Never Turn Down A Cupcake

Lunchtime Links for February 2nd, 2012

2012-02-02T12:00:00.001-05:00

Tabatha Takes Over: Recap from TVGasm.
The Kitchn: Baked hot chocolate.
Serious Eats: Pancake month at Clinton Street Baking Co.
The Pioneer Woman: Spicy stewed beef with creamy cheddar grits.
Kirbie's Cravings: Nacho cheese bites.

Shake Shack - February Custards

2012-02-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

New month, new custard list!!

Monday: Lemon poppy seed creme fraiche
Tuesday: Chocolate passionfruit
Wednesday: Pineapple brown sugar
Thursday: Coconut caramel pecan
Friday: Chocolate chip cookie
Saturday: PB&J
Sunday: Coffee & Donuts

I have to say, pretty interesting flavor combinations this month.... but hey, better than boring flavors!

Lunchtime Links for February 1st, 2012

2012-02-01T12:00:00.004-05:00

Kirbie's Cravings: Flourless chocolate peanut butter cookies.
Teen Mom 2: Recap from TVGasm.
The Kitchn: Bacon cheddar twice baked potatoes.
Simply Southern Baking: White chocolate peanut butter blondies.
Eat Drink Pretty: Baked mini pumpkin doughnuts.

Pillsbury Biscuit Waffles

2012-02-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

A while back I saw people posting (on Pinterest and food blogs) about using biscuit dough to make waffles in a waffle iron. It took me a while, but I finally picked up a tube of Pillsbury biscuits to try it out for myself!

This literally is as easy as 1-2-3:

1- Pop open the Pillsbury biscuit tube (carefully, if you're scared it's going to explode like I do... every time...)

2- Place the biscuit dough pieces into a preheated/PAM-sprayed waffle iron.

3- Wafflize!

These turned out delicious! The biscuit dough is super crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. For those of you that like crispy edges, there's plenty of those with these waffle biscuits, yum. I really liked eating these with a smear of peanut butter or just plain. They also freeze really well, I just wrapped each waffle biscuit in plastic wrap and popped them into a freezer bag to eat later. Try it out if you like biscuits and waffles!

Lunchtime Links for January 31st, 2012

2012-01-31T12:00:00.004-05:00

Gossip Girl: Recap from NYMag.
Kirbie's Cravings: Waffled pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
The Kitchn: Smoothie recipes.
Smitten Kitchen: Buttermilk roast chicken.
Cooking Light: Chicken soup recipes.

Shake Shack - Mud Pie Custard

2012-01-31T10:00:00.002-05:00

I recently tried out the Shake Shack Mud Pie custard, which is a Wednesday custard flavor during January. I tried to find a detailed description of it online - Serious Eats blogged about it before, and you can find the post here.

This custard was super chocolatey with the welcome addition of crispy chocolate wafer pieces on top. The only difference from the Serious Eats post is that mine were chocolate wafers and not Oreos, sadly. The chocolate custard was really rich and tasted slightly different from their regular chocolate custard.

If you're a choco-holic, make your way to a Shake Shack on Wednesday soon!

Lunchtime Links for January 30th, 2012

2012-01-30T12:00:00.004-05:00

The Pioneer Woman: Deep dish fruit pizza.
Teen Mom 2: Recap from TVGasm.
She's Becoming DoughMesstic: Red velvet cheesecake swirl brownies.
The Beauty Department: Nautical nails.
In Good Taste: Crockpot chicken Santa Fe.

CVS Deals - Week of 01/29/2012

2012-01-30T10:00:00.003-05:00

This week at CVS, there's lots of great Extra Bucks deals.

First, some "freebies":

- Hershey's milk chocolate bunny, Cadbury egg, Reese's single egg (1.2oz), or Cadbury mini eggs (1.5oz): One for $0.87, $0.87 Extra Bucks back.

- 3 Hallmark cards: Buy 3, get $3 Extra Bucks back. If you buy the $0.99 Hallmark cards, you get them for free!

There's also a great deal on some health items if you have the coupons from Sunday's paper:

- Advil liquid-gel 40-count: $4.49 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
- Centrum Adult vitamins 100-count: $6.99 on sale (I picked up a bonus pack with a 100-count bottle and a free 30-count bottle), $1 manufacturer's coupon.
- Dimetapp: $6.99 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.

With this deal, you get $4 Extra Bucks when you buy two items, and a $10 mail-in rebate for buying three products - the form is located in Sunday's coupon booklet.

Finally, another Extra Bucks deal for a few more health items:

- Colgate Sensitive toothpaste: $2.74 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
- 2 Colgate Total Advanced toothpastes: $2.74 each on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon, $1.50/2 CVS coupon.
- 2 Softsoap pomegranate hand soaps: $3 each on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon.

With this deal, you get $6 Extra Bucks when you buy $12 worth of selected items.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for January 27th, 2012

2012-01-27T12:00:00.003-05:00

The Feisty Foodie: John Georges in NYC.
Kirbie's Cravings: Strawberry mug cake.
In Good Taste: Thai chicken curry soup.
The Kitchn: Peanut butter and espresso truffle bottoms.
fANNEtastic Food: Chunky turkey and vegetable soup.

Foodbuzz Review - Kikkoman Kara-Age Soy-Ginger Seasoned Coating Mix

2012-01-27T10:00:00.002-05:00

I recently received a complimentary box of Kikkoman's Kara-Age Soy-Ginger seasoned coating mix to try out as part of a Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with Kikkoman. I was pretty excited to get it because Japanese chicken kara-age has always been one of my favorite dishes.

For those of you that don't know much about kara-age, here's some background information courtesy of Foodbuzz:

"Kara-Age is a classic Japanese frying technique that involves marinating chicken in soy sauce with ginger, and dusting it in starch or flour before deep-frying. It achieves a crispy, crunchy texture similar to western fried chicken".

I decided to go with a classic preparation using cut up chicken thighs. I poured one package of the mix into a plastic bag (there are two packages in each box). Then I moistened the cut up chicken with some water, then added the chicken pieces to the same bag. Shake, shake, shake (WITH THE BAG CLOSED, haha) to coat all of the pieces evenly. Then I pan-fried the coated chicken in a frying pan with vegetable oil until browned and cooked evenly.

And here we have the finished kara-age chicken with a side of steamed broccoli and cauliflower. The kara-age mix had a very strong ginger and soy sauce smell, which I liked a lot. It's nice to know that the label description holds true to its word. The chicken itself was moist with a nice breading on it. However, maybe due to pan-frying it, I didn't achieve that really crispy coating that is normal with chicken kara-age. Maybe next time I'll try deep-frying the chicken with this coating and see how it goes. Thanks Foodbuzz and Kikkoman for letting me try out this kara-age coating mix!

Lunchtime Links for January 26th, 2012

2012-01-26T12:00:00.003-05:00

Serious Eats: Behind the scenes of NYC dim sum.
The Pioneer Woman: Bacon-wrapped scallops with chili butter.
Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin tea cake.
Picky Palate: Creamy pesto chicken pasta with bacon and veggies.
Penny Pincher Fashion: DIY painted bracelets.

Georgetown Cupcake - Toasted Marshmallow Fudge Cupcake

2012-01-26T10:00:00.002-05:00

So, this is more of a "new but not really all that new" cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake, haha. The Toasted Marshmallow Fudge cupcake is a new flavor, technically, and available only in January. It's a "Valrhona chocolate cake filled with fudge and topped with marshmallow buttercream frosting, a fudge star, and a toasted marshmallow".

The reason I say it's "new but not really all that new" is because it is VERY similar to their S'mores/Campfire cupcake, haha. The only difference I am aware of is the graham cracker crumbs on the S'mores/Campfire version.

Having said that, I enjoyed this Toasted Marshmallow Fudge cupcake, but I did feel like it was missing that little something extra - aka the graham cracker crumbs, haha. It's a great cupcake for anyone that is a fan of marshmallow and chocolate - the fudge core adds that extra bite of rich chocolate flavor in the cake portion.

Lunchtime Links for January 25th, 2012

2012-01-25T12:00:00.008-05:00

Kirbie's Cravings: Microwave pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
Serious Eats: Ways to amp your guacamole.
Smitten Kitchn: Cinnamon brown butter breakfast puffs.
Big Girls Small Kitchen: Rich homemade hummus.
Teen Mom 2: Recap from TVGasm.

Sprinkles - S'more Cupcake

2012-01-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

On my last visit to Georgetown, I picked up a January S'more cupcake from Sprinkles thanks to a free cupcake coupon via Facebook, woo!

The S'more cupcake is "officially" the S'more by Blake Lively, aka Busty McMiniskirt on Gossip Girl. The S'more is a graham cracker-lined Belgian dark chocolate cake filled with bittersweet chocolate ganache and topped with toasted marshmallow frosting, and is available through February 2nd.

This cupcake is a really delicious rendition of a s'more and I'm really glad I tried it. The marshmallow frosting was a little messy but totally worth it. And the graham cracker lining with the really rich dark chocolate cake was a fantastic combination. Any fans of s'mores will love this cupcake!!

Lunchtime Links for January 24th, 2012

2012-01-24T12:00:00.003-05:00

Serious Eats: Chocolate mayonnaise cake.
Peanut Butter and Co: Peanut "baklava".
The Beauty Department: Missoni nails.
Eat Yourself Skinny: Banana bread.
Good Life Eats: Cumin chipotle lime chips.

New Kicks

2012-01-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

Even though I very rarely run outside, I decided it was time for some new running shoes because my gym shoes felt like they were getting worn down. I got this fun pair of Adidas sneakers at DSW for an awesome price:

$70 shoes +

30% off clearance +

$20 rewards certificate +

$20 rewards certificate =

$9 total, plus 500 extra rewards points thanks to an athletic shoe promotion

Now if that wasn't enough motivation to get new shoes and use them at the gym, I don't know what is!

Lunchtime Links for January 23rd, 2012

2012-01-23T12:00:00.002-05:00

Serious Eats: 20 spicy recipes.
Eat Yourself Skinny: Skinny chocolate chip cookies.
Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin mug cake.
Bakerella: Cupid's arrow cupcakes.
Gossip Girl: Recap from NYMag.

CVS Deals - Week of 01/22/2012

2012-01-23T10:00:00.003-05:00

This week CVS has the "Spend $30 get a $10 CVSCash card" deal again.

Remember, these are valid for pre-coupon prices, so try to get as many of the items that have coupons available!

Also, please note that I am not buying every item that is included in this offer; rather, I am buying items that I have coupons for and that I want/need. I wanted to bring this up because this week I happened to buy a lot of the same item, haha.

- 8 assorted Hershey's Drops, Pieces, and Minis bags: 2/$6 on sale, four $1/2 manufacturer's coupons.
- 2 M&Ms large bags: 2/$6 on sale, one $1.50/2 manufacturer's coupon.

I like these candies for football game snacks and for baking! They are all small enough to be added into cookies, cakes, and brownies.

There is also a good Extra Bucks deal on Garnier hair and skin products, where you get $5 Extra Bucks back for spending $15.

I got:

- Garnier skin renew cream: $10 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon, $2 CVS coupon.
- Fructis Sleek and Shine serum: $5 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for January 20th, 2012

2012-01-20T12:00:00.004-05:00

Serious Eats: Grapefruit juice review.
Adventures in Bentomaking: Modcloth Take Your Picnic tiffin.
One Bite at a Time: Slow cooker dulce de leche.
Japanese Snack Reviews: Pumpkin cheesecake Kit Kat.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm.

Bon Chon Chicken

2012-01-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

Back in December my friend M and I met up so that I could have my first taste of Bon Chon chicken, woo!! I've heard SO MUCH about Korean fried chicken before and I was like reallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly excited to try it out!

To start, we split an order of fried dumplings with their soy garlic sauce on them - this was crispy and delicious, a great precursor to how the chicken taste would be, haha.

Here's my order, which consisted of 1/2 soy garlic chicken and 1/2 spicy soy garlic chicken. In the middle is a little cup of pickled daikon, which I also love.

THIS CHICKEN IS SO FRIGGIN GOOD. Really super crispy without feeling greasy, and the sauce is fantastic. The spicy version has a nice kick to it which I really enjoyed, but it's a toss-up as to which version I liked better.

I'm torn between going back to have more or deliberately staying away because I know I'd eat SO much because it's so good, haha! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh it's so good!

Have any of you tried Korean fried chicken before? Is there a difference between the brands or do they all generally taste the same?

Bon Chon - Fairfax

3242 Old Pickett Rd
Fairfax, VA 22031

703) 865-5688

Lunchtime Links for January 19th, 2012

2012-01-19T12:00:00.003-05:00

Kirbie's Cravings: Nutella cookie crisps.
Serious Eats: Trader Joe's Trader Moon wine.
Village Voice: NYC's 10 best bowls of ramen.
Tasty Kitchen: Hawaiian ahi poke.
The Kitchn: Easy pantry meals with cauliflower.

Sprinkles Cupcakes - Salty Caramel Cupcake

2012-01-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

This yummy cupcake is a Sprinkles Salty Caramel cupcake, which was available at the end of last year. I snagged one by being in the Georgetown area at the time that the day's free flavor was announced, woo!

The cupcake is a caramel cake with a buttery caramel cream cheese frosting topped with fleur de sel. The fleur de sel flakes added so much flavor and really enhanced the sweetness and the caramel flavors of the frosting. I did find the frosting to be a little overwhelming after the first bite, but I'm personally more of a fan of lighter/whipped frostings in general. If you're a fan of salty sweets and/or caramel, I'd definitely recommend trying this cupcake!

Lunchtime Links for January 18th, 2012

2012-01-18T12:00:00.002-05:00

Picky Palate: Frozen hot chocolate.
Eat Drink Pretty: Ladybug dessert table.
Kirbie's Cravings: Hello Kitty cheddar crackers.
The Kitchn: Avocado egg salad.
Good Life Eats: Chile cheese cornbread scone.

Georgetown Cupcake - New 2012 Flavors

2012-01-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems that Georgetown Cupcake updated the monthly flavors for 2012, and there are some exciting new cupcakes coming up!!!!!!!!!!!

January:
- Chocolate Salted Caramel: Valrhona chocolate cake with a dulce-de-leche core, topped with salted caramel buttercream frosting and a dulce-de-leche star. This one has been available as an "off-the-menu" free one for a while, but it's the first time on the menu.

- Toasted Marshmallow Fudge: Valrhona chocolate cake filled with fudge and topped with marshmallow buttercream frosting, a fudge star, and a toasted marshmallow. Very similar to the Campfire/S'mores "off-the-menu" free one.

March:
- Chocolate Mint Crunch: Valrhona chocolate cupcake baked with mint cookie pieces, topped with mint-infused whipped Callebaut chocolate frosting and mint cookie crumble. Basically the Thin Mint Crunch that was a special Girl Scouts-affiliated cupcake last year.

April:
- Boston Creme: Classic Madagascar Bourbon vanilla cupcake filled with Boston creme pudding, topped with a thin layer of chocolate ganache and a fondant shamrock.

June:
- Lavender Earl Grey Teacake: Classic Madagascar Bourbon vanilla cupcake infused with lavender and earl grey tea, topped with a lavender infused buttercream frosting, a fondant flower, and a sprinkle of lavender sugar. This one is from Katherine's bridal shower and was offered as an "off-the-menu" free one a few times last year.

July:
- Marble Fudge Brownie: A Valrhona chocolate and cream cheese marble brownie cupcake topped with a dark fudge frosting and a fondant flower.

September:
- Bananas Foster: Rum-infused caramel cupcake baked with carmelized bananas, topped with a caramel buttercream frosting, a caramel drizzle, and a fondant flower.

October:
- Maple Walnut Crunch: Maple-infused cupcake baked with fresh walnuts, topped with a maple cream cheese frosting, crushed walnuts and a fondant maple leaf.

December:
- Butterscotch Pudding: Butterscotch cupcake filled with butterscotch pudding and topped with a butterscotch-infused buttercream frosting, a butterscotch star, and a fondant holly leaf.

- English Christmas: Georgetown Cupcake’s version of the traditional English Christmas spice cake, baked with fresh cranberries and orange zest and topped with classic vanilla cream cheese frosting and a fondant holly leaf.

SO many new ones to look forward to!!

Lunchtime Links for January 17th, 2012

2012-01-17T12:00:00.003-05:00

I Wanna Be A Domestic Goddess: Homemade marshmallows.
Kirbie's Cravings: Nutella sugar cookies.
The Kitchn: Tortilla soup.
Eat More Drink More: Breakfast hoagies at Taylor Gourmet.
Feisty Foodie: Dinner at Le Bernardin.

Taylor Gourmet - Pattison Avenue Hoagie

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the somewhat dark photo- the sun wasn't really cooperating that day, haha.

Here we have the Pattison Avenue hoagie from Taylor Gourmet: Roasted pork, broccoli rabe, and sharp provolone. This is the first pork (hot) hoagie I've tried, and I liked this one a lot. I was definitely appreciative that they chop the broccoli rabe into smaller pieces - sometimes places will leave long stems of broccoli rabe whole which is fine for plated dinners, but not so much a hoagie that you're trying to take bites out of haha. It did start to feel a little one-note after a few bites though, but that may be because I'm used to their cold hoagies with all the fixings. The roasted pork was delicious and flavorful, if you're a fan of pork (and don't like "fussy" hoagies), then try this one out!

Lunchtime Links for January 16th, 2012

2012-01-16T12:00:00.003-05:00

Mob Wives: Recap from TVGasm.
Good Life Eats: Italian wedding soup with chicken meatballs.
Peanut Butter and Company: Spring rolls with Asian-inspired peanut butter sauce.
The Pioneer Woman: Turkey bagel burger.
Serious Eats: Where to drink coffee in DC.

CVS Deals - Week of 1/15/2012

2012-01-16T10:00:00.002-05:00

This week CVS has the "Spend $30 get a $10 CVSCash card" deal again.

Remember, these are valid for pre-coupon prices, so try to get as many of the items that have coupons available!

This week I got:

- Scott 8-pk mega roll paper towels: $5 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
- 6 Kleenex Cool Touch tissues: 2/$3 on sale, $1/4 manufacturer's coupon, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon.
- 2 Cottonelle wipes: $2 each on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon.
- 2 Wheat Thins, 1 Ritz crackers: 2/$5 on sale, $2/3 manufacturer's coupon.
- Kettle potato chips: 2/$5 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
- Hershey's valentine chocolate: 2/$6 on sale.

There are also some great Extra Bucks deals this week:

- 3 Hallmark cards: Buy 3 of the $0.99 cards, get $3 Extra Bucks back.
- Colgate Total toothpaste: $2.77 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon, $1 Extra Bucks back.
- Brita pitcher: $14.99 on sale, $4 manufacturer's coupon, $5 Extra Bucks back.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for January 13th, 2012

2012-01-13T12:00:00.004-05:00

Serious Eats: Orzo carbonara-style.
Eat Yourself Skinny: Tex-Mex couscous.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm.
Tasty Kitchen: Spinach lemon orzo soup.
Wee Eats: Cheater cinnamon rolls.

Georgetown Cupcake - Coconut Lava Fudge Cupcake

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

If you've read this blog at any point before today, you'll probably know where this Georgetown Cupcake review is going...

Did I really want to go get this free off-the-menu COCONUT Lava Fudge cupcake? Heck no. Did I do it anyway so I could blog about a new flavor? Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

So, basically a Coconut cupcake with a gooey lava fudge center, as shown in the photo above. It's a great concept for anyone that is a coconut fan, that's for sure. And... I'll leave it at that, haha.

Lunchtime Links for January 12th, 2012

2012-01-12T12:00:00.001-05:00

Teen Mom 2: Recap from TVGasm.
The Kitchn: Lightened up pasta carbonara.
Eat Drink Pretty: Rainbow theme party.
Kirbie's Cravings: Chewy Nutella cookies.
Eat Yourself Skinny: Tomato and baby bell pepper tartlets.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

2012-01-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Lace patterned nails without any hassle? Woohoo!

A while back I tried out the Sally Hansen Salon Effects strips, and I really liked the look of this lace pattern. There's a bunch of different sizes in the package, which is good for me because I have pretty small nails. The package also contains a two-sided nail file, plus an orange stick. First, you peel off the strip from the backing, stick it onto your nails (lined up with your nail beds), push down the sides with the orange sticks, and file off the excess strips from the tips of your nails.

You do have to be careful to make sure the strips are lined up with your nail beds, but overall I found this to be a really easy and quick process. I really liked the way this pattern looked on short nails, and I've already purchased another box of gold glitter strips to try out!

By the way, CVS has recently been doing BOGO 1/2 price on Sally Hansen items, if anyone is interested!

Lunchtime Links for January 11th, 2012

2012-01-11T12:00:00.005-05:00

Mob Wives: Recap from TVGasm.
Serious Eats: Peanut butter and Dulce de leche Cheerios.
The Pioneer Woman: Bruschetta.
In Good Taste: Linguine Carbonara.
The Kitchn: Homemade Nilla wafers.

Shake Shack - January Custard Calendar

2012-01-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

New month, new custard calendar from Shake Shack!!

Monday: Cinnamon Cream Cheese
Tuesday: Chocolate Hazelnut
Wednesday: Mud Pie
Thursday: Honey Roasted Peanut
Friday: Red Velvet
Saturday: Salted Caramel
Sunday: Thin Mint

I'll be honest - with the exception of Sunday, I WANT ALL OF THE CUSTARDS. Nice work, Shake Shack, you've won me over yet again, haha.

Lunchtime Links for January 10th, 2012

2012-01-10T12:00:00.004-05:00

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm.
Serious Eats: Vietnamese shrimp and quinoa salad.
Picky Palate: Giant Hershey Kiss stuffed chocolate chip cookie.
Kirbie's Cravings: Flourless peanut butter cookies.
Bakerella: Chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and chocolate ganache.

USPS Stamp Increase - January 22nd, 2012

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

This may not affect that many of you, but if you're a fan of sending out cards like I am, make sure to stock up on Forever stamps now!

There's going to be a 1-cent increase on regular stamps (currently 44-cents) starting January 22nd, 2012. A 1-cent increase isn't much on its own, but if you send out a lot of cards, it definitely adds up! Also, if you buy the Forever stamps you theoretically (it's the plan, anyway) won't have to worry about stamp increases anytime in the future as well, since Forever stamps work, well, forever, haha.

If you don't feel like going to the post office to buy stamps- I got a bunch of fun stamps from the USPS website - it's only $1 for shipping no matter how many you get, so it's a great way to stock up. They have cute birthday/celebration stamps, hobby-related stamps, and my personal favorite, Pixar stamps!

Lunchtime Links for January 9th, 2012

2012-01-09T12:00:00.001-05:00

The Kitchn: Winter smoothies.
Penny Pincher Fashion: DIY glittered chevron art.
Kirbie's Cravings: 30-second chocolate cookies.
The Budget Babe: Jason Wu for Target.
In Good Taste: Homemade cinnamon rolls.

CVS Deals - Week of 1/8/2012

2012-01-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

This week CVS has the "Spend $30 get a $10 CVSCash card" deal again.

Remember, these are valid for pre-coupon prices, so try to get as many of the items that have coupons available!

This week I got:

- All Small and Mighty laundry detergent: 2/$8 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
- 2 Lysol wipes: 2/$5 on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon.
- Clean and Clear face wash: $4.99 on sale, $2 manufacturer's coupon.
- Carmex healing lotion: $3.99 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
- Dove chocolate bag: 2/$6 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
- 2 Listerine Pocketpaks: $2.99 each on sale.
- 2 CVS brand travel makeup remover wipes: $1.49 each.

There's also some great Extra Bucks deals this week, essentially making these items free:

- M&Ms single bag: $0.75, $0.75 Extra Bucks back.

- CVS brand vitamin D 400iu 100-count: $3.49, $3.49 Extra Bucks back.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for January 6th, 2012

2012-01-06T12:00:00.006-05:00

The Kitchn: Sumo citrus.
Serious Eats: Korean steak sandwich in San Francisco.
Feisty Foodie: Tabata Ramen in NYC.
The Pioneer Woman: Tuscan bean soup with shrimp.
Blondie and Brownie: Browned butter bacon doughnuts.

Take Time to Unplug

2012-01-06T10:00:00.014-05:00

In thinking about some changes that I'd like to implement this year - so, resolutions without actually being yearly resolutions - I thought of something that I would like to try out for myself.

I've found that my daily routine is pretty, well, routine - usually some variation of dinner (in or out), working out if I'm not out, watching tv, playing around on my iPad, laundry every week or so. The addition of my new iPhone to the mix has only added as an extra distraction to my daily downtime, haha.

So, I've decided to try out an hour of "unplugging" every day to see how it goes. "Unplugging" for me will include not using my phone, iPad, laptop, or tv for an hour. I know it sounds unnecessary but seriously, I even check my phone or iPad while I'm eating dinner. So, hopefully this change will also help me to actually step away from technology for a little bit, maybe even read the piles of books that I have around, haha.

Have you taken a moment to unplug today?

Lunchtime Links for January 5th, 2012

2012-01-05T12:00:00.002-05:00

Serious Eats: Trying out a juice cleanse.
The Pioneer Woman: Cheeseburger salad.
Eat Drink Pretty: Chocolate peanut butter muffins.
Tasty Kitchen: Homemade ricotta with lemon and basil.
Steamy Kitchen: Asian orange ginger vinaigrette.

Georgetown Cupcake - Holiday Lava Fudge, Christmas Caramel, Rudolph Red Velvet

2012-01-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

Yup, still on a holiday kick, haha. Here we have four lovely cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake in December.

On the top we have the Holiday Lava Fudge and Rudolph Red Velvet cupcakes; on the bottom we have that day's free Chocolate Salted Caramel and Christmas Caramel cupcakes!

The holiday cupcakes are the same as the regular Lava Fudge, Red Velvet, and Salted Caramel cupcakes. The free Chocolate Salted Caramel cupcake is one of January's special flavors!

I'm glad I did this post because I just noticed that I have never done a post about the Red Velvet cupcake before!!!! So here we have the cupcake in holiday form, with Rudolph the (GIANT) red-nosed reindeer on top. The Red Velvet cupcake is the first cupcake I tried from Georgetown Cupcake, and still remains one of my favorites. It is "Georgetown Cupcake's signature cupcake — classic red velvet cupcake with a vanilla cream cheese frosting topped with a red fondant heart". SO good!!!

And with that, I have now blogged about all of the holiday offerings from Georgetown Cupcake. Tough work, for sure, hah!

Lunchtime Links for January 4th, 2012

2012-01-04T12:00:00.002-05:00

The Budget Babe: The look for less- Hunter fleece liners.
Tasty Kitchen: Grilled guacamole.
French Twist DC: Champagne cupcakes.
Kathy YL Chan: Ailana shave ice.
Really Petite: J.Crew pumps.

Holiday Candy

2012-01-04T10:00:00.001-05:00

For the holidays I thought I'd do something cute and little, to give to friends that I'd be seeing before the holidays. I went to Michael's and got a box of wedding favors shaped like champagne glasses, a couple bags of holiday M&Ms (thanks to the CVS weekly deals), and a sheet of labels. Super easy and a cute way to celebrate the holidays!

On a recent trip to Wegmans an employee was handing out what I thought were Lindt chocolate samples. It was a nice surprise to find out she was handing out these chocolate holiday bears! These are super cute and I like them much better than their regular holiday reindeer, haha.

Lunchtime Links for January 3rd, 2012

2012-01-03T12:00:00.004-05:00

Creative Culinary: Ferrero Rocher cake.
Big Girls Small Kitchen: Vodka punch with orange, grapefruit, and lemon.
Kirbie's Cravings: Avocado fries.
In Good Taste: Sweet potato-apple latkes.
La Fuji Mama: Osechi ryori for Japanese New Year.

CVS Deals - Week of 1/1/2012

2012-01-03T10:00:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! CVS has some great deals for this week to start off 2012 on a thrifty note:

Similar to the "Spend $30 get a $10 gift card" deal before, there's a "Spend $30 get a $10 CVSCash card" deal starting this week. Remember, these are valid for pre-coupon prices, so get items on the list that have coupons!

This week I got:

- 3 Pantene products: 3/$9.99 on sale, $3/2 manufacturer's coupon.
- Scope 750ml mouthwash: $3.74 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
- DayQuil 48-count: $9.99 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
- CVS cotton rounds: $3.59
- Scotch mailing supplies: Buy one get one 50% off on sale, the ones I got were $2.87 and $1.43 each.

There's also some great Extra Bucks deals this week:

- Oral-B Cross Action power toothbrush: $5.99 on sale, $3 manufacturer's coupon, $2 Extra Bucks back.

- 3 Kellogg's Special K cereals: 3/$10 on sale, $1/3 manufacturer's coupon, $4 Extra Bucks back.

Also, keep an eye out for CVS email coupon offers! This time I had a $6 Extra Bucks and $5 off $25 purchase coupons that came via email, which I had loaded onto my CVS card. Don't forget to load these to your card or print them out when you get the emails!

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for January 2nd, 2012

2012-01-02T12:00:00.000-05:00

Raspberri Cupcakes: Christmas red velvet snow cake.
Poorly Drawn Lines: Holding doors, haha.
Real Simple: Make-ahead appetizers.
The Kitchn: Avocado tips.
Midtown Lunch: Flex Donuts' maple bourbon bacon cruller

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T10:00:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year to you all! I hope 2012 is treating you well so far... as in, one full day, haha.

Here's to lots of good times and good food in the new year for us all!

Anyone have New Year's Resolutions lined up? I'm thinking more along the lines of lifestyle changes, so it's a little more permanent than a yearly thing. I'm likely going to stick with my "no French fries" thing, as well as reading more (as in actual books, not magazines or blogs online, haha), things like that.

Lunchtime Links for December 30th, 2011

2011-12-30T12:00:00.003-05:00

Kirbie's Cravings: Fried Oreos.
Serious Eats: Top 10 chocolate posts.
Tasty Kitchen: Cookie recipes.
Kathy YL Chan: Morning Glass Coffee and Cafe in Hawaii.
Steamy Kitchen: Kimchi omelet.

Shake Shack Christmas Cookie Custard

2011-12-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

I finally had a chance to try out one of Shake Shack's December custards- the Christmas Cookie custard!

But first, can I just say that my Shackburger seemed supersized on this visit?? Not complaining but everything about this specific burger seemed much bigger than any of my past visits. The pickle slices were about half the size of the bun, no joke!

Ok, ok, on to the custard itself. It's v. festive, as you can see from the first photo. I personally prefer regular sprinkles (or jimmies in some areas) vs. the translucent sprinkle cubes that are used here. I don't know why exactly, they just don't taste as good to me. So, the top layer of this custard wasn't really all that great for me, haha. However, the liberal mixing of huge chunks of (what I assume are sugar) cookies throughout the cup is awesome. The cookies are crisp and provide a nice contrast with the creamy custard.

As far as the custard itself, I tried to figure out what the flavor is but I couldn't really tell. For all I know it could be just plain vanilla, but it did taste a little different to me. It looked pink in some parts- however, that could be in part to the aforementioned translucent cubes, so who knows. I couldn't find any official description on the internet, so if anyone knows, please let me know haha.

Lunchtime Links for December 29th, 2011

2011-12-29T12:00:00.004-05:00

Kirbie's Cravings: Osteria Mozza.
Serious Eats: Rustic chicken minestrone.
Tasty Kitchen: Chocolate Nutella and sea salt fudge.
Cute Overload: Siku the polar bear.
The Kitchn: Lightened up recipes.

Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee Ornament

2011-12-29T10:00:00.001-05:00

A little late, but I just wanted to share my newest Christrmas tree ornament! I saw this at Dunkin Donuts and could not resist the tiny iced coffee cup, complete with the little orange straw. It's a great addition to my food/candy themed Christmas tree :o)

I hope everyone had a great Christmas if you celebrate it!

Lunchtime Links for December 28th, 2011

2011-12-28T12:00:00.002-05:00

Serious Eats: Bryan Voltaggio's new Lunchbox.
Kirbie's Cravings: Nutella lava brownie mug cake.
I Wanna Be A Domestic Goddess: Love Actually cupcakes.
The Pioneer Woman: Hot chocolate recipes.
Picky Palate: Pumpkin pie French toast bake.

Georgetown Cupcake - Holiday Hazelnut Cupcake

2011-12-28T10:00:00.001-05:00

First things first, I'm in lurrrrrrrrve with the Instagram app on my phone. Look at how artistic my cupcake looks, haha.

Here we have another December-only Georgetown Cupcake holiday cupcake: Holiday Hazelnut. It's the regular Chocolate Hazelnut cupcake with a little fondant tree on top. The candied chopped hazelnuts are DELICIOUS, and add that special crunch to the rich chocolate cake underneath. So good!

Lunchtime Links for December 27th, 2011

2011-12-27T12:00:00.002-05:00

The Budget Babe: The look for less- Burberry ruffle trench.
The Pioneer Woman: Duchess potatoes.
Penny Pincher Fashion: Winter wardrobe essentials.
Serious Eats: Deep-fried garlic knots.
Eat Drink Pretty: Snickerdoodle cookies.

Georgetown Cupcake - Toffee Caramel Crunch Cupcake

2011-12-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

Hooray for a new free "secret" Georgetown Cupcake flavor! This one takes a regular menu item - Toffee Crunch - and takes it up a notch with a little surprise:

A gooey caramel center! The toffee pieces on top add such much needed texture since the frosting, caramel, and cake are all very soft, haha. If you're a fan of candy bars or caramel anything- this would be the perfect cupcake for you :o)

Lunchtime Links for December 26th, 2011

2011-12-26T12:00:00.003-05:00

The Budget Babe: Spot the real Burberry leather trim trench.
Serious Eats: Guide to sparkling wine.
The Kitchn: Homemade salted caramel sauce.
Eat Drink Pretty: Peanut butter blossoms.
Kirbie's Cravings: Easy stove top macaroni and cheese.

Tout de Sweet - Pumpkin and Vanilla Macarons

2011-12-26T10:00:00.001-05:00

I've mentioned my love for Tout de Sweet's vanilla macaron before, and yes, it's still as fabulous as ever. I love places that do seasonal items, like pumpkin EVERYTHING haha. The pumpkin macaron on the left was really really really tasty. The perfect 2 bites of pumpkin, crisp, chewy, and all things good about macarons. Also, I love the color of the pumpkin macaron, a great light shade of orange that was so pretty!

Every time I go here I think that I need to go more often- hopefully this time I actually will go soon to try out new flavors... along with another vanilla macaron, haha!

Lunchtime Links for December 23rd, 2011

2011-12-23T12:00:00.006-05:00

Sassy Radish: Holiday gift guide- cookbooks.
Gluten Free Living: Peppermint marshmallows.
The Kitchn: Portable and delicious weekday breakfasts.
Kirbie's Cravings: One minute brownie mug cake.
Cupcakes and Cashmere: Cake pops.

Georgetown Cupcake - Holiday Designs

2011-12-23T10:00:00.008-05:00

A Georgetown Cupcake post without ANY cupcake photos!? It may never happen again, folks.

Right after Thanksgiving, Georgetown Cupcake switched over to this cute holiday packaging. The bags and the stickers are so cute!

LOVE the cupcake-nosed reindeer!!!

Lunchtime Links for December 22nd, 2011

2011-12-22T12:00:00.001-05:00

The Kitchn: Monkey bread recipes.
Cupcakes for Breakfast: Sweet holiday.
Adventures in Bentomaking: Style Lunch Nature bento boxes.
The Pioneer Woman: Cinnamon rolls.
Serious Eats: Pad see ew.

Georgetown Cupcake Holiday Cupcakes - Chocolate Eggnog Cupcake

2011-12-22T10:00:00.002-05:00

What a fun way to kick off the holiday season! Georgetown Cupcake offered this Chocolate Eggnog cupcake before December, when all of these holiday cupcakes are offered. The really great thing was, it was offered as a free secret flavor so I could try it out gratis, haha.

The cupcake is a "Valrhona chocolate eggnog infused-cupcake topped with a nutmeg-infused vanilla cream cheese frosting and a fondant snowflake". I didn't really get much of a real eggnog flavor, but it definitely did not taste the same as their regular chocolate cupcakes. Which might be a good thing, since I don't particularly like the taste of eggnog haha. Still, I love that they offer festive flavors during the holidays and I look forward to blogging about all of them :o)

Lunchtime Links for December 21st, 2011

2011-12-21T12:00:00.002-05:00

The Kitchn: Pink grapefruit and pomegranate soda.
The Pioneer Woman: Prime rib.
Kirbie's Cravings: Nutella filled red velvet cookies.
Picky Palate: Buttery crisp XXL chocolate chip cookie.
The Hungry Runner Girl: Cinnamon rolls.

Hershey Christmas Candylane

2011-12-21T10:00:00.002-05:00

Recently, my friend T, her husband, G, and I went to Hershey Park for their Christmas Candylane! The majority of the park is lit up with all sorts of holiday-theme lights, and people can walk around and enjoy the park at night. The majority of the rides (like the roller coasters) are not running but a good number of them (pirate ship, indoor rides, carousel, most of the kids rides) were running until closing.

We checked out the light show that takes place every half hour with Christmas music - v. fun to watch!

This house was made ALL out of candy!!

Of course I had to check out the huge gift shop located by the free Chocolate World ride as well.

Has anyone seen these Hershey's Pieces with Almonds in stores yet? They looked really good!

This was one of the Christmas trees on display inside one of the gift shops - super cute!

Going to Hershey Park this time of year was a great way to get excited for the holidays and be surrounded by candy, haha!

Lunchtime Links for December 20th, 2011

2011-12-20T12:00:00.005-05:00

The Kitchn: Ways to get out of a winter salad rut.
Picky Palate: Foodie Christmas gift ideas.
The Budget Babe: LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl's.
Cute: Sammy and the City blog.
Best Bites Blog: DC Hanukkah eats.

Georgetown Cupcake Holiday Cupcakes - Red Mitten Vanilla, Santa's Chocolate Chip, and Cinnamon Spice

2011-12-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

Isn't this such a festive box of cupcakes???

I brought this box over to T and G's house a few weekends ago (when we went to Hershey Park) from Georgetown Cupcake - I LOVE their holiday cupcakes!

On the top left we have Santa's Chocolate Chip (Vanilla chocolate chip cupcake with a whipped Callebaut chocolate frosting topped with a fondant snowflake).

On the bottom right we have Cinnamon Spice (Cinnamon cupcake topped with a cinnamon buttercream frosting and a green fondant Christmas tree).

And the other two are the Red Mitten Vanilla cupcakes (Classic Madagascar bourbon vanilla cupcake topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting and a red fondant mitten).

As you might guess, the cupcakes are the same as the regular menu Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Spice, and Vanilla Squared cupcakes, but just jazzed up for the holidays :o) Super cute!

Lunchtime Links for December 19th, 2011

2011-12-19T12:00:00.005-05:00

The Pioneer Woman: Chunky chicken soup.
Kirbie's Cravings: Stove top macaroni and cheese.
The Kitchn: Cream cheese braids.
Serious Eats: Holiday cookie guide.
The Faux Martha: Chocolate pretzels.

Seattle - Downtown Seattle Eats

2011-12-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's super touristy. Yes, it's packed on the weekends. But if you get a chance, I'd highly recommend strolling through the Seattle Public Market on a weekday, in the middle of the day. There were still people milling around, but it's definitely MUCH easier to walk through compared to a regular weekend. We could actually stop at stands without being pushed by passerby, and take our time looking from stand to stand.

The main reason why we were by the market at that time is for the Elliott's Oyster House's oyster happy hour nearby! Starting at 3pm on Monday through Friday, fresh shucked oysters start at $0.75 each, to $1.25 at 4pm, and $1.75 at 5pm. These oysters are FANTASTIC, really really really great. Considering the quality of these oysters the happy hour is a great deal. There were lots of people there right at 3pm (oyster happy hour is only valid at the bar) enjoying dozen after dozen of oysters. If you're not a raw oyster fan, they also have little bites of fried snacks and other appetizers on the happy hour menu as well. Also, baskets of delicious sourdough rolls are free of charge - I definitely had a Simpsons "Don't fill up on the bread!" moment before the oysters hit the table, haha.

I passed by a doughnut shop on my last visit, and this time around I had to check it out since we were walking by anyway. Top Pot Doughnuts in Bis a really cute space - floor-to-ceiling windows so the whole place was really bright and open, lots of tables, and the smell of coffee and fried dough throughout. There were lots of people enjoying doughnuts and coffee while reading or chatting with friends. It was a good mix of families, students, and people just looking to take a little break in the day. I would love to have a space like this by me!

The doughnuts that we got were: Pumpkin Cake, Cake, and Old Fashioned. It wasn't quite the same to bring the doughnuts home before trying them out, but I put them in the microwave for about 8 seconds (give or take) to warm them up a bit. The pumpkin was great, chewy and sweet with a distinct pumpkin flavor. The other two were good, didn't really taste like much besides fried dough, haha. I would definitely go back for another special flavor - or if one of the plain ones were freshly made, for sure!

As always, lots of good eats on this visit to Seattle - writing these posts is making me hungry!

Elliott's Oyster House

1201 Alaskan Way

Pier 56

Seattle, WA 98101

(206) 623-4340

Top Pot Doughnuts

2124 5th Ave
Seattle, WA 98121
206-728-1966

Lunchtime Links for December 16th, 2011

2011-12-16T12:00:00.003-05:00

The Kitchn: Holiday cookie recipes from Momofuku Milk Bar.
Kirbie's Cravings: Chocolate caramel mug cake.
The Pioneer Woman: New cookbook.
Penny Pincher Fashion: Birchbox review.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm.

Free Shipping Day

2011-12-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

For all of you last-minute shoppers (or shoppers in general, haha) - today is Free Shipping Day! The list of participating online retailers can be found here.

There's a LOT of participating companies, so hopefully you can find some nice gifts for others (or yourself) and not have to worry about shipping costs!

Lunchtime Links for December 15th, 2011

2011-12-15T12:00:00.001-05:00

Serious Eats: Momofuku Milk Bar's cereal eats.
Kirbie's Cravings: S'mores monkey bread.
Bakerella: Chocolate candy cookies.
Cakespy: On the Today show.
La Fuji Mama: Gyudon recipe.

Seattle - Hello, Cupcake + Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co.

2011-12-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

I spotted Hello, Cupcake after we were at the Museum of Glass, so of course I had to stop in and check it out. The store itself is adorable, with lots of pastel details, little cupcake-related goods for sale, and of course, lots of cupcakes. I picked up three mini cupcakes: chocolate with vanilla frosting, vanilla with chocolate frosting, and pumpkin. These cupcakes were good, but not great. They were a little dry which was surprising considering that small cupcakes tend to not be as dry due to their size alone. I'm glad I stopped in though to check it out.

During my visit, I HAD to make sure to hit up Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. again- SO good!!

On the left we have the English Breakfast with Cream cupcake, and Sweet Potato Pie on the right. Both of these were REALLY good. I especially love the light whipped consistency of their frosting, so so so good. Any chance I get to try tea-based baked goods, I'm all in - and this one was really great. The sweet potato cake was rich but not too sweet, and a great way to celebrate fall. If you're a fan of interesting flavor combinations like these two above, you'll love this place!

Lunchtime Links for December 14th, 2011

2011-12-14T12:00:00.001-05:00

The Kitchn: 10 spiced cookies.
The Budget Babe: Theory cable knit sweater.
Serious Eats: Homemade Milano cookies.
Kathy YL Chan: Bouchon's bouchons.
I Am Baker: Tangled Christmas lights cupcakes.

Seattle - Brugge Chocolates

2011-12-14T10:00:00.001-05:00

Another fun little place that my parents introduced me to in Seattle was Brugge Chocolates in Redmond. It's a tiny shop in an ordinary-looking shopping center, and the space was filled wall-to-wall with beautiful little chocolates and other treats. The employee was very friendly and happy to provide us samples of one of the truffles, which was nice especially since it seems pretty high-end and intimidating inside, haha.

We picked up six pretty truffles, including a seasonal pumpkin, Marco Polo (with crispy layers inside the chocolate), hazelnut, and some other flavors my parents picked out. Unfortunately there isn't a list of flavors on their website to jog my memory, sorry!

These were all SO good! A little pricey for sure ($2ish per piece) but they all tasted amazing and the perfect little bite. Each one was distinct in flavor but never overwhelming or overly sweet. There were tons of different flavors, and they all looked great. I'm definitely looking forward to trying out more flavors during my next visit!

15946 Redmond Way, Suite 103
Redmond, WA 98052
425.882.4722

Lunchtime Links for December 13th, 2011

2011-12-13T12:00:00.001-05:00

The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle: How to safely ship cookies.
The Kitchn: 10 truffle recipes.
Japanese Snack Review: Mister Donut's snowman donut.
I Heart Baking!: Hello Kitty pocket pies.
Eat Drink Pretty: Cinnamon sticks.

Seattle - Fumie's Gold

2011-12-13T10:00:00.001-05:00

I always love trying out new places, and being that I've just recently started visiting Seattle, there are TONS of places to check out!

My mom had recommended that we try some desserts from Fumie's Gold, a teeny-tiny little shop across the street from a park in Bellevue. There were a handful of items available, so we got three to share. On the top left is a cream puff (shu cream in Japanese), in the middle is a Mont Blanc, and on the top right is a matcha roll cake.

Everything was delicious! They were very similar to pastries I've had in Japan before, which is pretty impressive. They were just sweet enough to be a dessert but without feeling like it's just a bunch of sugar. Mont Blancs aren't super popular in my area (as far as I know) so it was really nice to enjoy a tasty rendition of one. I can't wait to come back and try more of their desserts!

Fumie's Gold

10045 NE 1st St
Ste CU2
(between N 100th Ave & N 102nd Ave)
Bellevue, WA 98004

(425) 223-5893

Lunchtime Links for December 12th, 2011

2011-12-12T12:00:00.001-05:00

The Kitchn: Pre-scooping cookie dough.
Hostess With The Mostess: DIY display stands for mini treats.
Picky Palate: Cinnamon roll swirled gingerbread bars with toffee chips.
Gossip Girl: Recap from TVGasm.
Serious Eats: Beer in Seattle.

CVS Deals - Week of 12/11/2011

2011-12-12T10:00:00.002-05:00

Once again, this week's CVS deals include another $10 gift card for purchasing $30 worth of specially marked items.

Remember, the $30 requirement is for the price of the items, not the price after coupons. So with a little planning, you can spend less than $30 and still get the gift card.

This week I got:

Four Kleenex boxes: 3/$4 on sale, one $1/4 manufacturer's coupon.
Scott toilet paper 12-pack: $7.49 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
Boxed holiday cards: $4.99 - stocking up for next year!
Advil liqui-gels 80-count: $7.99 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
Reese's candy: 2/$5 on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon.

There's also a deal on Combos this week:

Combos: $2 on sale, $2 Extra Bucks back.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for December 9th, 2011

2011-12-09T12:00:00.004-05:00

The Kitchn: Life-size gingerbread houses.
Serious Eats: Thai-style fried rice.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm.
The Pioneer Woman: Mulled apple cider.
Kirbie's Cravings: Gooey caramel chocolate cookies.

Georgetown Cupcake - December Flavors

2011-12-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

The Georgetown Cupcake cupcakes are cute year-round, but the holiday ones are especially fabulous :o) As some of you may recall, last December I attended a holiday decorating event, where almost all of this year's December holiday cupcakes were. They are all v. festive and would make a great addition to any holiday party!

Here's the full run-down of the holiday flavors:

Chocolate Egg Nog
White Chocolate Peppermint
Chocolate Peppermint
Gingerbread
Snowball
Rudolph Red Velvet
Cinnamon Spice
Red Mitten Vanilla
Christmas Caramel
Holiday Lava Fudge
Holiday Hazelnut
Santa's Chocolate Chip

Most of these are a regular menu item (Red velvet, Vanilla, Lava fudge, etc.) with a holiday fondant decoration, but seeing as I haven't officially blogged about each one (although I've tried all of them, haha)... looks like I'll have to get each of these again this year to "officially" review them, haha!

Lunchtime Links for December 8th, 2011

2011-12-08T12:00:00.003-05:00

The Kitchn: Useful baking dishes.
Serious Eats: Jacques Torres' chocolate chip cookies.
Eat Drink Pretty: Butternut squash salad with warm cider vinaigrette.
Cupcakes and Cashmere: Gingerbread snowflakes.
The Budget Babe: Gifts at Francesca's Collections.

Treats from Kirbie's Cravings

2011-12-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

If you read my daily Lunchtime Links, you will know that Kirbie's Cravings is one of my favorite baking blogs- she makes SO much stuff that looks and sounds fantastic!

A while back I had mailed her a few new Japanese Kit Kats (posts on those two coming soon) because she was interested in the flavors. Soon after that, I received a surprise thank you package from her, which you can see above :o) It included some new-to-me Kit Kats which I was really excited about: Tiramisu and Custard Purin (pudding/flan basically), woo!

In addition to the Kit Kats, she also sent me a bunch of homemade pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! These were soft and super delicious. Thank you for the great surprise package!!

Lunchtime Links for December 7th, 2011

2011-12-07T12:00:00.002-05:00

Happy birthday to my friend S, who recently started her own food blog, Gluten Free Living in DC!

Serious Eats: Kellogg's Crunchy Nut cereal review.
The Kitchn: Momofuku Milk Bar's corn cookie.
Eat Drink Pretty: Holiday baking recipes.
Kirbie's Cravings: Reese's chocolate cookies.
The Budget Babe: Holiday gift ideas at TJMaxx/Marshalls.

Marc By Marc Jacobs iPhone Case

2011-12-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Hello, iPhone world! Thanks to my work I have joined the ranks of a bazillion iPhone lovers, haha. So to celebrate of course I had to get a fun case!

My mom got me this case at the Nordstrom in Seattle - how cute is it?? It's got the signature Marc by Marc Jacobs cute factor but it's still neutral enough - for me, at least :o) I also like that it's textured on the back (the white "buttons" are raised) which lessens the chances of me slipping my phone out of my hands, haha.

Do any of you have fun phone cases?

Lunchtime Links for December 6th, 2011

2011-12-06T12:00:00.001-05:00

Kirbie's Cravings: Four ingredient Nutella peanut butter cookies.
Eat Drink More: Dinner at Little Serow.
Picky Palate: Chocolate cake Reeses peanut butter chunk cookies.
The Kitchn: 10 chocolate cookie recipes.
Serious Eats: Buffalo chip cookies.

Georgetown Cupcake - The Cupcake Diaries Book

2011-12-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to TLC's Twitter account for having a DC Cupcakes contest - thanks to them, I received a copy of The Cupcake Diaries!!!!

This has a lot of stories about the sisters' childhood and rise to cupcake stardom, but more importantly...

RECIPES! Helllllllllooooo, Red Velvet Cupcakes! There are lots of recipes for cupcakes and other treats all throughout the book. I can't wait to try out the recipes!

Lunchtime Links for December 5th, 2011

2011-12-05T12:00:00.001-05:00

Kirbie's Cravings: Four ingredient Nutella peanut butter cakes.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm.
Bakerella: Gingerbread heads.
Tokyo Terrace: Hot chocolate stir sticks.
The Kitchn: Asian pear sparkler.

CVS Deals - Week of 12/04/2011

2011-12-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

Reese's holiday candy bags: 2/$5 on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon.
Garnier face towelettes: $5 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
2 Chex mix bags: 2/$3 on sale, $0.50/2 manufacturer's coupon.
2 Popcorn Indiana bags: 2/$5 on sale, two $1.00 manufacturer's coupons.
2 Celestial Seasonings tea boxes: 2/$5 on sale, two $1 manufacturer's coupons.
2 Jack Link's beef jerky: $6.99 each, buy one get one free.

There's a few great Extra Bucks deals this week as well.

Candy canes 10-count: $1.27, $1.27 Extra Bucks back. Be sure to get the "generic" candy canes, because they also sell other brands that aren't free (Hershey, Jolly Rancher, etc.).

This time of year, it's always nice to have a bag of M&Ms on hand, for parties or for holiday baking.

2 bags of holiday M&Ms: 2/$5 on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon, $1 Extra Bucks back.

If you like the sulfate-free L'Oreal hair products (EverPure, EverStrong, or EverSleek), you can get 2 products and receive $5 Extra Bucks back. Since it's for any 2 products, I'd recommend buying the shampoo or conditioner vs. the treatments, which cost more.

2 L'Oreal EverPure products: $6.99 each, two $1 manufacturer's coupons, $5 Extra Bucks back.

Also, if you spend $20 on Schick or Playtex products, you get $10 Extra Bucks back.

2 Playtex: $5.79 each, two $1 manufacturer's coupons.
Schick Hydro shave gel: $4.59, $1 manufacturer's coupon.
Skintimate shave gel: $4.19, $0.55 manufacturer's coupon.

Finally, there's a deal on household products, where if you spend $12 on select Glade, Oust, Pledge, or Scrubbing Bubbles products, you get $4 Extra Bucks back. I hadn't originally intended on getting 4 candles, but the CVS I went to was out of the Scrubbing Bubbles cleaner I was going to get. Glade makes a 1/2 custard, 1/2 apple scent candle I like so it worked out well :o)

4 Glade candles: 2/$6 on sale, $0.75/2 manufacturer's coupon.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for December 2nd, 2011

2011-12-02T12:00:00.002-05:00

Kirbie's Cravings: Turtle breads.
In Good Taste: Mexican style baked eggs.
The Budget Babe: Sally Hansen salon effects real nail polish strips for the holidays.
Top Chef: Recap from TVGasm.
Eat Drink Pretty: Turkey pot pie.

Shake Shack - December Custard Flavors

2011-12-02T10:00:00.002-05:00

Another month, another set of custard flavors at Shake Shack!!

Monday: Egg Nog
Tuesday: Figgy Pudding
Wednesday: Christmas Cookie
Thursday: Chocolate Orange Chestnut
Friday: Gingerbread
Saturday: Candy Cane Crunch
Sunday: Apple Spice Cake

All v. festive and a great way to celebrate the holidays!

Lunchtime Links for December 1st, 2011

2011-12-01T12:00:00.001-05:00

Kirbie's Cravings: Three ingredient chocolate pumpkin cookies.
Serious Eats: 29 touristy spots in America that are actually good.
In Good Taste: Shells and cheese with browned butter and Swiss chard.
Real World: Recap from TVGasm.
Target: Bakerella's Bullseye cake pops.

Starbucks Let's Merry!

2011-12-01T10:00:00.003-05:00

Hello December!! Lovely to see you in all your festive holiday glory.

Starbucks has a cute promotion starting today with 12 special deals on their products. The Starbucks Let's Merry! site is super cute, and there are some great gift ideas (for yourself or others) on the Christmas tree :o)

I really like the holiday mugs, however I'd need a separate cabinet just for mugs, I have so many. If you're a fan of Starbucks products or looking for a cute little gift for someone that is, check this out!

Lunchtime Links for November 30th, 2011

2011-11-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

Serious Eats: Rick's Picks' flavors.
Cupcakes Take The Cake: Sweet potato cupcakes with marshmallow topping.
Kirbie's Cravings: Dining at Google.
La Fuji Mama: Chocolate pumpkin truffles.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm.

Georgetown Cupcake - Peanut Butter Banana Cupcake

2011-11-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

As many times as I am able to go to Georgetown Cupcake, there are a few elusive "secret" flavors that I never seem to be able to snag. This Peanut Butter Banana cupcake is - or should I say, was - one such flavor.

Finally, finally, FINALLY, I was able to get to the Bethesda location early in the day and pick up this cupcake. The most dominant smell is definitely the peanut butter frosting. This frosting was AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Provided that you're a fan of peanut butter, this could be one of the best peanut butter frostings ever. It was so light and fluffy, super peanut butter-y, deeeeeeelicious. Which isn't to say the banana cake wasn't good too, but, man......... that frosting!!

My only criticism... throw some bacon on top, call it an Elvis cupcake! Haha.

Lunchtime Links for November 29th, 2011

2011-11-29T12:00:00.003-05:00

Bakerella: The Muppets cake pops.
The Budget Babe: Kristin Cavallari in Chinese Laundry.
The Kitchn: Grilled cheese croutons for tomato soup.
Serious Eats: Atlanta food trucks.
Yahoo: Ryan Gosling pancake.

Shake Shack - Shackenstein Custard

2011-11-29T10:00:00.003-05:00

Yup, it's really THAT green.

Here we have Shake S hack's Shackenstein custard, which is available in October every year.

This custard consists of green-colored vanilla cream cheese frosting flavored frozen custard, with pieces of chocolate covered chocolate cake. So, as minty as it may appear, it's not mint-flavored at all, haha.

The color was a little scary at first, but this was a tasty cup of custard! It's cake IN ice cream, what's not to love? It was a fun way to celebrate Halloween on the actual day :o)

Lunchtime Links for November 28th, 2011

2011-11-28T12:00:00.002-05:00

Chobani: Chobani pumpkin muffins.
Serious Eats: Federal donuts in Philadelphia.
A Passion For Food: Warm Sunrise tea.
La Fuji Mama: Quick Mao Pao tofu.
The Kitchn: 8 fudge recipes.

CVS Deals - Week of 11/27/2011

2011-11-28T10:00:00.001-05:00

6 Puffs with lotion tissues: $0.99 each on sale, $1/6 manufacturer's coupon.
Tide Free & Gentle 32-load laundry detergent: $5.94 on sale, $2 manufacturer's coupon.
Dawn Hand Renewal: $0.99 on sale, $0.20 manufacturer's coupon.
2 Pantene: 2/$6.97 on sale, $3/2 manufacturer's coupon.
Oral-B Cross Action power toothbrush: $4.99 on sale, $3 manufacturer's coupon.
2 Cottonelle wipes: $1.99 each on sale, $1/2 manufacturer's coupon.
Glade scented oil plug in twin pack: $4 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.

There are also two great Extra Bucks deals this week:

Complete 12oz contact solution: $8.99 on sale, $8.99 Extra Bucks back.
Lysol Healthy Touch no-touch hand soap system: $9.99 on sale, $3 manufacturer's coupon, $5 Extra Bucks back.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for November 25th, 2011

2011-11-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

Washingtonian: Michael Landrum's new Steak and Cheese.
Ohdeedoh: Milk and cookies baby shower.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm.
Serious Eats: Pennette with spicy Sicilian pesto.
Eater DC: Little Serow's opening menu.

CVS Deals - Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-25T10:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone! Everyone knows about all different types of Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales, but did you also know that CVS has a number of awesome deals until November 26th?

The majority of the big deals are Extra Bucks deals, which means you pay money up front but get it back in the form of Extra Bucks. In essence, it's like getting the items for free with a rebate. And, if you have coupons for any of the items, you get back the Extra Bucks PLUS overage!

On Thanksgiving day I got the following:

- Peanut M&Ms single pack: $0.75 on sale, $0.75 Extra Bucks back.
- Starbucks Doubleshot: $1.69 on sale, $1.69 Extra Bucks back.
- FiberOne 90-calorie brownies box: $3.99 on sale, $0.40 manufacturer's coupon, $3.99 Extra Bucks back.

- LA Looks 20oz hair gel: $2.49 on sale, $1.00 manufacturer's coupon, $2.49 Extra Bucks back.
- 2 Softlips tubes: $2.00 each on sale, $1.00/2 manufacturer's coupon, $2.00 Extra Bucks back.
- 2 Carmex tubes: $1.00 each on sale, $1.00/2 manufacturer's coupon, $1.00 Extra Bucks back.
- 3-pack of Listerine Pocketpaks: $2.99 on sale, $0.50 manufacturer's coupon, $2.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Colgate Total toothpaste: $2.87 on sale, $1.00 manufacturer's coupon, $2.87 Extra Bucks back.
- CVS floss picks: $1.99 on sale, $1.99 Extra Bucks back.
- GUM toothbrushes, 2-pack: $2.99 on sale, $2.99 Extra Bucks back.

- Advil PM 4-count: $0.99, $0.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Advil 10-count: $2.99 on sale, $2.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Excedrin 8-count: $0.99 on sale, $0.99 Extra Bucks back.
- 2 Theraflu single packs: $0.99 each, $3.00/2 manufacturer's coupon, $0.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Pepto-Bismol 4oz bottle: $2.99 on sale, $2.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Cepacol lozenges: $4.99 on sale, $4.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Breathe Right 12-count: $5.99 on sale, $1.50 manufacturer's coupon, $5.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Be Koool kids' fever reducer pads: $4.49 on sale, $4.49 Extra Bucks back.

- 4-pack of CVS AA batteries: $3.65 on sale, $3.65 Extra Bucks back.
- Philips 3-in-1 remote: $6.99 on sale, $6.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Philips earbuds headphones: $6.99 on sale, $6.00 Extra Bucks back.
- Finish dishwashing tabs, 10-count: $2.99 on sale, $1.00 manufacturer's coupon, $2.99 Extra Bucks back.
- Kleenex Cool Touch tissues: $1.50 on sale, $1.50 Extra Bucks back.

Happy shopping everyone!