The Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T (Vol. 2)

Recipes, The White Lotus and a Self-Care app I'm loving! 🌸

Hi hi! Welcome to this week’s R.E.P.O.R.T—a cutie little peek into what’s been filling my days, my cart, and my brain lately. I haven’t done a post like this in a while, so I decided to bring it back! The acronym stands for reading, eating, playing, obsessing, recommending, and treating—and honestly, it’s just a cute excuse to round up the things I’ve been loving lately. I’m thinking of it like a weekly coffee catch-up 🥰 Let’s dive in!

Reading: …Tbd 🫣

Ok I have to be honest—I’m not currently reading anything. To share this on a platform that is all about reading and writing feels a little silly, but I gotta keep it real. I will say though, that I recently fired up my Echo Frames (which are sunglasses that have speakers built into them so you don’t need headphones!) and I was immediately transported to last summer. I walked baby Betty at least 4x a day, and every time I would listen to an ACOTAR audio book. I read the entire series in a few months, and I have my Spotify premium account and an energetic puppy to thank for that. With that said, I’m open to audio book recs! And regular books too, but having one in my ears is super helpful 🥰

Eating: Spring Green Spaghetti Carbonara

My quest for getting more comfortable in the kitchen took a small hiatus, but I’m back and feeling really proud of myself! Last weekend I made Ina Garten’s spring green spaghetti carbonara and it was so good I got teary eyed. It’s completely comforting and so lovely—as only a giant bowl of pasta can be. This would make a fantastic dinner party dish and you should a thousand percent make it yourself. Especially if you’ve had a rough day, or week, or month—it’s complete comfort food. I had planned on making chicken to go with it to get my protein in, but ended up completely foregoing it because… well, I just didn’t want to. It’s so lovely.

Playing: The Finch App

I gave into ads I kept seeing about this self care app, and I admit, Finch is the best (and most fun!) habit tracker I’ve found. If you grew up with a Tamagotchi you’ll totally get the vibe. You essentially have a pet bird and every time you complete a task (do the dishes, a load of laundry, take a walk etc) you get gems to buy your bird clothes and decorations for their house. They also come with completely adorable and ridiculous names, it’s so silly and fun. And tbh, it helps me keep my house tidy 😂 It’s totally free—here’s a link to check it out if you like. Our birds can be friends! Mines named Sparkles and we’re currently in Brazil hahaha.

Obsessing: The White Lotus, season 3

Last Sunday, like so many others, I watched the last 30 minutes of The White Lotus finale through my fingers, barely breathing. I’m honestly still processing everything that went down in this 8 episode season (oh my Lord there’s a lot to unpack) and I’m honestly a little relieved that this will be the first Sunday in a while where I can go to sleep at a normal hour without my brain tumbling over clues and what ifs as I drift off to a fitful sleep.

Even though the finale was last Sunday, I’m still listening to interviews with the cast, with Mike White, reading hot takes and letting the season stew in my brain. I’m actually late to The White Lotus party—I binged both season one and two before the season 3 premiere and wow, what a trip. I’m totally obsessed. I also can’t help but think about how this is Mike White’s baby. How it’s literally only him (there’s no writers room!!) I wonder who he bounces ideas off of, or if he feels massive pressure from how wildly successful it’s become. I have so many thoughts, but I’ll refrain from spoilers. In short, I was riveted—and I clearly can’t get enough of it. I wouldn’t be mad if we started chatting about it in the comments hehe 👀

Recommending: Homemade Bread

I’ve started making no-knead bread in my Dutch oven over the weekend and it’s a new Sunday ritual I’m falling in love with. My Sunday routine consists of waking up early, making the dough, then finishing up and editing my Substack before hitting send. It’s ready by dinner time, and my husband and I have homemade bread for the week. Or truthfully…til Wednesday if we’re lucky. It’s delicious.

This is the recipe I use and it’s completely beginner friendly. My one tip is to put lots of flour on your parchment when you shape the dough for the final rise. I didn’t use enough the first time and it was a sticky mess since the dough got stuck to the paper. No shaping can happen if you don’t use enough flour—I learned that the hard way!

Treating: Tate’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok so I’m realizing almost all of these this week are food! 😂 What can I say, I love to eat, and I’m so happy to be sharing so many recipes today. But this one you can pick up at the grocery store, and they’re Tate’s chocolate chip cookies.

May is my birthday month and I’m already dreaming of ways I’d like to celebrate throughout the month (because why save it for one day?!) and I’d like to make my own cake. Maybe even more than one throughout the month if I’m being totally honest, and one I’d like to try is Ina’s mocha chocolate ice box cake. Its layers of Tate’s cookies between mocha whipped cream and Ina says it makes grown men weep. Say less Ina! I bought a bag of the cookies on a whim and ugh, they’re perfect.

Tate’s cookies aren’t soft, they’re thin and crispy. I can totally see why they’re the recommended cookie for the icebox cake. The bag of cookies didn’t last long, and the icebox cake is coming. I can’t wait! I’m also completely tickled that Tate’s Bake Shop is in the Hamptons—of course Ina recommends them!

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And that’s a peek into my cozy little life lately. 🥰 How was your week? I’d love to chat and connect in the comments! As a heads up, there will be no post next Sunday—I’ll be hosting Easter brunch for my family! Another In My Hostess Era post to come. I’m hoping it will be helpful for anyone planning a Mother’s Day brunch, which is a mere three weeks after Easter. Time is flying!

Have a wonderful Sunday 😘

xx, Kristen

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