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LIZ HEATHER

May 1, 2024

April Activities 2024

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


Union Square market flowers

Union Square market flowers

  • The best tweets of April can be found over here and the best NYC earthquake tweets are over here.

  • Loved this part from a NYT newsletter about the eclipse written by Elizabeth Dias: “For a nation pulled apart by every manner of division, the eclipse also offered a moment of unity, however brief. It was a reminder to everyone, on the same day and at the same time, that life can be magical. That being alive is a collective experience. That there is something astonishing about being part of the greater story of things.”

Eclipse Nathan!

  • In Nathan news, he was on The Tonight Show for the third time promoting his new special (Down With Tech), and Vulture wrote two pieces about him and the new special (!) - so he’s had a great month.

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Baby Dog came to The Tonight Show

  • I made this asparagus soup and it’d be a better recipe if it were strained, but it was perfectly fine. I think this is another one of those foods that tastes better when it’s a special at a restaurant.

  • I tried and finished a bottle of “hair growth support” powder and it didn’t do much. Can someone please remind me never to cut my hair again?

  • Loving the acne spot treatment from Bubble.

  • Am I waiting for the August Nordstrom sale to buy a coat that I basically already own but in a different colour? Obviously.

My other coat in the background: “…GIRL”

  • Made this New York Times couscous and why can’t I seem to remember that their recipes are very blah? It’s as if it were AI generated. Oh no, are recipes going to be created by AI in the near future? Oh my god they are, aren’t they.

  • I made the switch to Redken shampoo and conditioner and Nathan and I both have seen a huge difference. My hairdresser passionately convinced me that I should stop buying cheap shampoo and it really was great advice.

  • I made this dark chocolate strawberry yogurt bark (below) that’s pretty fun if you’re desperate and don’t have ice cream.

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A post shared by Marianna Moore (@mariannas_pantry)

  • I saw the new Diane Von Furstenberg line at Target and the kids section is beyond cute.

  • I know I won’t shut up about Wegman’s, but are we all aware of how good their individual cookies are? And their slices of chocolate cake? And their family-sized protein powder with 1 gram of sugar?? The deals are almost infuriating.

  • In NYC restaurant talk: the pasta at Ci Siamo was phenomenal (better than Lilia), the cocktails are better than ever at Manhatta, the kale caesar at Fumo is incredible, the fried chicken at COQODAQ is overrated but their chicken curry is outstanding (I also loved that they had house wines, BRING BACK HOUSE WINE + HOUSE WINE PRICES), the malt vinegar skinny fries at Motel Morris are perfection and the vodka parm at Compton’s in Astoria is only okay (again proof that TikTok famous sandwiches contain more hype than flavour).

Ci Siamo, NYC

Manhatta, NYC

  • Snack I can’t stop eating: hummus mixed with feta and chopped red onions (dipped with either sliced cucumbers or carrots or pita chips).

  • Saving my money now for the new Lemax phantom castle that comes out this Halloween.

  • I met Harrison Ford (!) near Columbus Circle and he was very kind and extremely handsome. And I’ve never seen such a confident stride in my whole life. Man’s a stud.

Highlight of life

  • I’ve been making this spinach wrap (below) for weeks and can’t get over it. I’ve been topping it with shredded chicken and either buffalo sauce or tzatziki sauce.

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Spinach & egg wrap with shredded buffalo chicken

  • In my quest to dress better, I bought these perfect gingham pants.

  • SNL had two especially good sketches this month: Jumanji and The Engagement.

  • I visited The Pastry Box in the East Village and it was ridiculously good.

The Pastry Box, NYC

The Pastry Box, NYC

  • Some things I watched:

    • Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (HBO) - it was fine, I was hoping to like it more.

    • Quiet on Set (HBO) - nuts. Parts of it are really hard to watch.

    • Past Lives (Prime) - heartbreakingly good, just loved it.

    • Late Night with the Devil (AMC+) - I liked the style of it, but the ending was sort of ruined for me inadvertently. Hard to say if it was actually good.

    • Alien (in theatres) - Nathan and I saw the 45th anniversary screening of it (I’d never seen it before) and it was fantastic. Weird that I’d never seen it and weirder that I loved it?

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I’m seeing Belle & Sebastian at the new Paramount Theatre tonight, I’ll definitely go see the new fashion exhibit at The Met, I might try to see I Saw The TV Glow at the Angelika and I really want to get to Smorgasburg sometime this month before it gets too hot to enjoy.

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

TAGS: monthly, monthly post, monthly roundup, Liz Heather, April, April Liz Heather, April Activities, April Activities 2024, Harrison Ford, spinach wrap, spinach egg wrap, easy wrap, healthy wrap, April flowers, Union Square market, eclipse, eclipse quote, Elizabeth Dias, NYT, Vulture, Nathan Macintosh, eclipse glasses, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon, Baby Dog, Down With Tech comedy special, Down With Tech, asparagus soup, hair growth serum, hair growth powder, acne spot treatment, Bubble, acne spot treatment Bubble, August Nordstrom sale, couscous, Redken, hair advice, dark chocolate strawberry yogurt bark, ice cream alternative, Diane Von Furstenberg, Target, Wegman's, Ci Siamo, best pasta NYC, Manhatta, Fumo, best kale caesar NYC, best chicken curry NYC, COQODAQ, Motel Morris, best fries NYC, malt vinegar fries NYC, house wines NYC, Compton's, Astoria, Compton's Astoria, TikTok, Jessie Hooker-Bailey, snack, hummus, great snack, healthy snacks, Lemax phantom castle, easy wrap to make, gingham pants, Target best pants, Jumanji SNL, The Engagement SNL, SNL, The Pastry Box NYC, Albert Brooks, Quiet on Set, Past Lives, Late Night with the Devil, Alien


August 7, 2022

July Jiffs 2022

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


The beginning of August is basically the best time of year because it ushers in the anticipation for autumn and the holidays. Am I reaching? The anticipation of something is almost as sweet as the actual arrival of whatever it is you’re waiting for.

In any case, here’s what went down last month!

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

  • I wrote about the first leg of my summer trip to London, England.

  • I went to the American Dream mall in New Jersey with my friend Diana, so thankfully I never have to go again! It’s really just a spectacle, and not in a good way. Why would you ever need a mall to have indoor skiing available? Isn’t the best part of skiing the scenery that surrounds the hills? Am I crazy? Regardless, the mall is terrible. It’s way too big, there are countless empty storefronts (because of the ludicrous rent, I’m assuming) and the furniture is gaudy as hell. Absolutely no reason to go again.

Even she is thinking, “Why are we here and what is this.”

Beautiful Diana sitting amongst the idea that money does not equal taste.

“Take me home.”

  • I went to Brighton Beach for the first time with my great friend Paul (who just moved back to NY) and what a fine beach it was. Not as filthy as Coney Island, but almost as nice as Rockaway. I can’t really put into words how incredible it is that he moved back here, so just know that this fact is the highlight of my summer.

Paul! In New York!

  • Speaking of Paul, his perfect husband Richard made us a meal one night using ground beef from Stoudemire Farms (which I’ve always wanted to try) and it was spectacular. Must remember to buy it the next time I’m at the Union Square market on a Friday.

  • I also went to Bar Marseille with Diana and the food was great! It’s right near Rockaway, so I wasn’t expecting a lot from a beachside place but I’d definitely go back. The steak sandwich was perfect.

  • It only took 18 months, but the dog volunteering that Baby Dog and I used to do is finally back! It was cancelled in February 2020 for obvious reasons and just started up again this month. It’s organized through New York Cares and it happens once a month on the Upper West Side. Essentially, you bring your dog to the auditorium of an elderly care center and any residents who love dogs come down to play with them for an hour. We do it each month and the more dogs that come the better, so I should really post about it more on Instagram. Yeah, I’ll get on that. (The next one is scheduled for August 10th, email me for more information if you’re interested.)

Can you tell how excited she is?

  • Since it’s Restaurant Week, Irene and I went to The Grid restaurant at the Great Jones Distillery mainly because I was intensely craving good halibut. And yes, the food was good but it’s extremely overrated. I’m sorry but no restaurant ever should charge for basic bread and butter. It’s offensive. The service was good, but you can just tell people weren’t trained very well. And for a place so new and beautiful, you’d expect a lot more.

  • I saw Mr. Saturday Night on Broadway and all that I can say is wow. A perfect show and a beautiful theatre. Can every single comedian in this town go see it immediately before it closes next month? It’s wildly good. I’ve never felt more seen than I did in this song sung by a comedian’s wife.

Mr. Saturday Night on Broadway, July 2022

  • The only time I like to drink rose is in the summer (I’m pretty original, I know) and I think I found the best tasting one of life.

Ruby Red Rose with Grapefruit

  • I’ve started making garlic butter almost once a week now and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop? It’s so superior to every other thing inside my fridge. Sure you could buy garlic butter, but it tastes infinitely better if you make it yourself, I promise.

Homemade garlic butter

  • I made this lamb bolognese from Antoni Porowski and I think it’s even better than the Alison Roman one that I love so much (it might be because I bought the coriander seeds whole and then ground them up in my spice grinder? The flavour of that individual spice is so crazy good, I had no idea). Obviously one is a fast lamb recipe and one is a leisurely one, so I’ll continue to keep both in my rotation. But you absolutely have to make the three hour one at least once to see what I’m talking about. Especially since Costco sells ground lamb now.

Antoni Porowski’s heavenly lamb bolognese

  • I went to the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn for the first time and what a perfect theatre. Love that they have a beautiful bar attached (House of Wax).

  • Some Things I Watched:

    • I really had low expectations, but I went to see Marcel The Shell With Shoes On and it was beyond sweet.

    • Indecent Proposal is on HBO right now so I watched it for the first time and loved it.

    • I saw The Thomas Crown Affair and it’s such a party. I love this kind of 90s movie. Perfect in every way.

    • I watched the first episode of Loot and it really just wasn’t for me.

    • Of course I saw the whole first season of The Bear and it’s as good as everyone says it is. With the exception of the sister, I don’t know if she’s just written badly as a character or the actress is just wretched. Either way, it’s the worst part of a great show. Episode seven is clearly the best one. (Also, I badly want to make this recipe now.)

    • I also saw the whole first season of The Summer I Turned Pretty and this really scratched my summer/teen itch. Perfect summer show.

    • I saw the Victoria’s Secret documentary and oh my god, I might have to stop shopping at Bath & Body Works now.

    • I started the new season of Only Murders In The Building and other than the inclusion of Amy Schumer, it’s been good so far.

    • I also watched Porky’s and Screwballs for some reason?? Obviously I hated both? I think I was just so desperate for an old teen movie that I haven’t seen.

    • After those two disasters I have no other choice but to cleanse my palette and rewatch Clueless.

My absolute favourite Cher outfit

  • I’ve been there a few times, but I think it’s time to declare how much I officially hate Astoria Park. The RFK bridge above makes it way too loud, the jet skis in the water blast the worst music, the grass has more brown patches than any other park in the city, the train is at least a 15 minute walk away, there are zero food or water vendors anywhere. WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE THIS PARK? God, it’s awful.

  • I made these cheesy poblano corn enchiladas and they were really good. In hindsight I should’ve added some shredded chicken or something to them to make them slightly heartier.

Cheesy poblano corn enchiladas

  • I finally went to see the Amityville house and even though they changed the eerie window frames, it’s definitely still creepy. One thing I wasn’t expecting? How nice that town is! It’s like some big secret, I think. Would totally live there.

The house from The Amityville Horror, July 2022

  • I made my favourite strawberry crumble coffee cake and it’s always a winner. Pro tip: use cake flour for the cake part and use regular flour for the crumble topping to really make it perfect.

Strawberry crumble coffee cake

  • I ate the July-only-special Emmy cheeseburger dumplings from Mimi Cheng’s and they were good but not as good as the first time I had the last year. Am I evolving past cheeseburger dumplings…? God I hope not.

Emmy Burger Dumplings (Emmy cheeseburger dumplings in collaboration with Pizza Loves Emily/Emmy Squared, dry-aged beef, aged white cheddar, crushed pretzels, caramelized onions, and Emmy Sauce) Pan-fried only. (8 pieces) $17.25

  • Incase you care, August is the only month you can apply for SNL tickets so get on that, if you so desire.

  • Also, if you’re going to the CNE in Toronto next month, you can get free tickets for kids under 13 if you fill out this form.

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I’ll continue to mark things off of my summer list, I can’t wait to see my friend Dusty’s movie that’s being screened at the MoMA next week, and I can’t wait to take a few more little summer trips (stay tuned).

Summer bitches

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

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