The Best of March 2025
Turks and Caicos
Turks and Caicos
Considering how bad January and February were, it’s kind of a miracle that this past month was so full of good things. I had the best birthday (of my life?) and it feels like there’s so much hope. Am I deluding myself? Anything is possible! But I’m going to try and ride this high as long as I can. Here’s what went down last month.
The best tweets of the month can be found over here.
I made these cottage cheese crackers that are ridiculously good. I’ll put the recipe below because I got it from someone’s mom on Facebook (jesus, that’s the most I-just-turned-40 statement I’ve made so far).
Cottage cheese crackers
I brush the parchment paper with olive oil as well so that nothing sticks
Speaking of turning 40, Nathan took me to Turks and Caicos to celebrate and it was an incredible trip. I should probably do a post about it. Yeah, I’ll do that. Stay tuned.
I finally visited The New York Earth Room art exhibit that’s been going on for decades and it was very neat.
The New York Earth Room art exhibit
Discovered the secret to amazing chicken parm: get bone-in. Changes the entire game.
I got these brown wedge heels from Target that I am currently living in, I love them so much. Might get them in black, too. I also bought this comically large bed pillow that might fix my life.
Lord, how I missed the Hillstone caesar salad.
Hillstone caesar salad
Nathan and I have started picking up garbage around our neighborhood twice a week and it’s been great. He got a trash grabber stick months ago, and it might seem insane but it makes us feel pretty good.
Some things I watched:
The Monkey - hated majority of it. And I realized just how much I loathe this new genre of body-harm horror. It’s gaining traction and I can’t stand it (think Hereditary, Smile 2 etc.)
I’m all caught up on The White Lotus and this season isn’t the greatest, so that’s been disappointing.
I’ve really been considering whether or not I should go to Dollywood this year. It’s the 40th anniversary (which we share), so that’s why I was thinking about it. Just a thought.
I saw The Jonathan Larsan Project (so good) and Buena Vista Social Club (stellar). I didn’t realize how much I really missed going to shows.
I’ve been using the Trader Joe’s facial sunscreen (the Goop dupe) for a few years now, but I saw actual proof of how good it is recently. When I was on vacation, I guess I forgot to sunscreen the very top part of my forehead and to see the difference between that small area and the rest of my sunscreened face after an afternoon in the sun? Wow. This stuff is a holy grail product.
I am in love with these duos that Target keeps releasing each season (below).
Friends
I had lunch at La Mercerie and it was good, I don’t know that I’d ever need to go back but it was fine. The older I get, the more I tend to be annoyed at trendy places.
I’m still making these GF bean muffins constantly. Yes they sound disgusting, but they might be the best chocolate chip muffins I’ve ever had. I should stop telling people that they have beans in them.
I did a spring french tip manicure and it turned out pretty good!
Spring french tips
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: it’ll be nice to pack away my winter clothing, I have to start looking for wedding guest dresses and I’d really like to make this firecracker chicken again.
You can read last month’s roundup over here.
The Best of January & February 2025
The beginning of this year has been rough to say the least. There’s no way to know when things might get easier, but in the meantime - here’s what went down these past two months.
The best tweets of January can be found here and the best tweets of February can be found here.
Very in love with this Patcha Soap Co. salt scrub I got from Healthy Planet. A salt scrub is forever a good gift, especially the Sabon ones.
I ate at the gluten-free place Gud Daae on Lakeshore and it was so good.
Potato Pucks at Gud Daae
Brown Chicken Sandwich at Gud Daae
Sundae at Gud Daae
I’ve come to the newish conclusion that Sephora has nothing for me. Every single time I enter that store, I feel an alarming amount of rage. Stop telling women what they need.
Andrew Dismukes has been so good on SNL lately. I’m not sure how I didn’t notice this sooner.
I took my niece Maya to see Come From Away and it was even better than the New York production (maybe because the accents were better?).
Come From Away in Toronto, ON
I bought (and had tailored) these Gap jeans and I also bought a pair of tan loafers. Really testing out a new aesthetic here.
I finally tried out the Mel Brooks idea of slicing a bagel into three parts instead of two and I feel enlightened.
Mel Brooks is a genius mainly because of this idea
I took the kids to a maple syrup farm (Elliot Tree Farm) because it should be law that every Canadian child must see how sap is made at some point. Of course their gift shop had some gems (below).
The most Canadian candle
Incredible
I cancelled my Costco membership because I’m trying to support less American companies, so I found Bulk Mart (which is Canadian) and it’s great so far.
Some things I watched:
The Substance - such a great movie. The sounds/audio was brutal to hear at times, but all in all one of the best movies of last year for sure.
Babygirl - loved it.
Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action (documentary) - pretty despicable, hard to watch.
Child Star (documentary) - it was good, but there was too much of a focus on Demi Lovato (which makes sense because she made it) but I was expecting less of her.
Enlightened - I hated Laura Dern’s character so much that it made it hard to watch.
The Apprentice (movie) - meh. But Jeremy Strong was fantastic.
The Resort - the first half of the series was good, but then it took a turn.
Mommy Meanest - I love watching a bad Lifetime TV movie maybe once a year.
Little Women (the 90s one) - how have I never seen this before? Absolutely loved it.
Big Little Lies - I was expecting more since the cast is so wild, but it kind of sucked. I really don’t think Laura Dern is a good actress and the writing was so bad.
Succession (rewatch) - Logan is so much funnier upon second viewing, I didn’t notice that before.
Lost (rewatch) - still great. Still can’t really explain the ending.
The Last Showgirl - I do like Pamela Anderson but wow is she a bad actress. Also Jamie Lee Curtis overacts in every single thing she does these days and Bautista was so hollow. The script was awful, but since it had a nepo director it’s not surprising that it wasn’t good. I did like that I could tell it was shot at the Rio in Vegas but otherwise, hard pass.
Heart Eyes - love Devon Sawa, but this was nothing special. I do love a themed horror movie always, though.
The White Lotus - god, this season sucks so far. It’s just so slow, I can’t stand it.
It would be insane if I didn’t mention it here, but Baby Dog passed away in January and everything collapsed around me. It happened quickly, but I was with her until the end and it’s hard to speak about it at all even now. Every time it snows it makes me think of her so of course there was record snowfall this year. It still doesn’t feel real, so I’m just trying to take it day by day.
Baby Dog
Baby Dog, January 2025
January Jewels 2023
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.
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