Everyone has always searched for the secret to a long and happy life, and now the secret is out. A 100-year-old woman has shared with us how she has lived to such a fantastic age with a smile on her face the whole time. As it turns out, it’s not what most people figured! Many of us think the secret to a long life is having a healthy diet and perhaps a nice luxurious cruise. But we were all wrong!

The True Secret to a Happy Life

Olive Westerman recently celebrated her birthday as a 100-year-old woman and shared her secret for a long life. Olive shared her story about traveling with her late husband, Sam, and all their adventures. She said she lived away from England and visited many destinations, and yet her secret is never to speak to strange men.

Her Favorite Destination

Olive Westerman shares that throughout her travels, her favorite place to visit was Singapore. She lived there for three years, and it was the place where she met her husband. They started chatting one Sunday morning and instantly hit it off. All their adventures began from there, as she shared, on her milestone birthday. She says that what she loved most about her late husband was his kind, gentle nature and how he was always ready to help others in need.

The 100-Year-Old Shares Happy Memories

Olive shared that working helped keep her young at heart. She explains how much she loved working with children and how they helped her maintain a young heart and fresh spirit. Now living in the Deewater Grange residential home in Chester, she says she can’t believe she is 100, but working with children for so long has kept her young at heart.

100-year-old Olive had a lovely time celebrating her milestone birthday with friends at the residential home. The staff gifted her Estee Lauder perfume, which her late husband gave her every year. The woman’s secret to a happy life certainly puts things into perspective!

Forget about the marble-sized meatballs that can be usually found in a wide range of versions of this Italian wedding soup. In this simple recipe, they are big and very filling. Introducing: the Minestra Mariata.

What Is the Italian Wedding Soup?

This Italian Wedding Soup is unrelated to actual weddings, even though it is in its name. Instead, the Italian term for it, Minestra Mariata, refers to a myriad of flavors and ingredients. A brothy soup, known as “Italian Wedding Soup,” is often prepared with meat, greens like spinach or escarole, and tiny pasta like ditalini or orzo. Other vegetables, such as carrots, celery, and onions, complete the perfect “marriage” of ingredients to create a comforting and warm soup.

Tips on Preparing a Delicious Minestra Mariata

The Italian Wedding Soup is very easy to make. It has been further simplified so that it can be easily incorporated into a weeknight meal plan. Because the meatballs in Italian wedding soup are usually on the smaller side, making them can be difficult. To cut down on the preparation time, you can make the metaballs bigger. To add to your soup, you can use either already-cooked or buy frozen meatballs. In this recipe, you can also use baby spinach, which can be thrown into the soup without having to remove the stems or chop them.

Ingredients of the Italian Wedding Soup

• 1 1/3 cups of chopped yellow onion
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2/3 cup of chopped celery
• 2/3 cup of chopped carrot
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 6 ounces orzo, whole-wheat
• 6 cups of unsalted chicken broth
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 24 cooked chicken meatballs
• 4 cups of baby spinach
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

The Preparation of the Minestra Mariata

Step 1 In a large pot, heat one tablespoon of oil to medium-high heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery, and garlic. Cook while stirring occasionally for four to five minutes, until the onion is translucent.

Step 2 Add the broth and heat until boiling. Add the oregano, orzo, and salt, then cover the pot and simmer for nine minutes.

Step 3 Stir in the spinach and meatballs, and cook for another two to four minutes, or until the spinach is wilted.

Step 4 Serve sprinkled with cheese and drizzled with the remaining three tablespoons of oil.