June 13, 2024

May Musings 2024

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

It has officially been six years of doing these monthly roundup posts since I started them in May of 2018. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE. If there’s a lesson here, it’s that change is truly possible. I never would’ve thought I’d be doing these consistently for that long, so that’s wild to me. Thank you to anyone and everyone who has ever even read one. Here’s what went down in May!

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The best tweets of the month are over here.
I reviewed the hip hop jewelry exhibit at the Natural History Museum.
I saw the new rooftop installation at The Met.
Vulture wrote about Nathan’s special twice this month and I couldn’t be prouder.

The New York Times also loved Nathan’s newest special Down With Tech!
I made this one pan pepper steak with added mushrooms that I will absolutely do again.
My favourite Met gala looks:

The hair, the makeup, the dress = all of it is perfection, she just needs to leave Justin to fully become perfect in this moment

The back of Mindy Kaling’s dress is HIGH ART

The author of my favourite book, Paul Auster, passed away so I think a re-reading of Mr. Vertigo is in order soon.
I visited the newly opened Paramount Theatre in Brooklyn to see Belle & Sebastian (they were great) and what a beautiful venue.

I tried cottage cheese for the first time and it wasn’t terrible! I still say that “cottage cheese” is the most disgusting thing it could have been named, though. I made this fake chocolate mousse with it and Nathan ate every last bite. I also made a fake “ice cream” with cottage cheese + frozen blueberries that was actually good. I won’t pretend to tell you it tasted like real ice cream, but it was surprisingly edible.

Cottage cheese + frozen blueberry ice cream that’s not actually ice cream, I can’t lie to you

We had a huge Baby Dog scare where she tore a ligament in her leg and our vet was an absolute nightmare with prescribing her these insanely strong pills that made our lives a living hell for a week. Thankfully she’s back to normal and better than ever. We also started her on these cataract eye drops that may actually help her sight, will report back on these in a few more weeks.

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I tried the new chickpea pasta from Trader Joe’s and I like it better than Banza (it’s cheaper, too). Also tried their new, incredible honeycomb candy.

Love this essay by Glynnis MacNicol and I can’t wait to read her upcoming memoir entitled I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself.
Embarrassed to say how much I love the Shake Shack lettuce wrap.

The white chocolate macadamia cream at Starbucks is a problem. I’m really in the macadamia era of my life. No one tells you that your late-30s era is intensely boring?
There’s nothing sadder than disappointing soft serve. Marvel: do better.

Truly in love with the shortbread foam hand soap from Bath & Body Works. (Don’t forget their annual sale is going on right now.)

Loving the entire ButterBliss line at Target. How is it so damn soft??
Tried the new sandwich place Nomad, which is incredible. Took me 39 years to understand that I truly love coleslaw. Again, terrible name choice. Beginning to learn that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover? What a concept?

Quick note: if you ever shop in store at Staples, you should really look up their online prices vs. the in-store price when you’re there. The in-store price is almost always wildly more expensive than the same item listed online and if you show the cashier when you’re checking out - they’ll price match it for the lower price.
So I was on a morning walk and I found a lost cat! It was wild and the owners were so sweet about it.
Saw Mary Jane with Rachel McAdams on Broadway with Nathan and it was great.

There is an exhibit of old literary posters right now at The Met that is absolutely beautiful.

The latkes at Modern Bread and Bagel remain the best in NYC.

Got the new summer scents from Mrs. Meyers and they. are. incredible.

Seasonally scented cleaning products? FUCK ME UP

Took Baby Dog to Central Park and she loved it, even if you can’t tell by this forcibly posed photograph.

I love a street fair because you’ll always find something unique. Creepy-faced magnets? Forever yes.

Completely forgot about my love for rainbow sherbert.

Some things I watched:
- The Idea of You (Amazon Prime): low maintenance and intensely watchable. The line, “People hate happy women” PERFECT. And Michael Showalter directed it?? What the hell? That’s great.
- How Stella Got Her Groove Back: it’s pretty gross that the main love interest is a 20 year old boy. And the real life story that it’s based on is AWFUL (spoiler alert: he was actually gay and married her for a green card!!).
- Under The Tuscan Sun: still great.
- Twister (the Helen Hunt one): such a great movie. There’s really no need for the remake. Best part? The sheer amount of twisters in the movie. That may seem like a dumb observation, but it really isn’t. It’s just so fast-paced and there’s basically another twister every ten minutes or so.
- Dream Scenerio: good! Some of the abuse scenes are hard to sit through, but as a whole a really good movie.
- The Danny Meyer episode of Ina Garten’s show: I was not aware that he basically invented eating at the bar instead of at a table in a restaurant (was also not aware that it needed to be invented??) and I must make the pasta (orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage) that he made for Ina in that episode.
- Emily in Paris (season two): can you tell how desperate I am in finding new shows to watch? It’s not a good show. I hate all the singing, I had to fast-forward those scenes. But I did love these pink shoes.

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: finishing off some final spring activities, writing my summer list, I need to dry clean and officially pack away my winter coats, I’ll start doing my Summer Saturdays weekly series again, excited for the new season of The Bear at the end of the month and I’d love to find some new strawberry recipes to make the most of the season.

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

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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 autumn leaves trees fall weather changing Liz Heather October 2022 — 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.

bird feeder cardinal bird watching Canada — Heaven on earth?

baby dog Liz Heather Canada — My dad & Baby Dog, October 2022

Mississauga Ontario Canada Liz Heather October 2022 autumn leaves fall trees — Mississauga, Ontario - October 2022

lays limited edition potato chips fries and gravy flavour Liz Heather October 2022 — Fries & Gravy Lays

autumn leaves Canada Liz Heather — 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.

harvest moon orchard and farm north salem new york Liz Heather cider mimosa October 2022 — Cider mimosa at Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard, North Salem, New York

harvest moon farm and orchard north salem new york Liz Heather October 2022 — 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 New York City autumn fall October 2022 Liz Heather leaves — 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 all purpose cleaner apple cider Liz Heather autumn cleaner — 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.

citizenm hotel citizen m hotel la downtown LA Liz Heather Baby Dog small hotel — Citizen M hotel room, this bed is literally the width of the room

tocaya modern mexican downtown la mexican food Liz Heather baja tacos fish taco — Baja taco from Tocaya, Downtown LA

Nathan Macintosh Liz Heather Los Angeles sunglasses in car — Ummm, is Nathan somehow cooler in LA??

Nathan Macintosh Liz Heather citizenm hotel downtown LA elevator — Okay hold up, are we BOTH COOLER IN LA??

Nathan Macintosh Liz Heather Los Angeles downtown LA wedding — WE BAD

Nathan Macintosh Liz Heather Los Angeles wedding October 2022 — California blonde dreams coming true

Los Angeles downtown LA Liz Heather October 2022 — The Los Angeles Theatre opened in 1931 - 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.

Baby Dog Mississauga Ontario Canada autumn leaves trees changing Liz Heather October 2022 ray of sunshine — Ray of sunshine on my ray of sunshine

February 2, 2022

January Jewels 2022

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

central park snow winter new york city january 2022 — Central Park, New York City, January 29th, 2022

This is obvious, but was that the longest January that ever Januaried? Also, I had to sit down and do the math yesterday to remind myself of my age, what is happening? Time isn’t real anymore so we should all just silently, but confidently stop looking at clocks. Like when a clock’s battery dies, just don’t replace it…? I don’t know, but that feels like it could be an answer to something.

You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here.
I made a list of the best of 2021 (recipes, experiences, etc.).
I compiled my favourite photos from 2021.
I recapped how my 2021 resolutions went - why don’t more people do this? If they did, then maybe there wouldn’t be such a stigma around making resolutions in the first place. I completely failed in getting some of mine done, but like… that’s okay? Not everything has to be a success.
I also wrote out my 2022 resolutions that I’m actually very excited about.
I read Stanley Tucci’s new book Taste and reviewed it.
There were giant snowstorms in Toronto & NYC so I made a list of the best TV snow day episodes to watch. (And there’s also a list of the best snowy movies to watch over here.)
The best opening scene of a movie ever quite possibly?
The Broadway shows I saw this month:
- The Phantom of The Opera - went with Nathan (his first time, my gazillionth) and he loved it! Thank god too, because if he didn’t… let’s just say I’d TAKE UMBRAGE.
- MJ: The Musical - it was really good. It does seem insane that it was still made after everything, but the actors were great and the dancing was incredible. I’m sure it won’t last and maybe that’s a good thing? I don’t know.
- Come From Away - went with Nathan and it was good! I can’t see myself ever wanting to see it again, but it was good.

liz heather — I promise you I wash this Raptors mask a lot, January 2022

Liz Heather Nathan Macintosh — Seeing The Phantom of the Opera with Nathan, January 2022

Restaurant Week has returned and so has the heavenly wild mushroom soup with truffle oil & mascarpone at Giorgio’s of Gramercy.

Didn’t even mind how burned this bread was THAT’S HOW GOOD THIS SOUP IS, Giorgio’s of Gramercy, January 2022

The Sparrow Tavern just reopened and good christ, they might have the most incredible burger in Astoria. Just wild, wild stuff.

It’s winter and I can’t stop making this zucchini lasagna.

I made these ginger sesame noodles with caramelized mushrooms and while they were good, there were way too many steps to get to the eventual meal. Noodles need not be so complicated! Just as a sidenote: I feel like 90% of food bloggers should take, like, a yearlong break or something. There’s too much content when it comes to new recipes online and so much of it just isn’t any good and might be wasting all of our time. Am I wrong?

Bookmarked this helpful piece: The Best Restaurant at Every Major U.S. Airport.
I made the Momofuku Soy & Scallion noodles from the package sold at Target and it was pretty good! I added zero ingredients other than what came with the package and yes that was a mistake, but I’ll add more to it next time since there are five packets left. I’m thinking caramelized onions, mushrooms and maybe actual chopped raw scallions too. Ooo yeah, that sounds good.
I went to Bench Flour Bakers for the first time and what a sweet little place, I just wish it were closer to civilization. I had a scone that was incredible, great coffee and I can’t wait to go back to try their duck burger. The soup was a bit of a yikes situation but that’s my fault, I never like English pea soup so that was my mistake to order it.

Scone from Bench Flour Bakers, Astoria, New York

I’ve been using the brightening powder from dpHUE and I can’t really tell if it’s working. It also has this weirdly strong metallic smell, which can’t be good?? Probably should return.

I tried a sandwich from Alidoro in the West Village and WOW is that place overrated and laughably expensive for what you’re getting. I’ve made better sandwiches AT HOME. There are better sandwiches in literally every corner bodega. How on earth is this place succeeding?
I also went into Sullivan Street Bakery next to Alidoro and what the hell? Why is that place so small? Isn’t it supposed to be a big deal? This whole street was a joke.
I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, checked out the Time Out Market in DUMBO and then walked over to visit the New York Transit Museum and I did a full post on the museum over here.

View from the Time Out Market rooftop in DUMBO, New York

I’ve been using the Three Ships lip exfoliator, lip mask and face mask and they’re all really good products. Love the act of having to mix up your own mask in a little bowl before it goes on your face. Seems like a great company. (Thank you, Harmeet!)

I was a little disappointed to hear that Forsythia is introducing a $75/per person tasting menu now, but then I realized they’re doing a $40/per person two course meal with wine at the bar so I can’t wait to return.
I finally ate at Mamo with my dear friend Diana and it was good! Truthfully the food was very okay, but the addition of truffles to everything is the main draw here. It’s also a beautiful place, so it’s definitely worth a visit.
Diana then took me to Angelina Bakery in Bryant Park for dessert since she had heard good things about it, and bless her heart but I think this place slightly misses the mark. They’re big on chestnut cream here, which in my opinion tastes like air? It’s weird because once you taste it you think, “Oo this texture is nice” and then you wait for the flavour to kick in, but it never does. It’s odd. Usually the French are good at desserts. And they do look beautiful, but that’s where the intrigue ends. Oh god, and the hot chocolate! Waaaay too chocolatey, but this is a personal preference. For comparison, I’ve always hated the City Bakery hot chocolate that most people adore, so take this with a grain of salt. (If you are in the area for something sweet, I vote that you go to the Lady M around the block or the Japanese chocolate king Royce.) (And Diana, please continue to introduce me to new places - even if they’re trash, I want to go with you!)
In love with the seasonal lemon poppy seed cruller at Daily Provisions. God, I love a cruller, they’re lighter/tastier than a donut but sweeter than a boring croissant. And those sexy ridges? Get out of here.

Lemon poppy seed cruller, Daily Provisions, New York City

There was a big snowstorm last week, so I woke up at 6am and took the train to Central Park. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and it was so worth it. I arrived before sunrise and it was absolutely breathtaking. It snowed the entire time and all you could hear were the birds. I can’t truly express how magical it felt. It also led to a crazy amount of people liking one of the photos I took that morning, which, you know, feels nice unfortunately. I’m a whore for likes.

Not quite a blizzard, not quite a bomb cyclone but still dreamy as hell #NewYorkCity #WinterStorm #CentralPark pic.twitter.com/HZqf7vI75G
— Liz Heather (@itslizheather) January 29, 2022

central park snow winter storm new york city january 2022 — Central Park, New York City, January 2022

Sephora birthday gifts are back and… they don’t seem that great? What nonsense is this?? (The Ulta birthday gifts have been announced too and why is everything so disappointing?)

Speaking of Sephora, I tried the lip oil from Merit and returned it the next day. Lip oil just isn’t necessary. You get the same effect when you use lip balm, when will women see this scam??
I also sampled some Kylie Skin products (I know, don’t judge, I really just wanted to try them to have an opinion) and they were all awful. The face wash leaves your face tight and extremely dry, the toner does absolutely nothing but burn a bit (in a bad way) and the face lotion is thick as hell and leaves this gross film on your face. And the “high gloss” looks like it’s a kid’s product to use at playtime. Returned everything obviously.
I tried the Impossible chicken nuggets and they taste identical to regular chicken nuggets. If I were an eight year old vegetarian, I’d be jacked right about now.
I stopped by Leonelli inside The Evelyn and their slice was incredible, I’m dying to try the roast chicken sandwich next time.
I know I mentioned it last month, but I have to make a mental note to remember to buy all of the snowdrop scented Mrs. Meyer’s items that come out again in November (minus the hand wash because I’m loyal to my foam soap). This scent has given my life meaning?
I had a Chip City cookie and it’s nothing too crazy, Levain is definitely better.
I made this sour cream banana bread and how could it not be good? Love a banana bread.

I’ve never been a giant fan of salmon but I’ve made this lemon brown buttered salmon recipe twice now and it’s oddly delicious. Is browned butter the answer to typically gross food? Yes. Yes, it is.

If you’re Canadian, do you remember Christine Cushing? I’d completely forgotten about her but recently came across her YouTube channel and I forgot how much I liked her and the way she cooks.
What I’ve watched this month:
- The Golden Girls - honestly…. just a fun, great time. I never watched it as a kid but I randomly put on one episode while I was cooking and it’s wonderful. I’m almost done the whole series. Few thoughts? There’s an entire episode about Blanche’s husband coming back to life (she thought he was dead) and the whole storyline is about how he faked his death and how it turns her life upside down and then this scene happens at the end <spoiler> that reveals it was just a recurring dream that she has about her husband and how it isn’t a sad dream because it helps her remember him to keep his spirit alive and I don’t know if I’m doing it justice, but it’s the sweetest scene and so unexpected somehow. Also, Rose is definitely the best character. And last thought? I really don’t care for Sophia, she’s much too mean. I understand that she’s supposed to be, but I wince every time she enters a scene.
- Scream (5) <spoilers> - look, I’ll always love the franchise but here’s the ranking of the best ones to worst: Scream, Scream 2 (Scream: The College Years), Scream 3 (Scream Goes Hollywood), Scream 5, and finally Scream 4. And that’s not me hating it! There just… there didn’t need to be this many movies. The original will never be matched and that’s okay! Certain parts of the new one were great of course - Dewey’s “I’ve been stabbed nine times” and I loved the Skeet Ulrich hallucinations because they were hilarious. It’s really just a fun movie that revisits the original in a decent way. Scream 4 is the real bad one of the franchise, so let’s all just agree that that’s the one we’ll collectively forget.
I was thinking about watching the new Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee thing on Hulu but then I heard that she didn’t even want it made! At first I thought that seems impossible because how could it get made without their approval, but like… that tape was released without their approval, so I guess it kind of makes sense? In any case, there’s no way I’ll watch it now.
I had lunch at The Regency Bar & Grill and oh what a nice little spot. The caesar salad was perfectly dressed and the eight hour short rib was decadent and perfect. Service was great, too. Love a good hotel restaurant.
New habits I’ve adopted this past month:
- When I buy something in a store, I do a quick check on my phone to see if there’s a cheaper price for the same item on their company’s website OR if they price-match with other stores, I quickly look that up as well. This last week alone I think I’ve saved maybe $20. Is everyone doing this and no one is talking about it? Or am I a little too proud of my cheapness?
- If someone mentions a name of someone famous that I don’t know, I’ve decided to stop looking them up to find out who they are. Frankly, I shouldn’t care and I love not knowing things that do not affect me directly.
- I am going to stop buying flights through third party websites. It’s always such an annoying hassle to deal with them if something goes wrong with your flight, and yes airlines are complete scumbags but at least if you book directly, the chances of being treated better are higher.
- This last habit isn’t really for me, it’s for you: you’re not using Q-tips in your ears, are you? Please stop! Apparently it even says on the packaging that you shouldn’t use them in your ears. Please, please stop! Ear health! It’s important!
- I’ve learned the secret to what you’re supposed to do when you’re done having acrylic/artificial nails - get a gel manicure as soon as the fake ones are removed. That way your little baby nails are protected for a few weeks while they re-adjust to being normal sized again.

Liz Heather nails — Gel nails after taking off artificial nails

Some things I’m looking forward to this month:

Cooking something special for Valentine’s Day, I’m not sure what yet but I’d like to try and make something new/fancy. Maybe these browned butter scallops with champagne risotto. Maybe a duck ragu pasta. Oooo or maybe these incredible cauliflower toasts as an appetizer.
I would really love to learn how to do the splits. You might think it’s impossible, but I’ve seen some videos that will make you eat your hat in a few months time.
I officially started keeping track of my receipts (I should be embarrassed that I haven’t done this before but here we are), so I’m kind of excited to see how that goes. I want to go through every one at the end of each month and see what the hell I’m spending too much on. This might be a terrible idea.

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

January 5, 2022

December Dalliances 2021

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

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

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

bobs burgers christmas episodes Liz Heather

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

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

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

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

Tortellini al ragu ($34) at Carbone, NYC

Liz Heather Carbone New York City restaurant — Carbone, NYC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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