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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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?!

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.

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).

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

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?).

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.

June 29, 2024

Summer Saturdays Vol. 2

by Liz Heather in Summer Saturdays

BAKING

Will make a batch of these heavenly blueberry breakfast cookies later today.

COOKING

I’ve perfected my tuna salad sandwich recipe and here it is. Canned tuna mixed with sliced pickles, chopped red onion, dijon, a drop mayo, pickle juice, grated garlic, salt & pepper on a bun that’s been toasted in garlic butter then broiled with cheddar on top. IT IS EVERYTHING.

CRAVING

Why will I always love Lay’s? Two reasons. 1) Their original chips taste the best at parties. 2) The fact that each summer they put out seasonal flavours. Will a cuban sandwich flavour taste incredible? Does it even matter? It’s the EFFORT of creating something new. I’m a woman who will appreciate effort until the day I die.

DRINKING

Snow cones for life.

EATING

Finally went to Golden Diner and fully recommend. I am not a pancake person (because they’re so boring?) but these were other-worldly. Better than Clinton St. Baking Company.

EXPERIENCING

A grimy, Queens carnival! And can I just tell you, the Superman ride truly scared the living hell out of me. I didn’t think I could still feel that way from rides, so that was alarming (but in a fun way?).

LISTENING

The Jiminy Glick Bill Maher interview and it’s so good.

LOVING

The happy hour at Hotel on Rivington on the Lower East Side. $10 martinis in Manhattan? Get the hell out of here.

SHOPPING

Is it sad that I’m over the moon about the Scrubbing Bubbles Foaming Bleach Cleaner I got for the grout in my washroom? If your answer is yes, then I suggest you look inward because holy mother of god, this is a dream cleaner. How have I only discovered it NOW?

WATCHING

Reruns of Living Single on HBO. Now this is a reboot that would heal the world.

WEARING

Technically you don’t wear face wash, so yes I’m reaching here but stay with me. I finally started to use my Dennis Gross all-in-one face wash and I will forever be loyal to that man. A perfect face wash.

Last week’s Summer Saturdays Vol. 1 can be found over here and I’m keeping a summer highlights section over here.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.)

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.

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