Lunchtime Links for August 29th, 2019

• Creme de la Crumb: Teriyaki steak stir fry.
• Bake at 350: Churro ice cream.
• Averie Cooks: Grilled chicken and corn salad.
• The Kitchn: Starbucks' pumpkin cream cold brew coffee. 
• Dessert for Two: Garlic butter shrimp.

Lunchtime Links for August 28th, 2019

• Creme de la Crumb: Flank steak tacos.
• The Kitchn: Baked spaghetti.
• I Heart Naptime: Banana bread muffins.
• Crazy for Crust: Pumpkin spice snickerdoodles. 
• My Baking Addiction: Mini s'mores cheesecakes.

Rachel Allene Fall Goodies + Starbucks PSL Day

If you're a fan of pumpkin spice anything like I am, hopefully you got a chance to enjoy the debut of the fall drinks at Starbucks yesterday!  I was very happy that my order from Rachel Allene's online shop arrived right before Pumpkin Spice Latte day, so I could go enjoy my first fall drink in my new steel mug. 

As an added bonus, you get $0.10 off of your drink at Starbucks if you bring your own mug - all the more reason to have a fun themed mug, right?  Even though it's not officially fall yet, it's never too early to enjoy some fun fall items!     

Lunchtime Links for August 27th, 2019

• The Kitchn: French bread pizza.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Brown sugar cinnamon Bundt cake. 
• How Sweet Eats: Salted pretzel s'mores crunch bars.
• Table for Two: Scallop and summer vegetable skillet.
• Handle the Heat: Peanut butter cookies.

Lunchtime Links for August 26th, 2019

• The Kitchn: Anthropologie's fall kitchen collection.
• Averie Cooks: Pasta salads. 
• Cookies and Cups: Easy baked chicken legs.
• Smitten Kitchen: Salted caramel pretzel blondies.
• Serious Eats: Chicken thigh recipes.

Sugarfina - Birthday Rewards

Being a Sugarfina rewards member definitely has its perks, like receiving my choice of a 3 piece candy bento box for my birthday! I went to a store to pick them out in person, and decided on some fruit-based gummies to try out:

- Pink Pineapples
- Pink Diamonds
- Blood Orange Fruttini

I can't wait to try these out!

Lunchtime Links for August 21st, 2019

• Dessert for Two: Oreo brownies.
• My Baking Addiction: Dominique Ansel's banana bread.
• Gimme Some Oven: Gambas Al Ajillo.
• Handle the Heat: How to bake thick cookies.
• I Heart Naptime: Churro cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

Compass Coffee - Roasting and Tasting Event

A group of friends and I went to Compass Coffee last Saturday for their coffee roasting and tasting event.  I wanted to do something a little different and fun for my birthday and this was a great way to hang out with friends and learn more about coffee!  

The groups are small enough that it's not just a generic tour and you can ask questions as you're going through the roasting and cupping steps.  We also got to choose a tin of coffee based on what we liked during the cupping/tasting which was very nice!  I would highly recommend this for anyone that's a fan of Compass, or coffee in general as a fun little event.   

 

Compass Coffee - Shaw
1535 7th St NW
Washington, DC 20001

Lunchtime Links for August 20th, 2019

• The First Year Blog: Peanut butter frosting.
• Serious Eats: Mocha icebox cake. 
• A Spicy Perspective: Panda Express super greens.
• Averie Cooks: Chocolate cake with chocolate ganache.
• Weelicious: Ice cream cookie sandwiches.

Lunchtime Links for August 19th, 2019

• The First Year Blog: Peanut butter swirl brownies.
• Crazy for Crust: Creme brulee.
• Handle the Heat: Cinnamon rolls. 
• Cookies and Cups: S'mores stuffed chocolate chip cookies.
• Picky Palate: Chocolate peanut butter cake.

Sunday Morning Bakehouse - Chocolate Sprinkle Cruffin

Even though I'm not technically eating this festive Cruffin today, it seems fitting to share this fun sprinkled treat on my birthday :o)  I was happy to see a variation of Sunday Morning Bakehouse's regular Cruffins, with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles.  The Cruffin really is like a compact croissant, with a tasty sugar coating.  The extra flavor and texture from the frosting and sprinkles is so delicious, and a great option for any type of celebration! 

 

Lunchtime Links for August 16th, 2019

• Serious Eats: Ice cream cones.
• A Spicy Perspective: Sweet potato hash browns. 
• The Kitchn: Ina Garten's outrageous brownies.
• Damn Delicious: Chicken tacos.
• My Baking Addiction: 12 frozen desserts.

Lunchtime Links for August 8th, 2019

• The Live-In Kitchen: Oven roasted corn and black bean salsa.
• Seasons and Suppers: Creamy roasted red pepper and cherry tomato pasta. 
• Serious Eats: Salty sweet Korean beef Galbi.
• Table for Two: Meal prepping containers.
• How Sweet Eats: Slow roasted tomato basil pasta.

Lunchtime Links for August 7th, 2019

• Brown Eyed Baker: Soft pretzels.
• The Impulsive Buy: Krispy Kreme Reese's Lovers filled doughnuts. 
• Apartment Therapy: Travel, laundry, and packing tips.
• Creme de la Crumb: Pork Banh Mi bowls.
• The Kitchn: Turkey meatballs.

Starbucks - "The Gary" Drink

If you're a fan of Brad Goreski and his husband Gary Janetti like I am, you probably have seen a million photos of an iced Starbucks drink on social media linked to the two of them, haha.  Brad recently posted a montage of Gary ordering the same drink at Starbucks at a bunch of locations while on vacation, and some versions of the drink seemed to fare better than others based on Gary's reaction.  Of course I wasn't the only one that went out and tried "The Gary" shortly after seeing these posts!

Based on the videos, "The Gary" is:
- Starbucks Grande Iced Mocha
- 2 pumps of Mocha
- Almond Milk
- No whipped cream

I got the Tall version of "The Gary" and I loved it!  I like almond milk to begin with and I think it adds a little extra flavor to the drink as well.  I love that this fun and silly social media post got so many people to try Gary's Starbucks drink of choice :o)  I also posted on Instagram that I wondered if my pre-order of Gary's book (Do You Mind if I Cancel?) would come with "The Gary", and he replied that it sadly does not, haha!

Lunchtime Links for August 6th, 2019

• The Kitchn: Vermicelli noodles with lemongrass pork meatballs.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Peanut butter cookie ice cream.
• The First Year Blog: Mini chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecakes. 
• Table for Two: Meal prep.
• The Pioneer Woman: How to set up an ice cream bar.

Lunchtime Links for August 5th, 2019

• The Kitchn: BLT pasta salad with avocado.
• Damn Delicious: Honey garlic Asian chicken kabobs. 
• How Sweet Eats: July beauty favorites. 
• The Cozy Apron: Mango salsa.
• Cookies and Cups: Vanilla cupcakes.

Trader Joe's - Mango Tangerine Candle

I noticed on a recent visit to my local Trader Joe's that the Mango Tangerine candles were back!  This one was a quick favorite of mine when I first saw it a while ago, with a strong tropical/citrus scent. 

I've since seen some posts online saying this is very similar to the Volcano Capri Blue candles that are very popular at Anthropologie stores, and I have to agree they do smell a lot like them.  It's a great summery scent - be sure to grab them while they're available!  

Lunchtime Links for August 2nd, 2019

• Oh Sweet Basil: Elote Mexican grilled corn pasta salad with chicken. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Chinese pepper steak. 
• A Kitchen Addiction: S'mores no bake cookies.
• Averie Cooks: Tomato and Mozzarella Pesto pasta salad.
• Crazy for Crust: Chocolate chip cookies.

Lunchtime Links for August 1st, 2019

• The Kitchn: Chocolate chip pancakes.
• Creme de la Crumb: Shrimp and broccoli Alfredo.
• Serious Eats: New York-style cheesecake. 
• The First Year Blog: Chocolate frosting.
• I Heart Naptime: Chocolate chip pancakes.