Thursday, April 28, 2016

Linda~Orecchiette~Cookies












Linda..I ..."met".. years ago through blogging..we always keep in touch even though she is on an extended hiatus from her well loved blog.
We clicked and we still click:)
She's such a great cook/baker..and I love when she sends me an email with a link to something she has tested and liked..or loved:)
The latest was this orecchiette dish ..that both Jacques and I favor.
The little pasta bowls end up holding such flavor..w/ the pancetta(Costco)..we used to get it in Little Italy..but the last time we were at Costco they had some so we picked it up and it's good..very good..
I add toasted pine nuts to the recipe..and some red chili flakes when charring the leaves of the sprouts..
and I add basil when I have it.
Since she told me about it we have had it twice..and we will have it again soon:)

April was Letter writing month..and I think I will keep it up..
It's over now..but I think next year....I will do it again...but more.

I love posting a note as well as receiving a note..

I always want everything to get there the same day though..like an email..;)
Take for example the seeds..I ordered them online..because I really want Watermelon radishes:)  And I can't find any..
Ater 10 days the seeds had not arrived and I inquired..asking if this was habitual because it's all within Canada ..and she said yes..

Murphy's Law..the next day or close to the next day the seeds had arrived..

have to wait until summer to plant..they are not like early French radishes..

I think I am changing..Jacques is slowly ripping out a hydrangea/goatsbeard bed..(what a job!)  so we can plant a few more little veggies..
I had planted all those to hide an unsightly heat pump..I guess growing a few more veggies or garlic appeals to me more than hiding ugly now.
:)
Also chopping down those hydrangeas and goatsbeard plants is a huge job in the fall..

It's been so cold..and prepping the gardens is more difficult when cold..
Tonight..I am going to take a warm bubble bath .. wash my hands and face..and apply all those Rose samples to myself.♥
And make believe I am at a spa..and make believe I like spas..and make believe I have tried a spa.
I love home grooming.. what can I say...definetely not high maintenance.
I used to streak my own hair..till it got old too;)And till I goofed twice:) Orange was not the new black back then..:)

Bus duty..pulled out a recipe from my real estate yrs....one client had made these to greet the agents:) Sold!

They are called Terri's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies..

they are so good.I sample the batter.

Here you go:)




My notes..
I first had these over 10 yrs ago..maybe even 15.
I did not add nuts..nor the peanut butter kisses although they are delish w/ those..the Littles..like w/out fanfare.
I use a cookie scoop..and so mine take about 12 mins to bake.
They are puffy when I take them out of the oven..and flatten.
This recipe makes ap 36 cookies.

Definitely keeper cookies..

Bon weekend..may our temps warm and our gardens grow~

Shameless nana had to add Oli..a pic I took last weekend when he donned my hippie era fur collared and cuffed jean jacket to stay warm while playing football..~


He cleans up well:)♥He's the baby of all the Littles..6.
He's so cool.



photo courtesy of his mommy's Iphone.

Hmmm....he always reminds me of a very young...



80 comments:

  1. Mon he cracks me up Oli he's too grown up and shy, he will break someone's heart one day!💔

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    1. Di..he is such a sweet little guy..he is exactly that!

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  2. Cute little. My Ollie is 6 too. Still so sweet. Your orange streaks made me laugh as did your imaginary spa. I thought I was the only one in the world that hasn't visited one. Never saw the rose facial things. I did my feet again with Baby Soft before the summer flip flops. Have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. I still need to look into that!
      I had flip flops on today over wool socks..at my daughters when I took my boots off..I know your cute Ollie..still see him in the older man outfit!

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    2. I had to do a double take at the post. I thought now how is she going to make pasta cookies. Maybe a little crunchy;) And better hurry and do the baby soft as you won't be wanting to take your socks off for a week or two.

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  3. It's so great when you meet someone and you just click. My favorite cookie is oatmeal. I have a couple of recipes that I make, but I may try yours tomorrow. They sure look good. And your Oli is a cutie!

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    1. It's so funny how our eyes sparkle when we look at our grandchildren..and when we see pics of them..we have the same reaction..I think we see everything we love about them..which is everything:)
      The cookies are good..their little neighbor Katie ..told me she had had one and they were good:)

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  4. I, too, have never been to a spa! Although I got to watch my boss having weekly spa appointments in the Manor when I worked there, and to drive her to her weekly "At the Spa" appointments locally as well. Your Ollie is such a sweetheart! Mind, I think all of your "boys" are so handsome, having not fallen far from the proverbial tree I think, and I just know they are all nice kids because their grandmaman is nice! I do so love to get a letter. It is such a treat these days, but I know what you mean about wanting instantaneous for things to arrive. We are so used to click and send we have spoiled ourselves for waiting! That pasta dish looks gorgeous. I don't have any orrechetti in the house, but pleny others, and of course fresh sprouts. I see some possiblity there! Perhaps dinner today. Love the cookies. I could not be trusted around them! But then I can't really be trusted around any kind of food! Hope your Friday is as special as you are and that you have a great weekend! Love and hugs! xoxo

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    1. Time spent in a spa..would just seem wasted to me..and I am worse now..Marie..when I go for my streaks.I leave with wet hair..even in winter.
      I don't like being focused on and pampered.
      Except we were outside yesterday and Lucas came behind me and rubbed my hair and hugged me.Love that attention.♥

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    2. I would love it too Monique, you lucky woman!! Grandson pampering must be the best! My boss would sit there in her chair with her beautician at her feet, looking like the Queen Bee, and acting like the Queen Bee too. Not a nice woman, for all the money spent on making herself beautiful, it did not help because real beauty comes from the inside. You are a gorgeous woman to me, inside AND out! xo

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  5. My reaction on seeing Oli was "he looks just like David Beckham!" and then I scrolled down and saw the resemblance wasn't lost on you.

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  6. Just look at Oli :o) Both photos :o) Handsome with a great smile.
    The pasta sounds good and anything with brussels sprouts is good for me.
    Cookies sound wonderful!
    Have a nice weekend.

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  7. OK Spill the beans. The gorge guy at the end of yr as usual gorge post is the Brit soccer player ??
    WOW

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    1. You mean the gorge guy in the before last pic? Kidding..
      Yes..that's who he is..and married to..well I think she was a Spice Girl..super fashionista.
      Beckham..David.

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  8. He is so cute and I did not know he has freckles! You don't notice them in the second photo. God bless Jacques for ripping out the hydrangeas and goats beard. Can you ship him my way? I have been out a little each day in the garden and I am sore. The cookies look very good. My sister always makes regular chocolate chips so I don't want to steal her show but with the rolled oats I could not feel guilty. Besides they are healthy (I can convince myself to ease the guilt). Did you use margarine or butter and were the rolled oats the old fashioned ones not the instant oats? BTW I have the creme fraiche in the fridge doing its thing. Scones on the menu this weekend. Have a great weekend.

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    1. I used large oats in this one..let me go read the bag..just made muffins and finished it..
      Quaker large flakes..cooks in 45 minutes..
      I am sure they would be fine w/ the others..
      I used that Becel..we have chatted about it..:)
      I was thinking of you..just made Ricardo's bread and it had been a while;)
      God bless Jacques for sure..it's not the easiest thing for him..the roots on those things..I would gladly give them to you..
      Hope you like the CF:)
      Have a great weekend Terri!

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    2. Thanks Monique. I haven't made his bread in a while either. It might be a cool weekend so I may have to make a batch. I guess these are like the IKEA cookies you posted at one point.

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  9. So much to love here. So glad to see the heritage seeds. We are losing so many of the old varieties of vegies. I thought I was the only one who wasn't crazy about the whole spa regime. Will try the pasta bowl; love carbonara and adding brussels sprouts to it has to make it better. Oli is a doll. Watching the Grands grow up is one of my favorite pastimes. Cookies will be bookmarked to make when they are here.

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    1. Penny it's definitely my very fave pastime..looking at them..watching them grow..and seeing what nice boys they are..:)
      So not spa crazy..at all.
      Give me a flea market.

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  10. I hope to have a garden again one day and when I do I am buying some heritage seeds. I miss my old fashioned heirloom tomatoes! The cookies sound wonderful!

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    1. I hope you do a garden also:) !
      I hope all mys eeds take..my indoor crop so far has only been 50% success:(

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  11. You even make Brussell Sprouts look sexy! hahaha! And...I LOVE them!!
    That Oli is such a sweetie...and i agree...he does look like Mr Handsome!
    Love those freckles...I am also cursed with those!! But...now...they are called age spots...:o(
    Have a wonderful weekend Monique!
    We are off to the Lake shortly...♥️
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. Have a ball!
      I had freckles too..they dissipated w/ the yrs..and yes I have succumbed to age spots too:)Mostly my gardenhands.
      There is a little girl on the boys street..only one..Katie.. I thought of Miss V watching her yesterday..she just turned 6 though:)

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  12. You make everything look so luminous and magical. Love the little one, Oli...i thought maybe the photo was your husband as a young man!
    I am also not a spa person but enjoy the comforts, & what I even consider to be luxuries, like a modern bathroom, of home!
    Alors, elle est arrivée!!!! Je suis tellement ravie et je suis en train de t'écrire (et de te dessiner) une nouvelle petite chose! Merci mille fois pour ce beauté en papier!!! A très bientôt, R.

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    1. J'aime beaucoup correspondre..ce sont des plaisirs simples de la vie.
      Cela vaut de l'or pour moi des attentions particulières et personnelles par la poste.
      C'est comme recevoir un bouquet de fleurs printanières.
      Vive le mois d'avril!

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  13. A wonderful Friday post to read - loving everything! The orecchiette salad looks wonderful! And my empathy with that dratted goatsbeard - I never could get rid of it. And I'll take a spa day with you ( I had a three hour spa day once that was wonderful, but long, birthday present from my sister - ) . Envy at your watermelon radishes-to-be. Still no garden, perhaps the next move. Happy weekend to you and yours!

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    1. Let's wait and see before watermelon radish envy;)
      They say to not spring plant..so we will see..
      Goatsbeard GIGANTIC..and blooms for such a short time and then turns that ugly dirty brown:)
      GONE..
      I was smitten by it's ease to grow and hide things..too big..too much..for too little!
      I cared for it for 15 yrs..enough.She wasn't nice back.;)

      I wish you a garden..pots even..we need pots..always.

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  14. Monique, j'ai reçu aujourd'hui une tellement jolie carte dans ma boîte aux lettres. Elle est maintenant accrochée sur ma corde dans le salon ... aux côtés d'autres de tes oeuvres. je ferai une photo et je te montrerai. J'adore recevoir ces petites attentions. C'est tellement gentil ! Merci, merci et encore merci ! Merci aussi de tout ce que tu racontes, de tout ce que tu écris. Des bises depuis Cannes
    Hélène

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    1. Comme tu sais..j'adore les envoyer..les recevoir.
      La vie est courte..il y a le va et vient continuel de pub dans nos casiers..j'aime mieux répandre des souhaits..de l'amitié..comme tu fais SI bien!!
      Je dois admettre d'avoir été perturbée..lors de mon erreur grammaticale d'inattention..;)
      A l'avenir..je crois que j'écrirai le mot avant de peindre:):):)
      Du Québec..une sur chaque joue...vers toi.

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  15. I too through, what kind of cookies will these be made with orecchiette? LOL! I'm glad to see the pasta recipe because I love Brussels sprouts! It really sounds delicious. And, happy to see an old-fashioned, delicious cookie recipe :) They sound wonderful too! I'll be saving both recipes. But the show-stealer is Oli ♥ So handsome and his teeth still so perfect. Mack recently lost a front tooth and the other will soon be missing too. Those smiles are different for a while :) I love baby-teeth smiles.

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    1. I adore teeth smiles..And you know what I mean;)
      The baby teeth..are perfection teeth..milky white..often well spaced..Max had an extra front tooth like his mom..all 3 bigger Littles have their front teeth adult teeth now..Max will need help they are told..
      It's that stage where kids look different for a while:)
      Lucas lost half his adult front tooth a while ago.. basement brothers accident..
      they glued it on..it looks great.
      Lucky Lucas♥

      It's the style now for boys shaved all around and puffy on top..
      Like on Nashville:)
      Max and Lucas puff up more..

      I always love their LONG hair..but football helmets and long hair..hard..
      I love them any which way..
      They are all blessed with good hair.
      Like yours:)


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  16. Oh I am so glad you liked the pasta as much as we do. The first time i made it I did not have the orecchiete fso I use rigatoni and it came out wonderfully. Ollie looks so handsome and just like a DB mini-me! That haircut is called a "fade"....Jake has one too now but with very long hair on the top....all the rage! Ollie is getting to be such a big boy now but I know he will always be your baby! Those cookies look wonderful...I always use the recipe on top of the Quaker old fashioned oats container but I am going to have to try yours next.
    Bisous xoxoxo

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    1. Fade! I love when you teach me boy things:)And cooking things!!
      You are the experienced one!! You should see Max..ultra fade:)Jake and his beautiful LONG hair? he shaved the sides?

      Your boys have great hair!
      Bisous to you too..xoxox

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    2. He still as long hair on the top....so the sides are in a "fade" and the top he can either wear down...but usually he wears it up in a high pony or a bun....hey he lives in Brooklyn and is a chef....I guess he wanted that look. He is still cute! I don't have a pic to send you yet!

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  17. Sounds like an amazing pasta. I shall be trying this dish. You have the best recipes here Monique. Ollie is such an handsome boy. Love the new haircut. Chocolate chip cookies are always a favorite around here. Have a great weekend.

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  18. He's going to be a lady killer! ;) You are so proud of you grandchildren and it shows :)

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    1. I am hap py that they seem to have good hearts:)
      AS I am certain yours do too!

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  19. Monique, I wish I could send you some warmer weather. Our days are heating up far too soon for me.
    Your little Oli is adorable! Six years is a magical year. I think that is why teaching first grade was so special.
    I'm vey much like you about the spa experience. It's not for me. I recently had this conversation with one of my dearest friends. She totaly doesn't understand me. '-)
    Happy Weekend!

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    1. That's whay your gardens are so gorgoeus,sun and warmth..it may be a shorter garden season this year..we will see..I could be wrong..we're always so anxious it seems to take long to arrive!
      I love that age too sarah.
      A spa is time away from the garden and home:)

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    2. I spent the entire day in the garden today, May Day. It was an absolutely perfect day. I wish I could have given you a May basket. I love that tradition!

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  20. omg Nana - You make me laugh! I was at the luncheon the day these cookies were served many years ago and I too went home and phoned the hostess for her recipe. It is my fav! I add (or not) whatever is in my pantry or at the whim of my taste buds... raisins, cranberries, caramel bits, M&Ms, nuts etc. I use an ice-cream scoop so you don't need two. I have baked dozens of them for palliative care. They are a big hit.
    Btw, I really enjoy following your blog and trying your recipes over our dark winter days and I love the arrival of spring at your house. Beautifully and tastefully :) done Ms. Chef Extraordinaire!

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    1. LOL..who is this?
      Sweet whoever..wait..I am guessing Penney..It has to be nanapenney:)
      I think of you so often!

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    2. I just read your comment to jacques.. he didn't even know you had worked and or still work at palliative care..and he said that has to be Penney.
      Your reputation is established here as you can see.
      Heart of gold.

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  21. Mon we saw Fred driving by today with a we think a trampoline....OY they are great parent's...the Apple doesn't fall from the tree...Focus Di...all that to say we saw Brooklyn and it's a beautiful movie...we hope to go one day soon!☘

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    1. I want to see that movie too!

      Yes they did get a trampoline today..they are sharing with their neighbors at the corner..Katie:)

      They had one yrs ago..but not the new safe ones..and then a neighbor moved and asked if they could leave it at their house until they found a home and the kids fell in love with it..when the neighbors found a place they took it back..so the Littles missed it..
      new neighbors..new friends..new trampoline:)The safe one..

      I think I would like to see the new Julia Roberts movie too:)

      I have been to Brooklyn! With the girls..when I met Mario:)
      Caroline was expecting Max..

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  22. Love that pasta and Brussels Sprouts dish! And what a cutie grandson - he is a handsome young man and so happy too :) Tell Jacques great job - you can't eat a hydrangea!

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    1. He's actually very happy it's done..he prefers garlic:)
      Thanks Tricia..

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  23. The orecchiette looks wonderful, the bubble bath sounds amazing (I want one too) and that Oli is as darling as they come!

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  24. Mon I meant Ireland☘....not Brooklyn

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    1. Ah..you saw Brooklyn and wantto go to Ireland..it does look so beautiful..Nancy lived there.

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  25. You got it Mon....have a good day...gloomy though!

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    1. You too..super gloomy..going to do my Craftsy class..

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  26. What a heart-breaker! It is strange to me to hear that it is still cold at your end. Here there is a heat-wave, very hot, very dry, very dusty. I wish it would go away.
    Amalia
    xo

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  27. Monique, Sounds like a delicious orecchiette recipe and the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies look so yummy! I have grown some watermelon radishes and had them in salads, they are so pretty too!! Olie is growing up so fast, he's a cutie!!
    Hugs ♥
    Jody

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    1. That is why I am coveting the radishes..little works of art..

      it seems grandchildren grow much faster than our children did..I guess when you get older..time really does fly by faster.

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  28. I will take a lunch of the orecchiette and the cookies - and yes I always have the dough - best part! It has been so cold and rainy with lots of wind, that anything warm sounds delish!

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    1. That's what here is like ..today and yesterday:(

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  29. Oh my. i don't know what's better looking-those cookies or that boy! I'll take both!

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  30. Love both your recipes today, Monique! Cute way to photograph the cookies too. You are so artistic and clever...always am impressed.
    I miss having my own garden...can't wait to see photos of yours growing strong!

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    1. I think I make it sound better than it is:) But I will share what's growing:)
      Thank you Barbara.

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  31. Deliciosas galletas.
    Besos

    lagalletarota.blogspot.com

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  32. Love a good cookie. You need to hide that little or Victoria Beckham will be stopping by to pick up and take hime home. :) Such a cutie.

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    1. So funny Madonna!I love a good cookie too..and I don't love sweets..

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  33. Wow! Just found your blog and love it! I'm going to spend some time getting to know you through some old posts. I agree... David Beckham just doesn't seem to age. Enjoy your week.

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    1. I just popped by your blog and watched the segment on MV'sshow:)
      Very cute!

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  34. The pasta dish and cookies look like they need to be tried out here:)
    Oli is so adorable.
    Have a good week.
    Shel

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  35. Les blogs créent de beaux liens, c'est une belle expérience. Ces cookies semblent vraiment délicieux... Ça me donne envie d'en faire.
    Vous allez agrandir le potager ? C'est tellement agréable de pouvoir cueillir et récolter les fruits et légumes du jardin !

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    1. Oui seulement un petit peu..aujourd'hui..nous mettons en plat notre dernière gousse d'ail..nous aimerions en cultiver au moins le double pour l'an prochain:)Alors nous avons dit adieu aux hydrangées devenues en quelque sorte..monstrueuses..:)
      Une très belle expérience!Tu as raison Camille.

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  36. Great recipes, Monique! I love the pasta and want to try that and the cookies would be a hit here. Oli is a cutie and I bet he loves those cookies!

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  37. Yummy pasta and cookies :)

    Ollie is very handsome. You are right... I'm sure he will grow up to be a super cool guy.

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    1. His mom..says he is cool..so she should know:) You are very good at seeing:)

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