Lunchtime Links for July 21st, 2014

• Crazy for Crust: No bake s'mores bars. 
• Gimme Some Oven: 5-ingredient pesto chicken soup.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Microwave Nutella cookie.
• Handle the Heat: Homemade s'mores pop tarts. 
• Cookies & Cups: Toasted marshmallow milkshake.

Shake Shack - Union Station, DC

Shake Shack's Union Station location opened on June 23rd, and of course I headed over with my friend R on opening day!

It took a few minutes to find it, mainly because I'm used to only walking from the metro to the Amtrak gates, and Shake Shack is located outside of that area.  You will definitely notice it once you are close, especially with the sign in the middle of the hallway that you can see in the photo below.

What I really love about new Shake Shack locations is that they have location-specific concretes that you can only get there.  While the Washington Monu-Mint concrete is also available at the Dupont Circle location, the Busy Bee and Beaux-arts Banana concretes are specifically made at this one.

Busy Bee: Vanilla custard, strawberry puree, and Baked & Wired Bee Sting bar with sliced almonds and honey.

Beaux-arts Banana: Vanilla custard, caramel sauce, banana and graham crackers from Pollystyle.

I got the Beaux-arts Banana concrete, and it was delicious! The big pieces of Pollystyle graham crackers were crunchy and went well with the rest of the creamy ingredients.  I loved that the dining area was upstairs, and provided a great view of the people and action going on below at the station.  If you're ever near or coming through Union Station in DC, I highly recommend stopping in for a burger or some custard! 

Lunchtime Links for July 16th, 2014

• Crazy for Crust: Peanut butter cup brownies with Oreo crust.
• Damn Delicious: Easy homemade pesto.
• Serious Eats: French bakeries in NYC. 
• Handle the Heat: Mini chocolate chip sandwich cookies. 
• Cookies & Cups: Birthday cake milkshake. 

Georgetown Cupcake - Chocolate Ganache Surprise Cupcake

The Chocolate Ganache Surprise cupcake has been offered as a free secret flavor a few times recently at Georgetown Cupcake, and I think part of it is because it's a really nostalgic flavor that anyone will enjoy.  As you can see in the photo above, the cupcake appears to be a regular Chocolate Ganache cupcake.

However, once you take a look inside, you can see the "surprise" element.  Much like the classic Hostess cupcake, the cupcake is filled with a thick vanilla frosting core.  This is a delicious and fun addition to their regular chocolate cupcake, and I'm sure kids of all ages will enjoy it as well :o) 

Lunchtime Links for July 15th, 2014

• The Kitchn: Spicy Korean grilled chicken.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chocolate chip cookie ice cream bars. 
• Cookies & Cups: Peanut butter pretzel milkshake.
• A Spicy Perspective: Tiramisu pops. 
• Oh Sweet Basil: Frozen yogurt banana dippers.

Sweet & Salty No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars by Cookies & Cups

Who doesn't love a sweet and salty combo for dessert?  I saw this recipe for no-bake peanut butter bars on the Cookies & Cups blog, and realized that I had pretty much all of the ingredients available.  That always helps to push me to try out a recipe, if I don't have to do any specialized shopping trips :o)

I added M&Ms to the peanut butter layer for even more texture and chocolate-y goodness, but otherwise I followed the recipe on the blog. This was delicious, and a great mix of flavors and textures.  This would make a great summer dinner or party dessert! 

Lunchtime Links for July 14th, 2014

• Kirbie's Cravings: Baked orange chicken. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Ice cream truffles. 
• Damn Delicious: Panda Express chow mein copycat.
• The Kitchn: Melon ball ice cubes. 
• My Baking Addiction: Salted caramel milkshake.