Shake Shack - Candy Cane Custard

I'm the first to admit that this Candy Cane custard from Shake Shack wasn't exactly at the top of my To Eat list back in December.  I don't like mint-flavored sweets (aside from Andes mints, which is totally a weird singular exception), so I wasn't even planning on trying this one.  However, I found myself at Shake Shack on a day that this custard flavor was offered, so I figured I might as well try it out.

Well - it was pretty much what I expected, is the best thing I can say about it - haha.  It's a pretty pink color due to the addition of candy cane pieces with the vanilla custard, and tastes exactly like if you had a candy cane in one hand and a vanilla ice cream cone in the other.  I am glad that I tried it, especially since it's a holiday-specific flavor; and anyone that actually LIKES candy canes will certainly love this custard.

Trader Joe's - Mini Gingerbread Men

Aside from the obvious reason, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy aren't these Mini Gingerbread Men sold year-round????????

I picked these up at Trader Joe's as a last-minute cart addition, and I am so, so, so, glad I did.  The little gingerbread cookies have just the right amount of spice, and the white fudge frosting adds some extra sweetness.  These are a delicious holiday treat!

...On second thought, maybe it's best that these aren't available year-round, because I'd probably buy them way too often, haha. 

Georgetown Cupcake - Snowball Cupcake

Back in December I bought this Snowball cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake during the holidays so that it could be "officially" recorded on here, haha.  When they first started offering the Snowball cupcake a few years ago, it was a coconut cupcake with a vanilla frosting core.  The current official description is "Georgetown Cupcake's holiday inspired coconut cupcake topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting and coconut flakes".

So, this Snowball cupcake above is the same as the regular Coconut cupcake, unfortunately.  Even though I don't like coconut, I do wish that they could go back to adding a little something extra to the holiday version, just to make it more special.  If you are a fan of the Coconut cupcake though, this one is offered every day in December (as opposed to specific days the rest of the year) which is a nice bonus.      

Dunkin' Donuts Christmas Ornament

Can you see that there's a theme to my Christmas ornaments? 

This cute little pink doughnut is courtesy of Dunkin' Donuts, woo hoo!  It's cute, pink, and covered in sprinkles, so you know I love it haha.  This is a perfect compliment to my Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee ornament that I got in 2011.  I hope that they have another fun ornament option this year as well :o) 

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013 everyone!  Here's to another year of good food and fun times!

If you're looking for something else to do with the bottle of bubbly besides drinking it, here's a great recipe from Georgetown Cupcake for Strawberry Champagne Sparkler Cupcakes - so cute and delicious!

On a less fun note, I guess I don't have much more time to come up with resolutions for this year, huh?  If anyone has any good resolutions, please share!

Georgetown Cupcake - Butterscotch Pudding Cupcake

Merry Christmas everyone!  I thought it would be appropriate to post a holiday flavor from Georgetown Cupcake!  This Butterscotch Pudding cupcake is a new one in the holiday lineup, which makes it extra fun, haha.  It is a "Butterscotch cupcake filled with butterscotch pudding and topped with a butterscotch-infused buttercream frosting, a butterscotch star, and a fondant holly leaf".  

So... I know I say this about a lot of the cupcake flavors - but this one was AWESOME.  The butterscotch pudding inside the cupcake tasted more like a vanilla custard to me, which I LOVE. It might sound like a complete overload of butterscotch flavor, but I really thought the flavors were balanced well and really delicious.  I hope they keep this one in future the future holiday lineup! 

This will be my last post for 2012 - here's to lots more fun and great food in 2013, everyone! 

Starbucks 2012 Ornament

Every year I look forward to different stores offering limited edition Christmas ornaments, particularly Starbucks.  I have a few of these cute coffee cup ornaments, and it's fun to have something that I collect every holiday season.

This year, Starbucks offered two different cup designs. One was a gold-painted cup, and the other was this winking snowman. I went with the snowman, mainly because my other Starbucks ornaments are the "red cup" theme as well.  It is a cute little stocking stuffer or gift for anyone that is a fan of Starbucks!

Georgetown Cupcake - English Christmas Cupcake

In addition to the usual holiday offerings at Georgetown Cupcake, they introduced two new flavors this season- one of them being English Christmas.  This cupcake is "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".

As you can see from the cross-section of the cupcake, there are lots of cranberries (and orange zest, if you look closely) throughout.  Although I can't say that this is a favorite of mine given my general dislike of fruit desserts, I actually liked the cranberries which added some tartness to the cake.  Fortunately, this tastes nothing like a dreaded fruitcake, haha.  It's a very pretty addition to the holiday lineup!

Shake Shack - Gingerbread Custard + Ornament

Mmm... yet another delicious trip to Shake Shack!  Here we have the Gingerbread custard, which is available on Saturdays in December.  It has a strong, spicy flavor that definitely tastes like a real gingerbread cookie.  Anyone that is a fan of gingerbread cookies will love this one! 

In addition to the tasty dinner, I also came in for another reason - to get this year's Shake Shack ornament!  This little beauty is free with a $25 gift card purchase during the holiday season.  Since I would very easily spend $25 at Shake Shack, this was an easy decision for me haha.  It's a cute scene of the original Madison Square Park Shake Shack with the Manhattan skyline in the background.  I'm excited to have this ornament for future tree decorating :o)

Georgetown Cupcake - Hanukkah Blue Velvet Cupcake

I always love how Georgetown Cupcake has different cupcake flavors for each of the holidays year after year.  This year for Hanukkah, Georgetown Cupcake offered a Hanukkah Blue Velvet cupcake.  It is a blue velvet cake topped with their signature cream cheese frosting and a fondant Star of David.  Despite the deep blue color, this is just like their regular red velvet cupcake, which is delicious.  I got this one for a friend of mine during Hanukkah - it's a nice gift for any friends that celebrate Hanukkah and love sweets :o)

Lunchtime Links for December 18th, 2012

• Two Peas and Their Pod: Oreo white chocolate pudding cookies. 
• The Everygirl: Cupcakes for Breakfast feature. 
• Kevin & Amanda: Cheesy chicken, bacon, broccoli, and rice. 
• Catfish: Recap from TVGasm. 
• Picky Palate: Christmas cookie exchange ideas. 

Lunchtime Links for December 17th, 2012

• Aida Mollenkamp: Hazelnut-chocolate linzer cookies. 
• How Sweet It Is: Thai chicken quesadillas.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Healthier red velvet cookies.  
• Table for Two: Molasses ginger cookies. 
• Cookies & Cups: Gingerbread cupcakes with white chocolate pudding frosting. 

Lunchtime Links for December 14th, 2012

• Cookies & Cups: Chewy brown sugar cookies with brown sugar frosting.
• Thought Catalog: 9 couples of "Love Actually" ranking.
• I Heart Naptime: Cheesy potatoes. 
• The Kitchn: Cookies made with tea. 
• Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm. 

Lunchtime Links for December 13th, 2012

• How Sweet It Is: No-bake chocolate covered strawberry cheesecakes. 
• Serious Eats: Chicken bolognese. 
• BGSK: Brown butter broccoli spaghetti. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Ginger icebox cupcakes. 
• Steamy Kitchen: Pork and spinach wonton.

CVS Deals - Week of 12/9

This week's CVS circular has a lot of holiday candy and cold medicine deals, which makes sense since both of those are prevalent this time of year, haha.  So, if you are sick and/or craving holiday candy, head on over to CVS this week for some great deals!

- Four M&M holiday bags: 4/$10 on sale, two $1/2 manufacturer's coupons, $3 Extra Bucks back.  This includes the cute mini holiday baking M&Ms, which are great for holiday cookies and other treats.

- Buy 2 Advil, Robitussin, or Dimetapp medicines, get $3 Extra Bucks:

• 50-count Advil tablets: $4.99 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon;
• 10-count Advil congestion relief: $4.99 on sale, $1 manufacturer's coupon.

Happy shopping everyone!

Lunchtime Links for December 7th, 2012

• The Kitchn: 15 recipes for holiday potlucks. 
• Table for Two: Arugula pesto bowtie pasta with goat cheese. 
• Cookies & Cups: Hot chocolate frosting.
• The Pioneer Woman: Bowtie chicken Alfredo.
• How Sweet It Is: Cheddar tailgating bread. 

Lunchtime Links for December 6th, 2012

• The Kitchn: Autumn apple cider sangria. 
• How Sweet It Is: Chicken pot pie soup.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Nutella swirl butter cake. 
• Serious Eats: Roasted pumpkin soup with brown butter and thyme.
• Cookies and Cups: Red velvet Santa hat brownies. 

Shake Shack - December Custard Flavors

Woohoo, it's time for another month of new custard flavors at Shake Shack!

Monday: Eggnog
Tuesday: Honey Ricotta Chestnut
Wednesday: Uncle Danny's Chocolate Bourbon Pie
Thursday: Sweet Potato Marshmallow
Friday: Jelly Donut
Saturday: Gingerbread
Sunday: Candy Cane Crunch

As expected, the majority of the custard flavors are holiday-themed.  I have my eye on Tuesday and Thursday especially, but they all sound v. interesting!

Lunchtime Links for December 3rd, 2012

• Serious Eats: Crispy waffles with salted caramel coulis. 
• BGSK: Creamy squash rigatoni.
• I Heart Naptime: Christmas M&M cookie bars.
• The Pioneer Woman: Baked ziti.
• The Kitchn: 10 curry recipes. 

Starbucks Buy One Get One Event

It's back!  The Starbucks holiday season Buy One Get One drink event starts today and goes through Sunday the 18th, from 2-5pm each day.

This is a great chance to catch up with a friend before the crazy rush of the holidays, or to try out one of the holiday specialty drinks for cheaper (Caramel Brulee Latte, Peppermint Mocha, Gingerbread Latte). I tried the Caramel Brulee recently and it's a very decadent but delicious drink!