Lunchtime Links for July 31st, 2014

• Kirbie's Cravings: Baked honey garlic chicken.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Coffee and doughnuts ice cream.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Spicy sausage and pepper pasta. 
• Picky Palate: Cookies and cream peanut butter cookies. 
• The Pioneer Woman: Panzanella.

Lunchtime Links for July 29th, 2014

• Crazy for Crust: Baked chocolate croissant French toast. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Matcha mochi popsicles. 
• Handle the Heat: Mocha brownie ice cream pie. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Ice cream French toast. 
• The Comfort of Cooking: Chocolate covered s'mores pretzels. 

Georgetown Cupcake - Marble Brownie Fudge Cheesecake

Oh man - this Marble Brownie Fudge Cheesecake offered at Georgetown Cupcake in June was awesomeeeeeeeee.  It is a "Marble Brownie Fudge cheesecake topped with a whipped Callebaut chocolate frosting", and I knew I would like it as soon as I read the description.

The cake consists of brownie batter and cheesecake swirled together, and the rich, thick chocolate frosting really emphasizes the chocolate-y flavor of this cupcake.  I LOVED the cake portion especially, and really want this to come back as a regular flavor.  For anyone that loves cheesecake brownies, this one is perfect for you! 

Lunchtime Links for July 28th, 2014

• Kirbie's Cravings: Chinese sticky wings. 
• Picky Palate: Peanut butter swirl cookies and cream ice cream. 
• My Baking Addiction: Reese's Pieces peanut butter cookies. 
• Damn Delicious: Copycat Chick-fil-A nuggets. 
• Cookies & Cups: Sweet and salty ice cream terrine. 

National Doughnut Day at Shake Shack

Back in June, I was happy to see so many fun promotions for National Doughnut Day on the 6th.  I already had plans to go to Shake Shack that night, but was very happy to see this sign in the store!:

Custard + Astro doughnuts? Count me in!

Here we have Shake Shack's vanilla custard blended with a Creme Brulee doughnut from Astro Doughnuts- amazing!  I love both of those items separately, so blending them together into the same cup was awesome, haha. This was a fantastic way to celebrate National Doughnut Day! 

Lunchtime Links for July 25th, 2014

• A Kitchen Addiction: No-bake peanut butter s'mores bars. 
• Oh, Sweet Basil: Buttermilk pancakes. 
• Handle the Heat: Chocolate peanut butter pretzel cheesecake bars. 
• Gimme Some Oven: 10-minute spinach lasagna. 
• Crazy for Crust: Peanut butter brownie ice cream.

Shake Shack - Saratoga Race Course

I had a fabulous time last weekend up in Saratoga Springs, NY visiting my good friend M! It was so nice hanging out, walking around downtown, and of course checking out the Saratoga Race Course!  I happened to be visiting right on the opening day weekend, so it was an extra lively time to be around town.

One of the highlights of the race course is SHAKE SHACK, woo!  This isn't a standalone restaurant so it does not offer the full menu, but all of the classics (like the Shackburger below) are there.  

Of course I had to get the Sloppy Track shake, which is a Vanilla frozen custard blended with salted caramel and topped with Valrhona chocolate.  This is only served at the Saratoga Race Course, and it was a delicious bucket o' salted caramel haha.  While we came nowhere near finishing that monstrous shake, it was delicious and I'm so happy I got a chance to try it! I hope we meet again soon, Saratoga Shake Shack!

Lunchtime Links for July 24th, 2014

• The Pioneer Woman: Lemon basil shrimp Risotto.
• La Fuji Mama: Sweet potato oven fries. 
• Gimme Some Oven: Marinara sauce. 
• Damn Delicious: Bacon corn dip.
• Kirbie's Cravings: One pot BBQ chicken pasta.

Daikaya - Duck and Cold Somen

In the very beginning of July, Daikaya posted on their Facebook page: "We know you can't wait for our cold noodles either, so here's something to hold you over until then. We've got a special somen for Tanabata topped with duck, in the Izakaya through the 7th."  I love somen , and was excited to check it out when my mom and I went to Daikaya for dinner.

The thin noodles are nicely chilled thanks to the layer of ice on the bottom of the bowl, and topped with sliced duck breast, orange zest, leeks, and nori.  This was AWESOME.  The duck was delicious, and not too fatty or chewy like I've noticed with other duck dishes I've had before.  The addition of orange zest in the somen was pretty to look at, and complemented the duck perfectly.  I hope they bring this dish back again sometime soon!

Lunchtime Links for July 23rd, 2014

• The Comfort of Cooking: Homemade cookie ice cream sandwiches.  
• Weelicious: Chopped salad. 
• Crazy for Crust: Funfetti cake batter ice cream sandwiches. 
• Dessert for Two: S'mores Rice Krispie treats. 
• Oh, Sweet Basil: Chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches. 

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Oreos

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.  As soon as I heard about a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Oreo, I KNEW these would be amazing.  They were a little hard to find when they initially came out, but they have been out for a few weeks now, so you should be able to find them in most grocery stores, plus Target.  A lot of stores that I've seen have these on sale (kids' summer snacks season, I'm assuming), which is even better.

You can tell as soon as you open the package that these are Reese's, not just regular peanut butter Oreos (which also exist).  I don't know exactly what it is about them, maybe the specific peanut butter blend they use in Reese's, but you can definitely tell a difference.  As you can see the creme filling is split in half, so you get a full Reese's peanut butter cup experience in the cookie.  These are SOSOSOSOSOSOOSOSSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOOSOSO good and everyone should go buy a pack immediately.  I wish they would keep these around permanently! 

Lunchtime Links for July 22nd, 2014

• Crazy for Crust: Homemade brownie mix. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chickpea, pesto, tomato, and mozzarella salad. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Slow cooker macaroni and cheese. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Sriracha Chinese cucumber salad. 
• How Sweet It Is: Smoky sweet cherry pepper cheeseburgers. 

Georgetown Cupcake - Valrhona Blond Ganache Cupcake

This Valrhona Blond Ganache cupcake was available in June at Georgetown Cupcake, and it consisted of "Valrhona chocolate cupcake topped with a Valrhona Blond ganache frosting and fondant flower".

The chocolate cupcake was delicious as usual, and the Valrhona Blond ganache was very interesting.  I initially thought it would be more like a white chocolate flavor, but it had more of a caramel-y taste to it, which you can probably also tell from the photo above.  I enjoyed trying the Valrhona Blond ganache and I hope they bring it back in future cupcake flavors! 

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. 

Georgetown Cupcake App

Georgetown Cupcake launched their own app today, woohoo!  Of course I've already downloaded it and love the overall look of the app.

There are five menu items along the bottom: Pay, Locations, Rewards, Menu, and More.  If you already have a LevelUp account like I do, the login process is easy as it links to your existing account.  For every $100 spent using the app, you get $10 in rewards.  I am hoping that over time, Georgetown Cupcake will also provide surprises in the app, like I've seen with other companies that use LevelUp in their locations as well.  The Menu tab is really nice, with photos and a description of the daily, weekly, and monthly special flavors listed.  Take a look at the app if you have a Georgetown Cupcake near you!

Lunchtime Links for July 3rd, 2014

• Kirbie's Cravings: 3 ingredient ice cream cupcakes. 
• Damn Delicious: Fusili Caesar salad. 
• Picky Palate: Nutella s'mores dessert pizza. 
• Crazy for Crust: Ice cream cupcakes. 
• The Pioneer Woman: Kale pasta salad. 

Georgetown Cupcake - Chocolate Butterscotch Cupcake

I'm not always a huge fan of butterscotch, but I've enjoyed trying the various ways that Georgetown Cupcake incorporates butterscotch in their cupcakes.  This free secret flavor, Chocolate Butterscotch, consisted of chocolate cake, butterscotch frosting, and a butterscotch swirl on top.

The fluffy butterscotch frosting was delicious, and I really hope they use this again on another cupcake flavor.  The chocolate cake went really well with the butterscotch flavors up top, and it was a very tasty combo.  I haven't seen this flavor come up again recently but hopefully it will soon! 

Lunchtime Links for July 2nd, 2014

• Bakerella: 4th of July ruffle cupcakes. 
• Cookies & Cups: Ice cream sundae brownies. 
• Damn Delicious: Bacon avocado pasta. 
• Crazy for Crust: Thick homemade chocolate sauce. 
• Rocket News 24: Green tea rice cooker hotcake. 

Georgetown Cupcake - July Cupcake Flavors

We have two special month-long flavors at Georgetown Cupcake this month:

Chocolate Sundae: Valrhona chocolate cupcake filled with dark fudge, topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting, a fudge star, crushed hazelnuts, rainbow sprinkles, and a maraschino cherry

Key Lime Cheeseake: Key lime cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, topped with key lime frosting and a candied lime

Also, over 4th of July weekend, there will be a 4th of July cupcake, which is a Red Velvet cupcake with a fondant US flag on top.  I'm looking forward to trying these new cupcake flavors soon! 

Lunchtime Links for July 1st, 2014

• The Budget Babe: At-home manicure. 
• The Pioneer Woman: Oven BBQ chicken. 
• Love and Olive Oil: Chocolate-dipped s'mores ice cream sandwiches. 
• I Heart Naptime: Cheesy baked Ziti.
• Picky Palate: Graham cracker pizza dough. 

Shake Shack - July Custard Calendar

Hello July, and hello, new custard flavors at Shake Shack!

Monday: Salted Peanut Cola
Tuesday: Strawberry Blonde
Wednesday: Devil's Food
Thursday: Chocolate Chip Cookie
Friday: Blueberry Buttermilk Doughnut
Saturday: Caramelized Peach
Sunday: Buttery Caramel Cocoa Nib

I'm definitely interested in Wednesday, and Monday sounds intriguing enough for me to try it, haha.

Also, if you are around a Shake Shack location over 4th of July weekend, be sure to try out the Shack Corn Dog and Blueberry Pie Oh My concrete!