February 2012 – Jackie Fogartie

This post is slightly overdue as my niece’s birthday party was last weekend, but sometimes life gets in the way…I’m sure you know how it is 🙂

As I previewed HERE, Brooke is nuts about all things Elmo. He is pretty darn cute, so I can’t blame her. Her party was at a little kids gym called “My Gym” where Brooke takes “tumbling” lessons. It’s pretty much the most darling thing I’ve ever seen. It was the perfect place for a kid’s birthday party! The kids loved running around and playing on all the gym “equipment.” There was even a special surprise guest… You’ll have to read on to see who we got to meet!

One of my most important jobs was to pick up the balloons. I wanted to get a lot of balloons to create an ombre effect of the party colors (red, orange and yellow). Let’s just say fitting 24 balloons in my car on a super windy day was not a good idea. Let’s also say that I did not arrive with 24 balloons either. It was fun when a few of them popped during my drive over, freaking me out and making me think they were gunshots. Ha.

A visual….

There was a little room at the gym where you could serve cake and food. After their workout, the kiddos (and adults) were hungry! My sis-in-law Drew got this cute banner on Etsy HERE …how cute!

We set the kiddos’ table with the Elmo treat bags and used supplies from Office Depot that we personalizedwith Elmo stickers Drew’s husband designed.

Elmo cupcakes were a must…how CUTE are these?!

Little Elmo was chilling in the ice bucket…

Brooke is a lucky little girl, because her special guest of honor was none other than Elmo himself! She was slightly freaked out by him, but I definitely can’t blame her. I be it’s super weird to see Elmo on TV and then see a huge version in person.

I feel like Brooke will be mad about this next picture when she grows up, but it’s so classic.

Let’s look at Brookie when she was happier …before Elmo came out 🙂 She had a super cute outfit (also from Etsy) that had a tutu but the tutu freaked her out so she wouldn’t wear it. I was sad about the lack of tutu, but she looked fabulous as always 🙂

After all the exercising and the trauma of Elmo, Brooke was pooped 🙂 Happy 2nd Birthday to my favorite little girl!

As promised, here’s the Creamy Tomato Soup recipe from the Superbowl Party. My friend Hillary said it was, and I quote: “my cousin’s wifes old Italian family recipe,” but it turns out it’s just from an old Parade Magazine. BAHAHA!

Classic family recipe or not, this soup is freaking good. Add grilled cheese bites for dipping and you’ve got yourself one heck of a fondue. Hillary made her grilled cheeses with Jarlsberg and Manchego (fancy cheeses rule) and crisped them up when she brought them over to my house. Why not have a whole fondue dinner for Valentines Day and serve this tomato soup fondue for dinner and chocolate fondue for dessert?

Too much fondue for you? (Rhyming is fun.)

Here’s the old family recipe passed down from generations of Parade Magazine Readers. Ha. Love you Hill!

Creamy Tomato Soup

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
3 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar (can be omitted)

3 cups vegetable broth
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (can be omitted)
Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup half-and-half

1. Melt the butter with the oil over low heat in a pot.
2. Add the onion; wilt over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic during the last 2 minutes, stirring. Sprinkle with flour and cook 3 minutes longer, stirring.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover; cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Season with cloves, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
4. Purée the soup in a food processor. Pour through a strainer into a pot. Stir in the half-and-half.
5. Warm the soup before serving.

PARADE
August 2000

Enjoy 🙂

Archives for February 2012

Elmo Birthday Party!

Creamy Tomato Soup Fondue with Grilled Cheese Bites!

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