Apple Picking

This Saturday I went apple-picking with a bunch of my friends from law school! It was so much fun - even just being out in the country felt amazing. The weather was a lot hotter than all of us expected, but there was a nice breeze and the view was just... spectacular. Wowza!

I had my first hot apple cider of the season and we ate apples right off the trees. I came home with a variety of different apples that I can't wait to eat! What more could you ask for?! :)

What did you do this weekend? What are you most excited to do this fall?

Life Lately {vol 11}

Lately, I...

+ Struggled with looking semi-decent at law school while trying to be warm & comfy +

+ Bought James a Spider-Man chair, which he LOVES +

+ Starting using my heater & heated mattress pad +

+ Brought my winter & fall clothes out of storage +

+ Have started drinking coffee every morning, sometimes twice a day + 

+ Finally started wearing my grandpa sweaters again! + 

+ Have been missing my boyfriend + 

+ Do homework all day, every day + 

+ Re-colored the hair around my hairline, and it looks so much better & brighter! + 

+ Went to the New Hampshire Women's Bar Association benefit night thing + 

+ Got a postcard from my best friend, which made my week +

+ Fell in love with a crock pot at Target. Wowza! +

+ Made smoothies this morning! +

What have you been up to lately? Have you made the plunge to warmer clothing yet? Are you addicted to coffee yet?

Vegetarian Tortellini Soup

Hello all! I've made this soup twice in the past week and GOD HELP ME I might make it again. It's so delicious! It's warm, full of good stuff, and perfect for a crisp, fall evening!

Here's what you need:

• 1 can diced tomatoes (sodium free)
• 3/4 container of vegetable broth
• 1.5 cups of frozen, shelled edamame
• Two handfuls of mushrooms (optional)
• 1 heaping tablespoon of diced garlic
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• Salt & Pepper
• Garlic powder
• 2 cups of tortellini
• White wine (VERY optional. I had just opened a Chardonnay & felt compelled)

Prep Time: 5 minutes // Cook time: 10-15 minutes // Servings: 3-4 // Calories per serving: 213

You'll add the ingredients in that order, but feel free to alter it. Go crazy. Do yo thing.

Without heating the stove top, empty the can of tomatoes into the pot.

After you've added the tomatoes, pour in the vegetable broth. I used a little more than 3/4 of the container this time - it doesn't make that much of a difference, but as you'll see later, I could have used a bigger pot... :P

At this point, turn the stove on to a little above medium or 6/10, depending on your stove top.

Add the edamame into the soup! Feel free to add more or less than I specified - I really like it full of edamame, but it's a personal preferece. You can use fresh edamame if you can find it, but if you're like me and using frozen edamame, remember that they'll need time to thaw!

Add the mushrooms and spices! I didn't use mushrooms the first time I made this, but it was nice to have them the second time I cooked this soup. I'm a mushroom-lover though, so take that as you will.

The amount of salt, pepper, and garlic powder you use really depends on your taste. I have never had a dish with too much garic in it, so I add about a tablespoon of garlic powder... If you're not a fan of garlic, you could get away with using less garlic powder.

I had wine on hand, so I added some in just for kicks. I really couldn't taste it in the soup, haha, but I've never saying no to wine in my food!

Now is the time to add your diced garlic! As you know, I am a garlic fan... and used a lot, haha. But from experience eating this soup (I AM A PRO), the garlic isn't terribly noticable, but adds a lot of flavor to the broth! You can absolutely use less than this, but if you love garlic, go crazy!

Before you add your last ingredient (the tortellini), you will want to wait until the soup is basically boiling. Both times I've made this, the soup hasn't really boiled - it just kind of moves, if that makes sense, haha. I stirred it every few minutes to make sure nothing was getting stuck to the bottom while I waited for it to warm up.

Once the soup is hot and "boiling," add in your cheese tortellini! I used about two cups, dry. I used more the second time, and I think I prefered it with less tortellini just because I got more tomato and soy bean with each bite! I'm never going to say no to more tortellini though... ;)

The tortellini will grow and expand while they're in the pot and start to float to the surface. Make sure you're stirring it to make sure the tortellini cook evenly!

SO CLOSE TO THE TOP OF THE POT! :O

You'll know when the soup's done when the tortellini are cooked! You can poke one with a fork or your finger if you're feeling brave and make sure it's soft and almost mushy. You can also tell when it's ready when the tortellini have grown almost twice their size!

The last step? ENJOY YOUR SOUP! :)

What would you change about this recipe? Are you going to try it? What's your stance on wine with food?