Lunchtime Links for September 30th, 2016

• Averie Cooks: Pumpkin lush.
• Gimme Some Oven: Honey beer bread.
• I Heart Naptime: S'mores mix.
• Love and Olive Oil: One-pot lemon chicken and Orzo soup.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Brownie batter dip.

Shake Shack Shacktoberfest - Bavarian-style Pretzel

I always look forward to the limited edition/special menu items at Shake Shack, and I was very happy to see a new soft pretzel on the Shacktoberfest menu! 

This Bavarian-style soft pretzel is a "toasted soft pretzel topped with Bavarian spices", and you have the option of adding the Shack cheese sauce for $1, which can you see behind the pretzel.  The pretzel was nice and hot, with a crunchy bottom and soft inside.  I can't quite figure out what all of the spices are, but it was delicious and certainly not bland - and it was perfect with the gooey Shack cheese sauce to dip in.  I'm glad I had a chance to try this out before Shacktoberfest ends this weekend (October 2nd)! 

Lunchtime Links for September 29th, 2016

• Warm Vanilla Sugar: Cookie butter Rice Krispie treats.
• Gimme Some Oven: Apple spinach salad.
• Crazy for Crust: Oreo red velvet cookie bars.
• The Kitchn: Sheet pan miracle meals.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Cinnamon maple yogurt bread.

National Coffee Day

Happy National Coffee day! Although I've never really liked straight hot coffee, I love the smell (haha), and of course I love iced coffee and flavored coffees as well.  There are a few companies that are celebrating with deals if you are near one today!

Krispy Kreme: Free small coffee and original glazed doughnut today.
Dunkin' Donuts: $0.66 Medium hot coffee today.
Peet's Coffee and Tea: Free coffee with a breakfast item purchase.

Lunchtime Links for September 28th, 2016

• Kirbie's Cravings: Flourless Nutella pumpkin bread.
• The Kitchn: General Tso's tofu.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Cinnamon pumpkin cookie bars.
• Serious Eats: Nordstrom tomato soup.
• Picky Palate: 15 pumpkin recipes.

Hello Kitty Cafe Truck - Bethesda

A few weeks ago I met up with my friend L to check out the Hello Kitty Cafe truck's pop-up shop event in Bethesda - along with about a million other Hello Kitty fans, haha.  The line moved pretty slowly but I am generally OK with lines (v. Japanese of me, ha), and it was fun to see all the different Hello Kitty outfits people were wearing in line.  

 

Below are the items that I got:

- T-shirt (for a friend that couldn't make it)

- Mug

- Free button and sticker from the event

- Frosted cookie set

I am SO happy I got the mug - it is super cute and even has a little Hello Kitty doughnut that you can see when you finish your drink.  I hope more Hello Kitty events come to this area in the future! 

Lunchtime Links for September 27th, 2016

• A Kitchen Addiction: Pumpkin swirled pancake muffins.
• Bake at 350: Cream cheese coffeecake cookies.
• I Heart Naptime: Caramel frosted pumpkin cookies.
• A Spicy Perspective: Apple cider cinnamon knots.
• Averie Cooks: Pumpkin chocolate chip gooey bars.

Target - Thanks a Latte Plate

The seasonal housewares section at my local Target is always located right when you walk in, so there's a good chance I will see something that I like every time they bring in new merchandise, haha. 

This recent visit was no exception, as I was instantly drawn to these cute metallic dessert plates that are part of the fall/Thanksgiving collection!  I got one of the "Thanks a Latte" plates and can't wait to use it.  The design is in a very pretty metallic gold color, and it would even make a cute decorative item for any time of the year!

Lunchtime Links for September 26th, 2016

• Two Peas and Their Pod: Funfetti cake.
• Seasons and Suppers: Soft pumpkin spice cookies.
• Gimme Some Oven: 20 minute tomato soup.
• Love and Olive Oil: Caramel cookie crunch ice cream.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Shortbread M&M cookies.

Trader Joe's Petite Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I'm not sure if these are totally new, but as far as I know I have not seen these cookies at Trader Joe's in past fall seasons so they are new to me! I love checking out the fall pumpkin items that Trader Joe's comes out with every year, and these sounded really delicious right off the bat.  The cookies indeed are petite sized, smaller than an Oreo cookie but not quite miniature sized.  They are coated in a pale orange and white yogurt with sprinkles all over them.  I loved these cookies - they actually reminded me of the frosted gingerbread cookies from Trader Joe's over the holidays, with a stronger pumpkin spice addition.  They're the perfect little cookies to nibble on with tea or a Pumpkin Spice Latte - haha! 

Lunchtime Links for September 23rd, 2016

• A Spicy Perspective: Baked Spaghetti pie.
• Dessert for Two: Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
• Crazy for Crust: No bake peanut butter cup pie.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Flourless Nutella banana bread.
• Creme de la Crumb: Gooey caramel pumpkin brownies.

Starbucks $3 Fall Drinks

Fall is upon us, and while the Starbucks seasonal drinks have been out for a little while now, this week is the perfect time to try out anything you've had your eye on.

Until September 25th, all of the Fall drinks are $3 for a Grande size between 2-5pm each day.  This includes the following:

- Hot/Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Hot/Iced Chile Mocha
- Hot/Iced Salted Caramel Mocha
- Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino
- Chile Mocha Frappuccino
- Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino

If you've been thinking about trying any of these seasonal drinks, be sure to go while they are "on sale", haha!

Lunchtime Links for September 22nd, 2016

• A Kitchen Addiction: Pumpkin bread with maple buttercream.
• Table for Two: End of summer Orzo salad.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Bacon belts.
• The First Year Blog: Chocolate pumpkin dessert Lasagna.

Happy First Day of Fall!

Happy first day of Fall everyone!  While the weather here in Maryland might not exactly feel like Fall just yet, it's only a matter of time before we're all complaining about the cold winter, so enjoy the warm fall days ahead!  Be sure to go get a Pumpkin Spice Latte now that it's officially Fall! 

 

Lunchtime Links for September 21st, 2016

• Kirbie's Cravings: Rice cooker pancake.
• Handle the Heat: Pumpkin cookie butter truffles.
• How Sweet It Is: S'mores French toast.
• The First Year Blog: Espresso coffee cake.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Pumpkin truffle Bundt cake with chocolate ganache.

Choco Chip Oreos

In just the past few years, it seems like Nabisco has come out with a TON of crazy limited edition Oreo flavors -  and some are definitely better than others, haha.  Luckily, these Choco Chip Oreos are definitely in the "better" category and they did a great job with this one!

One of the things I liked most about these Oreos is that both the cookie and creme components are chocolate chip - often times the creme is just changed to suit the different flavor.  I think it also helps that an Oreo and chocolate chip cookie aren't really that far off in terms of the general flavor, so this was an easy transition from the standard Oreo.  If you're a fan of the Golden Oreos and also love chocolate chips, this is the perfect Oreo for you! 

Lunchtime Links for September 20th, 2016

• How Sweet It Is: Chocolate chip cookie s'mores bars.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Levain Bakery.
• Crazy for Crust: Salted caramel mocha cheesecake dip.
• Brown Eyed Baker: S'mores cheesecake.
• A Spicy Perspective: Gooey caramel stuffed brownies.

Target - Pumpkin Spice T-shirt

I regularly check out the t-shirt/tank section at Target because they usually have some fun designs all throughout the year.  And considering my obsession with all things pumpkin, of course I couldn't pass this one up! It's a super soft tank that shows everyone that you are Team Pumpkin, haha.  And for $12.99, this is also a great little gift for someone that loves everything pumpkin! 

Lunchtime Links for September 19th, 2016

• The First Year Blog: Brookie cups.
• Seasons and Suppers: Vietnamese chicken noodle bowl.
• The Pioneer Woman: No-bake chocolate peanut butter pie bars.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Skillet meatball Parm.
• How Sweet It Is: Cookies and cream puff pastry doughnuts.

Bath and Body Works - Pumpkin Candles

This year, Bath and Body Works has lots of pumpkin scented candles in their fall collection which is very exciting!  There are lots of different pumpkin based scents to choose from, and I love the cute labels! Of course I lean more towards the baked/sweet pumpkin scents, but I can see why this collection is one of the more popular ones each year!

Lunchtime Links for September 16th, 2016

• The First Year Blog: Caramel apple Snickerdoodles.
• Averie Cooks: Pumpkin cinnamon roll bake.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Pizza potato skins.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Apple cinnamon muffins.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Crunchy no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars.

Lunchtime Links for September 15th, 2016

• Averie Cooks: Honey garlic meatballs.
• Crazy for Crust: Pumpkin spice banana bread.
• The Kitchn: Banana cream pie doughnuts.
• Cookies and Cups: Snickerdoodle Krispie treats.
• The First Year Blog: Salted caramel Mocha fudge.

Lunchtime Links for September 14th, 2016

• Oh Sweet Basil: Peanut butter marshmallow fudge cookies.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Pumpkin coffee cake muffins with maple glaze.
• A Spicy Perspective: One pot spaghetti Carbonara.
• Dessert for Two: Donut gooey butter cake.
• Averie Cooks: Mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.

Lunchtime Links for September 13th, 2016

• Crazy for Crust: Mega chocolate chip cookie cake.
• Picky Palate: Pumpkin s'mores cake bars.
• Gimme Some Oven: Bruschetta baked shrimp.
• Handle the Heat: Pumpkin cupcakes with Nutella frosting.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Cosmic brownies copycat recipe.

Lunchtime Links for September 6th, 2016

• Simply Happenstance: Vanilla malted marshmallow ice cream.
• Picky Palate: Weeknight creamy sausage pasta.
• My Baking Addiction: S'mores skillet brownies.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Loaded cinnamon chip pumpkin bread.
• Paper & Stitch: Iced coffee popsicles.

Georgetown Cupcake - September Flavors

There are lots of fun cupcake flavors at Georgetown Cupcake this month, including a few new ones!

- Caramel Apple: Fresh apple cupcake with a caramel core topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting and a caramel star drizzle.

- Banana Chocolate Chip: Banana cupcake baked with fresh banana and topped with a whipped ganache frosting.

- PB & J: Peanut Butter cupcake cored and filled with grape jelly and topped with a twist of peanut butter and grape jelly frostings.

- Caramel Cheesecake: Caramel cheesecake topped with a caramel frosting and caramel star drizzle.

- Peanut Butter Fudge Cheesecake: Valrhona chocolate cheesecake with an Oreo cookie crust, cored and filled with fudge, and topped with a peanut butter frosting and a fudge star drizzle.

- Chocolate Ganache Surprise: Valrhona chocolate cupcake cored and filled with vanilla buttercream, dipped in chocolate ganache, and decorated with rainbow nonpareils.

Lunchtime Links for September 1st, 2016

• Cookies and Cups: Fall dessert recipes.
• Love and Olive Oil: Homemade Pita bread.
• Handle the Heat: Ultimate cheesecake.
• Love Swah: No bake peanut butter pretzel slice.
• My Baking Addiction: Peanut butter pie.

Shake Shack - September Custard Calendar

Happy September everyone! There are lots of fun custard flavor offerings this month at Shake Shack!  This month's flavors include one of my favorites - the Red Velvet custard.  Shacktoberfest is also at the end of September, so I am looking forward to seeing what this year's menu items will be for that!

9/1 - 9/4: Peanut Brittle
9/5 - 9/11: Red Velvet
9/12 - 9/18: Strawberry Graham Cracker
9/19 - 9/22: Mast Brothers Chocolate Mint
9/23 - 9/30: Shacktoberfest Shakes