Katie B

Most of you guys know Kate, but those that don't. She is my inspiration for this year. I met her in OK while she was doing some training and a year away from her hubs. Many days I think that she made it through her year, I can too and I keep trucking along.

She has become one of my very best friends, despite the distance between us. So, when she mentioned she was interested in a weekend trip here, I took her up on it. As we planned all this we knew she would be/was pregnant. So the last weekend in Feb, she came to visit (btw, she is due in May). What an amazing, selfless, giving friend! She brought Jackson a gift, even though she was the one traveling here, spending the money. I'm really blessed with my friendships in life!

Our weekend together was great. Half of the time we spent exploring and half the time we spent talking. Kate is one of those people I can never get enough of her wisdom and positive outlook on life. So fun!

In keeping with my food blog theme, here are a few restaurants we caught along the way. I was actually worried with her pregnancy that food options would be challenging, although here it was not a problem. Recette (http://recettenyc.com/) is a cute little place (I mean little, 15 tables max and they had to move them out for me and Kate's little preggo belly was almost too much).

We shared the onion soup with ox tail, spaghetti and beef tenderlion

Our dessert...Smores

Brunch at Balthazar!! This is a must when coming here, the people watching alone makes it perfect. But, the breakfast food tops it off. Kate had the French Toast with warm berries that I can only pray I can replicate for my husband one day!! Love this NYC staple

And while I was at work, Kate when out to Greenwich to visit a friend. In Grand Central, there is a Magnolia Bakery and of course, she had to stop and bring us home treats. I am now absolutely in love with their lemon bars. I normally prefer chocolate over everything, but here the lemon wins. Found their recipe in another blog (http://www.cannellevanille.com/2008/01/lemons.html), but thought it was worth re-posting!

Lemon Bars from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

Makes half a sheetpan

For the crust:

1 lb butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon zest
4 cups all purpose flour

In a mixer, cream butter and powdered sugar with paddle attachment. Add salt, lemon zest and the flour. Mix only until combined and crumbly.

Spread soft dough onto the sheetpan, going up the sides and flattening it as much as possible. I use a sheet of parchment on top and the bottom of my measuring cup.

Refrigerate the dough for about half an hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until golden.

For the filling:

3 cups sugar
9 eggs
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice
9 tsp lemon zest (about 7-8 lemons)

In a bowl, whisk eggs with sugar. Add zest and juice. Whisk until combined.

Pour the custard into the baked crust, return to the oven and bake at 325 for another 25-30 minutes until the custard is set.

Thanks Kate for coming and making for a great weekend! Love my buddies.