Hello Night Crawlers, welcome to to Vol. 14 of The Nocturnal: Midnight Snack, a weekly recap of anything I found “shareable” over the last 7 days. Since I let you down last week, I’ve made sure this week’s edition is EXTRA JUICY and have included some of the content I started to share but then immediately hit snooze (it was 6am in Montenegro and you KNOW I’m not a morning person!!!). Anyway, I’m somehow still jet-lagged and nodding off already (I don’t even recognize myself anymore!), so let’s get into this week’s recs for what to See, Listen, Talk, Taste, & Shop:
See: Bad Times At The El Royale
Unless I go to the theater (which let’s be real won’t happen again until Barbie 2.0), I usually only pay full attention to movies on plane rides. At home I’m always doing something “productive” a la writing this newsletter while half watching in the background, and I realize it’s SO NICE to just chill for two hours and focus on the entertainment. On the plane to Spain (hehe rhymes), I made an excellent movie choice: Bad Times At The El Royale, a new-ish thriller starring Jeff Bridges and my favie, Jon Hamm.
I’ll admit I like most things Jon Hamm decides to do, but this film entertains even without his ever-handsome presence. It’s an ensemble of turns and surprises and I’ll admit it doesn’t end in a neat tidy bow where you get all the answers, but it’s overall a satisfyingly vindicating denouement. If my glowing review and this movie poster hasn’t drawn you in, perhaps this cryptic IMDB plot summary will:
“1969. Four strangers check in at the El Royale Hotel. The hotel is deserted, staffed by a single desk clerk. Some of the new guests' reasons for being there are less than innocent and some are not who they appear to be.”
Listen: “Tough” by Lana & Quavo
For those new here, I LOVE LANA. So no, it’s not that surprising that I am in love with her latest track, “Tough”. During a pre-Grammy’s event earlier this year, Lana alluded to her anticipated fall drop saying “we’re going country” and debuting its name, Lasso. Well, if this song’s lyrical content and the boots n’ denim cover art are what she meant by “country”, consider me a country music convert! This Lil-Nas-esque hip hop country, with Lana’s dreamy vocals as the secret sauce, is exactly what I need to get into my least favorite genre.
“Tough like the stuff in your grandpa’s glass”
I haven’t wanted to be a whisky drinker so much since Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” burn. I agree with one reviewer of “Tough”, who explains that what made Born To Die such an incredible album was the contrast of Lana’s sweet, melodic vocals with edgier hip hop beats —a sound that hadn’t really been created before the indie queen. And I’m SO THRILLED she’s leaning back into that sound.
Talk: Olivia Culpo’s Wedding Dress Drama
This topic is a bit dated because I KNOW, I’m a week behind, but I think it’s still worth mentioning. Overall it’s a bit wild to me that 1) people felt the need to share so much vitriol over someone’s wedding choices, but also that 2) Olivia felt the need to respond. Personally, I wouldn’t even acknowledge any negativity about my wedding choices — esp as happy as I was with my looks and as happy as Ms. C says she is with hers. I also think that as a public figure (especially an influencer, of all the types of “public figures”), this can’t be the first time she’s been met with neg comments or critique, right?? I’ve even had my share of hate comments with just a molecule of her following. That’s just what happens when you publicly post yourself on the internet in today’s age.
And though I totally agree that it sucks that people want to share mean opinions, if we’re in an age where we embrace positive feedback from strangers, I think we have to be prepped for it all. Even the bad. I’m not going to comment on her dress or looks bc I honestly don’t really think that much about what anyone else wears in general. I share when I’m excited about a look and definitely get inspired or thrilled, but looks that I don’t care for don’t really illicit any feeling in me. I’m pretty ambivalent there.
I will share, though, that alike my desire for sibling names to be cohesive and flow well with their surnames, I feel STRONGLY about a dress for any occasion being appropriate for 1) The Season/Weather and 2) The Setting. This is where I will sound off that OC’s dress looked a bit heavy for a northeastern wedding in June. It definitely gave me more late Fall/Winter in Europe at a grand Cathedral or palace energy and she had to be extra sweaty. Honestly, it’s been so balmy lately I was even more thrilled we went with a winter wedding. The heat and humidity just makes everyone look a bit messy, even when they put effort into their looks. I’m very impressed Olivia was able to keep her hair so sleek through the evening and happy that her limbs got to breathe with her very breathable after party look.
Overall, I’m sure Olivia C, alike any recent bride (myself included!!!), wanted a Sofia Richie rock the world with your wedding looks moment. But that’s a lot to expect and didn’t even happen for Olivia Palermo that same weekend, who really delighted my fashion senses with her 10th Anniversary party wardrobe. So what do you think? Should we all simmer? Should OC just shake it off?
Taste: My Cheeseburger Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe
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Mike, my hub, lovesss inventing new recipes. And as I don’t like spending time or brain power thinking about food, I usually let him lead and play the role of compliant sous chef. That is, until I had an incredible idea of my own a few weeks ago, which led to a little cook off tonight. Spoiler alert: I won!
We had recently made stuffed tomatoes (a take on stuffed peppers, but well, with tomatoes, obvi), and I had the self-dubbed brilliant idea to make the filling inside the tomato a bunless CHEESEBURGER instead. And WOW! What a success. Please remember from my last recipe post that my recipes are loose and vague, but I’m giving you enough to get the gist and I have faith you will figure it out.
Ingredients
4 large beefsteak tomatoes (the bigger the better!)
1 lb ground beef
Chopped yellow onions, garlic and seasoning
Cheese (I used Gouda and Caramelized Onion Cheddar)
White onion, chopped
Pickles, chopped
Ketchup, Mayo, and, if you’re like my hub, Mustard (I have NEVER put mustard on a burger!)
Steps
Brown meat and cook fully on the stove with garlic and onions
Prep tomatoes and carve out the insides (save this for a little bruschetta topping for another day!)
Mix cooked meat, cheese, chopped onions and pickles in a bowl
Stuff the Tomatoes
Top with extra cheese
Serve with condiments!
I’m SO EXCITED to make another version of this dish next time that has crispy bits of bacon and blue cheese instead. It’s kind of a take on a wedge salad. YUM!
Shop: A Euro Find and A Hot Summer Outfit
The one thing lacking from my Europe trip was good shopping. Le sigh. I didn’t get to peruse Majorca, so could be wrong about that one, but none of the other cities we visited had any fresh or exciting women’s items that I couldn’t get in the US. Per usual, Mike found some sick shirts from unique local shops, and I was left so desperate for a refresh I went to an Italian ZARA. I know, I’m NOT proud. However, I did find an adorable shop called Ricami Veronica in Lecce, Puglia where a woman was doing custom chain embroidery on totes, aprons, and shirts! I selected a pre-made apron design and customized it with “Santora” obvi. How trad wife of me to wear this cutie while cooking.
Additionally, I’m absolutely OBSESSED with this entire outfit I was served (and a bit sad I didn’t have it for my trip). I do have some summer pool parties approaching, though, so perhaps can rock it there? Or just around the city to maintain the golden-brown tan I FINALLY achieved 1 month into summer:
Jeffrey Campbell Gallery Sandal
I can’t find the polka dot swimsuit pictured on the Revolve site, but I did find this fun striped version which I may love even more! It’s definitely a rip off of that John Paul Gaultier look I SO NEED in my life, which I don’t love about it, but I still may get:
On my fruitless quest to find the polka dot suit, I stumbled upon this chic number I’m also adding to my wish list:
Reformation Polka Dot Swimsuit
BONUS: A Wedding Peeky
Since my substack following hasn’t BLOSSOMED quite yet, most of you know me personally, so this bonus “See” MAY intrigue you. Or it may not. But since I referenced wedding dresses in my “Talk” section, I had to throw mine out there to the wolves. I self published some wedding pics on Pinterest for a little preview. Just a few. So get at me! (but only with compliments).
Alright beautiful vampires, I must pass out wayyyy earlier than usual and leave you now. Thanks for coming back for another midnight snack. Stay hungry and restless!
See you next Sunday ;)
xoxo
Christina
I love your wedding looks! SO perfect.