Mmmmm! Delicious!!!!!!!

My Mom was here yesterday for a lightening fast visit. While she was here we went to lunch at Lenny's (our favorite sub shop) then ran a few errands, picked Manda up from school and went shopping at Mom's favorite clothing store Cristopher & Banks.

For dinner Mom us this really delicious, very tasty Minestrone Soup.
The house smelled divine while she was slaving over the stove; but even the scent of the cooking soup did not do the flavor full justice.

This is a recipe we will be using again. It was not hard to make, is good on a budget, is pretty healthy and is nice an filling with out leaving you feeling bloated. I can not wait for dinner tonight, we are having left-over soup!

After dinner last night, Mom gave us our anniversary present: A beautiful lamp which tucks behind our couch and has 5 over head "light streamers"
It's a beautiful piece of furniture in and of it's own right, but together with my living room, its stunning!

Thanks Mom for the love, the laughter, the illumination of our living room, the books and of course for this wonderful soup!

Minestrone Soup

Get everything ready first, then put together

3 Sweet Italian Sausage links, casing removed.
(Used potato masher to flatten and separate while browning.)

4 Thick slices of bacon chopped. (I used scissors to cut about 3/4 wide.)
Combine with and brown with the sausage.

1 Small onion (I used yellow)
5 cloves of garlic chopped, add to meat just before it's browned.

2 cups sliced carrots:
Add to the meat after it's browned, cook a few minutes; then add

1 cup chopped celery and cook few minutes more.

Then in large pot:

1 can diced fine stewed tomatoes in basil. (I broke mine up with my fingers.)
2 large, plus1 small can Swanson chicken broth

Add the following ingredients to the above and then cook till the veggies are almost done,
( I used low heat after adding everything. )

1/4 of a head of cabbage, chopped

4 cups of sliced zucchini--about 3 small

1/2 bag of fresh spinach, used scissors again to chop up

Salt & pepper (to taste)

Italian Seasoning, just about 3/4 teaspoon

Cook till everything is done then add:

1 can sliced potatoes, diced up

1 can cannellini beans, drained (if you can not find cannelloni beans, used white beans)

1 cup small elbow or tubetini pasta cooked

Cook till the last ingredients are heated.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese and French bread