Lunchtime Links for November 30th, 2017

• Kirbie's Cravings: Mashed potato waffles.
• The Pioneer Woman: One-pot chicken Pesto pasta.
• Serious Eats: Classic potato Gratin.
• My Baking Addiction: Sweet potato cheesecake.
• Handle the Heat: Hot cocoa cookies.

Lunchtime Links for November 29th, 2017

• Dessert for Two: Tiramisu cupcakes.
• Creme de la Crumb: Company potatoes.
• How Sweet It Is: Pumpkin cider doughnut holes with hot fudge.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Mashed potato tots.
• Bake at 350: Frosted hazelnut Cappuccino bars.

Forever 21 - Recent Finds

In reality, I am way too old to be shopping in places like Forever 21; however I always see people in there that appear older and shopping alone so I'm sure it's fine, haha.  I usually poke around the store every once in a while and beeline directly for the accessories/other random things by the registers, and don't even look at the clothes at all.  A recent visit certainly didn't disappoint, with lots of cute socks and bags!  I'll never tire of puns and random cute illustrations which Forever 21 carries by the truckload.  This time I only bought the ramen socks, but I am seriously debating on going back for the other two bags :o)

 

Lunchtime Links for November 28th, 2017

• Damn Delicious: Garlic Parmesan dinner rolls.
• Cookies and Cups: Crab cake dip. 
• Joy the Baker: Pumpkin spice Tiramisu.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Mashed sweet potatoes.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Dulce de Leche banana cream pie.

2017 Christmas Tree (with Andy Cohen)

I'm not sure if there's any sort of "official" time to start decorating for Christmas, but since my tree is tiny and takes about 5 minutes to decorate I figured I might as well start now, haha.  When do you all put up your holiday decorations? 

As you might notice from the photos above, there's a general sweets/food theme to my Christmas tree, and over the years it has started to look like a big advertisement for various brands, haha.  Some of those include my favorites, like Shake Shack, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts. 

After decorating my tree last night, I realized that I had a Facebook memory from 2012 and realized that I was basically doing the same thing 5 years ago - hah!  I'm glad that Andy himself enjoyed this Christmas moment with me too :o)

11/27/2012 - Andy on Watch What Happens Live:

 11/27/2017 - Andy on the RHOC reunion part 2:

Lunchtime Links for November 27th, 2017

• The First Year Blog: Christmas present Oreo balls.
• Serious Eats: Thanksgiving Brussels sprouts recipes.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Sweet potato rolls.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting.
• The Kitchn: Bacon baked Brie bread bowl.

Lunchtime Links for November 20th, 2017

• Crazy for Crust: Slice and bake chocolate peanut butter cookies.
• The Kitchn: Chicken Marsala meatballs.
• Bakerella: Peanut butter cup stuffed chocolate cookies.
• I Heart Naptime: Chicken tortilla soup.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Flourless chocolate pumpkin bread.

Starbucks - 2017 Holiday Ornaments

I was very happy to come across a few holiday ornaments at Starbucks recently - they are always so cute and I love seeing what the designs are each year!  I really like the holiday cup design this year, and the mini ornament version is super cute.  The "local" Starbucks theme is also one of the holiday designs again this year, and I love how the Maryland one has Maryland blue crabs and the preppy monogram design!  I look forward to seeing what other designs are available this year as they continue to roll out their holiday items!

Lunchtime Links for November 16th, 2017

• Creme de la Crumb: Baked Parmesan creamed corn.
• Serious Eats: Thanksgiving potato recipes.
• Averie Cooks: Chocolate chip cookie for one.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Korean corn cheese.
• The Kitchn: Bacon-wrapped potato bites with spicy sour cream dipping sauce.

Georgetown Cupcake - Chocolate Caramel Swirl + Thanksgiving Chocolate Cupcakes

 

In the US Thanksgiving is coming up in one week, but I started celebrating a little early with these November cupcake flavors at Georgetown Cupcake :o) 

The Chocolate Caramel Swirl cupcake is a new flavor for this year - Valrhona chocolate and dulce de leche caramel marbled cupcake topped with a whipped Callebaut chocolate ganache and salted caramel “twist” frosting. It's a great combination of chocolate and caramel in both the frosting and the cake, and looks very pretty with the swirls throughout.  The Thanksgiving Chocolate cupcake is the Chocolate & Vanilla cupcake from the daily menu with a fondant Turkey decoration on top.  It's a nice subtle way to get excited for Thanksgiving, haha.  Both flavors would be lovely additions to your Thanksgiving dessert table!

Lunchtime Links for November 15th, 2017

• The Kitchn: Pumpkin dessert Lasagna. 
• How Sweet It Is: Black bottomed no-bake pumpkin pie with marshmallow.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Honey butter.
• Seasons and Suppers: Banana chocolate chunk muffins.
• My Baking Addiction: Marshmallow pumpkin pie.

Shake Shack - Hot Chick'n

The Hot Chick'n sandwich at Shake Shack isn't new by this point, but I hadn't been able to get around to trying it until recently.  I'm so glad that I did eventually, because this was AWESOME!  The regular Chick'n Shack sandwich is great already, and with the added spices and hot sauce slaw, this is a delicious stack of flavors for anyone that likes spicy food.  It's probably better that I don't have immediate access to a Shake Shack from home, because I'd get this way too often haha.  That being said, I hope they keep it on the menu at least a little bit longer so I can have it again before it's off the menu!

Lunchtime Links for November 14th, 2017

• The Kitchn: Sour cream smashed potatoes with fried shallots.
• Bake at 350: Yellow cake with chocolate filling and salted caramel buttercream.
• Table for Two: Roasted Parmesan broccoli. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Cheesy creamed corn casserole.
• Handle the Heat: Soft batch double chocolate cookies.

Target Holiday "Oh Snap!" Sweater

 

I will never, ever tire of seeing the "Oh Snap!" gingerbread joke on things during the holidays, hahaha.  I love how the gingerbread man with the sunglasses is too cool to care that their friend is literally breaking apart, haha.  

This sweater is currently sold at Target - unfortunately, this design is only in the kids' section .  But if you have any kids that would appreciate this or you're small enough to fit into kids' sizes, be sure to pick this up at your local Target or online! 

Lunchtime Links for November 13th, 2017

• The Kitchn: Baked corn pudding casserole.
• Creme de la Crumb: Shrimp and sausage Gumbo.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Chocolate chip pumpkin snack bars.
• Table for Two: Parmesan garlic ranch butter smashed potatoes.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Garlic green beans.

Shake Shack - Shackburger Plush

After buying my first place, you'd think that I would be more careful about spending money on "fun" things.  However when I saw this Shackburger x Yummy World collaboration plush burger, I hit Add to Cart faster than you can say Shake Shack, haha!

  

 

 

But seriously though, how could I, as a fan of both Shake Shack AND Yummy World plushes, resist buying this?? It's super soft and SO cute in person, and I love that it comes in a removable Shake Shack burger wrapper.  I'm totally justifying this purchase by considering it new home decor, and it adds the right amount of "burger" to my living room, haha. 

Lunchtime Links for November 9th, 2017

• The Kitchn: Thanksgiving dinner on two sheet pans.
• I Heart Naptime: Chocolate silk pie. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Mashed potatoes.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Pumpkin spice double chip cookies.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Crispy mashed cauliflower balls.

Hearth & Hand with Magnolia at Target

I admittedly don't know much at all about the Magnolia brand, or the tv show (that's now ending) with Chip and Joanna Gaines - except I've heard they use shiplap on everything, haha.  However, I was curious enough about a new collaboration with Target to go check it out while I was running errands last weekend.  

The collection is called Hearth & Hand with Magnolia and if I had to describe it in a few words, the collection is very: Lite Rustic, Neutral, Wood, Cabin-y, haha.  So, not entirely my style, but there were a few pieces that I thought were cute:

- Dollhouse: Ok so clearly not anything near practical but I thought this was super cute and seemed all nostalgic being made out of wood and everything.

- Bud Vase: This little house works great as just decoration, but is listed as a bud vase which is very cute as well. 

- Cocoa Pot: Anything with hot cocoa is good in my book, haha.  I liked the warm wood accents and how it comes with a matching base.  

In the end, I did actually wind up buying the Acacia Wood Round Footed Tray (Medium) shown in the photo above.  I liked the sturdy feet first, weirdly enough - I've been looking for some decorative trays but a lot of them had wobbly wire feet, metal ball bottoms that could scratch surfaces, or no feet at all.  This one is perfect for decorating my new place, and also works as a serving tray for food whenever I have people over.  

So even if you're not a huge Chip and Joanna fan, it might be worth checking out their collection next time you're in Target to find a little something new for your home!

Lunchtime Links for November 8th, 2017

• The Kitchn: Make ahead creamy mac and cheese casserole.
• My Baking Addiction: Pumpkin cream cheese muffins.
• Seasons and Suppers: Gnocchi with Chorizo sauce.
• Dine and Dish: Apple cinnamon cookies.
• Serious Eats: Gingerbread cake.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios

 

As if regular cereal wasn't basically dessert as it is, Cheerios has come out with a new chocolate peanut butter flavor, haha.  I don't normally buy cereal but I'll always make an exception for fun new and limited edition flavors :o)

As it turns out, this wasn't exactly the "Reese's-esque" bomb that I had assumed, and was actually less sweet than I thought it would be.  There's still a strong peanut butter flavor, but the chocolate is actually more like a cocoa flavor that balances the peanut butter well.  Overall I thought this flavor was very good, and not as sweet as expected (in a positive way).  If you like chocolate and peanut butter flavors definitely give this new Cheerios flavor a try!

Lunchtime Links for November 7th, 2017

• The Kitchn: 3 ingredient garlicky red potatoes.
• Table for Two: Extra garlicky cheesy bread. 
• Cookies and Cups: Pumpkin s'mores cake.
• Love and Olive Oil: Creme Fraiche mashed potatoes. 
• Averie Cooks: Chicken stir fry with noodles.

Trader Joe's - Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

 

I always love seeing what fall items Trader Joe's comes out with every year, and this frozen mac and cheese is definitely one of my top favorites! This mac and cheese is super creamy, and the short, wide pasta is the perfect shape for picking up all the cheese.  This would also make a great side dish for fall dinner parties, especially dressed up with breadcrumbs or mixed in with broccoli or cubed butternut squash for extra texture.  If you like mac and cheese definitely go pick this up while they're available! 

Lunchtime Links for November 6th, 2017

• The Kitchn: Stove top macaroni and cheese.
• Cookies and Cups: Holiday brunch recipes. 
• Apartment Therapy: Anthropologie's signature scent.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Reese's Krispies popcorn. 
• Creme de la Crumb: Cream cheese frosted pumpkin bread.

Georgetown Cupcake - Pumpkin Spice Cupcake Mix

 

Georgetown Cupcake came out with their cupcake mixes that are sold in Williams-Sonoma stores for some time now, but I was very excited to see that one of their new flavors is Pumpkin Spice!  Georgetown Cupcake's Pumpkin Spice cupcake is always a big fall favorite, and now this mix allows you to make them at home whenever you want! While this mix doesn't come with the perfect frosting swirl included, it's a great way to celebrate the current pumpkin season :o)  Also, right now the mix is currently on sale so pick some up soon if you want to try it out! 

Lunchtime Links for November 2nd, 2017

• My Baking Addiction: White chocolate Tiramisu pudding cups.
• The Kitchn: Turkey meatballs with Parmesan and sage.
• Dessert for Two: Chocolate caramel cookie bars. 
• Steamy Kitchen: Sweet potatoes with bacon and maple syrup glaze.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Peanut butter cheesecake Oreo brownies.

Shake Shack Boston - Back Bay Blend Concrete

On a recent trip to Boston to visit friends, I had the chance to pop into Shake Shack to see what concretes they have at this location!  They all sounded great but I decided on the Back Bay Blend because you can never go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter.

 

I love that there's a tornado of sprinkles in the middle of the cup, haha.   This was a super rich and delicious cup of custard for anyone that loves chocolate!  The peanut butter sauce gets a little lost since I think it gets completely blended in, but the combination of all the ingredients was great, especially the texture from both the sprinkles and toffee pieces.  I was very happy to get to go to another Shake Shack location that I hadn't been to before!

Lunchtime Links for November 1st, 2017

• The Kitchn: One pot meatballs and pasta o's.
• Cookies and Cups: Chocolate cream cheese frosting.
• Dessert for Two: White chicken chili for two. 
• Bakerella: 10 year anniversary.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Potato chip chocolate chip blondies.

Georgetown Cupcake - November Flavors

Happy November everyone! There are lots of fun fall-themed cupcakes flavors this month at Georgetown Cupcake:

- Pumpkin Spice: Pumpkin spice cupcake with a maple-infused cream cheese frosting topped with a fondant maple leaf.

- Pumpkin Cheesecake: Pumpkin cheesecake cupcake with a graham cracker crust, topped with maple cream cheese frosting and a fondant maple leaf.

- German Chocolate Fudge: Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a caramel and pecan core, topped with a caramel buttercream frosting, toasted coconut flakes and a fudge and caramel drizzle.

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

- Maple Chocolate Chip: Maple cupcake studded with Callebaut chocolate chips and topped with a maple cream cheese frosting and a fondant maple leaf.

- Thanksgiving Chocolate: Valrhona chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting topped with a brown fondant turkey.

- Thanksgiving Vanilla: Madagascar vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting and topped with a brown fondant turkey.

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

- Chocolate Caramel Swirl: Valrhona chocolate and dulce de leche caramel marbled cupcake topped with a whipped Callebaut chocolate ganache and salted caramel “twist” frosting.