Lunchtime Links for February 28th, 2017

• Joy the Baker: Peanut butter black and tan cookies.
• My Baking Addiction: Banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
• How Sweet It Is: Clementine vodka sodas.
• Crazy for Crust: Snickerdoodle crunch pudding cookies.
• Serious Eats: Chicken soup recipes.

Georgetown Cupcake - Milk Chocolate Strawberry Cupcake

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I LOVE the milk chocolate frosting at Georgetown Cupcake.  It is always fluffy and the perfect milk chocolate flavor, not heavy or cloying at all.  With the fresh strawberry cake as the base, this Milk Chocolate Strawberry cupcake was the perfect balance of both to make a delicious chocolate covered strawberry flavor.  I hope they bring this one back again soon! 

Lunchtime Links for February 27th, 2017

• How Sweet It Is: Avocado hummus.
• The Kitchn: Roasting Brussels sprouts.
• Cookies and Cups: Chocolate pudding.
• Serious Eats: Ramen recipes.
• Dessert for Two: Small batch Focaccia.

Lunchtime Links for February 24th, 2017

• Creme de la Crumb: Copycat Reese's peanut butter eggs.
• Averie Cooks: Starbucks double chocolate brownies.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Crispy baked Bang Bang shrimp.
• Dessert for Two: Chocolate Rice Krispy treats.
• Love and Olive Oil: Cinnamon swirl layer cake.

Forever 21 - Panda Tote

Happy Friday everyone! I cracked up seeing this dancing panda ballerina tote at Forever 21 recently and knew I had to buy it!  On a somewhat related but less fun note, earlier this week Bao Bao the panda left the National Zoo here in DC to go to China.  In a weird way this tote could also look like the panda on the tote is waving goodbye, haha.  Best wishes to Bao Bao in her new home!    

Lunchtime Links for February 23rd, 2017

• Picky Palate: One pot cheesy Spaghetti.
• How Sweet It Is: Peanut butter Oreos.
• The Kitchn: Matcha Tiramisu.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Chocolate peanut butter cup mug cake.
• Cookies and Cups: Unicorn hot chocolate.

Lunchtime Links for February 22nd, 2017

• Creme de la Crumb: Spicy Korean beef noodles.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Red velvet poke cake.
• Good Life Eats: Freezing cookie dough.
• Crazy for Crust: Small batch desserts.
• Damn Delicious: Beef and broccoli ramen stir fry.

Georgetown Cupcake - Chocolate Ganache Strawberry Surprise Cupcake

This Chocolate Ganache Strawberry Surprise cupcake was the free secret flavor recently, and while it might not be the flashiest cupcake, it was really delicious!  The chocolate cake plus chocolate ganache is always a good combination, and the little "surprise" was a strawberry frosting core.  It actually reminded me a lot of the Chocolate Strawberry Oreos that are out now, even in the appearance haha.  If you don't always like a ton of frosting and love chocolate the chocolate ganache is a perfect choice!

Lunchtime Links for February 21st, 2017

• Table for Two: Korean Galbi bowls.
• I Heart Naptime: Sheet pan dinners.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies.
• Damn Delicious: Chicken pesto pizza.
• Gimme Some Oven: 20 minute Thai basil chicken.

Lunchtime Links for February 15th, 2017

• Cookies and Cups: Brownie sundae cups.
• A Spicy Perspective: Buffalo chicken mac and cheese.
• Averie Cooks: Peanut butter Brookies.
• Crazy for Crust: Easy chicken Parmesan.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake.

Lunchtime Links for February 14th, 2017

• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chocolate banana bread.
• Crazy for Crust: Birthday cake roll.
• Smitten Kitchen: Small batch Tiramisu.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Red velvet molten lava cakes.
• Averie Cooks: Valentine peanut butter M&M blondies.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! I love how the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day there are hearts and cute things everywhere haha.  This new Starbucks sleeve design is so cute!  I hope everyone has a great day with lots of love all around :o)

Lunchtime Links for February 13th, 2017

• Creme de la Crumb: Red velvet cinnamon rolls with brown butter cream cheese frosting.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Pepperoni Pizza dip.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Deep dish chocolate chip skillet brownie and brookie cups.
• Dessert for Two: Cookies and Cream cupcakes.
• Cookies and Cups: Twix Blondies.

The Candle Creative - Galentine's Day Gift Swap

This year I participated in the Galentine's Day swap hosted by The Candle Creative, which was a fun way to send gifts to someone to celebrate! I got matched up with Diana of Our City Lights, and I knew immediately that it would be really fun to shop for her.  Check out her Instagram feed and you can see our mutual love of cupcakes, Hello Kitty, Mindy Kaling, to just name a few things! 

I received Diana's package over the weekend, and as you can see she totally picked out things that I love haha!  Red Velvet, mugs, cupcakes, and Kate Spade :o)  I can't wait to use everything ASAP!  Thank you to The Candle Creative for hosting such a fun gift swap! 

Lunchtime Links for February 10th, 2017

• Snixy Kitchen: Frosted Earl Grey brownies.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Gooey fluffernutter rice krispie treats.
• Smitten Kitchen: Broccoli pizza.
• Crazy for Crust: Cream cheese banana muffins.
• Picky Palate: Chocolate hazelnut sweet rolls.

Georgetown Cupcake - Williams-Sonoma Bethesda Event

                                           

Last night was a very fun event at the Bethesda Williams-Sonoma to celebrate the new Georgetown Cupcake baking mixes!  I have been to one of their book signings years ago in Bethesda, so it was fun seeing the co-owners Katherine and Sophie again!  

What a beautiful sight, haha.  These boxed cupcakes were available to take home with a donation to a great organization, No Kid Hungry. 

Katherine and Sophie are always so nice and friendly, taking photos and chatting with everyone that came out to the store.  I was very happy that they remember seeing my photos on Instagram, haha :o)  

Champagne and mini cupcakes were served, which was a delicious way to celebrate their new product!  The mini cupcakes are so cute, and are perfect little bites for a party. Plus it lets you try a number of different flavors without committing to full-size cupcakes.  

Everyone was excited about the idea of baking their own Georgetown Cupcakes at home, and the ones that were available in the store were selling quick! Congratulations to the Georgetown Cupcake team on their new baking mixes! 

Lunchtime Links for February 9th, 2017

• How Sweet It Is: Ciabatta pizza bread.
• Picky Palate: One bowl chocolate chunk brownies.
• Seasons and Suppers: Baked sausage and Ricotta Rigatoni.
• The First Year Blog: Mini chocolate cheesecakes.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Cinnamon sugar pretzels.

Georgetown Cupcake - Red Velvet Swirl Cheesecake

Given my love for both the Red Velvet cupcake and the cheesecake varieties at Georgetown Cupcake, this Red Velvet Swirl Cheesecake was a guaranteed winner in my book!  This flavor consists of a Classic cheesecake swirled with red velvet and a graham cracker crust, topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting and a double heart fondant decoration.  The cheesecakes at Georgetown Cupcake are always so smooth and delicious - and the crunchy graham cracker crust adds a lot of texture.  Definitely give this one a try if you also like Red Velvet and/or cheesecake, it's delicious! 

Lunchtime Links for February 8th, 2017

• The Kitchn: Oven-baked green bean fries.
• Dessert for Two: Red velvet sugar cookies.
• Averie Cooks: Peanut butter blossom cookie bars.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chicken and rice soup.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Peanut butter chocolate chip mug cake.

USPS - Love Skywriting Stamps

These "Love Skywriting" stamps came out in January and they are so fun!  I always like when there are creative designs for the newly issued stamps.  If they aren't available at your local post office - buying them online is very easy and the shipping costs are minimal.  And of course, these are perfect for mailing out Valentine's Day cards which is coming up next week! 

Lunchtime Links for February 7th, 2017

• The Kitchn: Buffalo chicken dip.
• Cookies and Cups: Skillet pizza rolls.
• Creme de la Crumb: Easy Focaccia bread.
• Dessert for Two: Heart brownies.
• Damn Delicious: Steak Cobb salad meal prep.

Georgetown Cupcake - Hot Cocoa Cupcake

This Hot Cocoa cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake was available under a different name over Christmas a few months ago, but I was very happy to see it back on the menu in January! 

Georgetown Cupcake's Valrhona chocolate cupcake, stuffed with marshmallow, and topped with a Callebaut milk chocolate buttercream frosting, Callebaut dark chocolate curls, and a white fondant snowflake 

Anyone that loves chocolate will of course enjoy this one - and with the addition of marshmallow it really does mimic the taste of hot cocoa really well.  I especially loved the marshmallow filling, and the little dark chocolate curls on top of the frosting, so good!  Unfortunately this was available only as a January flavor, but I hope they bring it back again soon as a secret flavor! 

Lunchtime Links for February 6th, 2017

• Picky Palate: Ice cream sundae brownies.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Cauliflower Bolognese.
• Dine and Dish: Salted caramel Cappuccino sandwich cookies.
• Serious Eats: Guacamole recipes.
• The First Year Blog: Oreo cheesecake dip.

Lunchtime Links for February 3rd, 2017

• The Kitchn: Party dip upgrades.
• Love and Olive Oil: Unicorn hot chocolate.
• Picky Palate: Cheese stuffed baked Spaghetti.
• Handle the Heat: Baked red velvet donut holes.
• Gimme Some Oven: Easy Queso dip.

Georgetown Cupcake Mixes at Williams-Sonoma

For those of you that love to bake or want to try Georgetown Cupcake and can't get to one of their stores, they now have cupcake mixes available at Williams-Sonoma stores and online!!

Currently the following flavors are available: Chocolate, Red Velvet, Vanilla, Lemon, and gluten free Vanilla.  The cupcake mixes are $14.95 each, or $25 for a set of two (same flavor) online.  While the mixes are only for the cake portion and not the delicious frostings, this is still a fun way to try your hand at baking Georgetown Cupcakes at home!  

Lunchtime Links for February 2nd, 2017

• Creme de la Crumb: Baked chicken broccoli Alfredo.
• Picky Palate: Gooey Snickers cake bars.
• The First Year Blog: Reese's peanut butter football cups.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Homemade soft pretzel bites.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Chocolate chip banana cake with peanut butter frosting.

Starbucks Tiny Hearts Cold Cup

I originally saw this super cute Valentine's-themed Starbucks cold cup in January, and did not buy it right away (shockingly, haha).  Unfortunately, not too long after, the Valentine's day designs started selling out, and this one wasn't even available online anymore.  Luckily for me, I happened to check out the Starbucks inside a Target store recently and came across a shelf full of Valentine's day items!  This cold cup is light gold all around with tiny little pink and red hearts - so fun!  This will be perfect for making sure that I drink lots of water at work :o)  If anyone is still out looking for these mugs and cups be sure to check the franchise Starbucks stores as well to see if they have any! 

Georgetown Cupcake - February Flavors

Happy February everyone!  Georgetown Cupcake has a lot of special flavors this month, and I love how they're all so PINK!

- Strawberry: Classic Madagascar vanilla cupcake baked with fresh strawberries and topped with a fresh strawberry frosting and a fondant heart

- Red Velvet Swirl Cheesecake: Classic cheesecake swirled with red velvet and a graham cracker crust, topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting and a double heart fondant decoration

- Pink Rose: Classic Madagascar bourbon vanilla cupcake decorated with baby pink vanilla buttercream frosting "roses"

- Valentine's "XO" Chocolate: Valrhona chocolate cupcake with bubblegum pink vanilla buttercream, Valentine's candy nonpareils, and “XO” fondant

- Valentine's "XO" Vanilla: Madagascar vanilla cupcake with baby pink vanilla buttercream, infused with and covered in Valentine's candy nonpareils and “XO” fondant

- Strawberry Lava Fudge: Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a rich fudge core topped with a strawberry buttercream frosting and a fudge star drizzle

- Strawberry Cheesecake: Strawberry cheesecake baked with fresh strawberries and a graham cracker crust, topped with a fresh strawberry buttercream frosting and a double heart fondant decoration

- Raspberry Chocolate Chip: Classic Madagascar vanilla cupcake baked with fresh raspberries and Callebaut chocolate chips, topped with a whipped Callebaut chocolate ganache frosting and a double heart fondant decoration