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LIZ HEATHER

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


June 15, 2023

May Musings 2023

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


God, I love the spring months. Everyone seems to be in a good mood, the wind is the perfect amount of chilly, the birds can’t seem to shut up and asparagus soup is on every single restaurant menu. Perfect season, no notes. Here’s what went down in May!

  • The best tweets of May can be found over here.

  • I wrote about the book Keep Moving by Dick Van Dyke.

  • I finally got to visit the abandoned City Hall subway station.

  • I flew with Flair Airlines for the first time and say what you will about them, but it’s amazing that they have a system in place so that you can pay for your pet-in-cabin online. ZERO other airlines have that figured out.

  • In love with the Essie polish “sew gifted” even if the name is atrocious.

Love an Essie Easter colour

  • I tried the banana pudding monthly flavour at Magnolia Bakery (brownie caramel) and it was only meh. They really don’t need to be so flashy, the original is perfectly great.

  • I’ve been using the Trader Joe’s facial sunscreen (it’s supposed to be a dupe for the Supergoop one) and it’s wonderful. I mean, I think it is? I’m not smart enough to understand the qualities of good sunscreen.

Trader Joe’s facial sunscreen

  • Are we aware of how great The Smith’s happy hour is? The black truffle arancini? Yowza. So good.

With Irene at The Smith for martini happy hour

  • Here’s a gentle reminder to take photos of good outfits.

Nathan + a fantastic coat

  • I perused Alison Roman’s newest cookbook Sweet Enough and I definitely want to make Nora Ephron’s bread pudding from it.

Nora Ephron’s recipe for bread pudding

  • If you grew up in Ontario in the 90s, then you understand the greatness of Tahiti Treat. The LCBO just released a vodka version of it, and yes it’s as good as you can imagine.

  • I took my niece Tianna to the Spirit Tree Estate Cidery in Caledon and it was so lovely! We had flights of different ciders, insanely good pizza and I bought a jug of coffee milk that blew my mind.

  • My friend Marla made me this heavenly rhubarb syrup for drinks/cocktails and I’m forever onboard with rhubarb now.

  • I returned to Corner Bistro for the first time in years and here’s a thought: a fatter burger doesn’t necessarily equate to a better burger.

  • How the hell am I learning NOW that there’s a Capriotti’s in NYC?! I thought it was only in Vegas. Love knowing that I can get a Thanksgiving sandwich any time I damn well please.

The Bobbie Thanksgiving sandwich at Capriotti’s, NYC

  • I saw Bad Cinderella on Broadway since it’s closing soon and yes I’ll always support ALW - but this was on another level of bad. Hated the lead actress, hated the music.

Bad Cinderella on Broadway, NYC

  • Okay, if you’re not buying wild blueberries then you should be. I’ve had it with the cheap, flavourless blueberries that are the size of softballs. BLUEBERRIES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TEENY. The frozen, wild ones from Whole Foods are the best tasting ones I’ve found in NY, but the Canadian frozen ones from the east coast are top tier too. Make blueberries tiny again.

  • In other Liz-Is-Angry news, a “Pittsburgh salad recipe” never needs to see the light of day. Food bloggers really need to take time off sometimes.

  • I went to Scooter’s Roller Palace (grateful that it still exists after all these years) and it was beyond fun.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Liz Heather (@lizheather)

  • I went to see the new fashion exhibit at The Met and it warrants a full post, so you can read about it over here. I also saw the new rooftop exhibit that I didn’t love.

The Met rooftop exhibit, May 2023

  • I tried the Holler & Glow self-heating eye mask and it’s incredible. Perfect for headaches and allergies, especially. Gonna buy five more.

  • I read somewhere that the best brownie mix was the Trader Joe’s one, so I got it and it’s great, sure, but mainly because there are added chocolate chips in the mix. So really as long as you add chocolate chips to any brownie mix, it’ll be amazing (but this should already be clear to you - who isn’t adding extra chocolate to brownies? Losers, that’s who).

  • I made this lemon almond pudding cake that was good, but I don’t think I ever need to make it again.

Lemon almond pudding cake

  • But these protein cookies? Will absolutely make again.

  • Love a classic bread pudding and this recipe turned out great.

  • It took me 38 years to discover my love of green curry. I have my dear friend Richard to thank for this, so now I’m on a mission to find the best one in this city.

  • Ate at Cactus Club twice and even if the service is terrible, the food is still pretty good. And the company was even better.

With Marla at Cactus Club in Mississauga, ON

  • Some things I watched:

    • Nora From Queens (newest season): I only watched the first episode and honestly gasped at how bad it was. Struggling to muster the energy to keep watching.

    • Fatal Attraction (the TV series): In all honesty, I only watched this to see Pacey have sex on screen. And I did enjoy the series up until the ending, WHICH WAS SO TERRIBLE that I regret ever having started it.

    • Party Down (newest season): Only watched the first episode and it’s all right. Kind of hate that COVID is apart of it. Might not finish.

    • If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast: Loved it. Everyone should see it. Love that Seinfeld’s mother lived to be 99.

    • Carol: an incredibly slow movie, but fine. Can’t remember why this was on my must-watch list.

  • Baby Dog in a basket will always make me happy.

  • Zara can be the worst or best store, depending on the season. And right now, it’s on FIRE. I think I bought three Zara dresses in the last month alone. (A polka dot midi dress, a strapless tulle dress and a printed tunic dress.)

Zara tulle dress

  • Loving the mango lip scrub from The Body Shop.

  • Does it make sense that Tim Hortons has incredible ice cream? Absolutely not. But their maple crunch flavour? Good god. Better than Häagen-Dazs.

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: finishing off some final spring activities, writing my summer list, going to Wonderland with the girls and then taking advantage of strawberry season.

My nephew Romeo!

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

Baby Dog, never not posing

TAGS: Liz Heather, May Musings, May Musings 2023, lilacs, spring, Keep Moving Dick Van Dyke, City Hall Station NYC, Flair Airlines, Essie, Essie sew gifted, best nail polish, banana pudding, Magnolia Bakery, Trader Joe's, facial sunscreen, Trader Joe's facial sunscreen, Goop dupe, The Smith happy hour, happy hour NYC, best happy hour NYC, The Smith happy hour NYC, Irene Morales, Nathan Macintosh, Alison Roman, Sweet Enough, bread pudding, bread pudding recipe, best bread pudding recipe, Nora Ephron, Nora Ephron bread pudding recipe, Tahiti Treat, LCBO, Tahiti Treat vodka, Tianna Heather, Spirit Tree Estate Cidery, Caledon, coffee milk, pizza Caledon, cidery Ontario, Sheldon Creek Dairy, rhubarb strawberry soda, Corner Bistro NYC, Capriotti's, Thanksgiving sandwich, Thanksgiving sandwich NYC, best sandwich NYC, the bobbie, Bad Cinderella, Broadway, Canadian wild blueberries, Pittsburgh salad, Scooter's Roller Palace, roller skating rink, family, The Met, The Met rooftop, Holler and Glow eye mask, Trader Joe's brownie mix, lemon pudding almond cake, recipes, best recipes, protein cookies, classic bread pudding, The Cactus Club, green curry, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens, Fatal Attraction, Joshua Jackson, Pacey, Party Down, If You're Not in the Obit Eat Breakfast, documentary, good documentary, Carol, Baby Dog, Zara, Zara dress, mango lip scrub, The Body Shop, Tim Hortons ice cream, Supergoop, Supergoop sunscreen dupe


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