreal. It’s heavenly. (Pro tip: don’t refrigerate it, it tastes incredible at room temperature, even days later.)

I was about to talk about how great my dad’s 100th birthday went, but there are so many details that I’ll just do a post about it this week instead.
I will never get over how incredible the frozen yogurt at Freshii is. Nobody talks about this enough.

Freshii frozen yogurt might even be better than TCBY

A great small batch pancake recipe I keep using.
I went to Activate and it was surprisingly really fun! It’s kind of like Squid Game but in real life and with less death.
I made this basil sangria during a blackout at my parent’s house and it was so strong and perfect.

Did you know about the secret, unadvertised Baskin Robbins deal? On the 31st of every month (on months that have 31 days), they offer 31% of all scoops and pints. Pass it on.

I made a lemon blueberry layer cake that was such a great summer dessert, absolutely would make again.

I ate at the S&P counter and it was only fine? NYC has so many options, I’m angry that anyone ever told me this place was anything special.
The duck confit spring rolls at Sojourn however are little bites of luxury. I will return.
Here’s one of the recent Zara dresses that I can’t stop wearing.

I’m so sick of pants without pockets, so I’m obviously in love with these green Halara bike shorts.
A great (updated often) list of carnivals in the NYC area.
Always gonna be excited when Trader Joe’s drops a new candle scent.

Trader Joe’s salted caramel and pistachio scented candle

I tried some curried fried rice at a friend’s house recently and I can’t stop thinking about it, such a genius way to do fried rice.
I’ve been eyeing mattress toppers for a few months now (my mattress is old and springy), but they’re always too expensive. So instead I bought a thick comforter for about $20 and spread that underneath my fitted sheet and it is now the most comfortable bed in this country. It’s a strange feeling to have all the answers and still not be ruler of the world?
Officially into rhubarb now since I was introduced to this rhubarb syrup, which is a phenomenal mixer for anything alcoholic.

Lays, I love you. Never stop with your insane flavours.

I was in Canada for a bit and good god, it was a perfect spring visit.

Fully recommend having friends who just GET IT

I went to Canada’s Wonderland with my nieces and there is nothing more satisfying than the end-of-day funnel cake you’re legally required to have before leaving. Also loved the new(ish) Yukon Striker.

I stopped by the new reincarnation of Zellers (it’s in a weird, small section at the back of The Bay) and the deals are wild. Go. If they bring back those Zellers diners with that gravy, they will be unstoppable.

The Barbie section at Ulta is wild. I want it all?

Truly all the Barbie collaborations are wonderful.
I got a “root shadowing” done at Bloc + Mane in Etobicoke (by the lovely Amanda) and it was everything I needed. It’s a process that blends your hair colour if you’ve dyed it in the past year but you don’t want that aggressive grow-out line.
The USPS new stamps this year are insanely cool.

A gentle reminder: your beach body is already here.

Some things I’ve watched & rewatched:
- Since the new Indy was coming out, I rewatched Temple of Doom and wow is Kate Capshaw so unbelievably bad in it. Sure I’m no expert on great acting, but this is just torture to watch.
- And Just Like That: I’ve said it before, but we’re in a hate/hate relationship. The dialogue is so horrid that it reinforces the idea that anyone can succeed in the entertainment business. Talent has zero to do with it.
- The Bear (season two): absolutely LOVED it. Did they use an offensive amount of R.E.M. songs this season? Sure! But once you look past that, it’s a flawless season.
I bought these gorgeous olive coloured running shoes from Call It Spring that are beyond comfortable.

Men’s running shoes are eons prettier than women’s

I’d love to try any of these summer recipes:
- Vietnamese Tomato Salad
- Marinated Zucchini with Hazelnuts and Ricotta
- Summer Coconut Chickpea Curry
- Burger Au Poivre (everything should be au poivre, as far as I’m concerned)

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: are you aware that there’s a third My Big Fat Greek Wedding coming out?? And I can’t wait for some reason? Even I don’t really understand why, but I loved that first one so much when it came out. Other things: obviously excited for Barbie, my great friend Marla’s coming for a visit (!), I really want to find some good soft serve and I have a family trip to Scotland that I can’t wait for.

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

I just told her she isn’t coming to Scotland with me

July 1, 2023

Summer Saturdays Vol. 1

by Liz Heather in Summer Saturdays

Inspired by one of my favourite bloggers Jessica Merchant and her weekly Summer Fridays posts - I’m starting my own, but only for summer and only on Saturdays. Here’s what going on!

EATING

The duck confit spring rolls at Sojourn on the Upper East Side - CHRIST. Unreal.

DRINKING

I’ve been making iced tea with the different flavours in the Celestial Seasonings Fruit Tea Sampler, then I mix it with seltzer when I’m pouring a drink and I promise you it’s better than every pop/soda known to man.

COOKING

I keep making this summer salad with pearl couscous (cooked in chicken broth) that I’ll mix with grilled/chopped halloumi and green peas then I pour in a basil vinaigrette to bind it all together. It’s incredible cold or hot.

BAKING

I tried a new chocolate cake recipe and it’s hands down my new favourite. It’s (sorry) moist as hell and maintained its deliciousness even on the fifth day in a cake stand at room temperature. (As long as you’re a dark chocolate fan, you will love this.)

CRAVING

I’m itching to go to a low-maintenance carnival. And I’m counting down the days to peak tomato season.

LISTENING

On repeat at the moment: London Boy, Yuck and the entirety of Beck’s Odelay.

WATCHING

I finished the second season of The Bear and it’s even better than the first. I’m up to date on And Just Like That and it’s making me want to write an essay on the fact that we’ve entered The Era of The Hate-Watch.

WEARING

These Halara bike shorts with pockets in the colour Grass Grey Green, which feel like BUTTER. And I’m still living in the Aritzia 1/2 zip heather cloud white sweatshirt.

EXPERIENCING

Nathan and I went bowling with some friends this week at Astoria 360 Bowl and I may or may not be really good at bowling now? I mean, did I crack 100? Not even kinda, but, like, the confidence was there. Which might be due to my 100+ hours of Wii bowling.

LOVING

This article on the most beautiful dining cars on luxury trains.

SHOPPING

I don’t have any weddings coming up, but if I did I’d rent this Fuzzi Abito Patchwork dress. I had a clutch just like this one that I got in Miami years ago and I used to so much that it disintegrated, so I might get that one in tan. And I’m still on the lookout for the Lichtenstein stamps.

Happy Canada Day!

Also, you can see my summer highlights on Instagram over here.

March 1, 2022

February Feats 2022

by Liz Heather in Beauty, Best of NYC, Food, Ideas, Links, Movies, Music, Personal, Products, Recipes, Television

nyc bryant park fountain 2022 — The partially frozen fountain at Bryant Park, February 2022

My favourite month has arrived! Spring is coming and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here.
I compiled my favourite tweets about love for Valentine’s Day.
I read and review Elvira’s new memoir.
I know that it’s older, but I’ve kept the song Gypsy by Lady Gaga on repeat for about two weeks now.
I made garlic confit and I’ll be real with you - it looks way better than it tastes. And that’s coming from someone who adores garlic. By cooking it down, it actually makes the garlic flavour quite mild so it’s truly not worth making again. I put a boatload of it on some toast and it was beyond lackluster. One more con? Expect to be gassy as hell if you eat this stuff.
I tried a sample of this Tata Harper (christ that name) cleanser and it was really good. Thankfully there are cheaper, better options out there (literally anything in the tea tree line at The Body Shop), but this was great to try.
I was getting pretty sick of the Spotify commercials in my (free) account, so I made to the movie to Apple Music to try their three month trial. We shall see how it goes. (That goddam Stone Cold Steve Austin & Ice-T commercial may have been the final straw to leave Spotify.)
I went to Sarabeth’s for their Restaurant Week lunch menu and it was extremely good. I love blue cheese and pear together in a salad, why can’t that be as common as caesar salads? And the mussels and fries were heavenly.
I have been in such a funk with nail polish lately, every colour seems to look disgusting. I got a short, red, gel manicure recently and had to remove it within a week, it was so repulsive to look at. What is my problem? …What’s that? You don’t care? Hahah. Honestly, same.
I finally tried SLT (it’s one of the options when you try ClassPass for a free month trial), and what even is SLT? It’s like if spin classes + pilates classes had an obnoxious baby. And you know what? NOT FOR ME. I think I hate any pilates class that uses a machine.
In love with the larger citrus green tea candles that just came out from Trader Joe’s. Fucking love a wooden wick.

trader joe's candle citrus green tea — Citrus Green Tea candle from Trader Joe’s, February 2022

Two new things I made for the first time this month? Risotto and scallops. It’s well known how annoying risotto is to make yourself since it’s such a long process, but I didn’t fully grasp that concept until I did it firsthand. And it wasn’t even that amazing, so that was a letdown. As for the scallops? Very fast and extremely easy.

Had dinner at the extremely cute French place La Petit Joie in Brooklyn with Diana. Love any place that does oysters rockefeller every night of the week. Also, can more restaurants bring back BYOB? It’s so thoughtful to even offer.
I tried out this Ulta eyeshadow palette and it came off with hand soap. The quality of makeup these days is just wild. And the prices keep going up, WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE?
Went to The Independent in midtown and their mussels and harvest salad were truly memorable. Great place to go if you’re in the area seeing a show.
Tried the new french toast soft serve at Milk Bar and yes it was good, but not as good as their apple pie soft serve.
I have found my new favourite hair mask: AG Hair Colour Savour Mask. I’m not sure if it’s for all blondes or just dyed blondes, but I love it. You’d think the bubblegum scent would repel me, but I find it whimsical. Of course it’s made by a Canadian company.
There was a beautiful, pre-spring day so I took Baby Dog to Central Park and just look at this mug.

baby dog central park winter day nyc chihuahua — Baby Dog in Central Park, February 2022

I bought some gorgeous new address labels from Zazzle. Are you doing this? You really should. Don’t you want to be better than everyone else?

So I went to Suprema Provisions finally and look the burger was good, but not nearly as good as the burger at Sparrow Tavern in Astoria (or even The Spaniard). Their mushroom pasta was saucy and great. And I never thought I’d say this, but I think it’s time to retire burrata from all restaurant menus. It is always the same. Always uninspired. We need to move on with ours lives, I think.
Okay, so I bought some eucalyptus to hang from my shower head (pardon me for being DEEPLY ORIGINAL) and unlike every Pinterest pin that encourages you to do this, I fully recommend NOT EVEN BOTHERING. It’s pointless. There is no smell. There is no point. And I think it might attract moths (!), but that last point is unconfirmed. Instead, if you’re really obsessed with this idea, just buy a can of this eucalyptus shower mist. You spray it into the hot water and it does actually make it seem like a steam room for the length of your shower.
Went to Van Dam diner in Queens with Irene and it’s like you fell into 1983, loved it.
Truly sorry for telling you about this, but if I had to hear about it so do you: lip blushing. One more reason that this world hates women. If I had any real money, I’d buy up as much ad space as I could and just have signs that tell women, “Hey you! You’re good! You don’t need to buy anything to be better! Relax!”
And speaking of buying things to make you feel better, I just bought these strappy black heels and they feel so lovely & I can’t wait to destroy anyone in my path the first time I wear them.
I also bought these Steven Madden heels online and does that man hate women? Or just their feet? The most uncomfortable shoes I’ve ever owned. Returning as soon as possible.
I was in Harlem so I went to Oso for their happy hour (good guacamole, I want to go back mainly to try the cake place next door) and then to Lido for their happy hour, which was fantastic. I love when a happy hour menu gives a fuck. Definitely want to go back to Lido for a meal.
What I watched this month:
- Tried rewatching The Mindy Project and while the first few seasons are pretty good (Morgan is the best character by far), I just couldn’t get into the entire series again for some reason. I think I stopped around the episode where she talks about how she doesn’t like men seeing her naked ever. Some things are just better as a memory, I guess.
- I’m rewatching old Sex and the City episodes to get the AJLT taste out of my mouth and they’re all pretty hit or miss. Samantha is so much funnier than I remember, which was been great. Also, you know when Carrie is with Aiden and he has his dog Pete with him - did you ever notice that this dog is NEVER excited to see Carrie when she enters a scene? I get that it’s not real life and he’s just a dog on a set, but it made me laugh so much that this dog just does not fucking care about her. Pete was right all along. Also, for all the credit that this show gets for the outfits, good god are there a lot of terrible wardrobe decisions. But I guess that’s part of the good thing about it maybe? Like not everything has to be your taste or even look good - it’s more important to be fun and confident and have these characters wear what they think looks good? What side am I even on?? Do I hate the show or not?? Look, even I don’t know.
- The John Mulaney SNL: Why did I watch this one specifically? Who knows. I don’t think I even like him, but it was a really good episode. Makes zero sense, but I was dying at the monkey sketch.
- The Worst Person In The World: I liked it! Not as much as I thought I would given how highly praised it is, but it was nice to be in a theatre. (And that chocolate peanut butter pie slice at The Angelika? Oof. Always worth it.)

chocolate peanut butter pie the angelika theatre nyc dessert — Chocolate peanut butter pie at The Angelika, NYC

I made this sesame garlic chili oil noodle dish that suhuuuuuucked. I think I need a moment away from Half Baked Harvest. So many misses lately.

Recipes I want to make this month:
- Tuscan Kale Salad with Gorgonzola Croutons - I always forget how much I love blue cheese.
- Truffled Garlic Bread with Ricotta - okay, this looks maddeningly incredible. I could either make this myself OR I could visit any North Italia restaurant where they have it on the menu… which is just a two hour drive from me to the Pennsylvania location… mental note…
- Hummingbird Cake Scones with Mascarpone Glaze!! Christ!!
- Prosciutto, Peas & Orzo - my love affair with orzo has not ended.
- Banana Sheet Cake with Walnut Streusel and Rum Glaze - can sheet cake come back in style already? Fuck.
- Grilled Asparagus Caesar Salad - love new ways to ingest caesar dressing.
- Lemon Almond Pudding Cake - pudding CAKE? This must be the future.

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I won a lottery ticket to see Harry Potter on Broadway this coming week, obviously I want to find and drink the space Coke, I really want to try the happy hour at Bistro Les Amis (the poutine looks Canadian), the second season of Stanley Tucci’s Searching For Italy starts on March 13th, my best friend Harmeet is coming for a visit (!), I found a place in NYC serving Steak Diane (!!!) so that’ll likely be my birthday meal, I got a ticket for opening night of the Broadway play Birthday Candles with Debra Messing on the 18th, and I will most certainly go get my free birthday gifts from The Body Shop, Sephora, and Ulta. (And I mean… should I drive two hours purely for some amazing garlic bread? I’m thinking I should? That sort of tracks with who I am as a person? Also it’s my birthday soon? And the world is slowly but surely burning? And garlic bread might solve everything? And by “might” I mean “definitely will”?)

If you have any interest in reading what went on in January, come on over here.

January 5, 2022

December Dalliances 2021

by Liz Heather in Best of NYC, Food, Links, Personal, Products, Recipes, Reviews, Television

December was a complete whirlwind but when is it not? I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! Other than getting my booster (!), here’s what else went down last month.

You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here.
I recapped how my autumn list went.
I made a list of things I’d like to do this winter.
I compiled my very favourites from the year.
My favourite photos from 2021.
Here are two great things to do when a new year has begun.
I wrote about the Christian Dior exhibit at The Brooklyn Museum (which closes in February).
Did you know that Costco has candles? There’s a four candle box for $20 and they’re only two-wick each, but extremely good quality.
I don’t think I’ve ever had pecan pie before in my life (I don’t even know why, I think I thought it might be too nutty?) but I tried a slice at JG Melon and whoa. Who the hell knew?
I attempted to read Charles Grodin’s memoir and I just… I couldn’t. I don’t mean to show any disrespect, but what a bore. Some people shouldn’t write books, I simply had to softly put it down on Nathan’s desk and walk away.
Incase you need to know the Bob’s Burgers Christmas episodes in one handy chart.

bobs burgers christmas episodes Liz Heather

I am obsessed with the snow drop scent from Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day. I’ve got the all purpose cleaner as well as the dish detergent and I’m so angry I didn’t buy any more to use throughout the year because it’s currently sold out everywhere. And look, the pine one is very good too, but the snow drop one just takes your breath away. Oh god… is this my life now… excitement over cleaning supplies scents?? End me.

Speaking of things that bum me out, I also tried the basil scented Method dish soap and Nathan and I both agree: not for us. The bottle shape is weird and the smell of basil to clean your dishes is confusing.
The best of the holiday recipes that I made over the Christmas break: Mushroom & Leek Bread Pudding, Upstate-Style Roast Beef Sandwiches, Southern Baked Macaroni & Cheese, and Chocolate Pumpkin Pie (I didn’t do the marshmallow part, I went with whipped cream instead although a rum whipped cream would have worked well, too).
The dill pickle chicken nuggets at Burger King in Canada? Shock of all shocks: not good.
But the tim biebs at Tim Hortons? Pretty good!
Food lesson I learned: gruyere does not taste good as a shredded cheese on top of garlic bread, it must be mixed into some sort of mixture to taste good since it’s way too overpowering on its own.
Tried the chicken sandwich at Jollibee and honestly? It’s a definite contender for the Popeye’s one. Really great.
New nails alert!

Liz Heather nails Christmas — Nails For You in Square One, Mississauga, Ontario

I finally made Alison Roman’s Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies and they are fantastic. I had no idea how much I love demerara sugar, it’s that beautiful crunchy sugar that you can find atop the classiest of muffins and it’s too too good.
They have the dairy-free Boursin at Trader Joe’s! And it tastes exactly like the dairy version! Why does this excite me!
My niece Layla introduced me to the brand Native and I’m loving their holiday scented body washes (Sugar Cookie & Candy Cane).
I finally ate at Carbone with my dear friend Paul and it was good! Was it as special as the world seems to think it is? Of course not, but that reality is okay, too. The service was great, the place is beautifully decorated for the holidays and the food was very much adequate. The cons of the place are mainly due to its inaccessibility and food quality for its price. And maybe we should've gotten more meat entrees instead of only sticking with their pastas but I mean... it's an Italian restaurant... shouldn't all of their pastas wow you with a reputation like theirs? The best things we ate were the tortellini al ragu ($34) and the garlic bread (free). Both truly great. The spicy rigatoni vodka ($32) is their most celebrated pasta and honestly it was good but not at all worth the hype. The fettuccini con funghi ($32) was disappointing mainly because of the inclusion of bell peppers... why put bell peppers in such a dish? Such a gross flavour with the creaminess of a soft fettuccine. I really did want to love this place, but there are far superior Italian places in this city (L'Artusi, Lilia, Portale). Take your money elsewhere.

Tortellini al ragu ($34) at Carbone, NYC

Liz Heather Carbone New York City restaurant — Carbone, NYC

I’ve never even heard of shapable soap, but I bought a can from Bath & Body Works (it’s on sale for $5 right now) and it’s so fun to use. Kids especially seem to love it. Apparently they only have them around the holidays but there are four scents to choose from.
I bought this faux leather vest from Zara that I love and have absolutely no idea how to style.
I won a lottery ticket to see Girl From The North Country and it was really good, I sat in the second row from the front and I might be ruined forever because seeing a play that close was unreal and so cool. Also, seeing the Belasco Theatre was a dream. Also, Austin Scott can GET IT.

Had a drink at the Ophelia Lounge and the view is wonderful, but the drinks and food aren’t terribly special.
The candy cane green tea at Trader Joe’s? Award-winning.
Finally ate at Via Carota with Irene on her birthday and it was really good. All the pastas were wonderful, skip the rice balls.

Irene Morales New York City — Beautiful Irene on her birthday at Via Carota, NYC

I made my way to Via Porta (the smaller, casual outpost of the L’Artusi crew) to get some of their jarred sauces and I was a little disappointed unfortunately. It just didn’t taste the same as in the restaurant. I only tried the bolognese one, so maybe the mushroom ragu will be better? I’ll definitely give it one more try, especially since they’re supposed to start selling their fresh pasta in the coming weeks. (Also, the baked goods they’re selling are extremely good.)
My friend Casey kindly invited me to the dress rehearsal of Dear Evan Hansen and I’m so happy to have seen it! But good lord, never again. The music is mostly wonderful and the actors were great, but every other aspect of the production? Yikes. Forever love seeing something on Broadway, though.
My And Just Like That… thoughts (spoilers ahead):
- God, where do I begin…
- In a time when death, sickness and darkness literally surrounds our every waking moment, why in the world would a team of writers want to start out a “beloved” series with the death of a major character? I mean… read the room??? Why start an entirely new season with grief? On what planet does this make sense? Especially when you have these characters living in this post pandemic existence that still isn’t a reality here and now? It’s nonsense.
- Also the cringey nature of every single podcast scene? I have to almost ignore these parts entirely because of how bad they are. It’s as though someone wrote this script and then a team of woke writers came in to make it fit into today’s culture but completely missed the mark and just ended up making this vomit-inducing trash. It’s all just so embarrassing to watch.
- I know this has been said to death, but them even doing this series without Samantha was the wrong decision. The balance is completely off, I don’t care about the new characters, none of this should ever have been made.

We bought this new pineapple print for the living room and I can’t wait until it’s hung up.
I tried the eggplant parm at Cutlets and it was pretty good but nothing to write home about.
In love with the new feathered evening coat I got for Christmas.
I tried the KFC potato chips from Walkers (brought over from the UK) and they were delicious.

I’m sure you saw my new hair, but incase you’re living under a rock. (Note: this is the first time in 36 years I’ve dyed my hair. Why did I want to do it? Mainly because I wanted to stop being afraid of doing it.)

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Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: seeing The Phantom of the Opera with Nathan (his first time!), I’m excited about the return of Restaurant Week, the Bath & Body Works semi-annual sale has already started incase you like cheap candles (the hot buttered rum one is NUTS), I’m excited about making new resolutions for the year because I’m clinically insane, and I might make the trek to Governor’s Island now that it’s opened for the winter.

If you have any interest in other monthly roundups of 2021, they can be found here: November 2021, October 2021, September 2021, August 2021, July 2021, June 2021, May 2021, April 2021, March 2021, February 2021 & January 2021.