Lunchtime Links for April 28th, 2017

• Creme de la Crumb: Catalina chicken.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Cheesecake truffle brownies.
• Style Sweet CA: Milk and cookies cake.
• The Kitchn: Food-themed piggy banks.
• Cookies and Cups: Unicorn recipes.

Lunchtime Links for April 27th, 2017

• Kirbie's Cravings: Sheet pan stir fry.
• Dessert for Two: Chocolate cake for two.
• The Kitchn: Removing labels from jars. 
• Joy the Baker: Sticky finger maple bacon grilled cheese.
• Crazy for Crust: Dulce de Leche gooey bars.

Lunchtime Links for April 20th, 2017

• I Heart Naptime: Brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
• A Kitchen Addiction: French toast English muffin bread.
• Picky Palate: Taco Totchos.
• Cookies and Cups: Chocolate chip banana bread.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Boston Cream pie.

Starbucks - Unicorn Frappuccino

By now, many of you will likely have seen this crazy looking Unicorn Frappuccino online, especially yesterday which was the first official day it was available.  Clearly this was something that I had to get, given the combination of Starbucks, limited edition, and made for Instagram!

This drink consists of mango syrup in a pink creme Frappuccino base, sour blue drizzle, whipped cream, and sour pink and blue powder on top.  The "Color-changing" aspect in the advertisements likely comes from stirring the blue drizzle through the pink base, making the drink purple later on.  

Or, if you leave it alone without mixing it that well, it starts to turn into something like a Lush bath bomb inside of a cup, haha.  

After reading a number of reviews online, it seems like there's some inconsistencies with the sweet/sour aspect of the drink.  Many people said the drink was too sour, while other said it tasted like a funky colored vanilla Frappuccino with no distinct fruit flavors.  For me personally, I got a lot of mango flavor throughout, which reminded me of a mango Rita's water ice (so good!!) at first.  Then I did get a few hits of sour flavors, I think from when I finally started drinking the blue drizzle along the side of the cup.  The powder on top was pretty sour, but nothing more than maybe a bite of a Sour Patch Kid gummy.  But as expected the predominant flavor was very, very, very, sweet.  I got about halfway through the drink before deciding that it was something fun to try but I did not have to finish, haha.  I can definitely say I'm happy I tried it, especially since I used a drink reward for it so I didn't technically pay up front for it anyway.  

 As a side note - I have to laugh at the Starbucks Facebook page comments (seriously, go look), with all the people blasting Starbucks for making a drink too sweet and unhealthy.  Last I checked, NO ONE is buying this for health reasons, and people can choose to not get this drink (or any drink/food for that matter) if they don't want to.  When it comes down to it it's a fun and crazy drink, and I hope they keep coming out with more fun flavors moving forward!     

Lunchtime Links for April 17th, 2017

• Oh Sweet Basil: 15 minute Pesto pasta.
• The Kitchn: Chicken Alfredo shells.
• Cookies and Cups: Parmesan garlic biscuit rolls. 
• Averie Cooks: P.F. Chang's chicken lettuce cups.
• Creme de la Crumb: Ravioli Alfredo bake with spinach and bacon.

Lunchtime Links for April 14th, 2017 - Kimi No Na Wa Movie

 In lieu of my regular Lunchtime Links today, I wanted to share some reviews for the Japanese movie "Kimi No Na Wa" / "Your Name" that is currently out in select US theatres.  This movie was a huge hit in Japan last summer/fall and continues to be really popular, with movie-themed pop up cafes doing really well in Japan.  The animation is really amazing, and I love the soundtrack as well.  The Japanese band Radwimps worked closely with the director to create all of the songs in the movie, and it's really a great compliment to the story.  If you have a chance to see this movie while it is being shown by you, I highly recommend it!! 

• NPR
• The Guardian
• Vox

Lunchtime Links for April 13th, 2017

• A Kitchen Addiction: Chocolate chip bars.
• Crazy for Crust: Churro cheesecake dip. 
• I Heart Naptime: Chicken Caesar wraps.
• The Kitchn: Funfetti cinnamon rolls.
• Cookies and Cups: Cadbury chocolate egg cookies.

Lunchtime Links for April 12th, 2017

• Kirbie's Cravings: Baked salt and pepper wings.
• Averie Cooks: Banana chocolate chip streusel muffins. 
• Love Swah: Malted chocolate mug cake with Easter M&Ms.
• Picky Palate: Peanutty chocolate chip cookies.
• Table for Two: Oreo cheesecake bars.

Lunchtime Links for April 11th, 2017

• Averie Cooks: Springtime sugar cookie bars with cream cheese frosting.
• Bakerella: Little lamb cupcakes.
• I Heart Naptime: Perfect potato rolls.
• Crazy for Crust: No bake Oreo peanut butter bars.
• How Sweet It Is: Chicken avocado salad with peanut dressing.

Lunchtime Links for April 10th, 2017

• How Sweet It Is: Frozen Mimosas.
• Damn Delicious: Shrimp pasta with tomato basil cream sauce.
• Handle the Heat: No churn peanut butter ice cream.
• Dessert for Two: Boston Cream Pie cupcakes.
• The Kitchn: Cinnamon rolls.

Lunchtime Links for April 7th, 2017

• A Kitchen Addiction: Cheesy spinach Lasagna.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Chocolate Nutella lava cookies.
• Picky Palate: Cinnamon roll bubble bites.
• I Heart Naptime: One pot Caprese pasta.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Gooey chocolate cakes.

Lunchtime Links for April 6th, 2017

• Two Peas and Their Pod: Skillet Queso dip.
• Oh Sweet Basil: No bake Oreo pie. 
• Love and Olive Oil: Molten Rocky Road skillet cookies.
• Picky Palate: Chocolate chocolate chip Bundt cake.
• The First Year Blog: Peanut butter cookies.