Fighting The Winter Blues One Soup At A Time

Sofia and Jane join the pod to discuss Wanderlands, umami-packed, chef-crafted snack mixes that transport you to wild places through magical layering of aromas and flavors.

Jan 28, 2025

Happy Tuesday! It was in the negatives last week and I barely got any fresh air. Harlow looks like a woolly mammoth but I’m not complaining. I still can’t bring myself to try bone broth hot chocolate and I fear I never will. Sweaters + comfy yet cute pants are my go-to. Letting stressors slide off my shoulders. Locking social media apps 9-5.

We’re deep into winter and I refuse to truly let the blues set in.

A whole new social plan is rolling out next week for CD Studio and I’m beyond excited. Abby and I have been digging deep into the recesses of our minds to ideate recipes you’ll truly love. Whether you make them for yourself, your loved ones, or take inspiration to create your own dishes we’ve got something for you. We’re shooting for 1 drink and 1 food item per week with a bunch of other useful content. Keep your eyes peeled and make sure you’re following me at citrusdiaries.studio.

Last year was crazy and I’m not slowing down. A whole new era of the studio is coming!

This week’s podcast guests are Sofia and Jane of Wanderlands, umami-packed, chef-crafted snack mixes that transport you to wild places through magical layering of aromas and flavors. If their packaging doesn’t draw you in, then their personalities will. Such a good convo touching on all my favorite areas of CPG.

I have a cozy and nourishing Italian Wedding Tortellini soup for you this week. It’s so easy but packs a ton of flavor. Fam approved and recipe requested! Enjoy <3

Podcast: Sofia & Jane of Wanderlands

Sofia & Jane of Wanderlands...aka the coolest people

About Sofia Rovirosa, Co-Founder
Sofia Rovirosa is the co-founder of Wanderlands. She grew up in New Mexico on her family’s 4th generation pecan estate with a strong sense of connection to both food and land. This curiosity and love of the outdoors took her across the high deserts of Arizona and New Mexico closely followed by the US Virgin Islands, southeast Alaska, and eventually, Napa, where she immersed herself in viticulture as a cellar master at a winery in Napa, California. This hands-on experience working closely with the land inspired in her a love and respect for the concept of terroir — the idea that something could capture the essence of a place and season. Her passions led to her desire to replicate this with her family’s pecans, creating Wanderlands to share this sense of “somewhereness” with others.

About Jane Ko, Co-Founder and Head of Brand & Marketing
Jane Ko is the co-founder of Wanderlands. The head of brand and marketing, Jane Ko’s experience spans 20 years across multiple industries at Kellogg (leading global brand strategy for brands Pringles and Special K), eos, L’Oreal, Nars Cosmetics & Multiple CPG/Beauty Startups. Jane earned her PhD in Neuroscience at Harvard University and champions the application of neuroscience and neurosensory techniques to develop stronger and more memorable brand products and experiences in CPG.

IG visitwanderlands | wanderlands.com

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Recipes

Blueberry English Muffin Bfast Sandwish [post]

I saw this recipe for blueberry english muffins a few weeks ago and simply couldn’t get it out of my mind. They were so easy to make and turned out to be the fluffiest, most delicious english muffin I’ve ever had. The blueberry flavor really comes through thanks to the blueberry compote you add to the dough.

I immediately made a breakfast sandwich with berry jam, breakfast sausage patty, butter fried egg over medium, melted american cheese, and arugula dressed with red wine vinegar. It truly was a perfect combination of salt, fat, acid, and heat. ;)

Tortellini Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup has always been in my top 5 list of soups but it’s one I rarely make. Something about it always felt intimidating. Recently, I realized it’s basically chicken noodle soup but with meatballs. So now that I’m no longer a vegetarian, making my own meatballs is kinda fun. Still tbd on it meat freaks me out or not. I basically have to meditate while I’m making them. Anyways, I think you’ll love this.

Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp neutral oil

Soup:

1/2 yellow onion, minced
3 medium carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
4 cups chicken bone broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 package cheese tortellini
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Garnish: fresh parsley and grated Parmesan

Directions

Meatballs:

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese. Mix gently with a fork until smooth, being careful not to over-mix to prevent tough meatballs.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the oil. While the oil heats, form the meat mixture into dime-sized balls.
Test one meatball by cooking it thoroughly until browned on all sides. Taste and adjust seasoning in the meatball mixture, if necessary.
Cook the remaining meatballs in batches, searing them on all sides until no pink remains in the center. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Soup:

Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot with the remaining beef fat. Sauté over medium heat until softened and fragrant.
Pour in the chicken bone broth and bring to a boil.
Add the meatballs and cheese tortellini to the pot. Cook the tortellini according to the package instructions.
Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
Remove the pot from heat and stir in the white wine vinegar.
Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.

Weekly Favorites

I’ve said before how much I love my recipe journal and that’s continued to hold true. There’s something so nice about having all of your cult classic recipes in the palm of your hand, no swiping or scrolling required. As digital media has an uncertain future of security, the preservation of anything printed is more important than ever. This recipe journal from Papier will be my next purchase when my current book is filled.

I’ve been wearing a cute lil matching flannel PJ set every night this winter and it’s such a minor change to my nightly routine but a welcomed one. There’s something so luxurious about matching PJs. I’m eyeing this cotton set for the warmer weather.

I love everything Damson Madder does but I’m especially eyeing this top and jogger set for the warm weather, even though that feels very far off. It’s currently -2 in Columbus.

Who knew a nightlight could be so fab?? I’d call myself an avid nightlight user if that’s even a designation I can give myself. So why not bring a little flair to the forgotten spaces in my home (aka outlets).

I got out of the shower the other night to Wes listening to The Red Clay Strays Tiny Desk concert and was immediately hooked. I’ve been shuffling their Spotify religiously.

I feel like I’ve never talked about Notion on here before but I feel like you should know how much I love it. I have organized every aspect of my life and business in there. Perfect for client profiles, to-do lists, podcast episode organization, meal planning, goal setting, etc. BIG fan.

My favorite purchase of 2025, which may be a dramatic statement, are the Chunks claw clips. Their style, quality, and ability to hold my hair up no matter the length earns them a spot in my purse at all times.