Lunchtime Links for November 30th, 2011

• Serious Eats: Rick's Picks' flavors.
• Cupcakes Take The Cake: Sweet potato cupcakes with marshmallow topping.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Dining at Google.
• La Fuji Mama: Chocolate pumpkin truffles.
• Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm.

Georgetown Cupcake - Peanut Butter Banana Cupcake

 

As many times as I am able to go to Georgetown Cupcake, there are a few elusive "secret" flavors that I never seem to be able to snag.  This Peanut Butter Banana cupcake is - or should I say, was - one such flavor.  

Finally, finally, FINALLY, I was able to get to the Bethesda location early in the day and pick up this cupcake.  The most dominant smell is definitely the peanut butter frosting.  This frosting was AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.  Provided that you're a fan of peanut butter, this could be one of the best peanut butter frostings ever.  It was so light and fluffy, super peanut butter-y, deeeeeeelicious.  Which isn't to say the banana cake wasn't good too, but, man......... that frosting!! 

My only criticism... throw some bacon on top, call it an Elvis cupcake! Haha. 

Lunchtime Links for November 29th, 2011

• Bakerella: The Muppets cake pops.
• The Budget Babe: Kristin Cavallari in Chinese Laundry.
• The Kitchn: Grilled cheese croutons for tomato soup.
• Serious Eats: Atlanta food trucks.
• Yahoo:  Ryan Gosling pancake.

Shake Shack - Shackenstein Custard

Yup, it's really THAT green.

Here we have Shake Shack's Shackenstein custard, which is available in October every year.

This custard consists of green-colored vanilla cream cheese frosting flavored frozen custard, with pieces of chocolate covered chocolate cake. So, as minty as it may appear, it's not mint-flavored at all, haha.

The color was a little scary at first, but this was a tasty cup of custard! It's cake IN ice cream, what's not to love? It was a fun way to celebrate Halloween on the actual day :o)

Lunchtime Links for November 28th, 2011

• Chobani: Chobani pumpkin muffins. 
• Serious Eats: Federal donuts in Philadelphia. 
• A Passion For Food: Warm Sunrise tea.
• La Fuji Mama: Quick Mao Pao tofu.
• The Kitchn: 8 fudge recipes.

CVS Deals - Week of 11/27/2011

Once again, this week's CVS deals include another $10 gift card for purchasing $30 worth of specially marked items.

Remember, the $30 requirement is for the price of the items, not the price after coupons.  So with a little planning, you can spend less than $30 and still get the gift card.

This week I got:

• 6 Puffs with lotion tissues: $0.99 each on sale, $1/6 manufacturer's coupon.
• Tide Free & Gentle 32-load laundry detergent: $5.94 on sale, $2 manufacturer's coupon.
• Dawn Hand Renewal: $0.99 on sale, $0.20 manufacturer's coupon.
• 2 Pantene: 2/$6.97 on sale, $3/2 manufacturer's coupon.
• Oral-B Cross Action power toothbrush: $4.99 on sale, $3 manufacturer's coupon.
• 2 Cottonelle wipes: $1.99 each on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon.
• Glade scented oil plug in twin pack: $4 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.

There are also two great Extra Bucks deals this week:

• Complete 12oz contact solution: $8.99 on sale, $8.99 Extra Bucks back.
• Lysol Healthy Touch no-touch hand soap system: $9.99 on sale, $3 manufacturer's coupon, $5 Extra Bucks back.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for November 25th, 2011

• Washingtonian: Michael Landrum's new Steak and Cheese.
• Ohdeedoh: Milk and cookies baby shower.
• Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm.
• Serious Eats: Pennette with spicy Sicilian pesto.
• Eater DC: Little Serow's opening menu.

CVS Deals - Thanksgiving Weekend

Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone!  Everyone knows about all different types of Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales, but did you also know that CVS has a number of awesome deals until November 26th?

The majority of the big deals are Extra Bucks deals, which means you pay money up front but get it back in the form of Extra Bucks.  In essence, it's like getting the items for free with a rebate.  And, if you have coupons for any of the items, you get back the Extra Bucks PLUS overage!

On Thanksgiving day I got the following:

- Peanut M&Ms single pack: $0.75 on sale, $0.75 Extra Bucks back.
- Starbucks Doubleshot: $1.69 on sale, $1.69 Extra Bucks back.
- FiberOne 90-calorie brownies box: $3.99 on sale, $0.40 manufacturer's coupon, $3.99 Extra Bucks back.

- LA Looks 20oz hair gel: $2.49 on sale, $1.00 manufacturer's coupon, $2.49 Extra Bucks back.
- 2 Softlips tubes: $2.00 each on sale, $1.00/2 manufacturer's coupon, $2.00 Extra Bucks back.
- 2 Carmex tubes: $1.00 each on sale, $1.00/2 manufacturer's coupon, $1.00 Extra Bucks back.
- 3-pack of Listerine Pocketpaks: $2.99 on sale, $0.50 manufacturer's coupon, $2.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Colgate Total toothpaste: $2.87 on sale, $1.00 manufacturer's coupon, $2.87 Extra Bucks back.
- CVS floss picks: $1.99 on sale, $1.99 Extra Bucks back.
- GUM toothbrushes, 2-pack: $2.99 on sale, $2.99 Extra Bucks back.

- Advil PM 4-count: $0.99, $0.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Advil 10-count: $2.99 on sale, $2.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Excedrin 8-count: $0.99 on sale, $0.99 Extra Bucks back.
- 2 Theraflu single packs:  $0.99 each, $3.00/2 manufacturer's coupon, $0.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Pepto-Bismol 4oz bottle: $2.99 on sale, $2.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Cepacol lozenges: $4.99 on sale, $4.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Breathe Right 12-count: $5.99 on sale, $1.50 manufacturer's coupon, $5.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Be Koool kids' fever reducer pads: $4.49 on sale, $4.49 Extra Bucks back.

- 4-pack of CVS AA batteries: $3.65 on sale, $3.65 Extra Bucks back.
- Philips 3-in-1 remote: $6.99 on sale, $6.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Philips earbuds headphones: $6.99 on sale, $6.00 Extra Bucks back.
- Finish dishwashing tabs, 10-count: $2.99 on sale, $1.00 manufacturer's coupon, $2.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Kleenex Cool Touch tissues: $1.50 on sale, $1.50 Extra Bucks back.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for November 24th, 2011

• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin biscuits.
• In Good Taste: Quick cranberry applesauce.
• The Pioneer Woman: Pumpkin soup.
• Cupcakes and Cashmere: Homemade potato chips.
• My DC: Mussels.

Happy Thanksgiving!

There are lots of things to be thankful for every day, but Thanksgiving is a particularly nice time to focus on the positive.  This year I am thankful to be spending Thanksgiving with good friends for my first ever Friendsgiving, haha.

On a more silly note, I am thankful for Nordstrom's for taking on such a strong stance on Thanksgiving.  I came across this sign at the Nordstrom in downtown Seattle a few weeks ago:

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Lunchtime Links for November 23rd, 2011

• The Kitchn: Bread basket recipes. 
• Georgetown Cupcake: Interview and recipes.  
• Bakerella: Dark chocolate chip cookies.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin spice latte cupcakes.
• Serious Eats: Soft cheesy "focaccia".

Japanese Freshel BB Cream

Some of you may have heard of Asian BB cream recently - "BB" is short for "Blemish Balm", but in reality these products do so much more than that!

I honestly didn't know too much about it until a year or two ago when my mom brought back a tube from Japan.  She said that it was very popular and there were all sorts of different brands being sold in Japan.  I wasn't really jazzed about it at first but the product has grown on me.  This particular brand (pictured above) moisturizes, provides light coverage, and evens out my skin before applying makeup.  Apparently you can also use this for a "non-makeup makeup" look, but I use it more as a base for the rest of my products.  

Here's some more information about BB creams if you're interested.  In the US they might be a little more hard to come by unless you buy them from online sites that are based in Asia, but Sephora has a few versions on their site.

Lunchtime Links for November 22nd, 2011

• Tasty Kitchen: Japanese potato croquettes.
• Joy the Baker: Pumpkin cookies. 
• Gossip Girl: Recap from NYMag.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Three ingredient peanut butter cookies.
• Picky Palate: Sweet potato cupcakes with cinnamon sugar cream cheese frosting.

Buzz Bakery: Cookie Monster Cupcake

 

As many of you may know, I'm a huge fan of Oreos - so it shouldn't be a surprise that I really like cookies and cream cupcakes as well!  

I picked up this Cookie Monster cupcake after dinner with friends at Buzz Bakery's Arlington, VA location.  I couldn't find an official cupcake description, but the cake has a ball of cookie dough in the center, cookies and cream frosting, and a mini cookie sandwich on top!  

Unfortunately the mini cookie wasn't the best thing to try first, as what I thought were chocolate chips were actually raisins.  Isn't that the WORST?! Well, if you don't like raisins that is, haha.  The frosting was great and the cookie dough in the middle was a fun little surprise.  I'm not sure I would get this again - something about the cake tasted a little off to me, but that could've been a one-off situation as well.  They do have lots of sweets in each of their locations though so definitely check them out if you're nearby!

Buzz Bakery - Ballston

818 N. Quincy Street

Arlington, Virginia, 22217

Phone: 703.650.9676

      

Lunchtime Links for November 21st, 2011

• The Kitchn: Trader Joe's pumpkin butter.
• Picky Palate: Reese's Pieces giant cookie for one.
• Serious Eats: Piri piri shrimp. 
• A Passion For Food: Afternoon tea at Bergdorf's.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin donut holes.

CVS Deals - Week of 11/20/2011

Once again, this week's CVS deals include another $10 gift card for purchasing $30 worth of specially marked items.

Remember, the $30 requirement is for the price of the items, not the price after coupons.  So with a little planning, you can spend less than $30 and still get the gift card.

This week I got a $10 Shell gas card by buying:

• Six Hershey's holiday candy bags: 2/$5 on sale, three $1/2 manufacturer's coupons.
• Soft Scrub bathroom cleaner: 2/$5 on sale, one $1.50 manufacturer's coupon. 
• Two L'Oreal Everpure hair products: 2/$12 on sale, one $2 manufacturer's coupon, one $1 manufacturer's coupon. If you want to save even more money, pick up the leave-in treatments. They are more expensive than the shampoos or conditioners, but still on sale for the same price!
• Two Ultra Palmolive dish liquids: $0.99 each on sale, one $1/2 manufacturer's coupon. 
• Two Brut deodorants: Buy one get one free ($2.58 regular price), two $1 manufacturer's coupons.

 I also got a great deal on face products that I use on a regular basis:

• Two Clean & Clear face products: Buy one get one 1/2 off on sale ($6.89 regular price), two $2 off manufacturer's coupons.

Finally, there are two deals this week that equal free stuff!:

• Three Hallmark cards: Buy three cards, get $3 Extra Bucks back. I bought three $0.99 cards to get all three for free.
• Excedrin 8-count: $0.99 on sale, $0.99 Extra Bucks back.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for November 18th, 2011

• Today Show: Georgetown Cupcake's pumpkin spice and caramel apple cupcake recipes.
• The Kitchn: Sweet potato chocolate brownies.
• Gossip Girl: Recap from NYMag.
• Serious Eats: Japanese coffee milk cereal.
• Adventures in Bentomaking: Cute animal doll bento boxes.

Passport to Style - Georgetown Cupcake's Hope for Henry Cupcake

I love Georgetown Cupcake as it is, but I love them even more when they use their cupcakes for good!  In addition to numerous charity-related cupcakes they've had in the past, I recently came across some tasty cupcakes at the Passport to Style event back in October.  This was my second year attending this event, and it's a great event for some worthy causes.  Of course it doesn't hurt that there's always been great food and fashion at this event! 

In addition to a number of fun items in our swag bags for attending the event, there was a signature bright pink box with a salted caramel cupcake inside.  The fondant decoration is specifically for the Hope for Henry foundation, which was one of the charities that our tickets and donations went to:

"Hope for Henry Foundation (HFHF) improves the lives of children with life-threatening illnesses by providing carefully chosen gifts and specially-designed programs to entertain and promote comfort, care and recovery. HFHF brings smiles and laughter, hope and magic into the lives of these children and their families."

Cupcakes for a charitable cause makes them all the more better, in my opinion :o)



Lunchtime Links for November 17th, 2011

• The Kitchn: Oven-baked tater tots.
• Eat Drink Pretty: Hot chocolate recipes.
• Serious Eats: Japanese home cooking.
• With Style and Grace: Pumpkin treats. 
• Millionaire Matchmaker: Recap from TVGasm. 

BOGO Starbucks Holiday Drinks

What great news to come back from Seattle with: Starting today, November 17th, Starbucks is offering a Buy One, Get One Free deal on their holiday drinks from 2-5pm.

This deal is valid from today until the 20th, so be sure to go this weekend if you're with a friend and looking to try out any of their holiday drinks!

Seattle, Woo!

Hey everyone!  Since I'll be heading to Seattle to visit my family today, I figured the blog would take a little siesta of its own.  I'll be back soon, hopefully with lots of new goodies from Seattle to blog about!

Have a great day!

Lunchtime Links for November 9th, 2011

• Metrocurean: Komi's new Thai restaurant.
• The Kitchn: Baked apple cider doughnuts. 
• Top Chef: Recap from NYMag.  
• Martha Stewart: Pumpkin-swirl brownies.  
• Just Bento: Japanese sandwiches. 

ShopHouse DC

I've been to ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen in DC twice now, and I can't wait to go back again!  The concept is derived from Chipotle, which makes for a streamlined ordering process and the line moves fairly quickly.  The only thing stopping the line somewhat is that the various menu items/toppings are not listed on the overhead board, so if you haven't been before you'll need to ask the person behind the counter what everything is. Hopefully they'll have some signage up or menus that people can peruse while they're waiting in line at some point.   

Here we have my friend B's brown rice bowl with grilled steak, Chinese broccoli, green curry, green papaya slaw, pickles, herb salad, toasted rice, crispy garlic, and crushed peanuts.

And here's my brown rice bowl with pork and chicken meatballs, long beans, spicy red curry, green papaya slaw, herb salad, toasted rice, crispy garlic, and crushed peanuts.

Both bowls were pretty similar so they both tasted great to me, haha.  But I have to say, those meatballs were soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good.  Crunchy on the outside, super moist on the inside, and really flavorful on their own.

 

On my second visit, I went with a banh mi instead of a bowl.  I got the aforementioned bomb meatballs, green papaya slaw, herb salad, and crushed peanuts.  The bread was great but maybe a touch too thick for me - there were some bites where I got pretty much all bread and no filling.  Once again the meatballs stole the show for me - as much as I'd love to try the other protein options I'm not sure if I'd be able to stray from these on my next visits, haha. 

Overall I think this is a great concept with some fresh, tasty offerings.  At peak times it may be difficult to find a table but it's definitely worth trying out the food here. 

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen

1516 Connecticut Avenue NW

Washington, DC 

202.232.4141

Lunchtime Links for November 8th, 2011

• Tasty Kitchen: Nutella cheesecake pumpkin muffins. 
• Real Housewives of NJ: Recap from TVGasm.  
• Pillsbury: Peanut butter cups.  
• Serious Eats: Sweet potato cheesecake.  
• Picky Palate: Reese's peanut butter cup baked buttermilk donuts.

Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Donut

After a few failed attempts to get a pumpkin donut at Dunkin Donuts, I finally had some success one weekend morning!  Make sure you get your receipt when you go to Dunkin Donuts, because they usually have a survey on the bottom asking you to call/go online and answer a few questions.  In return, you get a free donut with your next purchase of a medium drink!  

 

That orange hue is just SO fall, haha.  This was extremely pumpkin-y but not TOO sweet which I was pleasantly surprised by.  The glazed outer layer added the slightest crunch to the donut while the insides were fluffy.  Overall, a great way to celebrate fall!

Lunchtime Links for November 7th, 2011

• Two Peas and Their Pod: Peanut butter banana Bundt cake.
• Serious Eats: Tacos in Washington DC.
• Cupcakes and Cashmere: Sunglass solution.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Nutella hot chocolate.
• The Pioneer Woman: Broccoli cheese soup.

CVS Deals - Week of 11/06/2011

Once again, this week's CVS deals include another $10 gift card for purchasing $30 worth of specially marked items.

Remember, the $30 requirement is for the price of the items, not the price after coupons.  So with a little planning, you can spend less than $30 and still get the gift card.

I got:

• All laundry detergent: $3.99 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
• Two boxes of Kashi TLC bars: 2/$6 on sale, $1.50/2 manufacturer's coupon.
• Two tubes of Colgate sensitive toothpaste: $2.99 on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon.
• Two Lysol disinfecting wipes: 2/$5 on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon.
• L'Oreal Voluminous false fiber lashes mascara: $8.49 on sale, $2 manufacturer's coupon. 
• Dove dark chocolate with almonds bag: 2/$6 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.

This week, there's also three other good "spend $, get $" deals.  By using coupons there are some great deals to take advantage of.

- Buy three Hallmark cards, get $3 Extra Bucks.  Any Hallmark card (except boxed cards) are eligible, so it makes sense to get the cheapest ones for free:

• Three $0.99 Hallmark cards, $3 Extra Bucks back.

- Spend $12 get $4 Extra Bucks back on select household/cleaning products:

• Two Glade scented oil candles: 2/$6 on sale, $2/2 manufacturer's coupon.
• Two Glade scented candles: 2/$6 on sale, $0.75/2 manufacturer's coupon.

- Spend $20 get $10 Extra Bucks back on Playtex and Schick products:

• Two 18-count Playtex Sport tampons: $5.79 each, two $1 manufacturer's coupons.
• Schick Hydro 3 razor: $9.89, $2 manufacturer's coupon.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for November 4th, 2011

• Small Kitchen College: Pumpkin soup with caramelized bacon. 
• Real Housewives of NJ: Recap from TVGasm.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Fried pumpkin doughnuts.
• Hey, Love: DIY chevron iPhone cover.
• With Style and Grace: Chocolate pumpkin peanut butter.

2 Ingredient Cake

 

After seeing numerous posts on Pinterest with a photo v. similar to mine above, I finally had to give this 2-ingredient cake recipe a try.  Basically, the popular "recipe" calls for 1 box of cake mix and 1 can of pumpkin.  Mix the two together, bake according to the box mix directions, and you're supposed to get a moist cake with a hint of pumpkin, using no eggs, butter, or oil.

I have to admit I was a bit skeptical that this would turn out that great - so I added half of a bag of chocolate chips to the mix just in case, haha.

Well, a billion (or so) Pinterest fans can't be wrong - this cake really did come out just like regular cake, and it was v. moist with the slightest hint of pumpkin.  As you can see in the photos, the pumpkin added color to the yellow cake as well. 

This piece came out a little crumbly but this cake was definitely not anywhere near being dry, trust me.  I'm glad I added the chocolate chips because they added something different to what could've been a tasty, but slightly monotonous cake on its own.  I'd definitely make this again, maybe as muffins next time!  Give this a try if you're looking for a super easy cake and you have some pumpkin puree on hand!

Lunchtime Links for November 3rd, 2011

• The Pioneer Woman: Pumpkin smoothie.
• Jersey Shore: Recap from TVGasm.
• Big Girls Small Kitchen: Nutella Souffle.
• In Good Taste: Fall-themed pumpkin brunch. 
• Tasty Kitchen: Sweet potato recipes. 

CVS Aveeno Deal This Week

Sometimes, it helps to check out the fine print.  Currently at CVS this week, there's an offer for $7 Extra Bucks back with the purchase of two Aveeno moisture products.

At my CVS, most of the large bottles of Aveeno lotions were marked with the Extra Bucks deal.  However, in the same section there should be a 2.5oz tube of Aveeno lotion for $3.79 (it may vary depending on your store).  Even though they weren't marked as being part of the deal, if you look at the fine print, they definitely count!

With the coupon from this past Sunday, it's a great deal:

• Two 2.5oz Aveeno lotions: $3.79 each, one $3 off two manufacturer's coupon, $7 Extra Bucks back.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for November 2nd, 2011

• Serious Eats: Le Bernardin's lounge menu.
• Espresso and Cream: Semi-homemade pumpkin cinnamon roll cups. 
• Gossip Girl: Recap from TVGasm.  
• The Kitchn: Pumpkin spice rice krispie treats.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Matcha green tea castella cake.

Shake Shack - November Custard Menu

A new month, a new Shake Shack custard calendar!  I figured that pumpkin, apple, and some sort of cinnamon might work its way into the menu:

Monday: Apple Rosemary
Tuesday: Chocolate Cinnamon Spice
Wednesday: Pumpkin Pie
Thursday: Maple Brown Butter
Friday: Banana Bread
Saturday: Red Wine Poached Pear
Sunday: Salted Caramel

Not gonna lie, SUPER excited for Salted Caramel on Sundays, and the Chocolate Cinnamon Spice sounds great too!  And of course I'm happy to see Pumpkin Pie back on the menu although I already had it in October.  Looking forward to trying as many of them as possible!

Lunchtime Links for November 1st, 2011

• Serious Eats: 20 fall soup recipes.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin butter cake.
• The Pioneer Woman: Corn and cheese chowder.
• Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm.
• Picky Palate: Baked pumpkin ice cream glazed doughnuts.

CVS Deals - Week of 10/30/2011

This week's CVS deals have another $10 gift card for purchasing $30 worth of specially marked items.  This will be my third $10 American Express gift card - not too shabby!

Remember, the $30 requirement is for the price of the items, not the price after coupons.  So with a little planning, you can spend less than $30 and still get the gift card.

I got:

• Four bottles of Pantene shampoo/conditioner: 2/$6.97 on sale, two $3/2 manufacturer's coupons.
• Carmex healing lotion: $4.99 on sale, one $1.50 manufacturer's coupon.
• Airwick twin pack oil refills: $4.99 on sale, one $1 manufacturer's coupon.
• Planters mixed nuts: 2/$6 on sale. 
• Four Hallmark cards: $0.99 each (all Hallmark cards are applicable for the "Buy $30 get a $10 gift card deal so I got the cheapest cards to get more for the amount I'm paying).

 There's also a good deal on dental products:

• Crest Complete toothpaste: $2.99 on sale, one $1 manufacturer's coupon, $1 Extra Bucks back.
• Listerine Zero 500ml mouthwash and Reach toothbrush: both $3.99 on sale, two $1 manufacturer's coupons, $4 Extra Bucks back.  

Happy shopping everyone!