Thursday, May 31, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 31st, 2012

Denver Visit - Little Man Ice Cream


How cute is this shop?  

 


During my visit to Denver, E and I made sure to hit up Little Man Ice Cream twice - it was so good!





The first ice cream I tried was Banana Pudding - it was rich and creamy, and they definitely got the tastes of a real pudding right. 




However, my favorite bite has to be the Salted Oreo - this was so good! I love Oreos and cookies and cream ice cream to begin with, and adding just the right amount of salt to this really elevated the flavors.  I definitely want to try to replicate this flavor this summer in my ice cream maker!


Little Man Ice Cream
2620 16th Street
Denver, CO 80211
303.455.3811

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 30th, 2012

Denver Visit - Brunch at Snooze

Back in March I had a lovely visit to Denver, to see my friend E.  It was my first real visit to Denver (being in a building for a few days for work does not count, haha), so I was excited to check out the city!

One of the highlights of my trip was brunch at Snooze.  As soon as E told me about the different types of pancakes, I was all in!  Then, to make things better, they offer a Pancake Flight, where you choose three of their pancakes- what a great way to try out their pancake selection!

 


Then, to make things better, they offer a Pancake Flight, where you choose three of their pancakes- what a great way to try out their pancake selection!




Here's my Pancake Flight, from left to right: Sweet Potato Pancake, Strawberry Nutella (Pancake of the Day), and the Red-Eye Velvet Pancake!

My favorite was (unsurprisingly) the Red-Eye Velvet one, but they were all great!  I found the other two to be tasty, but I felt like there was too much syrup already soaked into the pancakes (v. soggy) - whereas the Red-Eye Velvet still maintained some texture in the actual pancake.  This is definitely a perfect plate for people who love sweets, haha.  I wish more places had fun menu items like Snooze, this was such a fun way to start the day!


Snooze - Ballpark
2262 Larimer Street
Denver, CO 80205
303.297.0700


Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 29th, 2012

CVS Deals - Week of 05/27/2012

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!

Here are some of the deals at CVS this week:

First, some free candy:
- Mars candy: $0.75 on sale, $0.75 Extra Bucks back.

Also, some toiletry deals:
- Colgate 360 toothbrush: $2.99 on sale, $0.75 CVS coupon, $2 Extra Bucks back.
- Crest Pro-Health clinical gum protection toothpaste: $5.79, $1 manufacturer's coupon, $3 Extra Bucks back.
- 2 Cottonelle wipes: $1.99 each on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon.

Finally, a deal on bug repellent, which is great to have for the summer:
- Off! Clip-on: $9.99, $2 manufacturer's coupon, $2 Extra Bucks back.


Happy shopping everyone!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Happy Memorial Day

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day, hopefully you're enjoying a 3-day weekend like I am!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 25th, 2012

Oreo's 100th Birthday Cookie Jar



Wooooooooooooweeeeeeeeeee!!!!




As soon as I saw the Oreo cookie jar promotion on the back of an Oreo pack a while back, I KNEW I had to get one, haha.  And finally, finally, (well, about 4-6 weeks I assume was written somewhere), here it is!!  The cutest part is absolutely the lid - it's a giant Oreo cookie!! I also like that it's not a big round shape, but more of a narrow cylinder, so it'll fit with other items nicely.  To be honest, I can't quite bring myself to fill this with Oreos just yet (at the risk of overdosing on them shortly thereafter), but it's been a great addition to my apartment either way!!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 24th, 2012

Shake Shack DC - Birthday Cake Concrete

Happy (belated) 1st birthday to the Shake Shack in Dupont Circle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  My life has been very much improved by the addition of their burgers and custards in a DC location, woo.

Last Thursday afternoon, I saw this post on their Facebook wall:

IT'S FUN TO BE ONE!

Happy Birthday to the DC Shack! Thanks to our awesome fans and dedicated staff for making our first year in DC so special.


To celebrate, today only at the DC Shack we're serving up a delicious BIRTHDAY CAKE CONCRETE featuring your choice of frozen custard blended with a slice of vanilla buttercream cake from our friends at CakeLove (Half: $4.25/Reg: $6.50). Year two, here we come!


As luck would have it, I was already going to that area that night for dinner with N at Rasika's new West End location.  But let's be honest, I would've ran to Shake Shack for this concrete no matter what.




This. was. DELICIOUS.  I mean clearly you can't go wrong with cake and custard, but still.  The addition of these thin chocolate sprinkles (they really are much thinner than regular sprinkles, we decided) added a lovely texture that wasn't too crunchy/overbearing.  OMG this was so good.  And the birthday candle was such a fun little touch, haha.  What a great way to celebrate the first of many anniversaries of the DC Shake Shack!!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 23rd, 2012

Georgetown Cupcake - April Fool's Cupcake



On April Fool's day (which yes, I realize was a while back by this point), I was pleasantly surprised to see Georgetown Cupcake's tweet saying that the day's free secret cupcake was the "April Fools' Cupcake".  I always love surprise cupcakes!

What made this free cupcake so exciting was the surprise element of these.  Instead of the regular paper bags like the usual free cupcake, this one came sealed up in their pink individual cupcake boxes.  When my friend H and I opened up the boxes, we saw the above: nestled in a red checkered paper was a cupcake burger!  The cream colored cupcake top tasted like their maple cupcake to me, and the bottom one tasted like a chocolate cupcake top.  In the middle was a LOT of frosting, colored to resemble lettuce, cheese, and tomato.  In terms of actually eating it, it was a bit much due to the insane amount of frosting in the middle, haha.  However, I thought this was such a cute idea and a really fun surprise for April Fools' day!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 22nd, 2012

CVS Deals - Week of May 20th, 2012

There's a few great deals this week at CVS - especially for health items!

- Salonpas hot capscicum 1-count patch: $1.87, $1.87 Extra Bucks back.

Bandaid & Neosporin: Spend $10, get $3 Extra Bucks back.
  - Neosporin Essentials: $10.49, $2 manufacturer's coupon.

- 2 Dentek 150-count dental picks: $2.50 each on sale, $1.50 each Extra Bucks back.

- Secret deodorant: 2/$5 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.

Lipton: Spend $15, get $5 Extra Bucks back.
- 3 Lipton iced tea packet boxes: 2/$6 on sale, one $1/2 manufacturer's coupon, one $1 manufacturer's coupon.
- 5 Lipton 20oz iced teas: 4/$5 on sale.


Happy shopping everyone!

Monday, May 21, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 21st, 2012

Love, Love, Love: Andy Cohen




Of course I couldn't mention Andy Cohen's book signing without talking about it after it happened!!

First - of course some element of couponing had to take place, haha.  The site said books be available to buy at the signing, but I decided to save some $$ (surprise surprise).  I received a 20% off coupon via email from Barnes & Noble the day before the signing, so I figured that was a good time to pick up the book.  With the 20% new hardcover discount, 10% member discount, and my 20% off coupon, I got over $10 off the retail price, woohoo!




And... on to the signing!!  I hustled over to Bethesda Row on Friday, and there was a HUGE line snaking around the Bethesda Row area.  It was well-organized and monitored by security though, which was nice to ensure no line-cutters or confusion.  There were also some restaurants handing out mini panna cotta cups, sandwiches, and brownies, which was a nice touch.  It didn't take long for the line to move through, and I realized why - they had set it up so we had our books open to a specific page for him to sign, as well as two people specifically in charge of taking people's cameras/phones to snap a quick photo before moving on to the next person.  That being said, OF COURSE I still talked to Andy as much as possible without getting escorted out.

And now, a non-dramatic-but-disturbingly-specific retelling of our interaction:

Me: Hi!! So nice to meet you! (reaching out to shake his hand... I have no idea why I did this, he did seem a little surprised, but oh well).

AC: Hi there!

Me: Do you mind adding a "MAZEL" to my book?

AC: Sure.

(Photo being taken, AC starts signing the book as he is smiling for the photo).

Me: So are you a pro now at signing names while taking the photo?

AC: Yes... but not with your name!

(We laugh, and totally have a MOMENT)

Me: Thank you!!!

AC: It was nice meeting you, thanks!


LOVE. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE ANDY COHEN.  I wanted to run back and ask him 2983479823743938974 questions about Housewives gossip, if he actually likes Jeff Lewis or hates him, why they decided to have that stupid Work of Art show, and why I have never been able to get through on the phone to Watch What Happens Live, and so on.  Alas, I could only have about 20 seconds of talking to him, but it was still so much fun!!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 18th, 2012

Bravo's Andy Cohen - Book Signing Tonight

Every year, there's a fun event in Bethesda, MD called The Front Row at Bethesda Row.  It's a very fun long weekend of shopping deals, fashion shows, and other events.

This year I'm especially excited because Bravo's Andy Cohen is doing a book signing tonight for his new book, Most Talkative!!  I loooooooooooove him and everything Bravo so I am really looking forward to meeting him, even if it's only for a few seconds! 

Here's the information on the event:

FRIDAY MAY 18th
Andy Cohen & The Front Row Fashion Show
Book Signing at 5pm and Runway Event at 7:30pm on Bethesda Lane
Don’t miss our signature runway event Friday at 7:30pm, featuring our special VIP guest, Andy Cohen, the host of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live. Meet Andy as he signs his new book, Most Talkative, in front of Redwood on Bethesda Lane. Stick around after the show and shop runway looks during special extended hours on the Lane until 9pm, while enjoying bites from Luke’s Lobster and cocktail specials at Redwood.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 17th, 2012

Kirbie's Cravings - Pure Nutella Mug Cake

I've made a few of the recipes from the fabulous Kirbie's Cravings blog before, and they have all been great.  When she posted a recipe for a pure Nutella mug cake, I knew I had to try it out ASAP!!




Above is how the mug cake looked after I followed the microwave time as indicated in the recipe.  Looks really cool, right? However I realized that mine needed to go in a little longer, so I popped it in for a few more trips in the microwave.




This was really tasty!! I loved how I could make a cake without an oven or too many ingredients, and it all came together really quickly!  

A few lessons learned, however:
- I need a tiny whisk.  It was hard to break up all of the ingredients with a fork so that it would all mix together, haha.
- I probably should've used a bigger mug, in retrospect.  There were a few pockets of not-yet-cake that in turn made it hard to not overcook the parts that were ready to eat.  

With that in mind, I am definitely going to try making another one of Kirbie's mug cakes soon!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 16th, 2012

M&Ms



The things I do during conference calls at work... haha!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 15th, 2012

My Best Friend's Wedding



My best friend got married this past weekend in Philly - it was a beautiful wedding weekend, and I was so happy to be a part of the celebration!!!  Congratulations to I and B, love you both!!!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 14th, 2012

World Market Red Velvet Milk Chocolate

I saw a blog post that had this red velvet chocolate soemwhere, and I knew immediately that I had to go out and try it!  Luckily there is a World Market by me so I checked it out after work one day to get one!


 


The first thing is the smell- it definitely smells like chocolate mixed with cake!  And like the packaging states, this chocolate bar does have a tinge of red throughout, which definitely makes it look different than a regular milk chocolate bar. 



As far as the taste, I can't say for sure that I would've guessed "red velvet" if I didn't already know what flavor it was.  There was definitely a strong cocoa taste and a cake smell like I mentioned before.  However, it was still very good - it is a chocolate bar after all, haha.  It's definitely a fun flavor to try if you're a fan of red velvet cake like I am!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

My Best Friend's Wedding!

My best friend is getting married this weekend, wooooooooooooooooo!!!!  I'm looking forward to a super fun weekend celebrating in Philly :o)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 9th, 2012

Shake Shack - Boston Cream Pie Custard



I looooooove me some Boston Cream Pie!  So of course I had to try Shake Shack's custard version which was available in April, woo!

I have to admit, when I first took a bite, I thought maybe they had given me their regular chocolate custard at first, haha.  But I did check, and was told that the Boston Cream Pie custard consists of their vanilla custard with fudge mixed in - so, essentially like a concentrated chocolate custard, haha.  It didn't necessarily taste like a Boston Cream Pie, but it was yummy regardless :o)


Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 8th, 2012

Shake Shack - May Custard Calendar

New month = New Shake Shack custards, woo!!


Monday: Lemon Chess
Tuesday: Oatmeal Creme Pie
Wednesday: Mom's Coconut Cake
Thursday: Derby Walnut Pie
Friday: Banana Bread
Saturday: Mexican Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Sunday: Olive Oil Cake

I have to say, I am most excited for Saturday and Sunday - both of those sound really rich and decadent, not to mention interesting flavors!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 7th, 2012

CVS Deals - Week of 05/06/2012

Another great week of deals at CVS!

- Snickers bar: $0.75 on sale, $0.75 Extra Bucks back.

- Bic Soleil disposable razors: $6.99 on sale, $3 manufacturer's coupon, $2 Extra Bucks back.

- Children's Allegra: $9.99 on sale, $5 manufacturer's coupon, $4.99 Extra Bucks back.

- 2 Colgate Total: 2/$5 on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon, $2 Extra Bucks back.

- Lady Mitchum deodorant: $1.99 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.


Happy shopping everyone!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 4th, 2012

Frappuccino Happy Hour May 4-13

Frappuccino fans, get excited!

Starting today from 3-5pm and every day until May 13th, Starbucks is having their Frappuccino Happy Hour, meaning 1/2 priced Frappuccinos during those times.

By no means am I suggesting that anyone go EVERY day, haha, but this would be a good time to take a little break in the day, or try out one of their new Frappuccino flavors, like the Cookie Crumble flavor.

Happy Friday everyone!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 3rd, 2012

Wheat Thins Zesty Salsa Flavor



I always love trying new products, and Twitter has given me so many more opportunities to do so from lots of fun brands.  There's a different level of brand-to-consumer engagement that I really do love about Twitter, and I think other people that like Twitter would agree. 

So, when I recently was offered a free box of the new Zesty Salsa Wheat Thins, of course I said yes.  I actually wasn't sure if I was getting this flavor or the Spicy Buffalo so it was a nice surprise either way.  I like trying new things, and trying them for free is even better. :o) 

I have to say, these were pretty delicious, and no, not just because they were free.  I brought the box up to NJ with me when I was visiting I and B, and they both said they were good as well.  I wouldn't necessarily be able to discern that it was a "salsa" flavor in a blind taste test, per se, but it had a lot of tasty flavors, including tomato, pepper, a little sweetness and a tiny bit of spice.  Regular Wheat Thins on their own tend to taste a little monotonous to me after a few bites, but these can definitely be eaten on their own for a handful or two.  Would I buy these on my own?  Yes, especially with summer approaching and (hopefully) lots more parties and picnics that I'll be invited to.. hahaha!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 2nd, 2012

Little Serow Dinner

Just about two weeks ago, my friend J and I met up for dinner at Little Serow.  I was super excited to try it out, finally!!!  

The website describes the restaurant as "Little Serow (rhymes with arrow) serves an Isaan-style family meal for $45 per person. Each week’s menu will be posted online at the beginning of the week."  It is a pop-up restaurant created by Chef Johnny Monis of Komi, which is right next door.  Komi is a faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabulous restaurant (I went for my birthday a few years ago) and I was excited to see how a specific type of Thai cuisine is interpreted by Chef Monis.  


Sorry the photos are pretty dark, but it's a tiny, dimly-lit space and no flash photography is permitted.  At the beginning of the meal we were given a cylinder of sticky rice to share, as well as a basket of various greens, herbs, and vegetables to eat with the various courses, or to cool us down from the heat of some of the dishes.




Khaap Muu - Rabbit Liver, Shrimp Paste, Tamarind

What a way to start off the meal! Lots of rich, deep flavors in the paste, like an intense Thai chips and dip, haha.




Ma Hor - Sour Fruit, Dried Shrimp, Palm Sugar

This was definitely one of my favorite courses.  The fruit and the shrimp went really well together, and I loved the sour/sweet flavors. 




Yam Makeua Yao - Eggplant, Salted Duck Egg, Pickled Garlic

I was a little weary of eggplant since I've never liked the texture of it, but all of the other components that came with the eggplant in this dish made it quite enjoyable.  




Laap Meuang - Pork, Shallots, Sawtooth

This pork dish had a slow and steady heat - it was really nice with the cool cucumber slices and cabbage leaves that we were given. 




Khao Tod - Ginger, Mint, Peanuts

My one attempt at using flash to get better photos, and yes, a server immediately informed me that flash photography was not permitted, haha.  Lots of herbs, crunch, and heat in this dish - it was really delicious!




Pak Goot - Fiddlehead Ferns, Catfish, Basil

The catfish was tender and almost seemed like fried tofu to me, very soft on the inside.  Fiddlehead ferns were a nice visual and textural component, especially since I don't really come across them very often in dishes I eat. This dish was much sweeter than I had expected.



Si Krong Muu - Pork Ribs, Mekhong Whisky, Dill

These ribs were SO good! The dill was abundant in this dish, so be aware if you aren't a big dill fan haha.  The ribs were super tender, with a lot of flavor in each bite.  I couldn't have asked for a better finale to this dinner, these were so tasty!

Overall the meal was excellent and I loved how they incorporated SO many ingredients into each dish, adding flavor, texture, contrast, and a delicious meal.  If you're a fan of Thai-style flavors and interesting pop-up concepts, I'd highly recommend checking this place out!

Also, a big Thank You! to J for going with me, especially since she had been to Little Serow before but knew that I really wanted to go :o)


 Little Serow
1511 17th Street NW
Washington DC 20036

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Lunchtime Links for May 1st, 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my best friend, who is also getting married in just 11 more days!!!!!!

Georgetown Cupcake - Boston Creme Cupcake

 

It's always exciting to get a brand new cupcake flavor from Georgetown Cupcake!  This April flavor is the Boston Creme cupcake, which consists of "Classic Madagascar Bourbon vanilla cupcake filled with Boston creme pudding, topped with a thin layer of chocolate ganache and a fondant shamrock".




Here we have my attempt at a clean cross-section of the cupcake, so you can see the Boston creme pudding filling, haha.  Seeing as I LOVE Boston Creme Pie in general, it was no surprise that I really liked this cupcake.  I do with there was more of the pudding filling though!!  Unfortunately this is only available in April but hopefully it'll come back later this year as a free secret flavor one day!