Lunchtime Links for March 29th, 2019

• The Kitchn: Chocolate banana cake with salted peanut butter frosting.
• My Baking Addiction: 10 weeknight dinners.
• Sora News 24: Shake Shack Kyoto. 
• Table for Two: Peanut butter and chocolate banana muffins. 
• Serious Eats: 8 rice bowl recipes.

Lunchtime Links for March 28th, 2019

• The Kitchn: Chicken cutlet sandwich.
• Averie Cooks: Baked Teriyaki chicken and rice. 
• Bakerella: Baby chick chocolate cake. 
• Damn Delicious: Creamy potato Gratin.
• A Spicy Perspective: Chicken fried steak with gravy.

Lunchtime Links for March 27th, 2019

• Oh Sweet Basil: Simple garlic butter Parmesan chicken with lemon rice.
• Sora News 24: Sakura Mochi hat.
• Table for Two: Crispy baked Haddock.
• Handle the Heat: Chocolate chip muffins. 
• The Kitchn: Cheese Tortellini in garlic sauce.

TJ Maxx - Cake Wall Art

Happy Wednesday everyone! I just had to share this funny quote wall art that I saw at TJ Maxx recently - anyone else that loves sweets will appreciate this too!

Lunchtime Links for March 26th, 2019

• The Kitchn: Peruvian roasted chicken with green sauce.
• Smitten Kitchen: Dutch baby pancake.
• Cookies and Cups: Creamy beef pasta. 
• I Heart Naptime: Peanut butter fudge. 
• Averie Cooks: Cheesy beef and pasta casserole.

Lunchtime Links for March 25th, 2019

• Handle the Heat: Cinnamon rolls.
• I Heart Naptime: Roasted red potatoes. 
• Averie Cooks: Flourless chocolate cake.
• The Kitchn: Baked chicken with pan gravy.
• Damn Delicious: Kimchi fried rice.

Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Core Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry's recently came out with Cookie Dough Core versions of their very popular Core ice cream, and I was very excited to try them out!  This Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Core flavor especially sounded really delicious - a "cookie milk ice cream with fudge chips and a chocolate chip cookie dough core". 

The ice cream itself it delicious, especially if you like chocolate chip ice cream like I do.  I can't really say that the cookie milk ice cream flavor is really obvious, but it's tasty nonetheless, haha.  The chocolate chip cookie dough core is thick and sweet, and a little bit grainy.  It might just be from the brown sugar being frozen, but it wasn't quite as "dough-y" as I would've liked.  Overall, I like the taste of this flavor, but it won't beat out my long-standing favorite, the Milk and Cookies flavor :o)    

Lunchtime Links for March 22nd, 2019

• A Spicy Perspective: Layered banana pudding cake.
• Cookies and Cups: Buckeye brownies.
• The Kitchn: Salmon patties. 
• Bake at 350: Chocolate peanut butter ice cream pie.
• Gimme Some Oven: Gochujang lettuce wraps.

Lunchtime Links for March 21st, 2019

• Cookies and Cups: Nutella stuffed pancakes.
• Damn Delicious: Crispy roasted herb potatoes.
• I Heart Naptime: Cadbury Easter cupcakes.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Easy pork chops and rice.
• The Kitchn: Creamy taco spaghetti.

Lunchtime Links for March 20th, 2019

• The Kitchn: Pasta recipes.
• Gimme Some Oven: Tahini ranch avocado chicken salad. 
• My Baking Addiction: Banana split dump cake.
• How Sweet Eats: Green Goddess Falafel with cauliflower hummus.
• Table for Two: Smoked sausage and peppers with rice.

Jinya Ramen Bar - Green Monster Ramen

I saw Jinya Ramen Bar's current special Ramen posted online recently, and thought St. Patrick's day weekend was the perfect time to try something so... green, haha.

The Green Monster Ramen consists of green chicken broth, chicken chashu, green onions, crispy kale, crispy onions, and green kale noodles.  This dish should be available at all Jinya Ramen Bar locations through the end of May 2019.

Yes, it really is THAT green!  The green broth especially took a little time to get used to, but this was very delicious!  I especially liked the crispy kale topping and the kale noodles, to feel slightly healthier about eating Ramen, haha.  I would definitely recommend trying it out while it is available!   

Lunchtime Links for March 19th, 2019

• The Kitchn: Garlic bread pepperoni pizza casserole.
• Crazy for Crust: No bake Reese's peanut butter bars. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Baked mac and cheese. 
• Averie Cooks: Sheet pan roasted sweet potatoes and chicken. 
• Cookies and Cups: Kit Kat cookies.

Lunchtime Links for March 18th, 2019

• Love and Lemons: Matcha baked doughnuts.
• The Kitchn: Chrissy Teigen's chicken pot pie soup.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Banana pudding Bundt cake.
• Creme de la Crumb: Chicken and broccoli stir fry.  
• Damn Delicious: Ham and cheese drop biscuits.

Georgetown Cupcake - Baileys Chocolate Mint Cupcake

St. Patrick's day is already over, but I had to share this cute holiday-themed cupcake that's available at Georgetown Cupcake this month! 

The Baileys Chocolate Mint cupcake is a "chocolate cupcake infused with non-alcoholic Baileys essence and topped with a light green non-alcoholic Baileys essence-infused buttercream frosting, a mint chocolate ganache lattice drizzle, shamrock confetti sprinkles, and a gold fondant shamrock embossed with Baileys “BB” logo".  Honestly, mint chocolate is not my preferred flavor, but I really liked how festive this was, especially with the tiny shamrock sprinkles and the mint green colored frosting.  And their chocolate cake is always delicious!

I also purchased their Rainbow cupcake because I thought it looked good with the St. Patrick's day theme, haha.  The Rainbow cupcake is "a classic Madagascar vanilla cupcake infused with rainbow nonpareils and topped with a baby blue-tinted Madagascar vanilla buttercream frosting, and a sour candy rainbow".  A perfect companion to the pot of Baileys gold!
   

Lunchtime Links for March 15th, 2019

• Love and Lemons: 20 soup recipes.
• Seasons and Suppers: Garlic herb Naan bread. 
• Crazy for Crust: Eggless French silk pie. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Rice chicken.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Bolognese sauce.

Lunchtime Links for March 14th, 2019

• Serious Eats: Cooking bacon.
• Gimme Some Oven: Thai red curry.
• The Kitchn: Ground chicken recipes.
• How Sweet Eats: Crispy fish sandwiches with kale coleslaw.
• I Heart Naptime: Cooking steak in the oven.

Lunchtime Links for March 13th, 2019

• The Kitchn: Tator tot recipes.
• My Baking Addiction: Doctored cake mix.
• Averie Cooks: Asiago chicken and pasta. 
• Crazy for Crust: Chocolate butter cake.
• Table for Two: Asian beef and broccoli noodles.

Lunchtime Links for March 12th, 2019

• The Kitchn: Ultra crispy chicken.
• Creme de la Crumb: Chewy gooey brownies.
• How Sweet Eats: Broccoli cheddar tots. 
• Oh Sweet Basil: Rice Krispie treat in a mug for one.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Rigatoni with sausage.

Lunchtime Links for March 11th, 2019

• I Heart Naptime: Cream cheese frosting.
• The Cozy Apron: Hummus.
• Smitten Kitchen: Meatballs and spaghetti.
• The Impulsive Buy: Reese's Thins peanut butter cup.
• The Kitchn: 5 ingredient Teriyaki salmon.

3.11 Donation - Yahoo! Japan

Yahoo! Japan is continuing their March 11th tsunami and earthquake relief efforts with the 3.11 search again this year.  Yahoo! Japan will be making a 10 Yen donation to the Tohoku recovery efforts for every person that searches for “3.11” through the search engine.

It couldn't be easier to participate in the donation effort, even if you don't read Japanese! Just go to https://www.yahoo.co.jp today, and type in "3.11" in the web search field (the light blue section at the top of the page under the Yahoo! logo), and click on the dark blue search icon with the magnifying lens to the right of the search field.  You'll be directed to the thank you note up top, along with search results about the disaster and recovery efforts.  Every click counts!

Lunchtime Links for March 8th, 2019

• Serious Eats: Noodle soup recipes.
• Cookies and Cups: Chocolate banana bread.
• The Kitchn: Black sesame-espresso pinwheel shortbread cookies.
• Averie Cooks: Cinnamon sugar swirl coffee cake.
• Crazy for Crust: Brownie batter Krispie treats.

Lunchtime Links for March 7th, 2019

• Crazy for Crust: Basil pesto.
• I Heart Naptime: General Tso's chicken. 
• Table for Two: Double dark chocolate banana muffins.
• Gimme Some Oven: Guacamole.
• What's Good At Trader Joe's?: Dark chocolate almond butter cups.

Lunchtime Links for March 6th, 2019

• My Baking Addiction: 12 Oreo recipes.
• I Heart Naptime: Homemade pizza sauce.
• Crazy for Crust: Sprinkle pancakes.
• Averie Cooks: Baked bacon cheddar chicken tenders.
• Handle the Heat: No bake chocolate peanut butter cheesecake.

Georgetown Cupcake - March Flavors

A new month means new flavors at Georgetown Cupcake, yay!  I love that there's a good mix of both spring-related flavors and some delicious chocolate based ones too.

- Chocolate Mint Crunch: Valrhona chocolate cupcake baked with chocolate mint cookie pieces, topped with a mint-infused whipped chocolate ganache frosting, mint cookie crumble and a mini green fondant heart

- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Twist: Peanut Butter cupcake studded with Callebaut chocolate chips and topped with a peanut butter and Callebaut chocolate "twist” frosting

- Mocha Chocolate Chip Cheesecake: Mocha cheesecake cupcake studded with Callebaut chocolate chips with an oreo cookie crust, topped with mocha frosting and a chocolate-covered espresso bean

- Cherry Blossom: Classic Madagascar vanilla cupcake baked with cherries and topped with a cherry infused cream cheese frosting and a fondant cherry blossom

- Cherry Cheesecake: Cherry cheesecake cupcake with a graham cracker crust and topped with a cherry infused frosting and cherry blossom fondant

- St. Patrick's Vanilla: Classic Madagascar vanilla cupcake infused with St. Patrick's nonpareils, with light green-tinted vanilla buttercream frosting, and a fondant four-leaf clover

- St. Patrick's Chocolate: Valrhona chocolate cupcake with light green vanilla buttercream frosting and a fondant four-leaf clover

- Rainbow: Classic Madagascar vanilla cupcake infused with rainbow nonpareils and topped with a baby blue-tinted Madagascar vanilla buttercream frosting, and a sour candy rainbow

- Unicorn: Georgetown Cupcake's classic Madagascar vanilla cupcake infused with nonpareils and topped with purple-tinted Madagascar vanilla buttercream frosting, rainbow sprinkles, and a whimsical fondant unicorn

- Bailey's Chocolate Mint: Chocolate cupcake infused with non-alcoholic Baileys essence and topped with a light green non-alcoholic Baileys essence-infused buttercream frosting, a mint chocolate ganache lattice drizzle, shamrock confetti sprinkles, and a gold fondant shamrock embossed with Baileys “BB” logo.

Lunchtime Links for March 5th, 2019

• Crazy for Crust: Chocolate chip M&M cookies.
• Table for Two: Bulgogi Kimchi burger. 
• Sugar and Cloth: Chocolate peanut butter stuffed cookies.
• The Kitchn: Copycat Panda Express orange chicken.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Kouign-Amann.

Lunchtime Links for March 4th, 2019

• Damn Delicious: Baked mac and cheese.
• Bakerella: Unicorn cake pops. 
• The Kitchn: Matcha vanilla swirled pound cake. 
• Averie Cooks: Chocolate chip and marshmallow cookie pie.
• Bake at 350: Buttermilk Bundt cake.

Girls' Night at Pike & Rose/Canopy by Hilton North Bethesda

A while back I was offered a chance to stay at the Canopy by Hilton hotel, and having a friend and her daughter coming to visit last weekend was the perfect opportunity to check out the hotel!  The hotel is located right in the middle of Pike & Rose, so it was a great home base for our group while we enjoyed some of the neighboring stores on a rainy Friday night.

First up - picking up some little bites at Nada, which is located around the corner from the hotel. You can see two of my recent favorites in the photo below- the Lobster Roll Bolsa, and Carne Asada taco - delicious!

Our room was very spacious and included a nice dining room area with a sink and lots of open spaces to put our stuff down and get settled in.  The hotel was nice enough to provide some milk and cookies as a welcome gift, which was so sweet!  I think my friend's daughter was actually more excited to have a personal milk jug than even the cookies, haha. 

Living room area - lots of room to lounge in

Bedroom - love the grey and light wood details!

 

Shower + bathtub combo - so spacious! 

We went back out across the street to The Baked Bear for some ice cream to enjoy with the cookies - even with bad weather, it was crowded with customers also looking for a sweets fix.  I got the s'mores ice cream, which was delicious!  We were happy to get back in to our warm room after walking outside in the rain, so that we could enjoy our cookies and ice cream.  If you get a chance to try the cookies at the hotel, definitely try them - the chocolate chip one especially was so gooey and packed with chocolate chips, so good!

I want to note some nice extra touches that the hotel provides, like the bright orange socks that are really nice to have when you're walking around the concrete portions of the room.  Also, I really liked the filtered water station (like the ones at more airports recently) that are located right outside of the elevators on that floor.  When I go to hotels for work trips especially, I usually wind up buying or bringing bottled water with me because I like to have water to drink in the room, and this hotel provides filtered water along with a glass bottle for the water if needed. 

  

Finally, the breakfast that is included with your stay had a lot more options than I was expecting!  When we stayed, there was the coffee, pastries, and cereal that we had assumed, but also smoked salmon, a charcuterie board with meats and cheeses, French toast with Nutella and other topping options, as well as a few other egg based dishes. 

Thank you to the Canopy by Hilton North Bethesda for hosting us - it was such a nice way to enjoy a fun and relaxing night spent with friends!


Canopy by Hilton Washington DC - Bethesda North
940 Rose Avenue
North Bethesda, MD 20852  


Note: I was invited to stay at the Canopy by Hilton hotel, but was not paid for this post.

Lunchtime Links for March 1st, 2019

• How Sweet Eats: Halloumi hummus bowls.
• Smitten Kitchen: Salted peanut tart.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chocolate chip banana bread.
• RocketNews24: Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Fudgy mug brownie.