Lunchtime Links for June 26th, 2015

• Oh, Sweet Basil: Mango chicken salad. 
• Warm Vanilla Sugar: Honey roasted peanut butter. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Twix ice cream pie.
• How Sweet It Is: Breakfast fried rice.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Banana cream pie.

Shake Shack - Stumptown Coffee Cardamom Custard

I love coffee ice cream, so I was very excited to try Shake Shack's Stumptown Coffee Cardamom custard which was the special custard flavor recently.  To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how the cardamom flavor should smell or taste, but either way this was a delicious cup of custard.  

There's definitely a strong but not bitter coffee flavor, but still tasted different from a regular coffee ice cream.  It tasted a little less sweet to me in a good way, like literally adding strong coffee to vanilla ice cream.  I really enjoyed this ice cream, and any fan of coffee would love this one! 

Lunchtime Links for June 25th, 2015

• Averie Cooks: Hershey's soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies. 
• Creme de la Crumb: French onion chicken sliders. 
• Damn Delicious: Watermelon pineapple lemonade.
• Table for Two: Homemade Chimichurri.
• Handle the Heat: Chocolate pound cake.

Georgetown Cupcake - Mocha Chocolate Chip Cupcake

This Mocha Chocolate Chip cupcake is another one of the June special flavors at Georgetown Cupcake, and I couldn't wait to try it out.  Coffee + chocolate = yes please!

The cupcake consists of a Mocha cupcake studded with Callebaut chocolate chips topped with a mocha frosting and a chocolate-covered espresso bean.  This looks very similar to the regular Mocha cupcake, but if you look closely, the cake portion is much lighter in color.  The cake has a ton of mini chocolate chips inside, and the mocha frosting is delicious as usual! I really enjoyed this combination and I hope they bring this flavor back again soon! 

Lunchtime Links for June 24th, 2015

• Damn Delicious: Easy Thai chicken.
• Handle the Heat: Beignets.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Classic Lasagna.
• Picky Palate: Chocolate peanut butter cookie cups.
• Gimme Some Oven: Broccoli chicken mac and cheese.

Hershey's Rich Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

I recently discovered a can of sweetened condensed milk in my kitchen, and no idea why I bought it - haha.  I'm sure I had a recipe in mind at some point, and then forgot all about it.  

When I mentioned this my friend T, she sent me this recipe that she has made before - Rich Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars.  I omitted the nuts, and went out to get the toffee bits on my grocery trip that day.  Otherwise, it's all items that are readily available in my pantry!

It definitely helps to read through the recipe first, because there's a few separate steps involved - compared to regular cookie bars.  The layers come together very easily; however it's important to make sure you do everything at the right time.  I used the Nestle springtime chocolate chips, which added fun pastel colors to the bars.  The bars are very soft when they come out of the oven, but firm up quite well once they're cool.  They were a big hit at work, with lots of flavor and texture in each bite! 

Lunchtime Links for June 23rd, 2015

• A Kitchen Addiction: Bruschetta melts.
• Crazy for Crust: Fireworks pudding cookies. 
• I Heart Naptime: Strawberry peach lemonade.
• A Beautiful Mess: Cornbread with bacon glaze.
• Kirbie's Cravings: No churn cookies and cream ice cream.

Cookies & Cream Pocky

I love Pocky - those delicious chocolate-covered biscuits that are in most Asian/Japanese markets.  So of course I immediately picked up this box of Cookies & Cream Pocky when I saw them at my local Japanese market! 

Unlike the "plain" biscuits and chocolate on the regular Pocky, this version switches things up a bit with a chocolate biscuit and white chocolate coating with chocolate cookie bits.  I loved the texture of the cookie bits with the chocolate, and it was way too easy to devour this box! I have been keeping my eye out for these at the store but haven't seen them recently... I hope I can find them again soon! 

Lunchtime Links for June 22nd, 2015

• Picky Palate: Grilled steak Fajita Quesadillas. 
• Bake at 350: Cinnamon roll cookies. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Avocado pasta.
• Creme de la Crumb: One pot lemon herb chicken and rice.
• Weelicious: BLT bites.

6th Blogiversary & Georgetown Cupcake - Blond Chocolate Birthday Cupcake

Today marks 6 years since I started this blog- woohoo!  Thanks to those of you that come by and check out the posts here, I appreciate it!  And what better way to "celebrate" 6 years of blogging than a post about Georgetown Cupcake, haha.  

This Blond Chocolate Birthday cupcake is super cute to look at - I love the colorful round sprinkles that Georgetown Cupcake uses on their "birthday" cupcakes.  The chocolate cake is delicious as usual, but what really makes this cupcake stand out is the Blond Chocolate frosting.  It's not quite vanilla, not quite chocolate, but like a rich caramel-y frosting that is pretty awesome.  I love the combination of the Blond chocolate and the regular chocolate flavors, and I think just about anyone would love this one!   

Trader Joe's Tea Card

I always love looking through the card section at Trader Joe's - it might seem unassuming at first, but the store by me seems to have a slightly different selection every time I check.  Combined with a cheap IKEA frame, these cards make for great wall art around the apartment! 

I liked the different fonts and the tea theme to this card, so of course I had to pick one up.  Next time you're in Trader Joe's for groceries, be sure to check out their card section as well! 

Lunchtime Links for June 18th, 2015

• Bakerella: New York City sweets. 
• Averie Cooks: Chinese chicken pasta salad. 
• Picky Palate: Peanut butter chocolate chip cookie for one.
• Creme de la Crumb: Cheddar bacon bombs.
• The Kitchn: Grilled Romaine.

Bath and Body Works - Summer Hand Soaps

During Bath and Body Works' recent semi-annual sale, I just couldn't resist picking up these new hand soaps that were all on sale.  I love all of the summery labels, and the descriptions sounded so good! Also, it's not like I'll ever not use hand soap, so... of course I needed these, haha.  If you're a fan of beachy summer scents like melon, peach, ice cream, and citrus scents, be sure to pick some of these up for yourself! 

Lunchtime Links for June 17th, 2015

• Averie Cooks: Easy roasted shrimp with Green Goddess dip.
• Picky Palate: Itty bitty cinnamon roll bites. 
• Handle the Heat: Chocolate French toast.
• Kirbie's Cravings: 3 ingredient cookie butter cake.
• Love Swah: Vanilla bean and mocha mini doughnuts.

S'mores Oreos

Another delicious S'mores limited edition pack, just in time for summer!  These S'mores Oreos are super fun and I can't believe there hasn't been a s'mores flavor before!  

The S'mores Oreo consists of a graham cracker cookie sandwiching a chocolate marshmallow swirled creme filling.  I really enjoyed the graham cracker cookie and I hope they bring it back again in another pack sometime.  I also loved the look of the chocolate marshmallow creme, you get a little bit of both flavors in each bite.  I think this will be amazing as a base for real s'mores too! 

Lunchtime Links for June 15th, 2015

• Serious Eats: Tomato-basil pasta salad. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Peanut butter cookie s'mores.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Baked honey garlic tofu fries.
• Creme de la Crumb: Cheesy bacon Alfredo shells. 
• Damn Delicious: Breakfast potatoes. 

Georgetown Cupcake - Marble Brownie Fudge Cheesecake

This perfectly swirled cupcake is one of Georgetown Cupcake's June flavors - The Marble Brownie Fudge Cheesecake.  This cupcake consists of a Marble Brownie Fudge cheesecake topped with a whipped Callebaut chocolate frosting.

The cheesecake "cake" portion is delicious as their cheesecake-based flavors usually are; however I did notice that this one wasn't particularly "marbled" or with any chocolate in the cheesecake portion at all.  To be honest, it probably didn't need chocolate in the bottom half as there's a generous portion of thick chocolate frosting on top anyway, but it was worth noting if you're hoping for a true "marble" cake.  Either way, this flavor is really delicious if you like chocolate + cheesecake! 

Lunchtime Links for June 12th, 2015

• Crazy for Crust: Peanut butter ice cream topping.
• Serious Eats: Hiyashi Chuka. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Soft peanut butter cookies. 
• Creme de la Crumb: Asian cranberry almond salad and sesame dressing.
• Dessert for Two: S'mores dip.

Target - Tameka Sandals

As soon as I saw the fun pop of neon on these Target sandals in the shoe section, I knew I had to grab a pair of these!  The Tameka sandals  also come in several other colors and patterns, so I'm sure there is one that suits just about anyone's style.  I got them during a 20% off shoe sale, but even at the regular price ($22.99) I think they are totally worth buying.  The straps are very soft, and the big strap (in this case, the neon section) is elastic, so these are very comfortable to wear around all day.  I later got another pair with the black straps and can't wait to wear both pairs all summer long! 

Georgetown Cupcake - Peanut Butter Banana Fudge Cupcake

This Peanut Butter Banana Fudge cupcake is one of the June flavors at Georgetown Cupcake, and consists of a Fresh banana cupcake cored and filled with fudge, topped with peanut butter frosting, a fudge star drizzle.

All of the components of this cupcake work well together, but the star of this show is definitely the Peanut Butter frosting.  It is AWESOME.  So fluffy but full of strong peanut butter flavor - so good!  Peanut butter and banana bread might not be a natural combination for some people, but I have baked banana bread with peanut butter glaze and it's quite good! And of course, the fudge core and swirl on top are always welcome, haha.  Even if you're not the biggest fan of banana bread, I would definitely recommend trying this if you're even just slightly interested.  

Lunchtime Links for June 10th, 2015

• Cookies & Cups: French toast muffins.
• The Pioneer Woman: Marinara sauce. 
• Averie Cooks: Flourless peanut butter cookies. 
• How Sweet It Is: Roasted garlic butter Bucatini with burst cherry tomatoes. 
• The Comfort of Cooking: English muffin French toast. 

Ben & Jerry's Scotchy Scotch Scotch Ice Cream

Who wouldn't love an ice cream based on one of the greatest movies of all time, Anchorman??  I saw this at Wegmans and immediately picked up a pint to try it out.  Anyone that has seen the movie should recognize the name immediately, haha.

I love the Anchorman-themed description on the side, haha

As you can see there's lots of gooey butterscotch swirls throughout the butterscotch ice cream.  As anyone that has had butterscotch before knows, it's very sweet and can be overwhelming at times.  This was just the right amount, especially with the creamy butterscotch ice cream being the majority of the ice cream.  I hope Ben & Jerry's does more movie collaborations like this one! 

Lunchtime Links for June 9th, 2015

• Cookies & Cups: Bombshell Oreo brownies. 
• I Heart Naptime: No churn s'mores ice cream.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Chocolate pots de creme.
• Crazy for Crust: Ice cream chocolate chip cookies. 
• Handle the Heat: No bake s'mores mini cheesecakes. 

Georgetown Cupcake - June Flavors

This month at Georgetown Cupcake we have THREE delicious special flavors, as well as two holiday versions for Father's Day.  Be sure to check these out before the end of the month!

- Mocha Chocolate Chip: Mocha cupcake studded with Callebaut chocolate chips topped with a mocha frosting and a chocolate-covered espresso bean.

- Marble Brownie Fudge Cheesecake: Marble Brownie Fudge cheesecake topped with a whipped Callebaut chocolate frosting.

- Peanut Butter Banana Fudge: Fresh banana cupcake cored and filled with fudge, topped with peanut butter frosting, a fudge star drizzle.

- Father's Day Chocolate: Valrhona chocolate cupcake topped with a baby blue vanilla buttercream frosting and gold #1 DAD trophy fondant.

- Father's Day Vanilla: Classic Madagascar Bourbon vanilla cupcake with a baby blue vanilla buttercream frosting and gold #1 DAD trophy fondant.

Lunchtime Links for June 8th, 2015

• Oh, Sweet Basil: Creamy Pesto chicken pizza. 
• My Baking Addiction: No bake Oreo cheesecake. 
• Crazy for Crust: Oreo cookie crust.
• Averie Cooks: Lighter Fettucine Alfredo.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Buttermilk brownies.

Shake Shack - June Custard Calendar

As we start to head into summer, Shake Shack has a number of fresh fruit-based custards on the calendar this month.  But not to worry, they also have some delicious coffee and chocolate-based flavors as well: 

6/1 - 6/7: Stumptown Coffee Cardamom

6/8 - 6/14: Cherry Streusel

6/15 - 6/21: Mud Pie

6/22 - 6/28: Strawberry Almond

6/29 - 6/30: Caramelized Peach

Lunchtime Links for June 5th, 2015

• Oh, Sweet Basil: Baked Kung Pao chicken.
• How Sweet It Is: Olive oil sea salt truffle brownies. 
• Crazy for Crust: Ice cream poke cake. 
• Handle the Heat: Brown butter chocolate chunk cookies. 
• The Pioneer Woman: Crunchy French toast. 

Free Krispy Kreme Doughnut Today

Happy Doughnut Day everyone!

Great news for doughnut fans - for National Doughnut Day today, Krispy Kreme is offering one free doughnut to every customer, no coupon or purchase required! This would be a great chance to try out a flavor that you might be hesitant to buy, or a classic go-to for an afternoon snack.

Lunchtime Links for June 4th, 2015

• The First Year Blog: S'mores bars.
• Averie Cooks: Flourless peanut butter chocolate chip blender cake.
• My Baking Addiction: No bake s'mores cheesecake. 
• The Kitchn: Peanut butter and graham cracker pudding pops.
• Cookies & Cups: Nutella crunch cake.

West Elm - Ginger Candle

As soon as I saw these spice jar candles on the West Elm website, I knew I had to get one!  

The tea, coffee, and ginger candles all smelled great when I came across them in the store, but the ginger one both smelled delicious AND was on sale, haha.  It reminds me of ginger beer, with a strong spicy scent that is really unique for a candle.  Also, I look forward to reusing the cute ceramic canister once I'm done with the candle! 

Lunchtime Links for June 1st, 2015

• Picky Palate: White chocolate peanut butter shortbread Magic bars.
• Creme de la Crumb: Cheesy garlic Parmesan spinach orzo.
• Sugar and Cloth: Mini macaron cheeseburger and fries.
• Cookies & Cups: Marshmallow fluff krispie treats.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pizza muffins.

Georgetown Cupcake - Caramel Sundae Cupcake

Georgetown Cupcake has offered a few different variations of their Sundae cupcake, and this Caramel Sundae version was a great one!  The main difference is the caramel cake as the base for the vanilla frosting, chocolate fudge, chopped nuts, and sprinkles.  I love Georgetown Cupcake's caramel cake, and it went perfectly with the other "sundae" ingredients.  I hope they offer this as a free secret flavor again sometime!