farmhouse's chicken tortilla soup

September is literally around the corner, so as the weather cools down a bit, a hearty bowl of yummy soup is always a great option for lunch or dinner.

This recipe is loaded with intense flavors and lots of yummy protein. Make sure to top in with cool avocado slices for the ultimate flavor experience.   

FARMHOUSE’S CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

Ingredients:

8 (6 inch) Corn tortillas, cut into strips
8 Cups chicken stock
2 Chicken cooked breasts, shredded
1 Large sweet onion, diced
4 Garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 Sprigs fresh oregano
2 Medium tomatoes, cored and diced
1 Chipotle Chile, minced and 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce that it is packed in
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained
1 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
1 Tsp. Chili powder
1 Tsp. Smoked paprika
3 Bay leaves
Salt and Pepper

Garnishes:

Lime, cheddar cheese, avocado, cilantro leaves

1.   Coat the tortilla strips with some oil, salt and pepper. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes until crunchy. Cool; set aside.

2.   In a stock pot, on medium heat, add oil until it begins to lightly smoke; add onions, garlic, smoked paprika and chili powder. Cook until onions turn translucent and very fragrant.

3.   Add tomatoes, chipotle chili and adobo to pot and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes.

4.   Add chicken stock, oregano and bay leaves. Bring to a rolling boil.

5.   Reduce the temperature of the soup to a low simmer and add  about 1/2 the amount of chicken breast and a can of black beans.

6.   Keep soup on a simmer for about 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to meld. Add salt and pepper to taste.

7.   Remove oregano and bay leaves before serving.

8.   For each individual bowl, first add shredded chicken to the bottom of the bowl and top with hot soup. Garnish with tortilla strips, avocado and other toppings.

ciao! fabiana

Recipe and photo courtesy of Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens.

fresh fall floral vignettes

Fall florals don’t always have to be about earthtones and muted colors. Yes, I do love that look, but I’m finding that white flowers mixed with fall décor can be quite elegant.

Here’s a little table I set up in the back yard last weekend for a gathering. Even though it’s not officially fall yet, there’s an end of summer mood to this look.

This zinc bucket and cozy plaid throw are flea market finds from the Old Town Tustin Flea Market. I love the rustic quality of the bucket set against the fresh white hydrangeas and the cheery red apples. 

A bunch of fragrant white stock plays up nicely to the textures on this faux bois majolica pitcher I got at the flea market. It was a real deal at only six dollars!

Even though this look isn't the typical fall vibe, I still think it has enough natural textures in it to pull it off, especially  this early in the season.  

Here are the same hydrangeas brought into the house and adding charm to this corner of my dining nook. I can’t get enough of white hydrangeas right now.

They really look great any time of the year, don’t they? I can’t wait to stock up on white pumpkins to add to this corner.

Do the cool fall days get you in the mood for baking? Apple picking season is starting, and I’m beginning to think about making some of my favorite apple desserts like Apple Walnut Brownies and Easy Apple Tarts. 

Yum! 😋

You can’t beat the smell of warm apples and cinnamon!  

Roger’s Gardens already has their fun Halloween “haunted rooms” set up this week. I stopped in yesterday for an early peek and these velvet pumpkins are on my radar… 

aren’t they cute?  

ciao! fabiana

P.S. Don't forget to follow me on instagram for all the latest!

yummy pumpkin spice spritz cookies

The pumpkin shape and aromatic flavor of these

cookies will definitely get you in the mood for fall.

Celebrate fall with these easy-to-make pumpkin spice butter cookies that will be sure to tingle your taste buds and put you in that perfect autumn mood. Traditionally known as spritz, these light butter cookies are usually made around Christmas, but now with the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves, they’re perfect for fall.

Warm all your senses on those cool autumn days,

with Pumpkin Spiced Spritz and a hot cup of coffee. 

Did you make spritz cookies growing up? I have vivid memories of decorating spritz during the holidays when I was a little girl and being amazed at how beautiful the cookies were when they came out of the oven.  

These adorable holiday cookies are pretty easy to make with the help of one simple kitchen gadget, the cookie press, which comes with a variety of different disks. My cookie press came with this adorable pumpkin shape, but leaves and circular forms can easily be dressed up for fall. 

Additional disk shapes for other holidays and themes can also be purchased and added to your collection.

A custom mix of sparkling sugars gave me the desired

shine I was going for on these little pumpkin cookies.

The recipe for these cookies is very straight forward and foolproof. I found that the cookies stick better to aluminum cookie sheets, as opposed to parchment paper or a silpat.

The first cookie probably won’t turn out pretty, so just throw it back into the bowl of batter. It just takes a little bit of practice to figure out how much clicking is needed to get the perfect cookie on to the baking sheet.

Create your own little blend of glittery sprinkles by

combining different colors of sparkling sugars.

For this batch of cookies, I created my own little blend of glittery sprinkles by combining red, orange, yellow, gold and white sparkling sugars. This custom mix gave me the desired festive look I was going for.

In addition to the glittery colors, I used natural food color in the batter to give the perfect pumpkin hue.

Tingle your taste buds and put yourself in that perfect

autumn mood with these delicious Pumpkin Spice Spritz.

Feel free to add your own special touch to this recipe!

Find this easy recipe here at Romantic Homes.

ciao! fabiana

P.S. Don't forget to follow me on instagram for all the latest!

old town tustin flea market

It was the fourth Sunday of the month, so that means it was Old Town Tustin Flea Market day! This flea market is pretty small, but worth the short drive. It’s really fun to grab a cup of coffee and browse…

I’ll share a few of my treasures, tomorrow!

Mark your calendars for next month,

it’ll be on September 23^rd.

ciao! fabiana


P.S. Don't forget to follow me on instagram for all the latest!

end of summer pink hydrangeas

End of summer vibes going on here today in my family room. I’m loving these huge, floppy mop-headed pink hydrangeas that just seem to last forever!

The secret, I guess, is soaking the hydrangeas upside down in the sink for at least 15 minutes and letting them soak in tons of water. Keeps them fresh for so long!

Happy Saturday!

ciao! fabiana

roses and blue transferware for fall

Those muted fall tones usually are my go to for autumn, but here’s a prettier look for the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Beautiful blue and white transferware can be quite adaptable, especially if it has a hint of fall pattern to it, that’s why I chose these blue and white salad plates with a wonderful bird motif.

These photos are actually outtakes from an alfresco Thanksgiving photoshoot I did recently. I ended up going in a totally different direction for the final layout, but you can see some similarities.

You really can’t go wrong with blue and white transferware, and I love how it pairs so well with this vintage blue cabbage rose tablecloth I made.

It’s actually just a yard and a half of fabric that I cut into a square and frayed the edges. It worked perfectly because of the linen-like texture of the material.

Aren’t these napkins perfect? They definitely add that much-needed hint of Thanksgiving to this look. I found a set of these last year at Home Goods, my favorite store!

My grapevine provides the most amazing colored leaves in the fall, and work nicely with these glittery gold pumpkins.

Thanksgiving may be three months away, but autumn decorating is just around the corner. Have you started in on your fall décor yet? 

ciao! fabiana

P.S. Don't forget to follow me on instagram for all the latest!

super fun autumn decorating ideas

I'm so honored and excited to be featured in this month's Country Sampler's Autumn Decorating issue. 

Isn't the cover featuring this cozy Minnesota cabin in the woods so perfect for fall? Inside, there are pages and pages of great seasonal ideas...

it's hard to believe they included a couple of my favorite fall decorating vignettes from my blog. 

I think you'll really like this issue with all the great decorating ideas. Unlike some magazines, there aren't a lot of ads taking up precious space, just lots of pages of fun inspiration 🎃

Autumn is just around the corner and you can find tons of projects and decorating inspiration in this brand new issue of Autumn Decorating, available in stores today. 

Cozy homes, seasonal sights and fun Halloween spookiness... this is the perfect way to get in the mood for fall!

ciao! fabiana

beautiful coastal decor

There’s nothing quite like a house by the sea. Subtle coastal elements are my favorite things about a beautiful coastal home. Another prerequisite is rooms that are light, airy and relaxed.

It looks as though a beach inspired color palette of blue and greige interspersed with tons of natural textures and a clean white background is the common thread in all these homes… a perfect mixture of sophistication and laid-back confidence.

Even if you don’t live by the beach, you can infuse a bit of your favorite seaside looks into your home. Here are some of my favorite coastal rooms from this week…

ciao! fabiana

P.S. Don't forget to follow me on instagram for all the latest!

photo credit:

1. Architectural Digest 2. Coastal Living  3. Country Living

4. House & Home  5. Traditional Home  6. Country Living

7. Architectural Digest  8. Domino