hello!
sorry i took a little break there.
we enjoyed celebrating three holidays over the weekend [valentine’s day, vietnamese new year, and presidents day]
and, most of all, i enjoyed finally getting our carpet in our newly finished basement! what a relief! we still have some work to do, but it’s been so nice to be able to actually go down there and let the kiddos play and not get all dirty.
so, with that of course comes all the moving of boxes and things… so, that has taken up all my time.
but, i can’t wait to share with you pictures of my new office/studio/craft room, or whatever they are calling it these days. my husband stained my concrete floors, and i’m in love with the color. oh, and did i tell you i ordered wallpaper too? i’m so excited to put it all together. i hope to share pictures soon. it will definitely be a work in progress as i have to keep myself from wanting to buy everything at once, but little by little i hope to make it a great place for inspiration! and, seriously… you’d laugh at all the random craft supplies i have. my closet is already full and i haven’t even put all my stuff in there. maybe one day i’ll show you a picture, but it may be embarrassing.
so, with that of course comes all the moving of boxes and things… so, that has taken up all my time.
but, i can’t wait to share with you pictures of my new office/studio/craft room, or whatever they are calling it these days. my husband stained my concrete floors, and i’m in love with the color. oh, and did i tell you i ordered wallpaper too? i’m so excited to put it all together. i hope to share pictures soon. it will definitely be a work in progress as i have to keep myself from wanting to buy everything at once, but little by little i hope to make it a great place for inspiration! and, seriously… you’d laugh at all the random craft supplies i have. my closet is already full and i haven’t even put all my stuff in there. maybe one day i’ll show you a picture, but it may be embarrassing.
anyhow, sorry to ramble so much. it’s been a dream of mine to have my very own room, so, i’m a bit excited.
so, back to what i was originally going to post about.
soup.
this tortellini with vegetable soup has been a favorite at our house for years. if you haven’t noticed, i like soup.
{tortellini + vegetable soup}
ingredients
1 package fresh tortellini [i used italian sausage this time, but i like to change it up, chicken, cheese, whatever. this can be found the refrigerated pasta section at the store]
8-10 cups chicken broth
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 package frozen chopped spinach or 1 cup fresh chopped spinach
1 zucchini squash diced
1/2 onion diced
1 clove garlic, minced
parmesan cheese, grated for the top
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp dried or fresh parsley
1 tsp dried bay leaf, chopped or 1-2 dried leaves
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
8-10 cups chicken broth
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 package frozen chopped spinach or 1 cup fresh chopped spinach
1 zucchini squash diced
1/2 onion diced
1 clove garlic, minced
parmesan cheese, grated for the top
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp dried or fresh parsley
1 tsp dried bay leaf, chopped or 1-2 dried leaves
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
directions
in a large pot add broth, herbs + bring to a boil. add all vegetables and leave on medium to medium-high heat, covered until carrots are tender, about 20-30 minutes. add tortellini and cook for another 5-7 minutes. add parmesan cheese to the top of each serving.
in a large pot add broth, herbs + bring to a boil. add all vegetables and leave on medium to medium-high heat, covered until carrots are tender, about 20-30 minutes. add tortellini and cook for another 5-7 minutes. add parmesan cheese to the top of each serving.
[can also add shredded chicken]
*serve with yummy rolls or crusty bread
oh, and have a great weekend! i’m taking off early and heading to so. cal this weekend for my cousins wedding! [hi thi-anh!] should be fun! we’ll be partying it up on a yacht in newport beach! wish me luck as i’m taking my 7 month old norah with me. luckily, i’ll have lots of help since my parents and sisters are coming! should be fun! mainly, it will be great to see family and eat vietnamese food!
p.s. any good tips on shopping? i think i’ll try to go by fashion island, and south coast plaza…
{photo by me}
how exciting to have your own room! I'm putting one together for myself too, it's been a few months in the making and I still have a couple boxes to sort through! excited to see what fun things you do with it! and i love soup too, especially in february.
I'm excited to see the unveil on your basement, and hoping to see your craft closet in there too. I need all the inspiration I can get. Love the idea of stained concrete floors. Brave and bold.
I'm from SoCal myself. Still visit family all the time, in Mission Viejo (15 min south of NB). Have you been to the Anti-Mall west of South Coast Plaza? It has an Urban Outfitters, a Buffalo Exchange, and some other great little shops. Then if you head south on the 5 a bit, there's the Irvine Spectrum where the 5 and 405 meet. It's a huge outdoor mall (a la Fashion Island) but with a vibe of its own. Then, not like you want to drive all this way with your little one, but there's a PB outlet by Lake Elsinore, which is over the mountains on scary Ortega Highway. Have fun! I always love heading down there!