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LIZ HEATHER

July 3, 2024

June Jaunts 2024

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


“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
— F. Scott Fitzgerald

Truly a great June. I haven’t eaten as many strawberries as I’d have hoped, so I need to make that happen. Other than that, I might actually be excited about summer? Here’s what went down last month:

  • The best tweets of the month can be seen over here.

  • I started up my Summer Saturdays series again!

  • I finally made my way to Smorgasburg in the city.

  • I recapped how my spring list went.

  • Made this year’s new summer list of things I want to do.

  • I went to visit my parents to celebrate my dad’s 101st birthday (!), which was so great. Always love a spring visit.

Dad’s 101st birthday

Nathan mowing my parent’s backyard

Rome strugglin’

  • Ate an incredible conch salad from this Bahamian place Old Nassau in Toronto. My parents loved the conch fritters, too.

  • Went to Corleone’s in Mississauga for a quick lunch and got the junior meatball. Nothing spectacular but decent.

  • My oldest niece Tianna graduated from teacher’s college!! Beyond proud of this beauty.

My baby!

  • And speaking of Tianna, look at this gorgeous card she drew (below). How on earth did I not know she had this talent?? Really blows my mind (in a good way) when there are still new things to learn about the people who make up the fabric of your life.

Drawn by Tianna

  • Got dinner at Golden Diner and my god, those pancakes aren’t messing around. And that’s coming from a person who absolutely never orders/eats/likes/tolerates pancakes. They also had incredibly crispy home fries, and even the caesar salad was good if not a little too overdressed. Definitely skip the chicken katsu, though.

Pancakes at Golden Diner, NYC

Caesar salad at Golden Diner, NYC

  • I’ll never stop loving dingy carnivals, you know the ones I mean. Where everything it set up overnight. I’m not sure if I had ever rode the Superman ride but it fully rocked my core. (Here’s a great (updated often) list of carnivals in the NYC area.)

Casey at a Queens carnival

  • I watched the new Jiminy Glick clips and when he asked Nick Kroll where he was when “Queen Latifah’s show got cancelled” I fully lost it. So damn funny.

  • Found a lovely little bar inside Hotel Rivington with a $10 cocktail happy hour. Absolutely will return.

  • I promise to stop mentioning it soon (not yet), but I can’t describe how much I love the Scrubbing Bubbles Bleach Cleaner for bathrooms. It makes my life so much easier. (Don’t feel sadness for me for that last sentence, it truly brings me joy!)

  • I made this lemon cake and it sucked! Do you know how depressing it is to make a lackluster baked good? So unbelievably disappointing.

  • My summer go-to dessert recipe? The Magnolia Bakery banana pudding. Gotta remember to double up on the Nilla wafers next time.

Homemade Magnolia Bakery banana pudding

  • The best cubano sandwich ever is at La Cubana in Toronto. I’ll forever love that neighborhood (Roncesvalles).

  • My dear friend Richard made me (a Reno specialty?) spaghetti salad and fruit pizza and both were too good. Nobody cooks for their friends anymore! Can we please bring this back?!

Fruit pizza

Spaghetti salad

Me with Richard & Paul’s dog, Hatcher and their insane view

  • Finally learned how to cook perfect bacon in the oven.

  • Really liked this steak marinade.

  • I read and reviewed Priscilla Presley’s book.

  • Cannot express how glad I am that I took some of the kids to the Ontario Science Center recently. It’s horrifying to think that it might not be there anymore. So many memories in that place.

Rome at the Ontario Science Center

They don’t look thrilled BUT THEY WERE

  • Visited Shukette again and it remains amazing. The only bad thing we ordered were the squash blossoms (they just weren’t crispy and the batter tasted old), but bury me in the toum (whipped garlic).

Whipped garlic (toum) at Shukette, NYC

Strawberry labneh at Shukette, NYC

  • Went to Ray’s Candy Store in the East Village and got an Obama coffee with vanilla ice cream. Fully recommend.

Inside Ray’s Candy Store, NYC

  • Got the tres leche ice cream at Bad Habit (which closes for good later this month) and it’s so smart that they sell freezer transport bags (why don’t all ice cream places do this?).

Tres leche at Bad Habit, NYC

  • Two things I can’t stop making:

    • Hummus Dip: To store-bought hummus, I add chopped red onion, cucumbers, feta and tomatoes. It’s unreal. It’d also be good as a spread on a sandwich.

    • Tuna Salad: To canned tuna, I mix in red onion, dijon, a small amount of mayo, grated garlic, sliced pickles, salt and pepper. Then I put it on top of a bun that’s been toasted with garlic butter and then broiled with cheddar on top. Phenomenal.

  • Some things I watched:

    • What Jennifer Did: Jesus! How did I not hear about this awful story?

    • I Saw The TV Glow: wow, did I hate it. Especially since the reviews made it seem incredible.

    • Meg 2: The Trench: couldn’t get through more than half an hour, just an abomination.

    • The Cannonball Run 1 & 2: I watched these movies over and over as a kid and I was feeling nostalgic this week so I put them on and OH MY GOD I finally figured out why I’m obsessed with finding the right zippered jumpsuit. (See the scene below.)

  • A gentle reminder: your beach body is already here.

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I can’t wait to finally go lane swimming I feel like I’ve been talking about this for months I’m so sorry if you’ve heard me say it a million times, the cheeseburger dumplings have returned to Mimi Cheng’s so that’s definitely on the list, I can’t wait to see my family a ton next week when I visit again, I’ll probably watch at least a few of these summer classics and these summer vacations movies, Nathan has some crazy big news later this month that I’m so proud of and I’d really love to finally get Baby Dog in a kiddie pool to see how she likes the water.

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

TAGS: June, June Jaunts, June Jaunts 2024, Liz Heather, Baby Dog, Nathan Macintosh, Tianna Heather, Romeo Heather, Maya Heather, family, Stanley Heather, Hassina Heather, The Cannonball Run, cleavage, jumpsuit, jumpsuit origin, strawberry, strawberries, F. Scott Fitzgerald, summer quote, birthdays, parents, mowing a lawn, playground, Old Nassau restaurant Toronto, conch salad, best conch Toronto, Corleone's Mississauga, meatball sub Mississauga, Nipissing University, art, garden art, Golden Diner, Golden Diner NYC, best pancakes NYC, caesar salad NYC, Queens carnival, Superman ride, Jiminy Glick, Queen Latifah, Hotel Rivington, best happy hour NYC, scrubbing bubbles foaming bleach cleaner, lemon cake, Magnolia Bakery, banana pudding, best banana pudding recipe, Nilla wafers, best cubano sandwich Toronto, Roncesvalles, fruit pizza, spaghetti salad, Richard Darby, cook bacon, cook perfect bacon, Priscilla Presley, steak marinade, best steak marinade, Ontario Science Center, Shukette NYC, astronaut suit, squash blossoms, toum, whipped garlic, strawberry labneh, Ray's Candy Store, East Village, Bad Habit, East Village ice cream, tres lech ice cream, Obama coffee, NYC ice cream, hummus dip, tuna salad, best tuna salad recipe, best hummus dip recipe, canned tuna idea, canned tuna recipe, What Jennifer Did, I Saw The TV Glow, Meg 2, zippered jumpsuit, zippered romper, carnivals NYC, beach body, beach body ready


April 11, 2023

Last Crumb Cookies

by Liz Heather in Food, Reviews


I’m not on TikTok but I do make appearances.

@thingsmyhusbandlikes on TikTok

@thingsmyhusbandlikes on TikTok

TAGS: Last Crumb, last crumb cookies, thingsmyhusbandlikes, TikTok, cookies, cookie, cookie review, Liz Heather, Paul Fishman, Richard Darby, Paul and Richard


February 7, 2023

January Jewels 2023

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


The best Costco parking lot view, hands down.

Oh my god, this month is the ten year anniversary of this blog.

How.

If you don’t know me very well, let’s just say that I don’t have a great reputation for following through with things, so this seems a little crazy.

Okay, I wrote that last sentence and now I’m thinking about it and lately I do try really hard to follow through with things. What the hell was I talking about? Years ago, I used to be terrible at it and my head still gets stuck in that mindset sometimes. I think it’s really easy to think you haven’t changed since we’re hardest on ourselves, but maybe it’s smart to take a moment to actually see how far you’ve come. Clearly I can follow through with things because it’s ten years later and I still love writing in this space. I’m rambling when I’m really just trying to say thank you for even wanting to read this. Any of this. I do it because I love it, so anyone who even kind of cares about it makes me so happy.

ANYWAY, here’s what went down last month.

  • I finally wrote about the Thierry Mugler exhibit at The Brooklyn Museum, as well as the new Museum of Broadway.

  • I wrote my annual best of the year list.

  • I recapped how my 2022 resolutions went.

  • I found my favourite photos of 2022.

  • I made my resolutions for this year.

  • Nathan’s special came out and it’s so, so good. (If it weren’t, I would’ve “forgot” to mention it here, so you can trust me.)

  • I compiled the best tweets of the month.

  • I stopped by FIT to see the student creations in the lobby.

  • Nathan and I saw Death of a Salesman on Broadway and yes it’s good, but it would’ve been smarter of me to look up the plot beforehand. Sometimes you need to prep yourself for a horribly depressing, but beautifully written piece of work.

Death of a Salesman, January 2023

Before the most depressing play of all time

  • I also saw Moulin Rouge with my dear friend Diana and it was a beautiful spectacle. We had such a fun time, but maybe because we had an edible and we’d have fun anywhere together? The musical itself was like diabolical karaoke. The sets and performers were unbelievably good, though.

You should always dress for the musical/play you’re about to see

  • Sephora birthday gifts are back as well as the always-underwhelming Ulta birthday gifts as well.

  • Made and loved these sweet and spicy chicken meatballs.

  • I’d never made penne alla vodka at home before, so I made the Half Baked Harvest spicy one and it was terrible. Crushed red pepper flakes should be banned as an ingredient, it always tries to bring life to a dish that is seasoned poorly.

  • Okay, so I might need to do goat yoga.

  • Love this list of little changes you can make to your home.

  • There’s never a bad time to head to a pool, so Diana and I went to the one at the TWA Hotel that’s open all winter long.

The pool at the TWA Hotel at JFK, NYC

  • My friend Paul introduced me to apple nachos and after I made fun of him for a few minutes I ate them and now I make them multiple times a week. (Sliced apples, almond or peanut butter, grainless or normal granola pieces and chocolate chips.)

Apple nachos that are unfortunately amazing

  • Speaking of Paul, he has a TikTok account with his husband Richard and it’s perfect, you should take a look.

@thingsmyhusbandlikes Rhymes with “did I stutter?” #thingsmyhusbandlikes #butter #tastetesting #gayfoodie #testofthegays ♬ original sound - Paul + Richard
@thingsmyhusbandlikes Butter girl is her new nickname @thingsmyhusbandlikes #thingsmyhusbandlikes #buttertok #butter ♬ original sound - Paul + Richard
  • I made lasagna soup and it was exactly what’s needed on a cold night. Leftovers were a nightmare because Nathan was out of town so it was just me eating beef soup for four days straight, but nonetheless! Great recipe for a family.

  • God, I love Mercer Street in Soho. I didn’t even know they had a Zimmerman store. I bought one of their swimsuits years ago and it’s still my favourite to this day. Look at these beautiful pieces.

Zimmermann, Soho

Zimmermann, Soho

Zimmermann, Soho

Zimmermann, Soho

  • And are you kidding me with these coats from ZCRAVE (also on Mercer)?? I want a closet full of these beauties. One for every mood.

ZCRAVE, Soho

ZCRAVE, Soho

  • I went to a sale at Showplace Backstage where they sell used/vintage pieces from film & television.

  • Got drinks at the lounge inside the Mandarin Oriental and it was nice, obviously overpriced but still nice.

  • Had dinner at Carne Mare, which has such a beautiful space, it’s perfect for a special occasion. The caviar mozzarella sticks were slightly overrated but everything else was good and the service was stellar. Can't wait to go again.

Mozzarella sticks with caviar at Carne Mare, NYC

  • The Body Shop came out with a new winter scent (Wild Pine) and I’m head over heels in love. I’ve always wanted to smell like a big, beautiful Christmas tree year-round and now I can. (This sounds sarcastic, but I’m deathly serious.)

  • Tried the pistachio cream cold brew at Starbucks and yep, I forgot again how sick that cream makes me. Can they please stop introducing new cream flavours?? I think it’s abundantly clear that I will not learn, so they just need to stop.

  • I know absolutely nothing about wine (other than South African reds taste like trash) but oh my god, the wine brand Josh? Truly putrid.

  • I think I’ve finally learned that hair serums do absolutely nothing for my hair. I’ve been going through all of my hair products that I never use and it’s really wild what we’re told we need for our hair. Getting rid of it all. I can’t wait to have a clearer dresser top.

  • I like to sit and peruse the new cookbooks at Barnes & Noble every so often and the Don Angie one seems kind of great (the spicy crab panzanella and the spiced lamb ragu with marsala and fennel, specifically). The new Via Carota one however was a real letdown. I hated that it was organized seasonally for some reason.

  • So I got a frother recently and wow was it not worth it. Returned it immediately. I think I was expecting espresso-machine-level frothing, so I kind of set myself up for disappointment.

  • I got a new Kipozi straightener after using my niece Layla’s over the holidays and oh my god it’s insanely good. I’m gonna do a short video about it because I still can’t believe how long the curls last.

  • The winter mushroom soup at Giorgio’s of Gramercy continues to be untouchable.

  • Went to Little Ruby’s Cafe in Soho and it was a perfect lunch spot. Also rediscovered Blue Ribbon after completely forgetting about its existence and it remains a great late night place.

Little Ruby’s Cafe, Soho

  • I know it’s pretty dated, but I always love Bistro Les Amis. I hope it never shuts down.

  • I finally went to Bistro Eloise for the first time in Queens and it’s wild that such a great restaurant is in a little plaza mall. Maybe not wild actually, but unexpected. Had the best onion soup in all of NYC (that broth was unreal). Escargots was fantastic, the specials were wonderful and the service was perfect, too. Go, go, go.

  • Had one of the worst banking experiences of life with TD Canada recently, so I’m gonna transfer everything completely to another bank. Don’t fuck with me, CORPORATIONS.

  • I made this short rib bolognese and it was heavenly. I will now always make short rib at home. It’s overpriced when you order it out and the fat is always kept on it when it’s served, so it’s absolutely not worth it. When I made the recipe, I did everything instructed but at the end when the meat is cooked, I separated all of the fatty bits to throw away and it elevated the sauce times a million.

Short rib bolognese

  • Some things I watched:

    • The Banshees of Inisherin - so incredibly good and unexpected. Cannot sing enough praises about it. To anyone who thought it was boring: grow up.

    • The White Lotus (both seasons) - obviously season two is juicier, but both were good. Love Steve Zahn. Is the show as great as everyone laments? Maybe? It’s hard to say because yes it’s good, but aren’t we all so sad and broken right now that anything even mildly good is considered revolutionary? Personally I liked it mainly because I like to watch people on vacation.

    • Jennifer’s Body - holy god did it suck. Why the hell was this on my must watch list for over a decade? SUCKFEST.

Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: I’d love to go ice skating at least once more this season, I know it’s lofty but I’d also love to go skiing and I really want to make a tres leche cake after recently discovering that it’s my favourite cake in the world.

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

Baby Dog thinks you should come to bed

TAGS: January, January Jewels, January Jewels 2023, Liz Heather, Nathan Macintosh, Baby Dog, monthly post, monthly roundup, Costco, Costco parking lot, Death of a Salesman, Broadway, Moulin Rouge, Broadway NYC, things to do NYC, Sephora birthday gift, Ulta birthday gift, chicken meatballs, penne alla vodka, Half Baked Harvest, red pepper flakes, TWA Hotel JFK, winter pool NYC, goat yoga, Diana Varga, Paul Fishman, Richard Darby, apple nachos, butter, lasagna soup, Zimmermann, Soho, best of Soho, Soho NYC, ZCRAVE, Mercer Street, fur coat, fur coats, Showplace Backstage, Mandarin Oriental, Carne Mare, caviar mozzarella, The Body Shop, wild pine The Body Shop, The Body Shop wild pine, pistachio cream cold brew, Starbucks, Josh wine, hair serums, Don Angie, Don Angie cookbook, Via Carota cookbook, frother, Kipozi straightener, Giorgio's of Gramercy, best mushroom soup NYC, Little Ruby's Cafe Soho, Blue Ribbon, Bistro Des Amis, Bistro Eloise, Queens, Queens restaurant, TD, TD Canada, banking, short rib, short rib recipe, short rib bolognese, pasta, best pasta recipe, The Banshees of Inisherin, The White Lotus, Steve Zahn, Jennifer's Body