My michelle

I was just sitting here thinking about Michelle, my best friend since 3rd grade. I am so proud of her- on Saturday, she completed her first half marathon- the St. Jude Half Marathon in Memphis (where she lives)- and she did it in under two hours! She finished in the top 10% of females in her age group- and it was her first half marathon. Way to go, Michelle!

Running a half-anything is definitely not on my 30 in my 30s list. Maybe halfway around the block...if I'm chasing the ice cream truck. What is on my list is trying 300 new recipes, and Michelle will be a great help with that since she is always making good food. I recently tried a recipe that she gave me for Italian Sausage & Vegetable Soup- it was delicious and very simple and fast to make. I don't think she'll mind if I share it here. Enjoy!

Italian Sausage & Vegetable Soup

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-3 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans
• 1 medium zucchini, cubed
• 2 cups frozen chopped spinach 
• salt, pepper, parsley to taste

Directions

1. In a stockpot, brown sausage with garlic and onion. Drain. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt, pepper and parsley. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
2. Stir in beans and zucchini. Cover and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
3. Add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach. Simmer another 10 to 15 minutes.