i found the perfect reading for a wedding ceremony or toast

Hi! How is everyone this week? This week’s episode of So Into That is a solo full of good ole fashioned girl chat. I dive deeper into the freeing concept of “having people over” versus “entertaining”, share the most beautiful poem that is PERFECT for a wedding ceremony or toast that I stumbled across in the wildest way, lament how my period symptoms seem to be getting worse with each child I have / year older I get, and share my trick for getting my kids to eat enchiladas.

Listen to this episode on your favorite podcast app:

I’m currently en route to Austin, Texas for a 70th birthday trip with my mom and older sister, Annie. Annie planned a mother-daughter *wellness* trip for us and I’m very excited for two days of fun exercise classes, nourishing meals, and mother-daughter time.

The three of us haven’t been alone since before my sister and I had our first sons (who are seven weeks apart — I told her I was pregnant and she got FOMO and followed suit!), so I can’t wait for so much uninterrupted adult conversation!

Annie and I are then staying the weekend for a cousin reunion — our cousin girl gang is flying in from all over the country, ah! They are my favorite people, my trusted confidantes and my biggest cheerleaders. My face hurts just thinking about how much I’m about to laugh!

1. Sarah turned the summery balsamic balsamic grilled chicken salad into a salad more suitable for late Spring weather. “I was craving summer so used this marinade for some chicken thighs that we baked like normal and made salads inspired by your other flavors. Subbed olives for strawberries and added mini mozzarella balls and cucumbers. We both loved it and will be eating leftovers for the next few days.” Sounds so good, I’m making this!

2. Get rid of 20 things a week. My cousin Lexie is into attainable Spring cleaning. Setting aside an entire day does not sound fun (or possible?) with work and the kids, but she’s been forcing herself to get rid of 20 items per week from her house. Tiny old socks, ratty old bathing suits, whatever — just start a donation bag and fill it up throughout the week. I bet you’ll end up easily purging way more than 20 items per week!

3. Kid’s watercolor coloring books. My boys have never been very crafty, but lately they’ve become obsessed with drawing! Someone suggested these watercolor kits, and they’re so, so into them. Two very physical little boys, painting for hours! It’s exciting stuff! Note if you buy these: the water pens screw on backwards — George and I spent way, way too long figuring this out.

1. Giant cutting board that sits on my counter at all times. I use this cutting board in my cooking videos all the time, so I get asked about it about 50x a day. It’s truly the best. It sits on my counter at all times, and to wash it I just leave it right where it is, spray it with dish soap, give it a scrub, and wipe it down with a wet dish towel.

2. Recipe for Second Chances by Ali Rosen. I absolutely loved this book. Can’t stop thinking about it. It was written by a James Beard Award nominated cookbook author and cooking show host, so it’s no wonder that the food imagery had me salivating and wanting to book the next flight to Italy. I love a second chance romance (maybe because my marriage sort of is one?!), and I love a story where strong female friendships (especially when they’re boarding school friendships!) are at the center, so this was a clear winner for me.

3. Liz Prueitt | Have Your Cake
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   Liz Prueitt
   is the brilliant pastry chef and co-owner behind Tartine in SF (my friends bring me a loaf of Tartine sourdough every time they come to Carmel, it’s that good!) and she just started a gluten-free baking Substack. I’m not gluten-free, but every baked good that Liz creates is solid gold, so I subscribed!

4. Beef Enchilada Casserole. This week’s WTC recipe has been a complete winner with every single member of my family, which is a difficult feat these days! To get the boys to eat it, I chop it up and mix it all up to make it look like pasta, and call it bolognese. For some reason, this works.

How gorgeous is my cousin, Lizzy?! She sent our cousin text chain this pic today and it gave me the idea to give away one of my bundles of Merit faves to TWO of you!!!

This includes: Minimalist, Bronze Balm, Brush No. 1, Clean Lash, Great Skin, Signature Lip (I love Cabo, Baby, and Sunday), and Day Glow. Basically: everything you need to do the five minute makeup routine that I rave about!

To enter, just leave a comment and tell me something you’re really into right now (a product, a quote, a poem, a mentality, anything!), or a guest you’d love for me to invite on the podcast!

Must be in the US, paid subscribers only (if you’ve been thinking about upgrading to paid, now’s the time! Many fun giveaways to come). I’ll let Lizzy pick the winners (I probably also need to give her a new lipstick or two since I didn’t ask her if I could send this pic to 150,000 people hehe) when I see her on Friday night!

I tell the entire story of how I discovered this poem in this week’s episode of So Into That! It’s so perfect for a wedding ceremony or a wedding or anniversary toast, if you don’t love to write toasts.

I just got this ribbed white tee from Buck Mason and it is fantastic. Fitted, but it’s on the thicker side and ribbed, so it doesn’t show all your bits. True to size (I’m in a medium). The jeans are AGOLDE Dagna.

Thanks so much for reading! Writing simple, delightful recipes will always be my first love, but I really enjoy getting to share other stuff too, and am having so much fun creating this podcast and newsletter.