Perfect for Summer: Lemon Brownies

Well hello friends!

I haven't shared a recipe in awhile, and this one is really good and perfect for summer, so it had to be shared. I don't know about y'all, but Garrett and I LOVE lemon flavored desserts. They are the perfect amount of sweetness paired with a tangy citrus flavor, and they scream summer. 

Despite the fact that these are called Lemon "Brownies", there is no chocolate in them, brownie just refers to the texture. Which is incredible.

What you need:

(for the brownies)

3/4 Cup Flour

3/4 Sugar

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick), softened

2 Eggs

2 Tablespoons Lemon Zest

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed

(for the lemon glaze)

1 Cup Powdered Sugar (or to taste)

4 tablespoons Lemon Juice, fresh

8 Teaspoons Lemon Zest

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 pan, set aside.

2. Zest and juice 3 lemons, set aside.

3. Beat together the flour, sugar, salt, and butter until well mixed.

4. Add in the eggs, lemon juice and zest (2 Tablespoons each). Beat for several minutes until you have a creamy, smooth texture.

5. Pour into baking dish and bake for 23 to 25 minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle is dry. Do not over bake, these will get dry. 

6. Allow brownies to cool completely before adding the glaze. 

To make the glaze:

Mix powdered sugar, lemon zest, and juice. Spread half over the brownies, let set. Pour the remaining glaze on the brownies, cut into bars, and enjoy!

Taylor Swift VIP Experience: Denver

Hey y'all!

If you have been hanging around here the last couple of posts, then you already know that I have had some amazing Taylor Swift experiences lately. I even got to meet her! You might also remember me telling you that my husband surprised me with VIP tickets to Taylor's Denver show! Well, that's what this post is going to be about, and then after this post I promise there won't be any mention of Taylor Swift for a little while. 

So, Sunday night, Garrett and I got ready and headed to the Pepsi Center to watch Taylor. I was beyond excited. Since we were VIP, we got to enter the venue early, buy merchandise before anyone else, and go to the Red Ultimate Experience VIP room. They had dinner, drinks, and a candy bar along with a photobooth. Oh! And we got two boxes full of Taylor Swift things: lanyards, glowsticks, bracelets, blankets, tour books. You know, cool stuff. We also met some really nice people and had fun visiting before the concert. 

I promise I did not make Garrett do this! The night before the concert, we were at Walmart and he found this cape and decided he was going to paint his face and wear this. He's such a trooper!

I was so excited that I got the chance to see Taylor's mom Andrea again. I had written her a thank you card for choosing us to meet Taylor in Austin, as well as printed off two pictures for her. She is so sweet and genuine.

 

Taylor's "Mean" dress from her Speak Now tour.

Photobooth fun!

Hahahahahahahhahahaha hahahahahahahahaha

After dinner we headed to our seats which were amazing! I have never been up front for a concert of someone I loved, it was the best experience! Our tickets said we were in the 4th row but when we got down there we were actually in the 3rd row. Being able to see everything from there was crazy. Plus, Taylor looked at me once : ).

Get ready for picture overload...

Here's a video that Garrett took of I Knew You Were Trouble! I still can't believe we were so close.

 And there ya have it, I am finally done with all things Taylor Swift related. For now atleast. She was amazing and I am so glad I got to have this whole experience. Thank you to my perfect husband for getting the tickets, dressing up and going with me, and singing along, and yelling. 

I had the time of my life with you.