Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup, aaahhhh! This is a recipe my family has been making for years. The first time my mom made it for us, she printed off the recipe from Prodigy (anyone? anyone?) and we all fell in love. That was 1996, I was fourteen years old.

I made this for dinner for us last night and it was phenomenal. Easy to put together and just like a warm bowl of cozy.

I served it with finger salads which is another recipe I swiped from my mom, who found it on Pinterest. (recipe here -- I didn't change a thing to the homemade vinaigrette, but I did add BACON!)

So now, let's get back to the soup.

I T A L I A N

W E D D I N G

S O U P

1 quart chicken broth
2.5 cups water
3/4 cup Acini di Pepe pasta (Amazon)
1 teaspoon fresh parsley (I subbed for dried)
1-2 carrots, sliced thin
1/4-1/2 lb spinach, washed, julienned (I put in part of a packet of frozen spinach)
Frozen meatballs of choice (I used 20 meatballs)
1 egg + 1tsp water

Bring first six soup ingredients to a boil; drop frozen meatballs right into soup. Beat 1 egg and 1 tsp water in a small bowl and stir boiling soup as you slowly drop in the egg, stirring constantly. Cover and turn off heat; let sit for 2 minutes. Serve with grated parmesan or romano cheese.

Oh, and enjoy with wine.

For more of my RECIPES click here

Five On Friday

Coming back to the blog today with FIVE ON FRIDAY!

O N E

I posted this photo here and got questions about this pullover. I'm in loooove with it. It's from A+F (yep, haven't purchased anything from there maybe in like two decades and that's no exaggeration). 

You can find it here and I would say it fits totally true to size, maybe even a little large. So you don't need to size up if you want it to be a looser, comfy fit. 

 

T W O

Last night we had Supper Club at my friend Lori's house and she made the best supper for us. Homemade split pea soup with the most delicious cheesy croutons, a panini, and arugula salad with parmesan. Why can't I cook like this every night?!

T H R E E

Shout-out to my best boy who brings me a smile every.single.day!

He's just so sweet and easy-going, literally just a heaven-sent baby.

Seven and a half months old now, and if I can get my act together on the 6th, I'll post an eight month update!

F O U R

I'm podcast-obsessed like many of us these days. On Monday I was thrilled to be a guest on one of my favorite shows, It Sounded Like A Good Idea At The Time.

Caroline came over and we looped in Hannah, and man oh man was it a fun experience. It was like a chat with friends, just one that will air next Wednesday to the masses. :) 

Have you listed to this podcast yet? I'd love it if you will tune in and download! Start by listening to some of their past episodes to get a good gauge on what Caroline and Hannah are like. Spoiler alert: you'll love 'em. 

F I V E

Last weekend was my beautiful cousin's wedding in Cleveland, NC! I always envisioned our entire family going, but ... things looked a little different and that was okay. I took Camille only, and she had her first flowergirl experience. She was beautiful and did a terrific job. It was a little more than an hour away, but after having some fun at the reception we made the trek home.

Tonight we don't have any major plans ... Ian has an old-school Nintendo and I told him I might like to break it out together over some pizza and vino.  How about you?

Dear 2019

Dear 2018,

You went differently than I expected.

Regards,

April

Dear 2019,

Let's do this. But, could you maybe take it a little easier on us?

Last year was a bit of an emotional workout. January came in with the excitement of a newly-announced baby boy on the way. But as that excitement grew, we were simultaneously overwhelmed with fear and worry. In June, the utmost joy of welcoming Lochlan was quickly replaced with devastation the following month of Char's diagnosis, and then we circled back again to an intentional focus on joy (while still being punctuated daily with bouts of devastation). Joy, devastation, joy, devastation, joy. 

We're finding our groove, and 2019 is off to a good start. I still have days where I lay in bed at night and say "what did I ACTUALLY do to cultivate joy today?" but, for the most part, I feel like we're doing a pretty darn good job of being glass-half-full people. In an arid desert. (I should probably delete that last part, life is not that bad)

Here's what I'd like to work with you on for the coming months, Mister (or Missus) 2019. 

I'd like to have all of my babies here on Earth with me all of the months (there, I said it).

I'd like to spend each month doing FUN things. Not locking ourselves inside. I know about the germs, I know about the risks. I still want to find balance with that and have FUN. 

I'd like to feel strengthened as a family unit, and specifically as a husband/wife unit, as we deal with a situation that weakens us. 

I'd like for my children to feel happy, relieved, and warm + fuzzy the minute I walk into the room. 

I'd like to not put myself last, I'd like to still find ways of fulfilling myself as a person without feeling guilt. I wouldn't mind putting those five pounds back on, I need to eat healthier and find my appetite again. 

I'd like to think back on every single amazingly wonderful thing that was done for our family in 2018 and find a special, tangible, heartfelt way of paying it forward. 

I'd like to slow down a little bit. Smell the roses more often. 

I'd like my family members and girlfriends to know how I couldn't do it without them. 

I'd like to be a little better about Instagramming on time. Right now I'm living in a world of Latergram. 

I'd like to do more special crafts that use wee handprints and footprints. 

I'd like to travel a little bit although that feels overwhelming (and if it doesn't include every family member, it just feels wrong). But, I know that a refreshed mom is a happy mom. 

I'd like to keep connecting with wonderful people who fill my bucket.

I think we can do this. Please let me respectfully reiterate my desire to please have all of my babies here with me for all of the months.

Kindly,

April