Lunchtime Links for July 10th, 2023

• The Kitchn: 15 homemade food gifts. 
• Table for Two: Chocolate frosted doughnuts. 
• Crazy for Crust: No bake peanut butter pretzel bars. 
• Bake at 350: Double chocolate macarons.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: S'mores rice Krispie treats. 

Takeout Tuesday - Sunday Rose Macaron from Sunday Morning Bakehouse

This beautiful dessert was one of the Mother's Day specials at Sunday Morning Bakehouse - I had to pick one up after seeing it posted online because it was so pretty!  This Sunday Rose macaron consists of a giant macaron with rose buttercream, lychee, raspberries, white chocolate, gold leaf, and rose petals.  The fresh fruits made this dessert really special, and the flavors were strong without being overwhelming, especially the rose buttercream.  What a fun and creative take on a regular macaron! 

 

Sunday Morning Bakehouse

11869 Grand Park Avenue

North Bethesda, MD 20852

Takeout Tuesday - Macarons from Sweets by Caroline

I saw that Sweets by Caroline was having a pop up at a local Athleta store this past weekend and made my way over there to pick up some of her macarons.  I've had her macarons before and really love her creative and delicious macarons.  

The whole lineup at the pop up was so cute, with some seasonal flavors mixed in too.  I got two of the Creme Brulee, and then one of each of Cookies and Cream, S'mores, Cinnamon Roll, and Apple Pie.  These macarons pack so much flavor in each bite, and I love the creativity in the presentation of them as well.  Her macarons are sold at the shop local store in Rockville Town Square, but I also hope to catch her at another local pop up or event again soon! 

 

Takeout Tuesday - Sweets By Caroline's Macarons at URBNmarket Pike and Rose

There were a lot of great vendors at the URBNmarket held in Pike and Rose recently, including Sweets By Caroline's amazing macarons!  The "regular" macarons all look great but the character ones are on another level - so cute!  I'm glad I got there early to get my pick of the whole selection, especially since it looked like she sold out in two hours.  I could see why she sold out so quickly - the macarons were all so fun to look at and the character ones were so detailed.

 

The macarons all tasted as good as they looked and were the perfect afternoon treat in the middle of my work days.  This URBNmarket was a great chance to check out vendors that I haven't seen in person before like this one, and try out some delicious treats at the same time! 

 

Lunchtime Links for April 20th, 2021

• The Kitchn: Sweet and spicy steak bites. 
• Cookies and Cups: Popeye's chicken sandwich.
• I Heart Naptime: Snickerdoodle cake mix cookies.
• Food52: 6 macaron recipes.
• The Cozy Apron: Banana nut muffins.

Canopy by Hilton - Pike & Rose

Last Friday evening, a group of us were invited to the Canopy by Hilton hotel in Pike & Rose for an event that included a tour of the hotel and a chance to try out some of their food and drink selections that they offer.  I like that the hotel's focused on both the hotel guests and the local residents, and fits in really well with the rest of the neighborhood.  

We started with some mulled cider in the lobby area, which is actually on the third floor.  The street entrance opens up to a large, open staircase as well as elevators to the lobby.  The lobby flows right into the common area, which includes a bar and dining room alongside a lot of open seating.  I love this huge chandelier that is made up of copies of National Geographic magazine! 

 

We then were taken around for a tour of the hotel, including one of the one bedroom suites.  Light wood and grey is the majority of my condo interior, so naturally I really like the hotel rooms in here, haha.  The bathroom in the suite is very spacious with space for everything - I wish my bathroom looked like this!  I also love the socks that come in every room on the nightstands.  Because the rooms are concrete with rugs place around the rooms, it's a nice cozy touch for the guests!  There are also glass bottles and drinking glasses in every room, which can be filled with the filtered water dispensers found by the elevators on every floor.  I really like the little touches like this - I like having water when I stay in hotels but don't want to pay for overpriced water bottles every time. 

 

 

After the tour we were treated to dinner to get a taste of the food and drinks that the hotel offers - I loved the semi-private space we ate in, with plenty of seating and lots of windows to look down at the holiday lights on the streets below.  I'm a sucker for tiny cute foods, and they had a wide variety of little dishes for us to try in addition to the main menu items - which were beef tenderloin, garlic roasted potatoes, and butternut squash.  I especially liked the salmon Rillettes in the tiny dishes and the mini fish tacos.  Plenty of cocktails and macarons rounded out the meal - the macarons served as both dessert and decor along with the sparkly holiday decorations in the room.  

 

 

I'm very happy I got a chance to check out what the hotel offers, especially as someone that lives nearby.  It wouldn't have really crossed my mind to come here that often, since I live close and wouldn't be staying over.  It's a great space for drinks or dinner if you're in the area, and a perfect fit for the Pike & Rose neighborhood!


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


Note: I was invited to the Canopy Hilton for the event but was not paid for this post.

Lunchtime Links for March 30th, 2018

• The Kitchn: One-pan meals.
• Kirbie's Cravings: General Tso's chicken sliders. 
• Style Sweet CA: Pastel and gold macarons.
• Damn Delicious: Bacon breakfast pizza.
• How Sweet Eats: Rose hibiscus mimosas.

2017 Christmas Tree (with Andy Cohen)

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

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

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

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

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

Macaron Kitchen Towels

Yesterday was the first day of Spring, and also Macaron day!  

This cute kitchen towel set that I recently got at TJ Maxx was a great item for me to celebrate both, with the pretty spring-like colors.  I actually didn't find this in the regular kitchen towel section, but off on its own in another section.  It's always good to make sure you thoroughly check the store if you're browsing because you never know what you might find! 

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Items

It's well into Pumpkin season at Trader Joe's, and it's so fun seeing all of the special seasonal items in the store!  After two recent visits, I've noticed a LOT of pumpkin items, and there's bound to be something for everyone.   These photos are just from my first visit in September, and as of this past week there's about 238947384 more items that I noticed in my store, haha.  I'm particularly fond of the pumpkin pancake, bread, and bar mixes - they're great to have around for when you feel like making something warm and delicious.

Of course I had to pick up a box of pumpkin macarons, which I always have enjoyed in the past.  I noticed that the box is a thin rectangle this season, whereas they've been more of a wide rectangle in the past.  I also thought they looked a little smaller than previous macarons, but of course they're still delicious!  

Lunchtime Links for June 1st, 2015

• Picky Palate: White chocolate peanut butter shortbread Magic bars.
• Creme de la Crumb: Cheesy garlic Parmesan spinach orzo.
• Sugar and Cloth: Mini macaron cheeseburger and fries.
• Cookies & Cups: Marshmallow fluff krispie treats.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pizza muffins.

Lunchtime Links for April 28th, 2015

• Dessert for Two: Fudge-bottomed chocolate cake.
• The Kitchn: Banana pancakes.
• Sugar & Cloth: DIY flamingo macarons.
• The First Year Blog: Octopus cupcakes.
• Table for Two: Easy chocolate cake.

Lunchtime Links for April 21st, 2015

• Weelicious: Hummus veggie wraps.
• Crazy for Crust: Reese's Pieces Cookies.
• Gimme Some Oven: 5 ingredient tropical smoothie.
• Handle the Heat: Chocolate chip graham cracker cookies.
• Sugar and Cloth: Beach macarons.

Lunchtime Links for April 17th, 2015

• The Kitchn: Strawberry shortcake macarons.
• Oh, Sweet Basil: Malted dark chocolate chip fudge blondies.
• RocketNews24: Mochi hot cakes.
• Serious Eats: Madeleines.
• Kirbie's Cravings: French toast pull-apart muffins.

Lunchtime Links for April 6th, 2015

• Kirbie's Cravings: Mimosa ice pops.
• Dessert for Two: Lobster Risotto.
• Crazy for Crust: No-bake double peanut butter bars.
• Gimme Some Oven: Scalloped potatoes.
• Sugar and Cloth: Ice cream cone macarons.

Lunchtime Links for March 23rd, 2015

• Oh, Sweet Basil: Cadbury Mini Egg cupcakes.
• Handle the Heat: Cheesy garlic herb crack bread.
• Bakerella: Bunny cookie pops.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Favorite cookie recipes.
• Sugar & Cloth: Macaron ice cream.

Macaron Bee Macarons

I've been to Georgetown countless times, but I had never ventured over to Macaron Bee until within this past year - what a cute little shop! It's tiny but packs tons of pretty little macarons to choose from.  

From left to right, we have Vanilla Bean, Matcha, and Fleur del sel Caramel - yum! I love green tea sweets though, so the Matcha was a close winner in my book - I especially loved the little sprinkle of matcha powder on top, so pretty.  I hope to go back in the fall/winter and see what their seasonal flavors are during that time of the year :o)

Macaron Bee

1669 Wisconsin Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20007

Lunchtime Links for July 16th, 2014

• Crazy for Crust: Peanut butter cup brownies with Oreo crust.
• Damn Delicious: Easy homemade pesto.
• Serious Eats: French bakeries in NYC. 
• Handle the Heat: Mini chocolate chip sandwich cookies. 
• Cookies & Cups: Birthday cake milkshake. 

Seattle Visit - Afternoon Tea

While I was in Seattle back in May, I took my mom out for afternoon tea at the Fairmont Olympic hotel in downtown Seattle.  I was a little worried that it would totally empty (I'm not sure how many people actually go to afternoon tea these days), but there turned out to be a number of other guests also enjoying the tea as well, including a big bridal shower group.   

The service was attentive but not overbearing, and the selection of foods we were served were a nice mix of savory and sweet.  I especially liked the cute passion fruit macaron lollipops and the open-faced smoked salmon sandwiches.  I tried the 1907 blend which was made for a Fairmont hotel anniversary, which was bolder than my mom's Darjeeling (she tends to like lighter flavored teas), and I enjoyed it a lot. 

A nice surprise at the end of our tea was this plate of fresh chocolate-dipped strawberries with a candle and mother's day message!  It was a great way to celebrate Mother's day one day early with my mom and cap off a tasty afternoon tea. 

The Fairmont Olympic 

411 University Street 
Seattle,WA 98101 

Lunchtime Links for June 17th, 2014

• Raspberri Cupcakes: Waffle macarons with maple bacon buttercream. 
• BGSK: Rainbow chip sheet cake. 
• The Comfort of Cooking: Creamy spinach-bacon macaroni and cheese. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Nutella stuffed waffles. 
• Picky Palate: Double chocolate M&M cookies.