Search
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
Close
Menu
Search
Close
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
Menu

LIZ HEATHER

June 29, 2024

Summer Saturdays Vol. 2

by Liz Heather in Summer Saturdays


BAKING

Will make a batch of these heavenly blueberry breakfast cookies later today.

COOKING

I’ve perfected my tuna salad sandwich recipe and here it is. Canned tuna mixed with sliced pickles, chopped red onion, dijon, a drop mayo, pickle juice, grated garlic, salt & pepper on a bun that’s been toasted in garlic butter then broiled with cheddar on top. IT IS EVERYTHING.

CRAVING

Why will I always love Lay’s? Two reasons. 1) Their original chips taste the best at parties. 2) The fact that each summer they put out seasonal flavours. Will a cuban sandwich flavour taste incredible? Does it even matter? It’s the EFFORT of creating something new. I’m a woman who will appreciate effort until the day I die.

Lay’s Cuban Sandwich Seasonal Flavour

DRINKING

Snow cones for life.

Sno-Kone

EATING

Finally went to Golden Diner and fully recommend. I am not a pancake person (because they’re so boring?) but these were other-worldly. Better than Clinton St. Baking Company.

Golden Diner, NYC

EXPERIENCING

A grimy, Queens carnival! And can I just tell you, the Superman ride truly scared the living hell out of me. I didn’t think I could still feel that way from rides, so that was alarming (but in a fun way?).

Carnival in Queens, NY

LISTENING

The Jiminy Glick Bill Maher interview and it’s so good.

LOVING

The happy hour at Hotel on Rivington on the Lower East Side. $10 martinis in Manhattan? Get the hell out of here.

SHOPPING

Is it sad that I’m over the moon about the Scrubbing Bubbles Foaming Bleach Cleaner I got for the grout in my washroom? If your answer is yes, then I suggest you look inward because holy mother of god, this is a dream cleaner. How have I only discovered it NOW?

WATCHING

Reruns of Living Single on HBO. Now this is a reboot that would heal the world.

WEARING

Technically you don’t wear face wash, so yes I’m reaching here but stay with me. I finally started to use my Dennis Gross all-in-one face wash and I will forever be loyal to that man. A perfect face wash.

Last week’s Summer Saturdays Vol. 1 can be found over here and I’m keeping a summer highlights section over here.

TAGS: summer saturdays, summer, summer saturdays vol. 2, Liz Heather, snow cone, snow cones, sno-kone, Queens, Queens carnival, blueberry breakfast cookies, perfect tuna recipe, best tuna sandwich, Lays, Lays summer flavors, Lays Cuban Sandwich, Golden Diner, Golden Diner NYC, best pancakes NYC, best pancakes, Superman carnival ride, Jiminy Glick, Jiminy Glick Bill Maher, Hotel on Rivington, happy hour NYC, best happy hour NYC, scrubbing bubbles foaming bleach cleaner, best bathroom cleaner, best washroom cleaner, grout cleaner, mold cleaner, Dr. Dennis Gross, best face wash


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

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.

Strawberry cobbler bars

  • 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.)

Dad’s 100th birthday cake

  • 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.

Basil sangria

  • 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.

Lemon blueberry cake

  • 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.

Rhubarb syrup with club soda

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

Lays Italian Red Meat Flavor

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

Dinner in the sunroom during a blackout

Nephews & Baby Dog

These only bloom on my dad’s birthday

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.

Funnel cake at Canada’s Wonderland

  • 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.

USPS Tomie dePaola stamps

  • 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

TAGS: June, June Jaunts, June Jaunts 2023, Liz Heather, monthly post, monthly roundup, Baby Dog, strawberry cobbler bars, recipes, summer recipes, Aritzia, Aritzia sweatshirt, chocolate cake, best chocolate cake, best chocolate cake recipe, dark chocolate cake, dark chocolate cake recipe, dark chocolate icing, best dark chocolate icing, best cake recipe, Freshii, Freshii frozen yogurt, best frozen yogurt, small batch pancake recipe, Activate, Squid Game, basil sangria, basil sangria recipe, best sangria recipe, Canada, Baskin Robbins deal, Baskin Robbins, lemon blueberry cake, lemon blueberry layer cake, best summer recipes, S&P, NYC, best of NYC, Sojourn NYC, Sojourn, Zara, Zara dress, Zara polka dot dress, summer dress, summer dress Zara, Halara, Halara bike shorts, carnivals NYC, carnivals near NYC, carnival list NYC, Trader Joe's, Trader Joe's candles, salted caramel and pistachio candle, curry fried rice, curried fried rice, mattress topper, comfy bed, bed tips, rhubarb, rhubarb strawberry soda, Lays, Lays Italian Red Meat Flavor, June flowers, Clearly Canadian, Canada's Wonderland, funnel cake, Yukon Striker, Zellers, The Bay, Barbie, Barbie Ulta, Barbie collaborations, root shadow, root shadowing, Bloc + Mane, Etobicoke, Etobicoke hair salon, USPS stamps, Tomie dePaola stamps, beach body, beach body ready, The Bear, And Just Like That, Indiana Jones, Kate Capshaw, R.E.M., Call It Spring, green sneakers, green running shoes


November 2, 2022

October Occurrences 2022

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


Ontario, Canada - October 2022

This might be the hardest week of the year because it’s officially the longest period of time until next Halloween. I tend to take a few days to decompress a bit, so by this coming weekend I’ll be fully ready for holiday-mode. That being said, October was such a great month that felt like almost a year long - in a good way. Here’s what went down.

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

  • I think it’s clear that I watched every good 90s Halloween sitcom episode that I could find links for.

  • For Halloween, I dressed up as Tony Montana (Al Pacino) from Scarface and Baby Dog was, umm, my main accessory.

  • In love with this article, “The Secret To Marriage Is Never Getting Married.”

  • I’ve always wanted to make the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip oatmeal cookies recipe (on the back of the Toll House package) and they were really, really good. Might become a staple in my cookie repertoire.

  • I made these soft pumpkin cookies with salted maple icing again this year and they continue to be incredible - and that’s coming from someone who truly hates soft cookies.

  • I also made these garlic butter chicken meatballs with creamy orzo (in a slow cooker) and the meatballs were great, I’ll definitely make those again. But the orzo cooked in a crockpot? Hard pass. Pasta always tastes terrible from a crockpot, I knew this and still went ahead, so it’s my fault really.

  • I was in Canada for awhile, so I…

    • Went to the new(ish) Keg near Square One and it kind of sucked? What the hell? The meat was nowhere worth the price, which is weird because I remember that it used to be better. I’m trying to find my new Canyon Creek (since it closed) and it’s a hard task to undertake but I won’t give up.

    • I had the burger from Ozzy’s Burgers and the lamb was terrible, but the regular burgers were fantastic.

    • My niece Layla turned 17 (!) so thankfully we were able to get the Milk Bar birthday cake from the Toronto location. It’s such a shame that location is closing at the end of the year.

    • I also planted some bulbs in the garden with my mom, which makes me even more excited for spring to come next year to see if anything blooms.

    • I tried the new Lays flavour Fries & Gravy and good god I love this country.

    • I made the apple fritter cake (again) for (Canadian) (real) Thanksgiving and I. love. this. cake.

    • My dad put up his seasonal bird feeder and I think I’ve said this before, but the answer to life is getting a bird feeder and then sitting down to watch it. Nothing better.

Heaven on earth?

My dad & Baby Dog, October 2022

Mississauga, Ontario - October 2022

Fries & Gravy Lays

Oakville, Ontario - October 2022

  • I made my way to the Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard in North Salem, NY (with my friend Diana) where we had the best warm apple cider donuts and cider mimosas. Afterward we went for brunch at The Arch restaurant, which was beautiful & old, but nothing really spectacular food-wise.

Cider mimosa at Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard, North Salem, New York

Cider donuts at Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard, North Salem, New York

  • On Halloween, I took Baby Dog on our annual autumn visit to Central Park and it was bursting with beauty.

Central Park, October 2022

Central Park, October 2022

Central Park, October 2022

Baby Dog in Central Park, October 2022

Baby Dog in Central Park, October 2022

  • When it comes to all purpose cleaners, I’m in love with Mrs. Meyers. The snowdrop scent is my favourite one (which should be coming out again soon), but I just got the apple cider one and yikes. It’s perfect. Is it sad to have favourite seasonal all purpose cleaners? Absolutely. But here we are. Welcome to your late 30s.

Mrs. Meyer’s Apple Cider Limited Edition Scent

  • Now if we’re talking seasonal coffee drinks? The Starbucks pumpkin cream cold brew (only 1/2 shot of syrup, extra foam) makes me a little sick by the end of the drink, but I still love it. And the vanilla cream cold brew at Tim Hortons is also really good. Oooo and the Tim Hortons hazelnut cold brew with espresso foam? Get out of here, so good. I think I just like foam.

  • Loving the new Charlie Brown stamps from the USPS. Wait, who is in charge of deciding the new stamps? Oh god, have I discovered the greatest job on earth? I THINK I HAVE??

  • So I got a new Apple charger from The Apple Store, the one that apparently charges faster. Aaaaaand my battery dies even quicker now! Sweet!

  • I was scrambling to find a dress for a wedding this month and Bloomingdale’s saved me. How do I always forget about that place? I love an old, good department store. Yes they can be overwhelming, but they’re practically deserted. I have to remember this for the future. Oh! And Macy’s too! Such great dresses for special occasions.

  • So Nathan and I went to Los Angeles for a wedding (the dress code was “outdo us”) and we stayed at Citizen M hotel in downtown LA. Let me just say that this is not the type of hotel for two people to share a room, that’s the nicest way I can put it. It’s definitely clean and relatively nice, but the rooms are laughably small. The wedding was fun and I loved walking around downtown LA mostly because of the incredibly well preserved buildings. Sure, the area is pretty dicey but it’s beautifully ancient. We walked to Santee Alley (where I got my new favourite feather clutch) and three days was the perfect amount of time to stay in that area. And the baja tacos from Tocaya were insanely good. Also the Wolfgang Puck Express stand at LAX had really good food to take on the plane.

Citizen M hotel room, this bed is literally the width of the room

Baja taco from Tocaya, Downtown LA

Ummm, is Nathan somehow cooler in LA??

Okay hold up, are we BOTH COOLER IN LA??

WE BAD

California blonde dreams coming true

The Los Angeles Theatre opened in 1931 - Downtown LA

The Eastern Columbia Building opened in 1930 - Downtown LA

The Orpheum Theatre opened in 1926 - Downtown LA

  • Speaking of airports, the restaurant The Hearth by Lynn Crawford at Pearson in Terminal 1 in Toronto is great! Get the meatballs. Love it when airport food is above average.

  • Of course I listened to the new Taylor Swift album Midnights and the best songs are Question…?, Sweet Nothing, Anti-Hero, Bejeweled, Maroon and You’re On Your Own, Kid.

  • Some things I watched this month:

    • Smile: such a fun time. Love a fun horror movie.

    • I rewatched the first two Friday The 13th movies with Layla (her first time seeing them) and I’d forgotten how good they were. They really hold up well over time.

    • Recent SNLs: Nothing super noteworthy in any of the episodes, I like the new guys. I was introduced to that great Megan Thee Stallion song Anxiety, which I can’t stop playing. The worst sketch I’ve seen in years was that Jack Harlow one with the joker. Just awful. Oh, and Colin Farrell looks alarmingly good.

    • Celebrity Jeopardy: I solely watched because I love Ike Barinholtz (and he was great). But look, I know that Celebrity Jeopardy is, like, the easiest Jeopardy to exist. I understand that. But I had no idea how incredibly dumb most celebrities are. I mean, I know they’re not exactly known for their IQ levels but this was actually just wild to watch. Every single person on each episode I saw was a complete moron (with the exception of Ike and Simu Liu).

    • Barbarian: so great, loved every bit of it. Bill Skarsgård remains as hot as always. (Sidenote: I was gushing about Skarsgård later to Nathan before bed and he scoffed and dismissed it so I asked him, “You probably don’t even have an answer, but who would you consider an attractive celebrity man?” and without even a second of hesitation he goes, “Pierce Brosnan in ‘97.” Hahahahahah, god I died. He’s not wrong.)

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I’ve already put my order in for this year’s bayberry candles, I’m finally going to read Dave Grohl’s book, of course I’ll get the Thanksgiving croissant from Milk Bar, I’m definitely gonna go to the NY postcard show, and I’ve already got my ticket to see the Thierry Mugler exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum which opens on the 18th. Oh! And a gentle reminder if you’ve started Christmas shopping: get the damn gift receipt.

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

Ray of sunshine on my ray of sunshine

TAGS: October Occurences, October, October Occurrences 2022, Liz Heather, Halloween, leaves, autumn, autumn in NYC, autumn in New York, Canada autumn, best tweets, Halloween sitcom episodes, Tony Montana, Al Pacino, Scarface, Baby Dog, Nathan Macintosh, Los Angeles, LA, L.A., The Secret To Marriage Is Never Getting Married, marriage, married, Nestle, Toll House, toll house chocolate chip cookies, cookies, soft pumpkin cookies, salted maple icing, recipes, dessert recipe, garlic butter chicken meatballs creamy orzo, orzo, meatballs, chicken meatballs, crockpot, slow cooker, Canada, NY, NYC, New York City, The Keg, Square One, Canyon Creek, Ozzy's Burgers, Ozzy's Burgers Mississauga, burgers, burgers Mississauga, Layla Heather, Milk Bar, Milk Bar Toronto, Milk Bar birthday cake, spring flowers, bulbs, gardening, Hassina Heather, Lays, fries and gravy, fries and gravy potato chips, apple fritter cake, bird feeder, Stanley Heather, birds, bird watching, cardinal, Birds, backyard, changing leaves, autumn leaves, Harvest Moon farm and orchard, mimosa cider, north salem new york, apple cider donut, apple cider donut NY, cider mimosa new york, Central Park, Central Park foliage, leaves Central Park, Mrs. Meyers Clean Day, Mrs. Meyers, apple cider scent Mrs. Meyers, late 30s, late thirties, seasonal coffee drinks, autumn coffee drinks, Starbucks autumn drinks, Starbucks seasonal, Tim Hortons, foam, Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown stamps, USPS stamps, postage, USPS, Apple Store, Apple charger, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, formal dresses NYC, fancy dresses NYC, evening gown NYC, formal dresses NY, Citizen M hotel, downtown LA, Citizen M hotel downtown LA, wedding los angeles, santee alley LA, Tocaya Modern Mexican, fish tacos LA, best taco LA, Wolfgang Puck, Wolfgang Puck Express, LAX, food LAX, YYZ, food YYZ, Toronto, feather clutch, California, California blonde, downtown LA buildings, The Orpheum Theatre LA, Eastern Building LA, Los Angeles Theatre downtown LA, The Hearth by Lynn Crawford, Pearson airport, best food Toronto airport, Taylor Swift, Midnights, Question, Sweet Nothing, Anti-Hero, Bejeweled, Maroon, You're On Your Own Kid, best Midnights songs, Smile, Smile movie, Friday the 13th, SNL, Saturday Night Live, Megan Thee Stallion, Anxiety, Megan Thee Stallion Anxiety, Jack Harlow joker sketch, Colin Farrell, Ike Barinholtz, Celebrity Jeopardy, Simu Liu, Bill Skarsgard, Barbarian, Pierce Brosnan


September 14, 2022

August Actions 2022

by Liz Heather in Best of NYC, Family, Links, Movies, Music, Personal


sunflowers sunflower summer liz heather august 2022
sunflowers sunflower summer liz heather august 2022

Wow, this is by far the latest monthly post, sorry about that. I wish I had an excuse for my lateness, but this is a free site so I don’t owe you a damn thing!

Summer is almost at an end and I couldn’t be happier about it. This will soon be me.

betty boop pumpkin lighting halloween gif

Here’s what went down in August!

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

  • I got coffee at Cafe Renis in Astoria and it’s perfect. Love an independent coffee place.

  • I’ve decided that the best canned tomatoes you can get in the U.S. come from the brand Afeltra and they’re sold at Eataly.

  • The Chelsea Hotel finally reopened so I stopped by for a (ridiculously overpriced) coffee and yes the renovation took forever, but damn it’s gorgeous.

The Chelsea Hotel lobby, August 2022

The Chelsea Hotel, August 2022

The Chelsea Hotel, August 2022

The Chelsea Hotel, August 2022

The Chelsea Hotel, August 2022

  • I bought these running shoes I found at Marshalls and I loooooove them. Who doesn’t love a shoe that feels like a heavy sock?

  • I also can’t stop taking photos in this Zara dress. Clearly.

  • It’s finally the time of year when Lemax (the worldwide leader in collectable village miniatures) releases their new Halloween collection and I’m fighting every urge inside my body to buy THE GLOOM ROOM.

The Gloom Room from Lemax, 2022 Collection (not shown: the figures DANCING IN THE ROOFTOP BALLROOM)

  • Completely out of nowhere, but does everyone know how cool-looking the Tommy Bahama wrapping paper is? Just beautiful.

  • I tried these Lays West Indies’ Hot ‘n’ Sweet Chilli and they were tasty as hell.

  • I have forever loved the top of this building (below) and have always wondered what the inside looks like. Now I know and it’s shot to the top of my must-live-in list.

The Cupola Penthouse at 141 Fifth Avenue, NYC

  • I had dinner at the breathtaking Riverpark with Irene and the food was really good.

  • It’s almost embarrassing how many times I’ve listened to Beach House by Carly Rae Jepsen.

  • Some things I watched this month:

    • Bodies Bodies Bodies - Did I see this solely because of Lee Pace? Yes. And he wasn’t in it nearly enough. Also, it is not a good movie.

    • The Rehearsal - Look, I get it, it was fine. Definitely not the masterpiece that everyone claims it is. Love Nathan Fielder, though. A Canadian king.

    • Sister Act - Okay, I haven’t rewatched this in maybe… twenty years? It’s still amazing. And god, that soundtrack. All hits.

    • Violation - My friend Dusty made this movie and it’s incredible. No bias either, I promise you - he’s just wildly talented.

  • I also got to go to Canada for a short visit to see some friends and family, which is always great.

  • I finally got to visit my best friend Harmeet’s lake house in Ontario and it. was. unreal. Such a fun few days away.

Harmeet!

  • Is it weird that I’ve never done a tea service before? Wait, is that how I even word that? In any case, my dear friend Marla took me to my first one! I can’t believe how many things you get. We went to The Wild Tart in Elora, Ontario and it was wonderful.

  • While we were in Elora, we also went to see the gorge and quarry (where scenes from It were filmed!). I had no idea that Elora was such a nice little town. I also discovered this greeting card company that I’m absolutely in love with.

Elora Quarry, August 2022

Marla!

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I’m pretty excited about coming up with my autumn list of things to do this year, I need to catch up on writing some travel posts that I’ve been putting off since July, I need to make some final decisions on our Halloween costumes, and we’re getting a brand new oven that I’m pretty jacked about.

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

That’s her excited-for-September face

TAGS: August, August Actions, August Actions 2022, Liz Heather, monthly post, monthly roundup, sunflowers, Betty Boop, Betty Boop pumpkins, Cafe Renis, Astoria coffee shop, best canned tomatoes, Afeltra canned tomatoes, tomatoes, tomato, Eataly, best of NYC, The Chelsea Hotel, The Chelsea Hotel NYC, Chelsea Hotel lobby, running shoes, Marshalls, Zara, Zara dress, Lemax, Gloom Room, Tommy Bahama wrapping paper, Lays, Wet Indies Hot n Sweet Chilli potato chips, West Indies chips, potato chips, 141 Fifth Avenue, penthouse NYC, Riverpark, Riverpark NYC, Lee Pace, Bodies Bodies Bodies, The Rehearsal, Nathan Fielder, Sister Act, Violation, Dusty Mancinelli, movies, Canada, Harmeet Litt, lake house, The Wild Tart, friends, tea, tea service, Elora, Elora Ontario, tea service Elora, tea place Elora, Elora gorge, Elora quarry, quarry in It, quarry in It movie, It, It movie, greeting card company, greeting cards, Marla Garvey, Baby Dog, Beach House, Carly Rae Jepsen


June 11, 2021

May Musings 2021

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


Citi Field, May 2021

Citi Field, May 2021

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 reviewed the NARS birthday gift from Sephora.

  • I tried a sample of Chanel’s Ultra-Light Skin Perfecting Sunscreen Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15 and it’s luxury in a bottle. I might have to buy it since they discontinued the Amore Pacific tinted moisturizer that I used to love.

  • 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.

  • New goal: to swim in the sky pool in London.

  • 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 only ever want to read new stories like these.

  • 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.

  • That being said, I do love being a guest on them.

  • There’s a new Danny Meyer restaurant opening in the fall, sign me up, obviously.

  • I bought these high waisted shorts, this gorgeously neon orange crop, and these printed shorts: all from Zara because their summer collection is actually good this year.

  • 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?

  • The teaser for Last Night in Soho makes it look really good.

  • 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.

  • Tried the new(ish) Key Lime Pie Kit-Kats and, what a shock, another winner.

  • I finally reviewed the KKW lip liner set that I mentioned months ago.

  • 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).

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

TAGS: May 2021, Liz Heather, May Musings 2021, best tweets May 2021, Jessica Merchant, cookbook, How Sweet Eats, Dr. Teals foaming bath, vapor bath, Missy Robbins, Lilia, ramp, ramps, ramp butter, ramp butter recipe, butter, Mel the Bakery, Mel the Bakery NYC, NYC, best of NYC, bakery NYC, croissants NYC, Milk Bar crumbs, Riding The Bullet, NARS birthday gift, NARS birthday gift Sephora, Sephora, Chanel, Amore Pacific, Chanel sunscreen makeup, makeup, focaccia bread, green garlic, Shrill, Em from Shrill, Fightmaster, Momofuku Noodle Bar, mushrooms, sky pool, sky pool London, swimming pool London, Lays, Lays summer flavors, chicken caprese pasta salad, cold pasta salad, white people food, picnics, picnic food, Mad Men, The Best Things In Life Are Free, Martin Short, Charles Grodin, Julie Klausner, podcast, podcasts, Nathan Macintosh, Danny Meyer, new Danny Meyer restaurant 2021, Zara summer collection, Mets, Citi Field, Mrs. Met, Mrs. Met bobblehead, Wonder Woman, Mrs. Met Wonder Woman bobblehead, while chocolate apricot scone, Il Bambino Astoria, Last Night in Soho trailer, movies, movie, The Beekman, beautiful hotel NYC, Levain Bakery, dark chocolate peanut butter cookie NYC, Myers of Keswick NYC, British food store NYC, Dame, Dame NYC, West Village, fish and chips NY, fish and chips NYC, gravy, fries, Pommes Frites, Little Island, Pier 54, Pier 55, black flats, Key Lime Pie Kit-Kats, chocolate, Olivia Rodrigo, Sour, traitor song, drivers license song, Coney Island, Grandma's Predictions, Baby Dog, Baby Dog Macintosh, Coney Island Brewery, grilled cheese NYC, Wonder Wheel NYC, Brooklyn, Queens, monthly post, monthly roundup