The beginning of this year has been rough to say the least. There’s no way to know when things might get easier, but in the meantime - here’s what went down these past two months.
The best tweets of January can be found here and the best tweets of February can be found here.
Very in love with this Patcha Soap Co. salt scrub I got from Healthy Planet. A salt scrub is forever a good gift, especially the Sabon ones.
I ate at the gluten-free place Gud Daae on Lakeshore and it was so good.
Potato Pucks at Gud Daae
Brown Chicken Sandwich at Gud Daae
Sundae at Gud Daae
I’ve come to the newish conclusion that Sephora has nothing for me. Every single time I enter that store, I feel an alarming amount of rage. Stop telling women what they need.
Andrew Dismukes has been so good on SNL lately. I’m not sure how I didn’t notice this sooner.
I took my niece Maya to see Come From Away and it was even better than the New York production (maybe because the accents were better?).
Come From Away in Toronto, ON
I bought (and had tailored) these Gap jeans and I also bought a pair of tan loafers. Really testing out a new aesthetic here.
I finally tried out the Mel Brooks idea of slicing a bagel into three parts instead of two and I feel enlightened.
Mel Brooks is a genius mainly because of this idea
I took the kids to a maple syrup farm (Elliot Tree Farm) because it should be law that every Canadian child must see how sap is made at some point. Of course their gift shop had some gems (below).
The most Canadian candle
Incredible
I cancelled my Costco membership because I’m trying to support less American companies, so I found Bulk Mart (which is Canadian) and it’s great so far.
Some things I watched:
The Substance - such a great movie. The sounds/audio was brutal to hear at times, but all in all one of the best movies of last year for sure.
Babygirl - loved it.
Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action (documentary) - pretty despicable, hard to watch.
Child Star (documentary) - it was good, but there was too much of a focus on Demi Lovato (which makes sense because she made it) but I was expecting less of her.
Enlightened - I hated Laura Dern’s character so much that it made it hard to watch.
The Apprentice (movie) - meh. But Jeremy Strong was fantastic.
The Resort - the first half of the series was good, but then it took a turn.
Mommy Meanest - I love watching a bad Lifetime TV movie maybe once a year.
Little Women (the 90s one) - how have I never seen this before? Absolutely loved it.
Big Little Lies - I was expecting more since the cast is so wild, but it kind of sucked. I really don’t think Laura Dern is a good actress and the writing was so bad.
Succession (rewatch) - Logan is so much funnier upon second viewing, I didn’t notice that before.
Lost (rewatch) - still great. Still can’t really explain the ending.
The Last Showgirl - I do like Pamela Anderson but wow is she a bad actress. Also Jamie Lee Curtis overacts in every single thing she does these days and Bautista was so hollow. The script was awful, but since it had a nepo director it’s not surprising that it wasn’t good. I did like that I could tell it was shot at the Rio in Vegas but otherwise, hard pass.
Heart Eyes - love Devon Sawa, but this was nothing special. I do love a themed horror movie always, though.
The White Lotus - god, this season sucks so far. It’s just so slow, I can’t stand it.
It would be insane if I didn’t mention it here, but Baby Dog passed away in January and everything collapsed around me. It happened quickly, but I was with her until the end and it’s hard to speak about it at all even now. Every time it snows it makes me think of her so of course there was record snowfall this year. It still doesn’t feel real, so I’m just trying to take it day by day.
I love Octobers but I’m grateful to be moving on to the holiday season. Halloween was so good this year. I used a fog machine (it’ll now have to be a staple each year) and a bluetooth speaker that played horror movie soundtracks and it was. the. best. Here’s what else went on last month.
You might think you’re better than fake tattoos, I assure you that you’re not
I hadn’t had a DQ cake in years, so I bought one and it remains as good as ever.
I don’t love donuts (too doughy), but a holiday themed donut? Obviously I'll get those.
Thanksgiving donuts from Sanremo’s in Etobicoke, Ontario
Thanksgiving was really great, if not a little quieter this year. The next-day sandwich was one for the books. (If I started a business that solely made these sandwiches and just tried out new versions each month, could that work? Call it Turkey Time? Patent pending.)
Thanksgiving dinner
Thanksgiving sandwich
Went to Downey’s for their pumpkin donuts (for a donut hater, I buy an alarming amount) and got this apple pie flavoured milk. It was a bit gross, but you have to try new seasonal items. It’s law.
Apple pie milk
Took my parents on an autumn drive through Belfountain and our car broke down in the middle of nowhere! It was exciting.
Where the car broke down
I went to Ottawa for the first time! The drive was intensely beautiful. My dumbass didn’t realize how close Quebec was, otherwise I would’ve made sure to get a poutine across the water. Next time.
Baby Dog in Ottawa!
Parliament Hill, Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa, Ontario
Stopped at The Big Apple on the way back and just wow. I’d never been there before, so I loved it.
The Big Apple in Ontario
I bought a few new pairs of bootcut jeans (I know, pretty cool) and had them all tailored. They fit perfectly. I will tailor my pants for the rest of my life now.
October sunrises >>
How is this real
Some things I watched:
Nobody Wants This: other than some really bad dialogue, I’d definitely watch season two.
English Teacher: best new show on TV, hands down.
Only Murders in the Building: good season, not great. Martin Short will be the main reason I keep watching.
The Blair Witch Project: I got my niece Maya to watch it and she loved it. A perfect horror movie.
The Return of the Living Dead: okay, it’s obviously bad but fun bad.
The Bob’s Burgers Halloween episode this year was awful?? What the hell?
I’ve been on a real Twilight Zone binge and this quote, “As long as there are men, there cannot be peace.” PREACH.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: good god, I don’t even know. The election is today so… let’s just wait and see what happens before I look forward to anything.
We did a mini roadtrip to Cooperstown last month and I can safely say that I think we’re all not doing enough little trips. Truly what’s stopping us? They’re always the best. It’s never insanely expensive, but you get to take a break from regular life and go somewhere not far to experience something different and usually great. Some highlights from the trip below!
So the whole trip was basically organized around going to The Baseball Hall of Fame. That’s a normal thing to do, right? Honestly, you could spend hours there. It was incredible. I think I loved the mini exhibit that showcased the most famous fans from over the years, but there’s just so much to see. Would love to own one of those warm-up jackets. LOOK at that stitching (below).
Baby Dog at The Baseball Hall of Fame
Baseball origins
Fan appreciation exhibit
Bury me in this warm-up jacket
We stayed at this small inn (The Lake House) that was built in 1843, which was perfect. Our room itself was tiny, but the place was beautiful. The restaurant there was so good and it felt ancient, but in a good way. And it was right on the water of Canadarago Lake.
Canadarago Lake
Postcard of Canadarago Lake
If there’s mini golf in your small town, I will find it. We played a round at the western-themed Barnyard Swing Mini Golf and there were maybe two elements on the whole course that made it western-themed, which is both funny and exactly as it should be.
Barnyard Swing Mini Golf
Barnyard Swing Mini Golf
Visited the Cooperstown Cheese Factory, which I can’t recommend enough. They offered samples of ALL of the cheeses they sold, with no limit. Why the hell don’t all cheese shops have this policy? They also had this unbelievable cheese-dusted popcorn (that needed to be refrigerated because it was so fresh) that I will forever yearn for.
Cooperstown Cheese Factory
I love old covered bridges, so we drove to see the Hyde Hall covered bridge that was built in 1825 (and is the oldest extant wooden covered bridge in the United States). Some people do drugs, some people get a contact high from seeing dusty old bridges, I don’t make the rules.
Hyde Hall Covered Bridge
Hyde Hall Covered Bridge
Visited Willis Monie Books because I will always gravitate towards chaotic book stores.
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.
SUMMER IS OVER! Extremely pumped to say goodbye to August. So many things are changing right now and I kind of can’t wait for what’s ahead. But before that, here were the highlights of the month.
Marla came for a visit and we did so many fun things. We saw Suffs on Broadway, ate at Thyme & Tonic (incredible), tried on a million gorgeous things at both locations of Beacon’s Closet, we rode the Staten Island Ferry, ate at the always-great Rubirosa, went to Little Island for the first time, went to some of the Chelsea Thursday galleries and we perused Chelsea Market so we obviously had to get some Seed + Mill.
Suffs on Broadway
Beacon’s Closet
Gorgeous Marla
Little Island
A rat scared us out of Central Park approx. five seconds after this photo was taken
Manhattan skyline from the (free) Staten Island Ferry
Fell in love with the restaurant Hillstone. On a mission now to visit all the locations eventually. The best parts about this place are the chilled salad plates, the chilled martini glasses that are replaced midway through your drink, an insane French dip sandwich (David Chang says that this sandwich “haunts him” and he’s right), a wildly good chicken caesar salad, servers only have three tables at a time so they can really focus on each customer, they don’t have food runners or bussers, the tables are drilled into the ground so there aren’t any wobbly ones, there’s freshly squeezed orange juice AND each table is designed to feel like it’s in its very own little VIP section. So impressed by the level of thoughtfulness at this place, I love it so much.
Caesar salad at Hillstone
Chilled glass at HIllstone
French dip at HIllstone
And speaking of hospitality, I read something recently that explains why I think I love restaurants so much. I’m the one who cooks at home (which I enjoy), but it’s nice to escape that sometimes and have someone take care of me in that way. It’s such a simple thought, but it blew my mind for a minute.
I finally deep cleaned my beauty blender by putting Dawn in some boiled water and then I let the sponge sit in that mixture for five minutes before rinsing in water. Reddit has all the answers.
I found a Sabon body scrub on sale at Marshall’s, which reminded me how much I love any Sabon products.
I’ve been living in the Essie colour Seas The Day.
Essie ‘Seas The Day’
Annoyance of the day: I absolutely hate that all brow pencils now come in that little mechanical tube (that always breaks). Remember when the Anastasia brow pencil was actually a real pencil that you could sharpen?? We’ve strayed too far from the light of god. It’s impossible to find a real, high quality pencil anymore.
Six Days, Seven Nights - even Harrison Ford can’t save this movie.
Trap - I liked the first two thirds of it, but everything went downhill as soon as they left the stadium. This review sums up my feelings almost precisely.
Falling Down - great movie.
Wall Street - weird that I’d never seen it before, Martin Sheen was a smokeshow.
Consenting Adults - great idea for a movie.
Longlegs - love an original horror script.
I would normally list the things I’m looking forward to this month, but things are changing so fast right now that I have no idea what the end of the month will look like. I’m hopeful and excited, but I’m also terrified and I sort of just want to let this month happen.
She’s done with summer
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in July over here.
I tried the soft serve from Seed + Mill and it was unbelievably good. Top three in NYC, hands down.
Soft serve from Seed + Mill, Chelsea Market
I finally got to go lane swimming in Mississauga and it was all that I’d hoped it would be and so much more. Fuck Eric Adams for cancelling the lap swims in NYC for yet another summer.
The watermelon sangria at Bite is summer in a glass.
I finally visited the food hall at Queensboro Plaza and the options looked pretty good! The chicken caesar wrap at Bobwhite Counter was decent, but it’ll always amaze me when places don’t make their own croutons. It’s one tiny little step that makes or breaks it.
Chicken caesar wrap at Bobwhite Counter
The coronation chicken salad at Nomad Sandwiches is too good. Cold, curried chicken is not on enough menus in this city.
I just saw an ad for this, but Arby’s has a burger now?? Am I the only one this offends?? Their whole thing is that they DON’T do burgers?? That roast beef and cheddar is better than any fast food burger, what the hell is going on? I can handle a lot of things (really I can), but this crosses a line.
A reel told me to squeeze lemon on top of watermelon, so I did and it was fantastic.
I went to Canada for a little bit since the kids are off for summer break and I think I’m onto something here: yardwork is fun when it’s not your own house.
Airport pickup!
I used a screwdriver to do this and I’m kinda proud of that fact?
One of my most beloved hobbies? Before/after photoshoots, apparently.
It’s an illness, really
Went to Blue Mountain on a small trip with my family and it was perfect. We swam so much (once in the rain, and I hope everyone swims in the rain at least once in their life) and we also rode the Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster (something that’s been on my list for years), which was so much fun. I also won’t disclose how many times I went to the frozen yogurt place Menchies.
Blue Mountain, Ontario
Before the Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster
On the mountain coaster!
Swimming in the rain >>
Sunset w/ Layla, Blue Mountain
Parents, Blue Mountain
On the drive back from Blue Mountain, we found a farmer’s market-type store in hopes of finding some sponge toffee and dreams can come true.
Worth every penny
Ate at Lucia in Toronto and it wasn’t anything special, which was a bit disappointing but the company was everything I wanted so that made up for it.
We went to Ribfest and I tried my first blooming onion. It was absolutely unreal. How did it take me this long to try one. Also got an oxtail poutine and (finally) the tri-colour popsicle I’ve been waiting on since last summer.
There are cathedrals everywhere for those with eyes to see
Oxtail poutine, I love this country
I wanted this so badly, I didn’t even care how bad my nails looked
The passport office in Mississauga is such a nightmare, it literally took four hours to get renewed (and that’s only because I showed up two hours before it even opened).
Tried this soft foot reel I saw (below) and it worked pretty well! I think you have to do it multiple times a week to really see longterm results, though.
Went to Spirit Tree Estate Cidery again with my niece Tianna and it remains great. Their daily soup is the main attraction here (we got the seafood chowder).
Tianna at the cidery
We also went to Activate again and I think I enjoyed it even more than last time. Obsessed with the hoops room. Makes me wish I had a basketball net.
Activate in Mississauga, ON
Went to the Asian Night Market in Mississauga with Harmeet and we got the cold noodles, which were spicy/great. Afterward we went to the Mexican restaurant in the food hall section of Square One (La Carnita) and had such a terrible experience. The short ribs we ordered were awful and our waiter absolutely hated us. And then we went next door to Farzi Cafe, where the drinks were fine but insanely overpriced. What the hell is going on at Square One?
I finally got Baby Dog in a kiddie pool and she could actually doggy paddle. It was the cutest thing anyone has ever seen.
I just learned about the ready-made sandwiches at Lazar Bakery in Mississauga and my lunches will never be the same again.
The foam soaps are the main reason I go to Bath & Body Works, but their bar soaps last such a long time. If you live in the United States then you should definitely get their app - they give you at least one free item every few weeks.
I know it’s early, but the pumpkin pie M&Ms are outrageously good.
Pumpkin pie M&Ms
Some things I watched:
The Bear (season three): Cons first. Okay, I hated the first episode but it’s the weakest one of the whole season. Some of the dialogue is so badly written, it’s hard to watch sometimes. Why the hell was John Cena in it? He isn’t a good actor, let’s cut the shit. Now pros. Ebon is flawless. The Napkins episode was so well written. Jon Bernthal is such a great actor. The Al-Anon support group scene was so good. My jaw dropped at Josh Hartnett making an appearance, I’ll continue to love his renaissance. And I know I’ve complained about the overacting of Jamie Lee Curtis from last season, but I thought the birth episode was the best one of the entire season. That whole episode just captured mothers and daughters so well and how we see that our mothers fail us so much because our expectations of them are too insanely high so when they fall flat of those expectations, how crushing it can be to realize that they’re just human. That episode alone is why I’ll keep watching the show. I do think that a lot can be done towards the development of characters so that we have the time to care about them in the ways that the writers want us to, but there are these pocket episodes that are just so alarmingly true and good. It’s a fantastic show with absolute faults, but the reviews of this season were way too harsh.
All of the Naked Gun movies (rewatch): Okay these movies really hold up well. It was too much fun to watch them with the kids who actually really laughed and enjoyed them too. Romeo even referenced one scene weeks later to laugh about it, my heart swelled to say the least.
Blowout: It started out interesting and then took a sharp turn, hard pass.
Sabrina (rewatch): I was on a Harrison Ford kick and would’ve settled for anything, so this was nice to see again.
Twisters (theatres): I really wanted to hate it, but it was a party.
Creep (rewatch): Still great!
Mulan (live action): Rome insisted on us watching this and it wasn’t bad! I’m pretty anti-live-action, but this was surprisingly good.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (rewatch): Love a summer horror movie. There needs to be more seasonal horror movies.
The Craft (rewatch): I always forget how much I hate the bug stuff at the end, but it’s still a solid 90s movie.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: my dear friend Marla is coming to visit (!), cannot wait to see Trap next week, I’m keeping my eye out for any corn based seasonal dishes at the restaurants I love and I can’t wait to start preparations on this year’s costume…
Baby Dog in my baby blanket
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in June over here.
I wrote my spring list of things that I’d love to do this season.
I served on a jury and it was an awful experience. I’m begging you to never do it. It wasn’t even a murder case and it was still horrible to be apart of.
I’ll never be above a new Trader Joe’s candle scent.
Spring candles from Trader Joe’s
My sister-in-law made one of the greatest desserts I think I’ve ever tried: lemon sorbet blended with mascarpone. It sounds so simple, but I promise you the flavour was mind-blowingly good. A perfect summer dessert, too.
My sweet dear friend Jenn sent me See’s Candies chocolates for my birthday and good god were they incredible.
See’s Candies
I made a Thai green curry for the first time and it was fine, but I think this is something that I’m only gonna order out from now on. It just didn’t taste the same when I made it at home. (It could’ve been because the coriander seeds I ground up had expired last year? Would that have made a giant difference in taste?)
I went to Niagara Falls with my family and it was such a great time.
Baby Dog in Niagara Falls
Romeo, Niagara Falls
Camden, Niagara Falls
Family!
I also went to Mount Airy in Maryland with Nathan and it was a perfect way to spend a birthday. He got a chocolate cake from Wegman’s that honestly was even tastier than my favourite chocolate cake.
The Nordstrom flagship happy hour remains one of the best in the city.
Happy hour at Nordstrom, NYC
Some things I watched:
Baywatch (season 1): Okay, the pilot of Baywatch is one of the best pilots I’ve ever seen. Honestly rivals the Lost premiere. Makes zero sense. Kind of a great show?
Ready or Not (the Canadian show): I love that you can find most of these episodes on YouTube.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I have to try the special ramp & cacio e pepe dumplings at Mimi Cheng’s, Nathan’s going to be on The Tonight Show for the third time on April 12th (!), I really want to go see the blooming cherry blossoms in Central Park and I can’t wait to see Rachel McAdams in Mary Jane on Broadway (Nathan’s birthday gift to me!).
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can read what went on in February over here.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Garlic bread (free) at Carbone, NYC
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 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.
Inside The Belasco Theatre, NYC
Outside The Belasco Theatre, NYC
Had a drink at the Ophelia Lounge and the view is wonderful, but the drinks and food aren’t terribly special.
Finally ate at Via Carota with Irene on her birthday and it was really good. All the pastas were wonderful, skip the rice balls.
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.
I tried the KFC potato chips from Walkers (brought over from the UK) and they were delicious.
Walkers KFC potato chips
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.)
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.
Forgive the lateness of this post! I am excuse-less. Here’s what went down last month!
Here are the two lists of the best tweets of the month.
I perused Jessica Merchant’s new cookbook and some of the recipes are definite must-makes this summer. Garlic confit, stone fruit halloumi salad, tomato pie, BLT corn salad, scallops with tomato cream sauce, and the list goes on. Sometimes I like to browse the cookbooks in book stores just for inspiration when I’m in a cooking rut.
I bought the Dr. Teal’s foaming bath Vapor Bath scent and it’s underwhelming! I mean, it’s good, but nothing like the vapor heaven I was anticipating.
I made the ramp butter from Missy Robbin’s (of Lilia fame) recipe and it tasted fine but was nothing like hers. No idea where I went wrong. Maybe I was supposed to use salted butter? Maybe the butter quality wasn’t good enough? Maybe my food processor was inadequate?
Ramps
My sad ramp butter
In other ramp news, I ate the ramp, cheddar & poppyseed croissant from Mel The Bakery and it was delicious. Great bakery. Must return.
Ramp, cheddar & poppyseed croissant from Mel The Bakery, NYC
So I made the Milk Bar crumbs (without the cake) because I thought that’d be a fun treat to just keep in the fridge. But without the cake and the icing? Suck city. Such a waste of time. Tastes useless on its own.
I watched the movie Riding The Bullet (why, I don’t know) and of course it was terrible, what was I thinking. Proves that you don’t have to be talented to make a movie, so there’s really hope for anyone in this world.
I made focaccia for the first time! I had some leftover green garlic so I incorporated that into it and it was a raging success.
Before
After
I watched the third and final season of Shrill and it was perfect. I hate that it’s over since every season was better than the last, but life must go on. No spoilers, but I loved how it ended. Best character of life = Em.
Went to Momofuku Noodle Bar again and finally tried the buns (not pork, but mushroom) and wow. I wish I knew how to cook a mushroom like a restaurant quality chef. It’s a mystery I’ll never crack.
Sometimes there is no greater joy than getting to experience a new potato chip flavour. And the Lays ones this summer… are wonderful.
I can’t stop making this chicken caprese pasta salad. There’s something about the idea of a cold pasta salad that sits in the fridge and gets better each day, I just love it. It always reminds me of a staple food that white people would take to a picnic in the 90s, but I don’t know what I’m basing that on. Wasn’t that a white person thing? I remember mentioning the idea of a cold pasta salad to one of my West Indian cousins at a get together and she gasped at the idea, “Why would a pasta ever be served COLD???”
I rewatched Mad Man and this is probably the best scene in the whole series. The line “the moon belongs to everyone” will always make my knees weak.
I listened to the Martin Short / Charles Grodin episode of Julie Klausner’s podcast and it only reaffirms how I feel about podcasts. They’re so fucking boring, I’ll never know what people get out of listening to them. Absolutely not for me.
I went to a Mets game and it was wonderful to be back in a stadium. I also got the Mrs. Met Wonder Woman bobblehead I’ve been eyeing for over a year now.
I ate a white chocolate apricot scone from Il Bambino in Astoria and it was insanely good. I always forget about scones. You can’t sleep on a scone. I also always forget how much I love apricot. It’s never IN anything, why is that?
I revisited The Beekman and it continues to be just a solid ass place to take someone from out of town for a drink. It’s so beautifully designed and I’ll never get over what a great job was done in restoring it.
The ceiling at The Beekman, NYC
Look at the stairway details at The Beekman, NYC
Okay, I know everyone knows about the cookies at Levain Bakery, but the dark chocolate peanut butter one might CHANGE YOU SPIRITUALLY.
I got some great British food gifts from Myers of Keswick in the West Village for my dad, it’s just a great little shop.
I finally went to the Dame pop-up! Exquisite fish and chips. I did sneak in my own gravy from Pommes Frites down the street since they don’t offer any, but no one seemed to mind (and by no one I mean that I hid it with a napkin anytime someone walked by). I understand this isn’t behavior I should exhibit, but fish and chips without gravy should be illegal. Anyway, I’m so excited they’re expanding into a full blown restaurant. Must return to see the new menu items.
Look at that fry and TELL me he isn’t screaming out for sip of gravy
Secret gravy tastes better?
So I was all excited to go see the new Little Island in the city, but then I realized that this goddam area was the one that I was so against a few years ago because it meant that they’d tear down the Pier 54 remnants! I can’t believe time had made me forget this fact! Those dirty fucks! So I may not visit it now. Debating all my options. Mentally I don’t know that I even need to escape to a new floating island.
I bought these black flats for my new part time hostess job (more on this in another post) and they’re so comfortable, it’s shocking.
Of course I listened to Olivia Rodrigo’s new album Sour and the best songs are by far traitor and driver’s license (duh).
I took Baby Dog on a mini day trip to Coney Island and it was too fun. We walked along the pier, got my prediction from Grandma, spent three seconds in the sand and then sat by the water. We also went to the Coney Island Brewery and the best things about that place? The music is so perfect and late 90s, there’s a free tap that has still & sparkling water, they have beer flights on the menu to try different kinds (such a great idea), the grilled cheese was NUTS, and the alcoholic pink lemonade was summer in a can.
Smiling at the ocean
Wonder Wheel
Baby Dog at a brewery
Can I install this in my house, PLEASE
Some things I’m looking forward to doing this month: I’d really love to make this garlic jam that sounds incredible, I’m making it my mission to get to Mama’s Too on a Wednesday this month to try one of their legendary Wednesday sandwiches, and I’m so excited that casual street fairs have returned (check below for some upcoming ones).
Even though this is technically still the best time of year (the leaves are gorgeous, Christmas is coming, the first snowfall is only a few weeks away, a fresh year is quickly approaching), it’s always hard for me to say goodbye to October. Maybe that’s one reason why this post is so late? I couldn’t bring myself to actually move on? In any case, November has begun. So here’s what went down in my world last month.
The family and I took a train ride along the South Simcoe Railway on their autumn leaves tour and it was prrrretty cute.
Mom & Dad
Gary!
Me & Camden
I have officially introduced Riverdale into the lives of four other human beings in my life. Do you understand how crazy that is? I feel like every person on the planet is constantly telling everyone else what show they should be watching and we’re all silently ignoring so many of these recommendations because there’s simply not enough time to watch everything that everyone says is great. So when someone actually gets into this show - it makes me immensely happy. It’s just a pure show. Anyway, the new season started and it’s great and I’ll continue to scream about how much I love it. I’ve also started following Skeet Ulrich on Instagram and I think this is the first time I’ve intensely wanted to send inappropriate things to a stranger since I was a teenager? Feels weird.
Watched the first episode of Kidding and really couldn't get into it. Will always love Jim Carrey but this one seems like a hard one to latch onto.
Watched an episode of Rel and all I can really say about it is that Sinbad is the best part. So I guess that’s something. I don’t think it’s possible to make a good family sitcom these days and I don’t know why that is.
Watched the movie Wild and it was really good. In the same way that I really liked Under The Tuscan Sun. I love love love movies about women that aren’t centered around a love interest. The scene where the little boy sings to her made me weep for some reason.
Took a break from The Twilight Zone for a bit and then got right back into it with the episodes The Mask & Number 12 Looks Like You - and man… this is one of the best shows of all time. Better than Black Mirror. Better than everything!
Rewatched Friday the 13th Part 4 and it’s still a good horror movie, but not as good as I remember. Hate when that happens.
Have you ever seen the kids movie The Halloween Tree? I’d never seen or heard of it before recently and I really liked it. I know this is a common thought amongst people who cling to the past, but the animation back then was way better than it is today.
Speaking of kids movies, I saw the second Goosebumps movie with my family and the first one was better? Needed more Jack Black.
Finally watched Popstar at my brother’s insistence and it was really funny.
So obviously I saw the new Halloween. There was no way it could’ve been good, I realize this, but I went anyway because you have to go. The main problem with it? You see Michael Myers WAY too much. It’s ridiculous. It’s not scary if you’re constantly seeing his face. Anyway, the original is really the only good one anyway and I’m fine with that. I forced my niece Layla to watch that one on VHS and that’s the only way that movie should ever be watched, in my opinion. It’s perfect.
FINALLY saw Trick R Treat and of course it’s terrible! Don’t even remember why I’d wanted to see this one so badly. Maybe ‘cause the cover looks so good. I love bags on heads.
Watched Fright Night for the first time and it wasn’t terrible, but dear Christ, that kid who played the best friend? Definitely the worst actor on planet earth. WOOF.
I’ve only watched the first episode of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina but I’m in love with how dark it is so far. I could also relate to all the half breed talk! And Balki’s in it! Excited to see if the coming episodes are as good.
I was on Nathan’s podcast again! Think this is the best one we’ve done together.
I have seen so many posts about how good On The Bun is in Mississauga and… what the hell? It’s average at best. The Burger’s Priest is eons better (and there’s a Mississauga location at Eglinton & Hurontario now too).
Speaking of good food places in Mississauga, Luca Pizza will now and forever be the only place I’ll force my family to order pizza from. So crazy good!
Tried some of the poutine at Costco and it’s almost identical to the old St. Hubert one that existed years ago. It’s eerie.
There’s a (somewhat new) Nordstrom Rack in Heartland in Mississauga and IT IS GREAT. If I were to describe why it’s so good, I’d go so far as to say it’s a higher-end/better/still affordable version of Winners.
Gary came to visit from Scotland and whenever he comes I try to make him sightread something that I love on piano and he never disappoints.
Of course the family and I went on our annual Downey’s visit.
I never go to Krispy Kreme mainly because, well, do I have to have a reason? Their donuts are insanity on a plate so I just need to not be near the building. That being said, my niece Layla really wanted to go so we did. And if you ever happen to be there right when the apple fritters come out of the oven? It will easily be the best tasting thing you’ll ever put in your mouth. That being said, they are dense and pretty rough once cold. Not sure how that makes sense, but it’s probably a good thing. The longstanding best apple fritters are still at San Remo’s in Etobicoke.
I hadn’t been to Playdium in Mississauga in maybe fifteen years, I can’t believe it’s still even there. STILL SO FUN. Really hope teenagers are still going on dates here and making out in the go kart line.
My friend Marla gave birth to the sweetest little boy, her second son!
Went to the ROM for I think the first time (?) and it was very meh! I mean, I think it was good technically? I don’t know what I was expecting. Also, maybe I’m being mean about it because the museums in New York are so much bigger and better? I realize that’s a pretty dickish thing to say and yet I’m not deleting it.
Absolutely love everything about this video (below).
Went to the CN Tower with my family and I haven’t been in such a long time, still a good time.
I finally started trying out recipes from Chrissy Teigen’s newest cookbook. The “Taters, Shrooms & Peas with Parmesan Cream” recipe was incredibly annoying to make mainly due to the instruction of “microwaving your potatoes” - why on earth would that ever be an easier way to cook a potato? It took so long with the trial and error of deciding how much water was needed to actually cook them in a microwave, and incredibly frustrating. And it didn’t even taste amazing! So I’ll definitely never make that one again. Her “Jalapeño-Cheddar Corn Pudding” though? AMAZING. I was blown away at how good that tasted. The serving size was so crazy off, though, which seemed odd. It could’ve fed twenty people. So since I’m one for two, I’m excited to try other recipes from the book soon.
I went to Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland with Layla, her friends and Harmeet and it was such a fun time. The best part of the whole thing are the actors who jump out to scare you, for sure.
Me & Lay
Me & Har
I’m not a huge Starbucks fan (I can’t seem to find a drink that’s not terrible for you & actually tastes good), but since they put out a Halloween drink, obviously I had to try it. The witch’s brew frappuccino was actually pretty good! PURE sugar, but good for exactly two sips. The chia seeds were so weird and good.
I finally saw Tews Falls! Been wanting to see this baby for awhile.
Tews Falls
Maya & Layla
I took Harmeet to Long Point Eco Adventures to stay in a camping pod for one night and it was really, really nice. Our stargazing tour did get cancelled because of the clouds, so we made the most of the evening by going across the street to the Burning Kiln Winery and it was a great time. If you know anything about me, you should be aware that this is the only way that I’d ever “camp.” On the drive back, we saw some insanely large pumpkins for sale so I obviously bought one and it’s probably the greatest thing I’ve ever spent money on.
Will never get sick of how New York looks at night.
Baby Dog had an extremely relaxing month.
It should be obvious, but of course this Halloween was the best one in years, mainly because it’s been so long since I’ve given out candy to trick-or-treaters. You already saw my costume. A huge thank you goes to my mom who sewed the zipper onto that red sweater and who allowed me to yell at her for an hour whilst trying to take the perfect costume photo. No idea why some of the people in my life let me get away with murder sometimes, but super thankful for them. So many things happened on Halloween that it’s kind of a blur to me now. I made this craft that really worked out well, I got sick of my costume so I did a Halloween inspired makeup look for the evening, I watched horror movies on a loop all day - everything was perfect.
The lawn of my parent’s house
The front of their house
Can’t get over how much stuff happened this month. Excited for November!
