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LIZ HEATHER

June 15, 2023

May Musings 2023

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


God, I love the spring months. Everyone seems to be in a good mood, the wind is the perfect amount of chilly, the birds can’t seem to shut up and asparagus soup is on every single restaurant menu. Perfect season, no notes. Here’s what went down in May!

  • The best tweets of May can be found over here.

  • I wrote about the book Keep Moving by Dick Van Dyke.

  • I finally got to visit the abandoned City Hall subway station.

  • I flew with Flair Airlines for the first time and say what you will about them, but it’s amazing that they have a system in place so that you can pay for your pet-in-cabin online. ZERO other airlines have that figured out.

  • In love with the Essie polish “sew gifted” even if the name is atrocious.

Love an Essie Easter colour

  • I tried the banana pudding monthly flavour at Magnolia Bakery (brownie caramel) and it was only meh. They really don’t need to be so flashy, the original is perfectly great.

  • I’ve been using the Trader Joe’s facial sunscreen (it’s supposed to be a dupe for the Supergoop one) and it’s wonderful. I mean, I think it is? I’m not smart enough to understand the qualities of good sunscreen.

Trader Joe’s facial sunscreen

  • Are we aware of how great The Smith’s happy hour is? The black truffle arancini? Yowza. So good.

With Irene at The Smith for martini happy hour

  • Here’s a gentle reminder to take photos of good outfits.

Nathan + a fantastic coat

  • I perused Alison Roman’s newest cookbook Sweet Enough and I definitely want to make Nora Ephron’s bread pudding from it.

Nora Ephron’s recipe for bread pudding

  • If you grew up in Ontario in the 90s, then you understand the greatness of Tahiti Treat. The LCBO just released a vodka version of it, and yes it’s as good as you can imagine.

  • I took my niece Tianna to the Spirit Tree Estate Cidery in Caledon and it was so lovely! We had flights of different ciders, insanely good pizza and I bought a jug of coffee milk that blew my mind.

  • My friend Marla made me this heavenly rhubarb syrup for drinks/cocktails and I’m forever onboard with rhubarb now.

  • I returned to Corner Bistro for the first time in years and here’s a thought: a fatter burger doesn’t necessarily equate to a better burger.

  • How the hell am I learning NOW that there’s a Capriotti’s in NYC?! I thought it was only in Vegas. Love knowing that I can get a Thanksgiving sandwich any time I damn well please.

The Bobbie Thanksgiving sandwich at Capriotti’s, NYC

  • I saw Bad Cinderella on Broadway since it’s closing soon and yes I’ll always support ALW - but this was on another level of bad. Hated the lead actress, hated the music.

Bad Cinderella on Broadway, NYC

  • Okay, if you’re not buying wild blueberries then you should be. I’ve had it with the cheap, flavourless blueberries that are the size of softballs. BLUEBERRIES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TEENY. The frozen, wild ones from Whole Foods are the best tasting ones I’ve found in NY, but the Canadian frozen ones from the east coast are top tier too. Make blueberries tiny again.

  • In other Liz-Is-Angry news, a “Pittsburgh salad recipe” never needs to see the light of day. Food bloggers really need to take time off sometimes.

  • I went to Scooter’s Roller Palace (grateful that it still exists after all these years) and it was beyond fun.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Liz Heather (@lizheather)

  • I went to see the new fashion exhibit at The Met and it warrants a full post, so you can read about it over here. I also saw the new rooftop exhibit that I didn’t love.

The Met rooftop exhibit, May 2023

  • I tried the Holler & Glow self-heating eye mask and it’s incredible. Perfect for headaches and allergies, especially. Gonna buy five more.

  • I read somewhere that the best brownie mix was the Trader Joe’s one, so I got it and it’s great, sure, but mainly because there are added chocolate chips in the mix. So really as long as you add chocolate chips to any brownie mix, it’ll be amazing (but this should already be clear to you - who isn’t adding extra chocolate to brownies? Losers, that’s who).

  • I made this lemon almond pudding cake that was good, but I don’t think I ever need to make it again.

Lemon almond pudding cake

  • But these protein cookies? Will absolutely make again.

  • Love a classic bread pudding and this recipe turned out great.

  • It took me 38 years to discover my love of green curry. I have my dear friend Richard to thank for this, so now I’m on a mission to find the best one in this city.

  • Ate at Cactus Club twice and even if the service is terrible, the food is still pretty good. And the company was even better.

With Marla at Cactus Club in Mississauga, ON

  • Some things I watched:

    • Nora From Queens (newest season): I only watched the first episode and honestly gasped at how bad it was. Struggling to muster the energy to keep watching.

    • Fatal Attraction (the TV series): In all honesty, I only watched this to see Pacey have sex on screen. And I did enjoy the series up until the ending, WHICH WAS SO TERRIBLE that I regret ever having started it.

    • Party Down (newest season): Only watched the first episode and it’s all right. Kind of hate that COVID is apart of it. Might not finish.

    • If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast: Loved it. Everyone should see it. Love that Seinfeld’s mother lived to be 99.

    • Carol: an incredibly slow movie, but fine. Can’t remember why this was on my must-watch list.

  • Baby Dog in a basket will always make me happy.

  • Zara can be the worst or best store, depending on the season. And right now, it’s on FIRE. I think I bought three Zara dresses in the last month alone. (A polka dot midi dress, a strapless tulle dress and a printed tunic dress.)

Zara tulle dress

  • Loving the mango lip scrub from The Body Shop.

  • Does it make sense that Tim Hortons has incredible ice cream? Absolutely not. But their maple crunch flavour? Good god. Better than Häagen-Dazs.

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: finishing off some final spring activities, writing my summer list, going to Wonderland with the girls and then taking advantage of strawberry season.

My nephew Romeo!

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

Baby Dog, never not posing

TAGS: Liz Heather, May Musings, May Musings 2023, lilacs, spring, Keep Moving Dick Van Dyke, City Hall Station NYC, Flair Airlines, Essie, Essie sew gifted, best nail polish, banana pudding, Magnolia Bakery, Trader Joe's, facial sunscreen, Trader Joe's facial sunscreen, Goop dupe, The Smith happy hour, happy hour NYC, best happy hour NYC, The Smith happy hour NYC, Irene Morales, Nathan Macintosh, Alison Roman, Sweet Enough, bread pudding, bread pudding recipe, best bread pudding recipe, Nora Ephron, Nora Ephron bread pudding recipe, Tahiti Treat, LCBO, Tahiti Treat vodka, Tianna Heather, Spirit Tree Estate Cidery, Caledon, coffee milk, pizza Caledon, cidery Ontario, Sheldon Creek Dairy, rhubarb strawberry soda, Corner Bistro NYC, Capriotti's, Thanksgiving sandwich, Thanksgiving sandwich NYC, best sandwich NYC, the bobbie, Bad Cinderella, Broadway, Canadian wild blueberries, Pittsburgh salad, Scooter's Roller Palace, roller skating rink, family, The Met, The Met rooftop, Holler and Glow eye mask, Trader Joe's brownie mix, lemon pudding almond cake, recipes, best recipes, protein cookies, classic bread pudding, The Cactus Club, green curry, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens, Fatal Attraction, Joshua Jackson, Pacey, Party Down, If You're Not in the Obit Eat Breakfast, documentary, good documentary, Carol, Baby Dog, Zara, Zara dress, mango lip scrub, The Body Shop, Tim Hortons ice cream, Supergoop, Supergoop sunscreen dupe


December 5, 2021

Navigating November 2021

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


Central Park, November 2021

Central Park, November 2021

Should I comment on how fast this year has gone by or is that just a commonality of general life now and never needs to be said again?

Here’s what went down in November.

  • You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here.

  • I wrote about the very best Thanksgiving recipes. I’m going to do this type of post again for Christmas recipes soon.

  • I detailed my visit to the Treasures exhibit at the New York Public Library.

  • My friend Irene & I tried the pizza at Di Fara’s in Brooklyn and while it was good, it was nowhere near worth the drive out there. Just way too far, we might as well have gone to New Jersey. Good pizza, though!

Di Fara Pizza, Brooklyn

  • Here’s some advice on how to have a cheaper Christmas this year because everything costs a million dollars now?

  • If you’ve never been to the Octagon House in Irvington, New York then you now have no excuse not to go for yourself.

  • New things I watched:

    • Only Murders in the Building - phenomenal! Everyone should watch! Can’t recommend it enough.

    • Squid Game - yes I’m the last person on earth who watched it and yes it was fantastic. That old man! Fuck!

    • The newest season of Curb Your Enthusiasm - yeah, I think I can’t watch anymore. I think I’m done with love/hate relationships because there’s no actual love here and why am I doing this to myself?

    • The newest season of Big Mouth - the shame episode is phenomenal. This is just such a good show, I’m so glad it exists.

    • The newest season of Nora From Queens - this season was really up and down for me, but it finished really strong. This is corny but the idea of not being lost if you have people you care for and who care for you? I love it. I’m in. The father is by far the best character and maybe the main reason I keep watching at this point.

    • That’s Entertainment! Have you heard of this old movie? It’s not even a movie really, it’s a collection of moments from old Hollywood productions. I’d never even heard of Esther Williams, but oh my god what a woman.

  • I made these salty vanilla espresso chocolate chip cookies that exceeded expectations. I think I might only like cookies that have chocolate in them. It’s nice to finally realize this. It’s also nice to admit to fully being a child with this preference.

  • I can’t remember the last time autumn in New York looked this beautiful.

The Bow Bridge in Central Park, November 2021

  • A list of ten things you should do before Christmas (with the exception of visiting the Waldorf since it reopens in 2023).

  • Slightly obnoxious reminder: GET GIFT RECEIPTS.

  • Have you tried a satsuma mandarin? A seedless beauty.

  • New seasonal candles at Trader Joe’s!

New winter candles at Trader Joe’s, November 2021

  • My brother Gary’s podcast has returned and his first episode back was about Alf and it couldn’t be greater.

  • Nathan and I saw Jeff Daniels in To Kill A Mockingbird on Broadway and it was so, so good. Everyone should see him in it. But it was also just such a great feeling to be out on the town and dressed up.

November 2021

  • We’re redecorating our apartment right now and I couldn’t be more in love with our new washroom shelving. I feel like that sentence might make you sad for me, but don’t be! I’m actually living a really fun, cool life.

  • I’ve been craving tomato soup lately and the one at Il Bambino in Astoria is too perfect. But stay far far away from the one at Astoria Bier & Cheese because their tomato soup is putrid (which is weird because their sandwiches are great).

  • I’ve made this 10-ingredient lentil bolognese a few times and I think it’ll be in my permanent recipe rotation. It’s really hearty, but not at all bland and you really don’t miss the meat.

Vegan Lentil Bolognese

  • I’ll forever love Boursin cheese, this will always be true. And their new fig & balsamic flavour? Out of this world good.

  • I went to the beautiful restaurant on the water Red Hat on the River with my dear friend Diana and it was good! Nothing spectacular, but good. The mussels are the main reason to go, in my opinion. Tasty as hell.

  • I’m really on the fence about reusable gift wrap, but it does look simplistic and pretty.

  • I visited the Lyndhurst mansion that has been newly decorated for the holidays and it was very quaint. I will admit that the Octagon House was a little bit more exciting, but I’ll never turn down a visit to a nice house in the country.

Lyndhurst Mansion, November 2021

Beautiful Diana inside the front door at Lyndhurst Mansion

One of the bedrooms inside Lyndhurst

Tiffany windows inside Lyndhurst Mansion

I’ve never wanted to live in a bathroom more

  • Loved this list of 90s Dad Thrillers, it’s just such a good genre.

  • Have you heard of the dollar-store-esque store Five Below? I hadn’t until this month and I’m mad I didn’t know about it sooner.

  • Can someone please buy me the winter spiced cranberry Sprite? Why does it look so damn good?

  • Loved, loved, loved this performance (below).

  • So I perused the new Chrissy Teigen cookbook and there’s really nothing exciting in it. And is it just me or does she use fish sauce as her “special ingredient” in almost every dish she has? And I like fish sauce, but this is getting ridiculous.

  • The fabric ornaments at West Elm are extremely cute this year. Did I need to buy a mouse wearing a sweater when I saw it and fell in love with it? I guess this is my life now?

  • Absolutely addicted to the new herbaceous cheesy bites from Trader Joe’s. A smaller, fancier mozzarella stick? I’m in, baby. (Also their seasonal rosemary nuts are fantastic.)

  • I had THE worst eyelash extension experience at Wow Threading Studio on 26th Street and no one should ever ever ever get eyelash “cluster” extensions. They couldn’t be worse. (Scathing review in the Yelp link.)

  • Incase you love seasonal episodes:

  • I bought a new winter mug with white snowflakes on Etsy and I’m in love.

  • Tried a donut from Mochi Mochi and you know what? I don’t like donuts that much these days, but this one I liked. Less dense than other donuts. (Tip: if you’re looking for Squid Game Dalgona candy, they sell them here at their location in Herald Square.)

Mochi Mochi Donut, NYC

  • The Union Square Holiday Market has begun and the duck fat poutine from Duck Season was INSANITY. So, so good. Better than some Canadian poutines. Go immediately.

Seasonal Poutine at Duck Season with duck fat fries, duck confit, fresh cheese curds, duck gravy $17

  • As soon as the colder weather starts, I always buy one new couch blanket (I guess adults call them throw blankets) and I’m in love with this Banana Republic Factory one (in the Burnt Umber colour). What is umber? Couldn’t tell you. But I can tell you that it’s chocolate coloured.

  • The Metropolitan Postcard Club sponsors a special two day show every November where approximately thirty-five to forty postcard dealers from around the nation and the world attend to introduce their cards to the public, so of course I went and here are some of the best ones I came across.

Found at the Metropolitan Postcard Fair, November 2021

Found at the Metropolitan Postcard Fair, November 2021

Found at the Metropolitan Postcard Fair, November 2021

Found at the Metropolitan Postcard Fair, November 2021

  • I went to see the Dior exhibit at The Brooklyn Museum and I reviewed it over here.

  • The Thanksgiving croissant returned in all its glory! It is now $9 (because 2021 won’t let you have affordable things anymore), but it’s still amazing tasting. I also tried Milk Bar’s apple cake which was good but way too sweet. And their cinnamon pretzel soft serve was delicious. This place exhausts me with their new menu items, I don’t know how they continuously keep it up.

Details of the Thanksgiving croissant, November 2021

The Thanksgiving croissant, 2021

  • I think I’ve found the greatest scent of all time at Bath & Body Works: Fall Citrus Harvest.

  • I’ve mentioned my love of Supermoon Bakehouse before and my sweet friends Katie & Greg (thankyouthankyou!) got me a giant box treats from them that was absolutely decadent and incredible. Everyone must visit this bakery.

A care package from Supermoon Bakehouse

Some things I’m looking forward to this month:

  • I made this home movie of the holidays a few years ago that I might make again this year since we haven’t been together as a full family since December 2019 and I beg you to maybe do one of your own as well because you will watch it over and over, I promise.

  • If you’re at all superstitious or just, like, a cool person - don’t forget to buy your bayberry candles!

  • Will I be watching all of the snowy movies on this list? I’m only human, I have to.

  • While I’m in Ontario, I really want to get my hands on this vegan cheese that’s supposed to be incredible.

  • I’m planning on making roast beef on Christmas Eve mainly so I can make these roast beef sandwiches for lunch on Christmas Day.

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

TAGS: Navigating November 2021, November 2021, November, best Thanksgiving recipes, best tweets, Treasures NYPL, Treasures Exhibition, NYPL, Liz Heather, Di Fara Pizza, Brooklyn, Queens, eyelash extension clusters, best of NYC, pizza NYC, pizza Brooklyn, cheaper Christmas, The Octagon House, The Armour Stiner Octagon House, Only Murders in the Building, Squid Game, Dalgona, Dalgona candy, Dalgona candy NYC, Dalgona candy Squid Game, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David, Big Mouth, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens, That's Entertainment!, Esther Williams, salty vanilla espresso chocolate chip cookies recipe, chocolate chip cookie, best recipes, autumn in NYC, autumn in New York, Central Park, Central Park foliage, gift receipt, gift receipt rant, things to do before Christmas, things to do Christmas NYC, satsuma mandarins, Gary Heather, Alf podcast, TV or GTFO Alf, podcast, Nathan Macintosh, Jeff Daniels, To Kill A Mockingbird, Broadway NYC, new bathroom shelf, Il Bambino Astoria, Astoria Bier and Cheese, tomato soup Astoria, lentil bolognese recipe, best vegan recipes, Boursin, fig and balsamic Boursin, cheese, Red Hat on the River, Irvington New York, best mussels Irvington New York, reusable gift wrap, Lyndhurst Mansion, mansions New York State, 90s dad thrillers, Five Below, winter spiced cranberry Sprite, Chrissy Teigen, fish sauce, new cookbook, fabric ornaments, West Elm, sweater mouse ornament, Man Park SNL, funny, herbaceous cheesy bites Trader Joe's, best of Trader Joe's, Trader Joe's, Wow Threading Studio, winter mug, Etsy mug, Etsy winter mug, Mochi Mochi Donuts, Union Square, Union Square Holiday Market, duck fat poutine NYC, poutine, best poutine NYC, cheese curds, throw blanket, couch blanket, Banana Republic Factory, The Metropolitan Postcard Club NYC, postcards, vintage postcards, Dior exhibit NYC, thanksgiving croissant, Milk Bar, cinnamon pretzel soft serve NYC, apple cake Milk Bar, Supermoon Bakehouse NYC, Fall Citrus Harvest foam soap, best foaming soap, Bath and Body Works, bakery NYC, Taylor Swift, All Too Well SNL, Trader Joe seasonal candles


October 4, 2021

September Shenanigans 2021

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


spooky house gif haunted house lightening stikes
spooky house gif haunted house lightening stikes

So long, September! I can’t believe it’s finally here. And look, I try not to base my entire personality on the fact that I love this time of year so much but every year it’s getting harder and harder to deny it. There’s just something so electrifying about rainy nights and pumpkins on stoops, I’M SORRY. In any case, here’s what went down in September.

  • You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here.

  • I’ve been using the greatest eyebrow growth serum OF LIFE and wrote a bit about it over here (with photographic proof!).

  • I recapped what I did from my summer list.

  • So obviously I had to create an autumn list because this is my life.

  • New podcast alert!

@rulaibraheem

##fypシ

♬ оригинальный звук - Anna Bruni
  • I made this chocolate zucchini banana cake with coffee frosting for Nathan’s birthday and we both fell in love with it. This will now be the only birthday cake I ever make for him, it’s incredible.

  • I went to the Italian restaurant Lilia in Brooklyn again because they always have the best focaccia (right now it’s cherry tomato with green garlic butter), so I got that as well as the corn-filled cappelletti with black pepper and pecorino and yes it was good but the pasta definitely lacked some sort of different textual element which would have sent it over the top in deliciousness. Am I being harsh? No. If you’re paying upwards of $20 for one plate of pasta, there has to be standards.

Cherry tomato focaccia with green garlic butter

Corn-filled cappelletti with black pepper & pecorino

  • I tried the pumpkin cream cold brew at Starbucks (with one pump of vanilla instead of two because they go nuts with their pumps) and it was only okay. Why do people love it so much? The salted caramel one looks good but I can’t bring myself to go back and try it. I have such a hate-hate relationship with Starbucks, so what the hell am I even doing going in there? The last time I brought my laptop in to work in a Starbucks was in 2019 and they played the whole Hamilton soundtrack on a loop TWICE and I almost lost my mind it’s such a terrible album. I feel like an alien for not being mesmerized by Lin-Manuel Miranda, but like… he sucks?

  • I ate at Forsythia again and it only confirmed its place in my mind as one of the best new restaurants of this past year. I finally tried and loved the short rib agnolotti as well as the pappa al pomodoro, which was like a beautiful tomato tartare, so summery and perfect.

  • I bought these pajamas from Banana Republic Factory because they’re soft as hell and I haven’t had matching pajamas since… never.

  • Links I’m Loving:

    • Okay, this is the cutest autumn sweater on the planet, COME ON.

    • Untold Horror is “a behind-the-scenes look into development hell to find the most frightening horror movies that never were, from unmade Re-Animator sequels to alternate takes on legendary franchises like Frankenstein and Dracula!” - this sounds like such a great read.

    • I Never Knew How Golden My Summers Were - a great piece on remembering the best summer of your life.

    • Creative Ways To Start Your Morning On A Good Note

    • Halloween Craft Idea For Kids: Pumpkin Stamps with Apples

    • Reason #214 Never To Get CoolSculpting

  • Tuesdays at Regal Cinemas are now offering $6.25 movie tickets! This definitely can’t last, so I’m going to make the most of it while it’s offered.

  • New seasonal candles are finally at Trader Joe’s.

Autumn candles at Trader Joe’s, September 2021

  • So it’s been established how much I love and support Milk Bar… but the new funnel cake soft serve is truly one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever ingested. Just shockingly gross. If you’re nearby, get a free sample and tell me how right I am.

  • I went for a late summer walk through Central Park and why don’t I do this once a week.

  • I can’t get over how beautiful this song is (thanks for introducing it to me, Jessie!), it’s toooo good.

  • There’s a sale on Aerie underwear right now IF you’re into that sort of thing.

  • I made a zucchini lasagna that was very good but in no way better than a meat lasagna.

  • Speaking of zucchini, if you own a deep fryer: please make this zucchini spaghetti or these cider battered chicken fingers and then ask me over.

  • I took this (free) (actually helpful) intro to SEO class online if you’re interested in that sort of thing.

  • I made these apple pie bars that are ridiculously easy, fast and incredible. I was feeling ambitious, so I made this quick caramel to pour on top.

  • I fell down a rabbit hole of researching all of the Broadway theatres in New York and I might get tickets to Girl From The North Country purely to sit inside the gorgeous Belasco Theatre.

  • Finally had the steak at L’Artusi and it was delicious. Best steak ever? God no, but good. They will, however, hold the title of best steak tartare in all of NYC though.

The steak at L’Artusi in the West Village

The best steak tartare in NYC at L’Artusi

  • New things I’ve watched and rewatched:

    • Searching For Italy: so, so great. I already wanted to travel around Italy and eat everything so watching this was a delight. It’s also just so enjoyable to watch people who love their jobs. The Tuscany episode was my favourite one, mostly because I love any and all panzanella talk.

    • I attempted to watch Basic Instinct but I was in a very specific mood and had to turn it off after the rape scene. Nah thanks.

    • Never Have I Ever (season two): Love that Common is in it, hoping he becomes a regular. I can’t stand the way the writers write the teen dialogue, it’s so cringeworthy, but if you can get past that it’s an absolutely okay show. That scene in episode nine with her & Paxton when he comes in from window? Shiiiiit.

    • Broken: it’s an episode about makeup and the lesson? Watch out for counterfeit cosmetics. Got it.

    • The X-Files (The Squeeze episode): Someone told me to watch this one because it’s supposed to be scary, but it wasn’t anything special. A waaay better episode is Pusher. Watch THAT one.

    • The Witches of Eastwick: How the hell have I never seen this before? So many parts are good. Would definitely rewatch. I’ll never get over how gorgeous Michelle Pfeiffer is. Just maddening.

    • Scanners: boooooooooo. They shouldn’t make the cover look so good, it’s terrible.

    • Nightmare on Elm Street: Really holds up well. Always love it.

    • I’m rewatching Sabrina the Teenage Witch and kind of loving every minute of it. The episode where she becomes addicted to pancakes? A gem.

    • Was Dharma & Greg, like, a great show? I never cared about it at the time because I think I was too young to get into it but I just watched their Halloween episode and it was so good. Might look into this further.

    • Awkwafina is Nora From Queens (season two): With the exception of the blackout episode and the extremely hot cameo from original Reggie (Ross Butler), this season has really sucked. And this is insane to me because I loved the first season, what the hell?

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I created an autumn highlight on my Instagram incase you care to see the fun things I’m planning on doing this month, excited to read Stanley Tucci’s new book, definitely going to make these pumpkin scones with a maple glaze, I will likely buy something from this year’s Halloween Lush collection, I’m gonna do a post about my recent trip to Salem (!), and I’m in the final stages of costume planning. God, I love this month.

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

TAGS: September 2021, September Shenanigans 2021, Liz Heather, monthly roundup, monthly post, Lilia, Lilia Brooklyn, rainy night, best tweets, eyebrow growth serum, new podcast, best of TikTok, chocolate zucchini banana cake, coffee frosting, Nathan Macintosh, green garlic, corn pasta, focaccia bread, best focaccia NYC, best steak tartare NYC, L'Artusi, restaurants NYC, pumpkin, pumpkin cream cold brew, Starbucks, Hamilton soundtrack, Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Forsythia, pajamas, Banana Republic Factory, links I'm loving, autumn sweater, Untold Horror, I Never Knew How Golden My Summers Were, Creative Ways To Start Your Morning On A Good Note, Halloween craft idea, pumpkin apple stamps, kids craft Halloween, coolsculpting, Tuesdays at Regal Cinemas, Regal Cinemas, Regal Entertainment, cheap movie dates NYC, seasonal candle Trader Joe's, vanilla pumpkin candle, honeycrisp apple candle, Trader Joe's, Trader Joe's candles, Milk Bar, funnel cake soft serve, Central Park, Baby Dog, Canada geese, zucchini lasagna, free SEO class online, apple pie bars, quick caramel sauce, best recipes 2021, Broadway theatres NYC, Belasco Theatre NYC, steak NYC, Searching For Italy, Stanley Tucci, panzanella, Basic Instinct, Common, Never Have I Ever, Broken, cosmetics, The X-Files, The Squeeze, Pusher, The Witches of Eastwick, movies, Michelle Pfeiffer, Scanners, Halloween movies, Nightmare on Elm Street, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Aerie underwear, Dharma and Greg, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens, Ross Butler, TV


June 2, 2020

May Misery 2020

by Liz Heather in Ideas, Links, Movies, Personal, Products, Recipes, Reviews


How is it June? Imagine that this year is just a nightmare that we’re all simultaneously having? I should use this space to be uplifting, but hope is exhausting at the current moment. All I can tell you are the things that either brought me joy or displeasure from the last month. That’s all I can do at the moment. And that’s definitely a privilege right now, I understand. I feel helpless, hopeless and like nothing is going in the right direction. This is a terrible intro, so let’s just get into all the meaningless trash that I did last month.

  • My brother Gary made this great video on how to make KFC gravy and you might think I’m biased, but he’s just so fun to watch. Love it so much.

  • I rewatched two Alfred Hitchcock movies: Rope (still such a great motive, one of his best) and Rear Window (which is average as hell, the idea of the story is so much better than the execution of the movie). Also, it made me really laugh hearing Nathan say, “If you can’t kill your wife, whose wife CAN you kill?“

  • Are you aware that they’re still making new flavours of M&Ms? I tried the fudge brownie flavour and I gotta say, they just taste like regular ass M&Ms.

  • I had completely forgotten about this amazing ricotta toast (thank you, Marla) recipe that I loved from years ago. Everyone should make it. It sounds like such a boring recipe, but it’s incredible. Of course it’s from Ina.

  • A great article about apologizing.

  • We keep making these chickpea pitas and likely won’t stop.

  • Months ago I bought this white poncho on sale for basically nothing because I thought this was my year of travel. Yeah. Great purchase.

  • I watched the Michelle Obama documentary, Becoming, and it’s obviously inspiring and great. Love the woman.

  • I’ve mentioned before how walnuts in pesto are way tastier than pine nuts, right? Cheaper, too. In any case, I can’t stop making this walnut pesto.

  • I watched the first season of Awkwafina is Nora From Queens and it’s SUCH A GOOD SHOW. Every single character is great. Perfect show.

  • I made this banana cake again, mostly because of that damn frosting. Even if you’re just making a regular cake, you should do it with this coffee cream cheese frosting.

  • Every morning for the past few weeks, I’ve been making this iced coffee protein shake (below). It might be the only thing I look forward to at this point in time. (It tastes pretty similar to a Tim Horton’s Iced Capp, just less sugary.)

  • I only wear one perfume (Miracle by Lancome), but I’m almost completely out of it (and won’t repurchase anytime soon since these are not the times to be buying luxurious items) so I’ve been wearing Fresh Cream by Philosophy that I got as a gift last year and I kind of love it. It makes me smell like a cake.

  • I’m still making these halloumi hummus bowls for lunch, but I’ve amended the recipe slightly by adding chopped basil instead of oregano and slicing up the halloumi incredibly thin since I think it tastes better when it’s crispy and thin.

  • Some movies that I’ve rewatched: Dazed & Confused (a forever favourite, I love a movie where the plot happens over the course of one day), Crazy Rich Asians (still fantastic, although I truly hate the bride character or actress playing her, I can’t decide), I Know What You Did Last Summer (still holds up, solid movie), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (not a great sequel at ALL, but I do love the idea of a killer on vacation), and Back To The Future (this might be the perfect movie, the script is amazing, everything is so fun, the music is epic, I also love the fact that the writers Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale will never allow a remake or reboot during their lifetimes).

  • I got this cropped sweatshirt from Nordstrom that I wear approximately six days a week.

  • In love with this new Jackbox game that I’ve been playing with my family on Sundays: Mad Verse City.

  • I walked to Manhattan from Queens and wrote about it.

  • The peony blossom candle from Trader Joe’s smells beautiful.

  • The Body Shop gives you a free product worth $10 on your birthday month, so I got their tea tree body wash and I love it. What the hell did I do before tea tree?

  • Just learned: grating garlic is so much tastier than chopping garlic. Thank you, Bon Appetit!

  • I made this kung pao cauliflower and it was good as a side dish but definitely not as a main. Cauliflower as a main dish will always be offensive to me.

  • I watched Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift and absolutely hated it. Terrible movie. What kind of accent is that guy supposed to have???

  • I bought a cuticle cutter since the nail salons are still closed and I figured how hard could it be to use? Turns out: very hard. No idea how to use it on myself or anyone else for that matter.

  • I have been making these kale quesadillas for lunch and they’re so tasty. I just use whatever cheese I have, basil and white wine vinegar instead of champagne vinegar. Also, I omit the corn because frozen corn is always trash. Super simple recipe, too.

  • I watched two episodes of the Epstein documentary on Netflix and had assault nightmares that night so I thought maybe I don’t need to finish all the episodes. I’m not including the link here for it because I truly don’t think anyone needs to see it.

  • My friend Dusty made this great short film.

  • I argued with Nathan at least twice this month on camera. (And about 400 times in real life? Again, no link for that.)

  • My six year old nephew is beyond adorable in this video about the lockdown.

  • I bought these Steve Madden sandals for $22 when they were on sale the other day and I had a gift card, and I’m in love.

  • Forgot how good these black bean muffins are. Such a nice little snack. Ignore the fact that they sound disgusting.

  • Excited to hear that Tuca & Bertie are coming back for another season! (Thank you Harmeet for turning me onto this great show!)

  • We’ve been eating the Beyond Meat hamburger patties and they’re phenomenal. We’ve been putting this McCormick gravy on top of them and and I’ll add these pickled red onions too and wow. Heavenly. Never would’ve thought I could be into a homemade pickled onion. Growth!

  • This is wild and slightly horrifying.

  • Super interesting piece about the NYPD.

  • Favourite tweets from the month:

i was so angry at everything when i was 13. and i was right

— common sad girl (@sadgirlkms) April 27, 2020

time passing is not an apology.

— tray🦋 (@traydominic) May 2, 2020

Can we normalize not having to be busy in order to be left alone.

— Dyymond W-Y (@DWHPP) May 4, 2020

i'm so sick of my female traits....caring, yearning....kill me

— Sarah Hagi (@geekylonglegs) May 5, 2020

when i lost over 100 lbs, everyone suddenly loved me. everyone thought i was gorgeous. everyone thought i was powerful. i can assure you being congratulated for weight loss just feels like your greatest fear confirmed. you have to be thin to be valuable to the world. it sucks.

— kendra (@kendramorous) May 6, 2020

"start your free trial" "enter your card info" https://t.co/AgMKPwlbpi

— Adamz 💯 (@Philz_adamz) May 9, 2020

so my grandma gifted these to her daughters for Mother’s Day 😂🥺 pic.twitter.com/VtEvOm1X1i

— 𝐦𝐞𝐥 (@_melcheyenne) May 11, 2020

Lmao why she still look like she wanna talk to the manager https://t.co/4AbeVOetgY

— Dani Fernandez (@msdanifernandez) May 15, 2020

absolutely no one:
my dad doing virtual reality: pic.twitter.com/nkLmtEJlZj

— Ashley Madison (@ashleycacioppo) May 16, 2020

my Tia coming up to me at a family party trying to get me to dance with her https://t.co/rFf6LBfryh

— John💤 (@theytookmyinsta) May 17, 2020

Lil man said he was not gonna be left outta this TikTok😭🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/LXmAM3B7C3

— 🇧🇧 (@rahm3sh) May 17, 2020

I'm not wearing glasses anymore I seen enough

— Hoesncheetoes (@Hoesncheetoes) May 18, 2020

Y’all ever just be driving & you’re like..... yo was that light even green 😭😭😭

— toxic king (@777jorgeivan) May 5, 2020

Last night as I was putting my 3 year old to bed she looked deep into my eyes, lovingly stroked my face and whispered “are you garbage?”💀

— Laura Benanti (@LauraBenanti) May 21, 2020

remember when britney showed up to the VMAs looking like this and the world decided that this is the body of someone who "let herself go" ...... the apology this world owes all women my god pic.twitter.com/2B4xfywrje

— Anya Volz (@AnyaVolz) May 22, 2020

My mom said we should speak Thai in public so we don’t get targeted for speaking Mandarin and I think it’s so sweet that she’s nice enough to believe that these stupid fucking racists can differentiate between Asian languages

— James Tang (@jamesthetang) May 14, 2020

Every Guyanese girl gotta dye their hair blonde at least once as a rite of passage

— Tupac Chopra (@N_Kognito) May 25, 2020

I just aggressively removed two bottles of prosecco from our trolley, proclaiming crossly “Neither of us likes prosecco. It’s bloody horrible”

The gentleman moved away from me at speed. We had not met before. It was neither my trolley nor my husband.

— jo aaron lilford (@jolilford) December 30, 2019

What’s the worst typo in an email you spotted immediately after hitting send? I think mine has to be: “I appreciate that you’re very busty.”

— David M Barnett (@davidmbarnett) August 23, 2019

I figured out why Nova had an attitude during our photo shoot 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😭😭😭😭😭😭💀💀💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/kfwDQMI26p

— $arah 🥂 (@shh710) May 25, 2020

How is the computer gonna ask me if I am a robot? Bitch you're a robot

— Seth (@KingzNA) May 27, 2020

Your girl after reviewing the pics you took of her pic.twitter.com/yD8eqeT1EU

— Rayan (@Bellaboy23) May 25, 2020

The “your friendships are being tested rn, find out who your friends really are” crowd are demons actually. We’re in a pandemic, everyone is insane, we are all doing the best we can. Your relationships to others have to be elastic to survive. Calm tf down and stop keeping score

— arabelle sicardi (@arabellesicardi) May 18, 2020

Sometimes i sit and think about a simpler time... like, when the only thing you had to worry about was just a global pandemic

— greg stone blue check mark (@gregstone_) May 31, 2020

Funny how one bad protester labels the whole movement, but a few bad cops are never supposed to represent all cops. 🤔

— Trill Clinton (@aStatesman) May 31, 2020

Thank you for your Black Lives Matter graphic. May I please see a picture of your executive leadership team and company board?

— Brandi Riley (@BrandiJeter) June 2, 2020

Just a cute reminder that "unplugging" from the news cycle is privilege.

— Allana Reoch (@reochnroll) May 30, 2020

wait i forgot, are we under disease curfew or racism curfew

— Shaun Scott🌹🤝 (@eyesonthestorm) June 1, 2020

They’ll declare martial law instead of just not killing black people. Do y’all get it now?

— Britt Julious (@britticisms) June 2, 2020

Some things that I’d like to do this month: I promise that I will finally review the last two monthly Ipsy bags, I really want to make these salted thyme chocolate chip cookies, I want to make this midnight pasta that I heard about from Mindy Kaling, I want to read at least two books this month, I’m dying to make this ricotta jam jar, and I don’t know, maybe June won’t be a complete shitshow. Also, don’t forget about Father’s Day on the 21st. Just a reminder. If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in April over here.

And it’d be weird not to mention this at all right now, but there are so many awful and horrendous things going on, you know this. I completely support Black Lives Matter and it’s insane that there’s any kind of divide about whether you do or you don’t. It makes me sick that saying something as simple as “black people are human beings” could ever be considered complicated or political, but I guess here we are. I have no magical words to offer and I wish I did. I have no quote that’ll make everything make sense because nothing right now makes any sense. People are not being treated like human beings and it’s disgusting, it’s that simple. I don’t know what’s ahead of us, but for fuck’s sake I hope it’s better than where we’re at right now.

TAGS: monthly post, monthly roundup, May Misery 2020, Liz Heather, KFC gravy, Gary Heather, KFC gravy at home, Alfred Hitchcock, Rope, Rear Window, classic movies, wife, M&Ms, fudge brownie, ricotta toast, Ina Garten, apologizing, chickpea pitas, white poncho, J. Crew, summer, Michelle Obama, Becoming, Netflix, best of Netflix, walnut pesto, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens, great TV show, TV, banana cake, How Sweet Eats, iced coffee protein shake, Iced Capp, Tim Hortons, coffee, almond milk, protein powder, Miracle by Lancome, perfume, Fresh Cream, Philosophy, scents, halloumi hummus bowl, Dazed & Confused, summer movies, Crazy Rich Asians, I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Back To The Future, great movies, Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, Nordstrom, cropped sweatshirt, clothing, Mad Verse City, Jackbox, Manhattan to Queens walk, Queens to Manhattan walk, 2020, family, peony blossom candle, Trader Joe's, The Body Shop, grating garlic, Bon Appetite, kung pao cauliflower, Stephen King, Graveyard Shift, terrible movies, horror movies, cuticle cutter, basil, champagne vinegar, Epstein, Dusty Mancinelli, Nathan Macintosh, lockdown, Glasgow lockdown, Steve Madden, sandals, summer shoes, black bean muffins, Tuca and Bertie, Beyond Meat, McCormick gravy, pickled red onions, NYPD, best tweets, Black Lives Matter