My darling blog readers! What are you doing this weekend?

Tell me everything, let me make you a cup of tea, come here, sit down, fancy a cookie?

I’m sorry I’ve been MIA on the blog this week but HOO BOY, restaurant week has come upon New York City and what can I say? Mama likes to eat. I tend to go a little overboard on reservations because I get SO FREAKING EXCITED at the chance to eat for cheap at all these yummy places I otherwise can’t afford. I call everyone I’ve ever met and I’m all, HEY REMEMBER ME? I bumped into you at the Duane Reade that one time? It’s restaurant week, WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GRAB DINNER?

It always sounds like such a good idea until I look at my calendar and I’m all WOAH, that’s a lot of 3-course prix fixed meals which means WOAH that’s a lot of dessert and you DO still want to fit into your pants come spring time, right?

Meh. Sorta. It’s not really high on my list of priorities when there’s things like “Cheesecake Lollipops with Bubble Gum Whipped Cream” on the menu. AM I RIGHT!?

It’s winter time and my fleece sweat pants are extremely forgiving so I’m thinking it doesn’t really matter. Especially considering that last night, PCG ordered the “Chocolate Butterscotch Tart w/ espresso toffee chip ice cream” and I had one bite of that and was all GIVE ME MORE GIVE ME MORE. I ended up with the “Citrus Cheesecake w/ tangerine sorbet, pistachio financier” and I was all THIS IS DELICIOUS, HOLY THAT SORBET and WAIT, WTF IS A FINANCIER? ISN’T THAT A PERSON? IS THIS RESTAURANT INTO CANNIBALISM AND I DIDN’T KNOW IT? AM I EATING A GOLDMAN SACHS EMPLOYEE!?!?

Then I had horrible flashbacks to that time I sat through “The Road” and started shaking uncontrollably.

Luckily, I just took a sip of wine and another bite of tangerine sorbet and BAM! Back to my happy place.

This is just one of my tricks for surviving the winter which comes in handy on a day like today when it is -1 degree below 0 with wind chill. THANKS NEW YORK CITY!!!

This weekend, I’m going to an engagement party in Washington Heights, babysitting the twins in Chelsea and going out for Lebanese food with my siblings in Gramercy. Let’s just say I’m a world traveler, you feel me?

I fell in love with New York City again recently. It rarely happens in the colder months. I’m far too bitter and hunched over and wrapped in ten thousand layers to appreciate anything about this town and WHAT IS WITH THE WIND TUNNELS UGHHHHHHHHH.

But I was sitting across from PCG at this fancy restaurant eating a PISTACHIO FINANCIER and I was suddenly hit by the fact that if I had to leave New York, I would be achingly, horrifyingly sad. How wonderful it feels to go out on a random Thursday night and get all dressed up for no reason and take a cab home, racing down Amsterdam which is still all lit up with tiny Christmas lights, zooming fast across the bridge, past a thousand tiny apartments, past a million tiny people kicking their feet up and watching television, making dinner, putting little ones to bed, all of us, in motion, bundled up and bumping into and saying good evening, smiling and kissing with the city skyline in the background, tall buildings standing together, lit up like a night light, pointing the way toward home.