Thursday, September 29, 2011

Celebrating Claire

Our precious little girl just turned 6! She is such a joy for our family. She is happy, kind and generous. She's constantly making drawings, notes and gifts for each of us. And she showers everyone with compliments and words of appreciation. I love her "You're the bestest mom!" and "This is the yummiest dinner ever!". I've really enjoyed having another girl in the house. We plan outfits and accessories together. Claire particularly likes choosing mine before I go on a date with Cam :) She is full of the magic and excitement of childhood and entertains us with funny anecdotes, embelished and interpreted by her fruitful imagination :)

** Notre précieuse fille vient d'avoir 6 ans! Elle apporte tant de joie à notre famille. Elle est joyeuse, douce et généreuse. Elle fait sans arrêt une quantité de dessins, petits mots et cadeaux pour chacun d'entre nous. Elle baigne ceux qui l'entourent de compliments. Comme j'aime ses "Tu es la meilleure des mamans" ou "C'est le plus délicieux des dîners". J'aime avoir une autre fille dans la maison. On aime planifier les habits et accessoires ensemble. Claire aime particulièrement m'aider à choisir mes tenues pour sortir avec son Papa. Elle est remplie de la magie et l'enthousiasme de l'enfance et nous ravit par ses anecdotes, embellies et interprétées par son imagination pétillante.


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Roasted Tomato Soup

For this recipe choose very ripe tomatoes. Slicing tomatoes are nice because they stand up in the pan. Don’t get scared by the length of this recipe. It’s actually very simple.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
4 lbs tomatoes
2 ½ cups chicken broth
Sour creme and fresh minced basil for garnish

1- Heat oven to 400°F. In small bowl, stir together oil, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Remove core from tomatoes; brush whole tomato with oil mixture. Place in shallow baking pan. (If you’re short on time, you can sprinkle the individual ingredients without measuring them over the tomatoes. You can also use powdered garlic and dry thyme).
2- Bake 35 to 45 min or until skins have split and tomatoes have slightly collapsed. Let cool until tomatoes can be handled. Brush seasoning off tomatoes; reserve. Remove and discard skins.
3- Put tomatoes, accumulated juices and seasoning mixture in large saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high. Boil 10 to 15 minutes, until slightly thickened, using spoon to crush tomatoes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree slightly in blender or, if desired, pass through food mill to remove seeds.
4- Pour into soup bowls. Top each serving with sour cream and sprinkle with basil.

Garlic Chicken Wings

This recipe is very easy, flavorful and kids love it. They can be used as appetizers or as part of a meal.

Chicken wings (fresh or frozen)
Soy sauce
Powdered garlic
Cayenne pepper (optional)

1- Place the wings in a big ziplock bag.
2- Generously sprinkle soy sauce and then garlic and cayenne, if using, all over.
3- Let marinate in the fridge at least overnight, 2 days is even better.
4- Set an oven rack about 4” from the broiling coils. Set oven on broil (High).
5- Place the wings on a broiling pan (the kind that separates the drippings from the meat). Wait until oven is hot, then place pan in oven. Broil for 15 minutes, turning the wings over half way through.
Enjoy!

Friday, September 2, 2011

9 months - **9 mois**

Claire & I set up the baby clothes yesterday. We had a great girly time and we're both getting really excited!
**Claire et moi avons mis les vêtements de bébé dans l'armoire hier. Nous nous sommes bien amusées et nous débordons d'enthousiasme!**