Lunchtime Links for May 30th, 2019

• The Live-In Kitchen: Chik'n Caesar wraps.
• Love and Lemons: Sesame crispy tofu.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Matcha recipes.
• How Sweet Eats: Deviled crab dip.
• Serious Eats: Flour frosting.

Lunchtime Links for May 29th, 2019

• Crazy for Crust: No bake peanut butter cheesecake.
• I Heart Naptime: S'mores cookies.
• Cookies and Cups: M&M cookies.
• Handle the Heat: Peanut butter cheesecake brownie bars.
• The First Year Blog: Brownies.

Memorial Day Weekend - Waterford, VA

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  My friends C, L and I went on a quick road trip to Waterford, VA to stay at this really pretty restored farmhouse for one night, which was very fun experience for us!  

There's clearly a lot of work that went into the house and the property , with so many little details that were neat to check out during our stay.  We even became good friends with the goats and chickens that live on the property - I don't think I'll ever get a chance to be so close to these animals in such a relaxed environment, haha.  This was a great chance to spend some time away from our homes enjoying something totally unique for all three of us! 

 

 

 

Lunchtime Links for May 28th, 2019

• Damn Delicious: Lemon garlic chicken thighs.
• Crazy for Crust: Banana pudding.
• Buzzfeed: 21 unique Starbucks stores.
• Averie Cooks: Garlic cheese flatbread. 
• Bakerella: Teddy bear cake.

Lunchtime Links for May 24th, 2019

• Gimme Some Oven: Grilled chicken Kabobs.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Memorial Day Desserts.
• Creme de la Crumb: Thai peanut beef. 
• Sora News 24: Kumo cloud cake.
• Averie Cooks: S'mores bars.

Lunchtime Links for May 23rd, 2019

• Kirbie's Cravings: Memorial Day recipes.
• Seasons and Suppers: Shokupan.
• Cookies and Cups: Buttermilk pancakes.
• Serious Eats: Grilled beef recipes. 
• Crazy for Crust: Cream cheese frosting.

Lunchtime Links for May 22nd, 2019

• How Sweet Eats: Grilled broccoli crunch salad.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Pizza dough. 
• Crazy for Crust: Teriyaki chicken 30 minute meal.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Fluffy and crisp buttermilk waffles.
• A Spicy Perspective: Sausage roll crazy bread.

Ben and Jerry's Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Core Ice Cream

I meant to write about this Ben & Jerry's Core flavor earlier, but didn't think much of it until I recently saw this on clearance at Target.  Since it was one of the few flavors on clearance, I wonder if it's going to be phased out?  

This pint consists of chocolate and cheesecake ice creams with chocolate cookies and a cheesecake core.  It's a great combination of rich chocolate flavor with the creamy cheesecake to balance things out.  I honestly didn't get too much of the standard "cookies and cream" aka Oreo flavor because this actually had a lot of cheesecake flavor, not the usual cookie pieces in vanilla ice cream.  Which isn't to say it's not good because it's still delicious, haha.  If this flavor does stick around, be sure to keep an eye out for it if you're interested in trying it out!

Lunchtime Links for May 21st, 2019

• Gimme Some Oven: 20 minute Ricotta Gnocchi.
• How Sweet Eats: Crispy roasted smashed potatoes.
• Creme de la Crumb: White chicken lasagna with spinach.
• Love and Olive Oil: Strawberry cake roll.
• The Kitchn: 5 ingredient sheet pan dinners.

Lunchtime Links for May 20th, 2019

• Gimme Some Oven: Homemade pasta.
• Cookies and Cups: Peanut butter cup brownies.
• The Cozy Apron: Twice baked potatoes. 
• Crazy for Crust: Giant chocolate chip cookies.
• Damn Delicious: Chow mein.

Sunday Morning Bakehouse - Mother's Day Strawberry Toast

What a beautiful strawberry toast!  As soon as I saw this on Sunday Morning Bakehouse's Instagram account during Mother's Day weekend, I knew I had to go get one.  I also was very curious about the "toast" being made out of Croissant dough instead of a regular bread. 

The strawberry toast consisted of Croissant bread, homemade jam, vanilla cream cheese mousse, fresh strawberries, buttery crumble, and an edible flower.  These were so pretty to look at even before taking a single bite. 

The thick Croissant toast held all of the toppings perfectly without getting too soggy, and I loved the thick vanilla cream cheese mousse as the creamy base for the other ingredients.  This was definitely a fork and knife type of pastry, and all of the components were really tasty.  I hope this (or another version with different components) comes back to the market soon!

Lunchtime Links for May 16th, 2019

• I Heart Naptime: Chocolate chip cookies.
• The Kitchn: Fresh corn salad.
• Dessert for Two: Strawberry cream cheese frosting.
• How Sweet Eats: Cacio e Pepe pie.
• Creme de la Crumb: Grilled chicken.

Lunchtime Links for May 15th, 2019

• Gimme Some Oven: Lasagna.
• Cookies and Cups: Cheesecake stuffed chocolate chip cookies.
• Averie Cooks: Greek lemon chicken and Orzo.
• Sora News 24: Rilakkuma washing bags.
• Seasons and Suppers: Chicken Tikka kebab tacos.

Sugarfina x Alfred Coffee Candy Collection

How cute are these coffee-themed Sugarfina x Alfred collaboration goodies?? I pre-ordered these as soon as the collection was announced, because I can't resist something this cute and coffee themed! 

There's a few different items to choose from in the collection, but I went with the coffee tumbler (which comes with a bag of cold brew and vanilla latte gummy bears), and the mini cups of vanilla latte and cold brew gummy bears.  These aren't just coffee-themed in the design, but actually have caffeine in them as well!  One of the mini cups of the cold brew gummy bears has the same amount of caffeine as 1 espresso shot.  For any fellow coffee lovers, these are a great way to enjoy the taste of coffee in cute gummy form!

Lunchtime Links for May 14th, 2019

• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chopped Greek salad.
• Love and Lemons: Sesame soba noodles.
• The Kitchn: Garlic Parmesan chicken and veggies.
• The First Year Blog: Oreo earthquake cake.
• How Sweet Eats: Grilled Thai pork tenderloin with soba noodle salad.

Lunchtime Links for May 13th, 2019

• Kirbie's Cravings: No bake desserts.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Banana cake.
• Apartment Therapy: Anthropologie candles.
• Averie Cooks: Chocolate peanut butter Chex mix bars.
• Dessert for Two: Chocolate chip cookie bars.

Spring Sidewalk Sale at Congressional Plaza - May 17 - 19

For any local friends that are looking for a fun shopping event this weekend - Congressional Plaza has a sidewalk sale! I go to this shopping center pretty often and have been to this sidewalk sale before - there's a lot of good deals to check out. 

Details about the event:

The annual Congressional Plaza Spring Sidewalk Sale is Friday, May 17 – Sunday, May 19. Merchants will display featured goods both inside and outside their stores.

Super Saturday is May 18 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and features live music, strolling entertainment, balloon twisting, face painting, giveaways, additional merchant specials and more!

Sidewalk Sale Hours: Friday 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Lunchtime Links for May 10th, 2019

• Love and Lemons: French toast.
• Apartment Therapy: Glass water bottles. 
• Creme de la Crumb: Garlic lime shrimp marinade.
• My Baking Addiction: Peanut butter sandwich cookies.
• The Kitchn: Chicken ramen.

Lunchtime Links for May 9th, 2019

• Crazy for Crust: Chicken Penne pasta.
• The Kitchn: Grilled lemon garlic butter shrimp. 
• Love and Lemons: Brunch recipes.
• My Baking Addiction: Strawberry cupcakes.
• Cookies and Cups: Online bakery cookies.

Lunchtime Links for May 8th, 2019

• Crazy for Crust: Mickey Mouse cake.
• I Heart Naptime: BBQ chicken pizza.
• The Kitchn: Angel food cake. 
• How Sweet Eats: Tomato Farro salad. 
• A Spicy Perspective: Chunky chocolate banana bread.

Pike Central Farm Market - Sunday Morning Bakehouse

The Pike Central Farm Market started back up at the end of April, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Sunday Morning Bakehouse treats again!  Apparently I was far from the only person to think this, as there was a long line of other customers eagerly awaiting baked goods only 15 minutes after the market had opened.

I got the sausage and cheddar croissant, and also picked up a new lemon meringue doughnut - a great combination of sweet and savory for my weekend mornings!  I don't normally choose lemon meringue desserts, but I love their regular brioche doughnuts and this one was a really good variation with lemon filling and meringue topping.  The sausage and cheddar croissant was flaky on the outside and cheesy and delicious on the inside - it's quickly becoming a favorite savory option for me.  If you're in the area on Saturday mornings, be sure to get in line early before they sell out!

Lunchtime Links for May 7th, 2019

• Love and Olive Oil: Ahi mango poke.
• Serious Eats: Spring soup recipes.
• The First Year Blog: Mini coffee cheesecakes.
• Bakerella: Detective Pikachu cake pops.
• How Sweet Eats: Crab avocado salad on buttered garlic toast.

Lunchtime Links for May 6th, 2019

• The Cozy Apron: Spaghetti Bolognese.
• The Kitchn: How to bake with black cocoa powder. 
• Damn Delicious: Carne Asada.
• Averie Cooks: Pesto Parmesan chicken and pasta.
• Gimme Some Oven: Chocolate brownie cookies.

Starbucks Rose Gold Tumbler

It probably doesn't seem that way, but I try to not buy too many Starbucks mugs and tumblers.  However, sometimes I just can't resist and have to get one, especially if it's one I think will sell out quickly.  I saw this new rose gold 24 oz. cold tumbler and love the iridescent color and textured design!  The outside of the lid and tumbler is actually bumpy, which adds to the pretty reflection and color when it hits the light.  Also, maybe it'll help some people from letting the tumbler slip out of their hands, haha. 

I don't know if this will fit in my car's cup holder, but it'll be the perfect water cup at the office or out on the weekend.  It's very tall so it should last you a while in between refills, haha.  If you also like fun pretty designs like this, be sure to pick one up at Starbucks or Target Starbucks stores.  I initially saw this at my nearby Starbucks, but they had sold out a few days later.  I went to Target instead and saw two of these on the shelf, which I was very happy about! 

Lunchtime Links for May 3rd, 2019

• Table for Two: Homemade Kimchi.
• I Heart Naptime: Ice cream cake.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Pork Carnitas. 
• How Sweet Eats: Tres Leches confetti cake.
• The Kitchn: Sheet pan peanut chicken and vegetables.

Lunchtime Links for May 2nd, 2019

• Kirbie's Cravings: Mongolian beef meal prep.
• Damn Delicious: Grilled chicken Cobb salad. 
• The Live In Kitchen: Pico de Gallo with avocado.
• Bake at 350: Marbled and gold-flecked star cookies.
• Cookies and Cups: Easy Tuscan chicken.

Lunchtime Links for May 1st, 2019

• Creme de la Crumb: Sheet pan chicken and potatoes.
• Seasons and Suppers: Butter chicken thighs.
• Cookies and Cups: Cinnamon roll cookies.
• SoraNews24: 30 years of Japanese hair and makeup trends.
• Kirbie's Cravings: ChiKo San Diego.

Old Navy - Fry Your Best Tank

I recently went to Old Navy to pick up some new workout clothes, and could not resist getting this cute French Fry gym tank! I am definitely a sucker for food themes and cute mascots, especially for something that's not really fun like the gym, haha.  Old Navy often offers sales on their workout clothes, as well as Super Cash deals to use on later purchases, so be sure to regularly check their website or stores for more cute new designs!