Lunchtime Links for October 31st, 2012

• Picky Palate: Quick and simple beef recipes. 
• I Heart Naptime: Pumpkin cinnamon chip cookies.  
• The Budget Babe: LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl's holiday lookbook. 
• How Sweet It Is: Coffee and doughnuts milkshake.  
• Table for Two: Chicken Tikka Masala.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone!  I hope everyone has a great day filled with candy/sweets (this cute cookie is courtesy of Panera :o))

Hurricane Sandy - Blog Break

Fingers crossed that Hurricane Sandy doesn't cause too much damage to the area - for those of you that are also on the East coast, please be safe and stay dry!

Lunchtime Links for October 26th, 2012

• Lauren Conrad: S'mores cheesecake. 
• Table For Two: Pumpkin spice cinnamon sugar donuts.  
• The Pioneer Woman: Itty bitty Nutella cakes.  
• Kirbie's Cravings: Nutella-filled pumpkin bread rolls. 
• A Kitchen Addiction: Cinnamon French toast latte. 

Shake Shack Nationals Stadium - National Pastime Concrete

Mmmmmmmm... Shake Shack!  This lovely concrete is only available at the Shake Shack inside the Nationals stadium, so of course I had to try it out!

This concrete consists of vanilla custard blended with chocolate toffee, chocolate sprinkles, and malt.  I really liked the chopped chocolate toffee because it added a much needed crunch to the custard.

$6.75 might seem a little steep for ice cream, but a) it's in a ballpark b) this thing is HUGE. I got about halfway through before feeling like I was going to die, haha.  If you're in the mood for a sweet treat at Nationals stadium, I would definitely recommend giving this concrete a try!

Lunchtime Links for October 25th, 2012

• Serious Eats: 20 sweet pumpkin recipes. 
• Eat Yourself Skinny: Pumpkin mousse shooters.  
• A Kitchen Addiction: Salted caramel pumpkin bars. 
• Picky Palate: Reeses peanut butter recipes.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin spice latte mug cake.

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Macarons

Oh, Trader Joe's, you have done it again! Now, I'm not sure if these pumpkin macarons are totally new, but I'm pretty sure they are because I've never really heard much about them in the past.  I have tried their vanilla and chocolate macarons  before which are great, so of course I was excited to try the pumpkin version!

I'm pretty sure that these are meant to be defrosted before consumption, but I actually really like these frozen as well, haha.  I find these to have a really strong true pumpkin flavor, more so than a pumpkin pie/spice-forward flavor, which I like.  Now, texture-wise, these will not really replace a macaron from a bakery, but I still think they taste pretty great. They're a great little seasonal treat to have around for a snack or a small dessert.  Thank you Trader Joe's for yet another great pumpkin item!

Lunchtime Links for October 24th, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin cheesecake chocolate cups. 
• Table for Two: Chocolate donuts with salted caramel icing.
• Eat, Live, Run: English muffin bread. 
• Big Girls Small Kitchen: Pork ramen soup. 
• How Sweet Eats: No-bake sweet potato pie cheesecake.

CVS - Hallmark Card Deal

There's a great deal on Hallmark cards this week at CVS if you use your ExtraCare card!

When you purchase three Hallmark cards (excluding boxed cards) and scan your ExtraCare card at the register, you get $3.00 in ExtraBucks back for a future purchase.

I tried this out with three $0.99 Hallmark cards and I got the $3.00 ExtraBucks on my receipt, which is basically like getting all of my money back.

This is a great deal for any Halloween cards you want to send out, or just to say hello :o)

Lunchtime Links for October 23rd, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin ale bread. 
• The Budget Babe: Kitsch hair ties. 
• Serious Eats: Pumpkin cheesecake bars.  
• Hungry Rabbit: Crunchy peanut butter banana pudding.
• My Baking Addiction: Apple cider doughnuts.

Scoutmob DC - Kushi Brunch

A few weeks ago N and I met up at Kushi for their Scoutmob brunch.  I have been to Kushi before for dinner, but I was excited to check out their relatively new brunch menu.  While Kushi offers their own brunch, earlier this year they offered a special brunch through Scoutmob DC, which I was pretty excited about.  With all the food we got, this was a great deal!  

Yuzu orange mimosa

We also started the set brunch with an order of edamame (not pictured).

Sushi brunch plate (I chose the salmon avocado roll out of a bunch of roll options), hiya-yakko (cold tofu), pickles

Dessert to share - Black sesame gelato

Overall this was a great brunch with lots of tasty food that I LOVE (especially sushi, no surprises there).  The black sesame gelato was surprisingly very creamy and N noted that it tasted similar to peanut butter, which I agreed with.  I'm really glad I got to try Kushi's brunch thanks to the Scoutmob deal, and I would love to come back again! 

Lunchtime Links for October 22nd, 2012

• Two Peas and Their Pod: Pumpkin toffee cookies with salted caramel glaze. 
• Bakerella: Ghost cake pops.  
• The Kitchn: Minty fresh kitchens. 
• I Heart Naptime: Lasagna soup. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin recipes.

Georgetown Cupcake - Free Strawberry Lava Fudge Cupcake

Here we have the REAL Strawberry Lava Fudge cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake!

You may be wondering why I say it's the REAL one - well, back when I got the free Strawberry Lava Fudge cupcake before, it turned out to be a Strawberry cupcake with fudge on top.  It was still delicious, don't get me wrong, but I'm happy to add the correct version of this cupcake to my blog :o)

Check out that gooey fudge core! As you may have figured out by now, this is a Lava Fudge  cupcake with strawberry frosting instead of the usual vanilla frosting.  I LOVE Georgetown Cupcake's strawberry frosting so this was a delicious variation of a great cupcake!

Lunchtime Links for October 19th, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin doughnuts. 
• Eat, Live, Run: Biscoff chocolate chip cookies.  
• Buzzfeed: Starbucks pumpkin spice latte ice cream. 
• How Sweet It Is: Slow cooker chicken and dumplings. 
• Serious Eats: Thomas' pumpkin English muffin and bagels review. 

Georgetown Cupcake - Free Shark Week Lemon Blueberry Cupcake

Shark Week has already come and gone, but I still wanted to share this fun celebratory cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake!

This is a lemon cake studded with fresh blueberries, topped with a fun "ocean" frosting and Shark Week fondant topping.  I really like how they used a swirled frosting technique to add more of a water feel to the cupcake.  Otherwise, I'm not quite sure what lemons or blueberries have to do with Sharks, but it's a cute idea nonetheless :o)

Lunchtime Links for October 18th, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin Nutella swirl cookies. 
• A Kitchen Addiction: Snickers white chip cookies. 
• Serious Eats: 35 pumpkin recipes.  
• The Budget Babe: Goody QuikStyle brush review.  
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Pumpkin cinnamon streusel coffee cake. 

Sugo Cicchetti

I've been to Sugo Cicchetti in Rockville, MD a few times now, thanks to the proximity to my work, and I can say that their food is absolutely DELICIOUS. I am already a fan of Cava and I figured an Italian version of a similar concept has to be good - luckily, I was right!

Here are the dishes that I've tried there so far for lunch - if you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend trying this place out, it is such a gem of a restaurant in the midst of suburban chains, haha.  The menu consists of tapas-sized housemade pastas, hearty sandwiches, delicious pizzas to share, and lots more to either share or eat on your own.  I hear that they have a pretty interesting brunch menu too, and I hope to check it out soon!

 

Porchetta Sandwich - Crispy Pork, Broccoli Rabe, Provolone, Grilled Bread

Spaghetti - Handmade Pasta, Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, Olive Oil

Bolognese - Candele Pasta, Veal Ragout

Mac n' Cheese - Handmade Pasta, Parmesan, Black Pepper

Uovo Pizza - Fennel Pork Sausage, Farm Egg, Mozzarella

Lunchtime Links for October 17th, 2012

• Table for Two: Pumpkin Spice Latte cupcakes.
• The Kitchn: Bake muffins and cupcakes in condiment cups. 
• Cupcakes and Cashmere: Red velvet swirl brownies.
• Serious Eats: Pumpkin Spice Latte comparison.
• The Pioneer Woman: Nutella Krispie treats.

Starbucks Pumpkin VIA

Pumpkin Spice VIA, where have you been all my life??

Seriously though, these instant coffee packets from Starbucks are super delicious.  They recommend mixing this with hot milk (instead of water), and I definitely agree with this suggestion.  It isn't quite the same as a Pumpkin Spice Latte from the cafe, but it's still a creamy, pumpkin-y, and delicious option at home.

Luckily, I found a bunch of these at the second Starbucks that I checked by me, but I have seen/heard of places being sold out, so if you are interested and see any where you are, I recommend picking it up right away!

Lunchtime Links for October 16th, 2012

• Table for Two: Pumpkin spice chocolate chunk muffins.
• I Heart Naptime: Cheesy pesto bread.
• Every Craving: Pumpkin crumb muffins with cream cheese glaze.
• Serious Eats: Peanut butter and banana pie.
• My Baking Addiction: Pumpkin spice cupcakes.

Georgetown Cupcake - Sweet Celebrations Book Signing, 10.14.2012

Last winter, the owners of Georgetown Cupcake came out with their first cookbook/memoir, The Cupcake Diaries, which is filled with lots of their popular cupcake recipes and stories about how Georgetown Cupcake built up to such a great success.  With their second book, Sweet Celebrations, there are lots of special occasion recipes, as well as more stories about the sisters' celebrations growing up.  The book has different recipes for events like birthdays, weddings, holidays, dinner parties, and much more, including behind-the-scenes stories from their DC Cupcakes show.

Luckily, I was in town for the book signing stop in Bethesda, so of course I had to go!  S and I met up and saw Katherine and Sophie do a Q&A with the audience (lots of little kids asked questions, as expected in this area, haha), followed by a book signing segment.

The best part of the book signing was finding out that the sisters knew who I was!  Well, to clarify, they knew who I was once I told them about this blog and how I tweet about their cupcakes all the time, haha.  It was still really fun to know that they have seen my blog posts about their cupcakes before!  So, Georgetown Cupcake, if you are reading this now, please keep coming up with new flavors for me to review :o)

Lunchtime Links for October 15th, 2012

• Eat Yourself Skinny: Pumpkin ravioli.
• Table for Two: Salted caramel chocolate cupcakes. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin milkshake.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Cider glazed caramel apple doughnuts.
• Smitten Kitchen: Pumpkin cinnamon roll.

Free Starbucks Verismo Latte Today

Starbucks has come out with a new in-home brewing system called Verismo, and they are celebrating with free lattes!

Per the Starbucks e-newsletter:

"Be among the first to get a sneak peek at our revolutionary new Verismo™ System – and experience how to enjoy Starbucks® lattes, espresso and brewed coffee at home, all from one machine. Not only will you meet the machine, you'll get to enjoy the result – a sweet, creamy, rich Starbucks® Caffè Latte made especially for you.

This special event is on Monday, Oct. 15, 4-6 p.m. at select Starbucks stores.
Find a store hosting the event near you. We'll see you there!"

Lunchtime Links for October 12th, 2012

• Gallery Girls: Recap from TVGasm. 
• Eat, Live, Run: Chipotle mashed sweet potatoes.  
• Picky Palate: No-bake stuffed cookie dough bites. 
• How Sweet It Is: Easy butternut skillet shells. 
• Serious Eats: Apple cider doughnut cake. 

Georgetown Cupcake - Coconut Cupcake

Well, it had to happen sometime...

Here is the Coconut cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake, sighhhhh. This is a "classic coconut cupcake with a vanilla cream cheese frosting capped with a cloud of shredded coconut".

I mean, I'm sure lots of people love coconut baked goods, right?  Let's just say, I'm not one of those people, haha. However, I can see why anyone that does love coconut would like this. It's a pillowy cloud of frosting and soft coconut shards on top of a tasty cake base.

Well, at least I finally checked this one off my list, haha!

PA-bound

I'm off to the exotic lands of Pennsylvania for work - have a great mid-week, everyone!

Lunchtime Links for October 9th, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: After school special ice cream. 
• Serious Eats: Chef Adam Sobel's favorite burgers in DC. 
• The Beauty Department: DIY nail polish storage.  
• The Pioneer Woman: Pepperoni pizza burger. 
• A Kitchen Addiction: Jalapeno cheddar biscuits. 

Free Georgetown Cupcake - All Day Today

Some happy news for today, courtesy of Georgetown Cupcake's Facebook page:

 

Today's Secret Flavor is YOUR CHOICE! 1 FREE cupcake per person - any flavor - ALL DAY today! We're celebrating the release of Georgetown Cupcake's NEW cookbook 'Sweet Celebrations' & an ALL NEW episode of DC CUPCAKES tonight @ 8PM ET on TLC! Don't miss it!!

 

Photo courtesy of Georgetown Cupcake's Facebook page.

Lunchtime Links for October 8th, 2012

• Eat Yourself Skinny: Tomato basil soup.
• Kirbie's Cravings: BLT guacamole. 
• How Sweet It Is: BBQ chicken dip.
• I Heart Naptime: Pumpkin bars. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chocolate icebox cupcakes.

Seattle Weekend!

Hi everyone! I'm off to Seattle for a long weekend to celebrate my nephew's first birthday!  In addition to celebrating, I plan on cramming as much seafood as I possibly can in the course of a few days, haha.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Lunchtime Links for October 3rd, 2012

• Thought Catalog: How to shop at Target. 
• La Fuji Mama: Milk shokupan.
• How Sweet Eats: Healthy harvest chicken soup. 
• Gallery Girls: Recap from TVGasm.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Brown butter apple yogurt snack cake. 

Tout de Sweet Shop - Salted Caramel Macaron

This may be the only time to date that I didn't buy a vanilla macaron from Tout de Sweet shop, haha.  On the left we have a new (to me) flavor, Salted Caramel, and on the right is their Red Velvet macaron.

The Salted Caramel macaron didn't taste particularly "salted" to me, but that could be because I usually eat these in 2 bites and they're gone, haha.  It did have a nice caramel smell and flavor that wasn't too overly sweet.  I'd recommend this for anyone that is a fan of caramel sweets.  I like that they offer a variety of flavors every time I'm there, and these little macarons are the right amount for a sweet treat! 

Lunchtime Links for October 2nd, 2012

• Closet Cooking: 25 fall recipes. 
• Thought Catalog: 20 embarrassing moments we never want to happen.
• Cookies & Cups: Chocolate chip banana cupcakes.  
• Serious Eats: Grilled cheese sandwiches in NYC. 
• The Kitchn: Smoothie tips and recipes.

Shake Shack - October Custard Calendar

Mmmm, the October custard flavors at Shake Shack are looking pretty fantastic, let's be honest.  There are definitely a few that I will be going out to try this month!

Monday: Red Wine Poached Pear
Tuesday: Maple Bacon Banan-za
Wednesday: Shackenstein
Thursday: Salty Chocolate Peanut Butter
Friday: Caramel Apple
Saturday: Peanut Butter Marshmallow Swirl
Sunday: Pumpkin Pie

HELLO FALL!

Lunchtime Links for October 1st, 2012

• Eat, Live, Run: Classic roast chicken with lemon and herbs. 
• Cookies & Cups: Mud Hen bars. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Brown butter pumpkin cupcakes with salted caramel frosting. 
• Picky Palate: Chocolate banana and peanut butter milk. 
• The Cozy Apron: Apple cider hushpuppies.

Football Oreos

Is there seriously a better way to celebrate football season?????  Yes, chips, salsa, and kettle chips are probably up there too, but c'mon - FOOTBALL OREOS!!!!!!!!

As soon as I saw the Serious Eats Oreo roundup, I knew that I had to find the football ones.  I figured they'd be around somewhere this time of year, and luckily I found these at my regular supermarket without much work (MUCH easier than the Birthday Cake Oreos).

Ok, so these are exactly the same as the regular Oreos, they are just shaped differently.  The cookie, the filling, everything except the structure is exactly the same.  That being said... a minor detail like that isn't going to stop me from enjoying these throughout the football season!