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! 

Lunchtime Links for December 24th, 2012

• Table for Two: Caramel stuffed chocolate chunk cookies. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: 5 minute Nutella pudding. 
• BGSK: The best way to pack homemade goodies. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies. 
• Serious Eats: Food52's sweet potato and pancetta gratin. 

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!

Lunchtime Links for December 21st, 2012

• Cookies & Cups: Brownie pudding. 
• Buzzfeed: 25 funny Auto-correct texts. 
• Serious Eats: Chocolate mousse cake. 
• A Kitchen Addiction: Quick and easy vanilla fudge. 
• Cupcakes for Breakfast: Cinnamon roll cupcakes. 

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!

Lunchtime Links for December 20th, 2012

• Two Peas and Their Pod: Mini hot cocoa cookies. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Ad Hoc fried chicken. 
• Cookies & Cups: Crock pot candy. 
• How Sweet It Is: Salted dark chocolate truffle cookies. 
• Gossip Girl: 26 memorable style moments. 

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)

Lunchtime Links for December 19th, 2012

• Eat, Live, Run: Sweet potato grits. 
• Shake Shack: Dark chocolate bar.
• The Budget Babe: Leopard sweater and black flats. 
• A Kitchen Addiction: Peanut butter swirled s'mores bark. 
• How Sweet It Is: 30-minute buffalo chicken French breads. 

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. 

Shake Shack - Halloweenie Dog + Peanut Butter Marshmallow Swirl Custard

I think this may have been the first time I did NOT get a Shackburger at Shake Shack, haha.  Well, if I'm going to stray from my usual, it might as well be for a special menu item!  

This is the Halloweenie Dog that I tried back in late October.  It's a "Vienna all-beef hot dog split and griddled crisp, topped with pumpkin mustard, crumbled bacon, cranberries and sage".  At first I was a bit skeptical of the mustard since I don't usually like it, but I found it to be a welcome addition to the other toppings.  I loved the combination of bacon and cranberries - a nice mix of sweet, salty, and tartness to go with the hot dog.  

In addition to the Halloweenie Dog, I tried the Peanut Butter Marshmallow Swirl custard.  I knew this was going to be good before I even tried it, haha.  This was super delicious, with a really strong peanut butter flavor.  There wasn't much marshmallow that I could really detect, but it was likely mixed in to the custard - either way, I'm glad I tried this tasty custard!  

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. 

Crate & Barrel - Gingerbread Man Collection

As soon as I saw the Gingerbread Man collection in Crate & Barrel, I KNEW I had to buy something.  Everything looked so cute!  There were platters, dessert plates, mugs, children's mugs, and a few other pieces in the collection.  Unfortunately, I have negative cabinet space in my kitchen as it is, so I knew I couldn't buy all of it... but two mugs wouldn't hurt, right?

These mugs are super cute and a perfect festive addition to my ever-expanding mug collection.  They are perfect for drinking hot chocolate out of all winter long :o)

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. 

Starbucks Holiday Cups

There's just something about the Starbucks holiday cups that screams HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to people.  When those red cups come out, it's as if the floodgates of garland, tinsel, presents, holiday music, and all around holiday spirit to the face, in so many words.

Below are just two of the several holiday designs this year - what I like to call the Faceless Caroler and Sassy Fox.  They aren't the best designs that Starbucks has offered, but there's just something about the bright red cups that always make my latte much more festive :o) 

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.

Seattle Eats - Fumie's Gold, Seabell Bakery, Red Mango

Of course a trip to Seattle wouldn't be complete with lots and lots of sweets as well, haha.

Here we have an assortment of delicious Japanese desserts from Fumie's Gold: Strawberry Shortcake, Matcha (green tea) Tiramisu, Sweet Potato Roll, and a Cream Puff. SO SO SO SO SO GOOD. I NEED this in DC.

I also checked out Seabell Bakery, which I had not been to before. It's a cute little shop with the standard Japanese sandwich bread, filled rolls, and sandwiches. Of course I had to try the Hello Kitty and Panda chocolate-filled breads, haha.

Finally, while this is not specific to Seattle, I tried out the pumpkin frozen yogurt at Red Mango - delicious!  I got it with sliced almonds and crushed graham crackers, which added a lot of texture and made it even more "pumpkin pie" ish. 

Seabell Bakery

12816 Factoria Blvd. SE

Bellevue, WA 98006

425.644.2616

Red Mango - Bellevue Square

1031 Bellevue Square

Bellevue, WA 98004

425.451.8073

Lunchtime Links for December 12th, 2012

• Cookies & Cups: Brown sugar toffee cheesecake bars. 
• How Sweet It Is: Roasted sweet potato risotto. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Brown butter snickerdoodles. 
• The Kitchn: Homemade marshmallow recipes. 
• Serious Eats: Triple decker peanut butter brownies. 

Seattle Eats - Din Tai Fung and Preservation Kitchen

Of course a visit to Seattle wouldn't be complete without some delicious food! While I was visiting my parents over Thanksgiving, I had great meals at both Din Tai Fung and Preservation Kitchen.  I'd highly recommend both restaurants for anyone visiting the Seattle area.

My mom and I tried out Din Tai Fung while we were out shopping in Bellevue Square - even at 2pm, the restaurant was packed!  The hosts will take your cell phone number and text you when your table is ready, which worked out well.  The food was great and the service was quick and friendly - I'm sure they get questions about their famous soup dumplings, and our server was happy to help out.

In addition to an order of sauteed spinach with garlic, we got:   

Pork and Crab Soup Dumplings

Vegetarian Shanghai Rice Cakes

The super cute soup dumpling mascot, greeting everyone at the front waiting area.

On another day, my parents and I tried out Preservation Kitchen's Dine Around Seattle menu, where participating restaurants offer $15 three-course lunches.  The restaurant is located outside of Seattle in what was originally home to the mayor of Bothell, WA.  This was a great deal, and the atmosphere of this small restaurant was wonderful as well!

Appetizer: Polenta Tots with Chipotle-Lime Aioli

Entree: Wild Boar Ragu- Pappardelle, Boar Shoulder Ragu, Parmesan Reggiano

Dessert: Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Din Tai Fung - Bellevue

700 Bellevue Way NE #280

Bellevue, WA 98004

Preservation Kitchen

17121 Bothell Way NE

Bothell, WA 98011

425.408.1306

Lunchtime Links for December 11th, 2012

• How Sweet It Is: Whole wheat coffee cake muffins.
• Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm. 
• A Kitchen Addiction: Lightened up sugar cookies. 
• Buzzfeed: Justin Timberlake's child pageant days. 
• I Heart Naptime: Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. 

Panera - Pumpkin Pie Bagel

We finally meet, Panera Pumpkin Pie bagel! It's not so much that this bagel was hard to find, but more that I wasn't really by one in the morning when I could try it out.  I had my mom pick this up for me as I was en route to Seattle to visit them, which worked out well :o)

First off - if you're a fan of coffee or crumb cake, you will love the top of this bagel.  It's got the same crumbly sweet topping sprinkled liberally on top.  The rest of the bagel smelled like any other pumpkin baked good.  This really didn't resemble so much a bagel as a round, dense, pumpkin crumb pastry haha.  Which isn't to say it's bad, it's just incredibly sweet - but clearly, that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.  I'm glad I tried out this seasonal treat!

Lunchtime Links for December 10th, 2012

• How Sweet It Is: Peanut butter cream filled donuts. 
• My Baking Addiction: Pumpkin molasses sandwich cookies. 
• Table for Two: Pumpkin bread two ways. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Cookies and cream cookies. 
• Bakerella: Peppermint candy sugar cookies. 

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. 

Georgetown Cupcake - PB Fudge Cupcake

I've definitely had the PB Fudge cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake before, but once I realized I had never written about it, of course I "had" to get it again.

This cupcake is a "Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a fudge core topped with a peanut butter frosting and 
fudge star drizzle".  Anyone that's a fan of Reese's or peanut butter and chocolate in general will LOVE this cupcake.  It's really rich and the gooey center adds extra decadent flavors to the cupcake.  The peanut butter frosting especially is really delicious, I could eat just the frosting on its own, haha.  You just can't go wrong with a good peanut butter and chocolate combination! 

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 - Heirloom Tomato Custard

Back on my birthday weekend, I met up with a group of friends at Shake Shack, so of course I had to try out the Heirloom Tomato custard which was available that day.  Yes, it sounds really weird and probably sort of gross.  However, curiosity clearly wins out for me in these cases, as it usually does.

The custard had sort of a yellow-orange hue which you may be able to tell in the photo above.  The custard smelled and tasted like, well, tomatoes - not ketchup, or pasta sauce, mind you, but straight-up tomatoes.  This might be one of the most bizarre Shake Shack custard flavors I've ever had, that's for sure.  Some of my friends found that dipping french fries into the custard actually made it pretty tasty, haha.  It reminded me of something I'd see at a molecular gastronomy-type restaurant, using tomato ice cream as a topping for some sort of salad or protein.  Needless to say I did not eat even close to the whole cup, but it was fun to try, haha. 

Lunchtime Links for December 5th, 2012

• Serious Eats: Epic Smokehouse in Arlington, VA. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Gingerbread Oreo blondies. 
• How Sweet It Is: Creamy tomato and chicken baked penne.
• Eat, Live, Run: Banana pudding sandwich cookies. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Bouchon's chocolate chip cookies. 

Watch What Happens Live on Bravo - Kristin Cavallari

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh


Ok, now that I've gotten that out of my system - I finally made it through on the phone for Bravo TV's Watch What Happens Live online aftershow!!! I had been on hold and was supposed to be on the tv broadcast - even though that didn't work out, I'm happy to have made it on at all :o)

It was awesome enough to be talking to Andy Cohen (you may recall our MOMENT from his book signing earlier this year), but to talk to Kristin Cavallari, who has and always will be one of my favorites from Laguna Beach/The Hills, yes, this was quite AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

Here's the online episode of WWHL, it's split into two segments and my call is in this one, starting at the 3:39 mark. 

I know I probably sounded like a dummy that wasn't ready for the call, hence my "..............................HELLO?", haha.  But I swear I was really trying to be coherent- it's a little hard to know what's going on since the audio that I was hearing over the phone was about 15 seconds ahead of what I was watching online.  

By the way, Kristin, Andy, and I are totally BFFs now, they just haven't realized it yet.  LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THEMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Lunchtime Links for December 4th, 2012

• Table for Two: Crockpot chicken tortilla soup.
• Kirbie's Cravings: 5-minute peanut butter cookie.
• La Fuji Mama: Pumpkin pudding.
• Serious Eats: Hello Kitty burger plush.
• The Kitchn: Easy chocolate fudge.

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. 

Georgetown Cupcake - Free Chocolate Sundae Cupcake

This Chocolate Sundae cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake was another "new" flavor that consists of a combination of two existing flavors.  Either way, it's still new to me!

This cupcake is essentially the Banana Split cupcake, but instead of banana cake, it was chocolate cake, like the bottom of a Lava Fudge cupcake.  Georgetown Cupcake's chocolate cake is really delicious, so no complaints here on the cake switch :o)

Florida Wedding Weekend

I'm off to the airport again- this time for a my good friend E's wedding in sunny Florida! I'm looking forward to celebrating such a wonderful couple and enjoying the nice weather. Have a great weekend everyone!

Lunchtime Links for November 29th, 2012

• A Kitchen Addiction: Chai spiced pumpkin cheesecake bars.
• Serious Eats: Sausage gravy.
• Tasty Kitchen: Pumpkin cornbread.
• Table for Two: Sweet potato and sage butter casserole.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Nutella swirl pumpkin bread.

Wanderlust by La Mer Collections at Target

I will admit, I'm not a huge fan of wearing watches, but I have a few in my rotation that I like to wear from time to time.  I've seen La Mer watches before, mostly in cute boutique stores, and loved the idea of having something that worked as a bracelet and a watch.  So, I was REALLY excited when I heard that there was a special Wanderlust by La Mer collection at Target, and couldn't wait to see them in person!

I got one in Beige - I figured this was a good neutral to have as a basic every day watch.  It's been really great - the straps are nice and soft, and I like that it wraps around like multiple bracelets. There are multiple strap holes so these should fit just about anyone's wrist.  Funny sidenote - I got stopped by a TSA agent on my way to Seattle, and while I thought she was telling me to take off my watch, she was really asking about it since she liked the way it looked, haha.

They have a number of different colors and styles available, including ones with chains and other extra pieces added to the regular watch strap.  They're all super cute and would be a fun gift for any friends, family, or yourself :o)

Lunchtime Links for November 28th, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: 5 minute pumpkin cookies. 
• Cookies & Cups: Nutella pastry cookies.
• Table For Two: Garlic mashed potatoes.
• The Kitchen Magpie: Giant Reese's PB cup skillet brownie.
• My Baking Addiction: Pumpkin mocha cupcakes.

Shake Shack - Pumpkin Pie Oh My! Concrete

Earlier in November, these magical words showed up on my Facebook feed:

"Autumn just got sweeter…our PUMPKIN PIE, OH MY! Concrete is back. From Nov. 12th – Dec. 2nd, cozy up to Fall with our vanilla frozen custard blended with a slice of pumpkin pie. Taste for yourself why this is our most popular concrete, ever!"

HECK YES!!

I recently was in the area meeting up with my Theta grandlittle who just moved to town, so it was the perfect opportunity to introduce her to the wonders of Shake Shack, and also force her to split a Pumpkin Pie, Oh My!.

This was sooooooooooooooooo good.  Yes, it's just pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream, but it's like jumping into a giant vat of it, in the best way possible. I am so glad I got to try it out since it's a seasonal item, and I loooooooove me some pumpkin items in case you didn't notice, haha.  And FYI, we split the small size and still couldn't finish it, so if anyone tries out the large size and lives to talk about it, let me know.

Lunchtime Links for November 27th, 2012

• A Kitchen Addiction: Quick and easy peanut butter fudge. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: 5-minute Nutella cookie. 
• Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm. 
• Eat, Live, Run: Sweet potato cinnamon rolls.
• My Baking Addiction: Pumpkin cheesecake. 

Wanted: Dunkin' Donuts Red Velvet Drizzle Donut

Oh man... anyone that knows me would know that Red Velvet + Cream Cheese + seasonal item = I WANT.

As soon as I saw this Red Velvet Drizzle Donut on the Dunkin' Donuts Facebook page, I knew that I had to put it on my radar.  I'm really hoping that the DD by work, or the DD by my house will have this available.  If anyone sees this at their local DD and tries it out, let me know what you think!

Lunchtime Links for November 26th, 2012

• Steamy Kitchen: Chicken salad with sesame miso dressing. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Favorite pumpkin bread. 
• Table for Two: Butternut squash soup. 
• Picky Palate: Giant salted pumpkin chocolate chunk cookies. 
• Bake at 350: Pumpkin cheesecake brownies. 

Starbucks - Holiday Drink Stamp Promotion

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

If you went to a Starbucks over the Thanksgiving holiday, you may already know about this, but in case you haven't:

From November 19th through January 2nd, Starbucks is offering a holiday beverage sticker card - collect a sticker each time you buy a holiday beverage, and get a grande drink of your choice once you get 5 stickers!  The eligible holiday drinks are: Caramel Brulee latte, Peppermint mocha, Eggnog latte, and Gingerbread latte.

This is a great deal if you're a big fan of the holiday drinks - why not enjoy a holiday drink and eventually earn a free one while you're at it?

I found the sticker card stacked in a pile next to the register, but if you don't see one right away be sure to ask for it!  My only wish is that they would include the Pumpkin Spice latte as a "holiday" drink as well, if that was the case I'd be well on my way to a free beverage, haha. 

Thanksgiving Week

Hi everyone!  I am currently in Seattle with my family for Thanksgiving week so the blog will be taking a holiday break as well. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and eat ALL THE PUMPKIN THINGS (hah)

Lunchtime Links for November 16th, 2012

• Eat, Live, Run: Chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes. 
• Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Recap from TVGasm. 
• How Sweet It Is: Pumpkin s'mores cupcakes. 
• Picky Palate: One bowl buttermilk pancakes. 
• Adventures in Cooking: Dark chocolate chip pumpkin cookies with cream cheese glaze. 

Lady Gaga's Meat Dress

Here it is folks - the real deal Lady Gaga Meat Dress from the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards!

The infamous dress is a part of an impressive collection of female artists' clothing, personal items, and historical memorabilia as part of the "Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power" exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.  In addition to a few pieces from Lady Gaga (including her childhood piano), there are lots of stage outfits and other pieces from artists ranging from Billie Holiday to Taylor Swift.  It's a great exhibit and a fun opportunity to see these pieces up close and in person!

And for anyone that is still wondering - yes, real meat was used to make this dress. And yes, it has been preserved for display purposes, haha.

Lunchtime Links for November 15th, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: Cinnamon pumpkin soft pretzels. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Nutella drop biscuits. 
• Picky Palate: Hearty chicken pumpkin soup. 
• Bakerella: Jingle bell cake pops.
• Eat Yourself Skinny: Sausage, sage, and apple stuffing. 

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!

Lunchtime Links for November 14th, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: Soft Nutella cookies. 
• Serious Eats: Pumpkin spice doughnuts.
• No. 2 Pencil: Chicken pot pie soup.
• Crepes of Wrath: Chocolate whoopie pies with pumpkin custard filling.
• Table for Two: Reese's cups brownies. 

Georgetown Cupcake - Free Candy Bar Spider Web Cupcake

Over the weekend prior to Halloween, Georgetown Cupcake offered two fun free secret flavors: Candy Bar Spider Web and Halloween Lava Fudge.  The photo above is of the Candy Bar Spider Web cupcakes that we got - the Halloween Lava Fudge looked exactly the same on the outside haha.

This Candy Bar Spider Web cupcake consisted of a chocolate cake with chunks of Snickers mixed in, orange-colored vanilla buttercream frosting, and a fudge spider web on top.  The addition of the Snickers bar chunks added some texture which was nice.  I usually love when Georgetown Cupcake adds mix-ins to regular cupcakes, and this one was no exception.  Both Halloween-themed cupcakes were a delicious way to celebrate!

Lunchtime Links for November 13th, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin spice doughnuts.
• Thought Catalog: Little-known facts about Mean Girls. 
• My Baking Addiction: Pumpkin cream cheese muffins.
• Serious Eats: Dumplings in Seattle.
• Picky Palate: Skillet baked candy bar stuffed double cookie.

Starbucks Pumpkin Scone

After a long season of searching, I finally came across the Starbucks Pumpkin Scone on a day when I wasn't even looking for it, haha!

According to my Starbucks app, it is a "pumpkin spiced scone dipped in a sugar glaze and double-iced with cinnamon and vanilla icing".  The app also told me that this is 480 calories, which I definitely didn't need to know about, so share it with a friend like I did :o)

So the funny thing is, I don't even really like scones. Personally, I find most scones to be too hard, brittle, and heavy to actually enjoy. However, the main reason that I liked this one is because it is nothing like a real scone, haha.  It was more like a big pumpkin cookie with icing on top, and that was perfectly ok with me.  If you are a fan of pumpkin cookies and find one of these near you, I'd recommend trying it out for a seasonal treat!

Lunchtime Links for November 12th, 2012

• Buzzfeed: 21 ways to bling out brownies.
• How Sweet It Is: Chocolate fudge peanut butter cake.  
• Table for Two: Pumpkin pasta with turkey sausage.
• Eat, Live, Run: Lightened up Snickers pie. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes.

Baked & Wired: Flapjack & Unporked Elvis Cupcakes

A while back N and I were in Georgetown and hit up one of our favorite spots, Baked & Wired.  I saw a Serious Eats post about the Flapjack cupcake, and I knew I had to try it ASAP.

On the back left we have the Unporked Elvis, and on the right we have the Flapjack:

Flapjack maple brown butter cupcake with caramel buttercream and candied bacon on top.

Elvis Impersonator AKA The Unporked Elvis Banana cupcake topped with peanut butter frosting and drizzled with chocolate.

Both of the cupcakes were delicious, but I have to say I really enjoyed the maple brown butter cupcake portion of the Flapjack cupcake was Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelicious. Super super super tasty. Trying both of these cupcakes at the same time was a little overwhelming but it had to be done... ok not really, but it was pretty fun, haha.

I would recommend either of these cupcakes, but probably the Flapjack one moreso because I really loved the cake portion of it. But hey, either one should satisfy anyone's sweet tooth :o)

Lunchtime Links for November 9th, 2012

• Eat, Live, Run: Salted caramel chocolate cookie bars. 
• Table for Two: Pasta sauce.  
• Cookies & Cups: Blondie ice cream sandwiches.  
• The Pioneer Woman: Corn dog muffins. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Healthier pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Frankenstein Is Not Impressed

The McKayla Maroney Effect can occur just about anywhere - including Halloween-themed baking cups at Target, haha!  These are currently on sale for a deep discount, if your local Target is still carrying the old Halloween/seasonal items. I can't wait to use these next fall!

Lunchtime Links for November 8th, 2012

• The Cozy Apron: Pancakes 'n' bacon cookies. 
• Raspberri Cupcakes: Cake batter ice cream sandwiches.
• Cookies & Cups: Peanut butter pretzel bars. 
• Cupcakes for Breakfast: Pumpkin snickerdoodles. 
• Bakerella: Bat cupcakes. 

Trader Joe's Coffee Latte & Cream Bars

From the box:

Just coffee, cream and all natural ingredients make up these indulgent frozen treats make for us down under in Australia.  The ideal blend of smooth, rich tasting coffee is sourced by the family-owned company and blended with fresh cream to create this unique dessert.  The real coffee ice cream is balanced with the refreshing cream to make this a delicious "almost latte" experience.  You push the bar right up through the seal on the individual package and have no stick to mess with at the end.  Pretty neat and very delicious!

This is another great find from Trader Joe's, especially if you're a fan of coffee ice cream!  It was a little strange to find that these ice cream bars are stick-less, but it works easily as a "push-pop" type ice cream.  The combination of coffee and cream ice cream flavors work really well together - this is a delicious little treat for a snack or dessert!  Also, the small rectangular shape may lend itself to being layered on top of a warm brownie.... yum!

Lunchtime Links for November 7th, 2012

• The Kitchn: Asian noodle soups. 
• Table for Two: Pumpkin peanut butter cookies.
• I Heart Naptime: Sugar cookie bars. 
• A Kitchen Addiction: Peanut butter glazed chocolate chip doughnuts. 
• Tasty Kitchen: Apple cider doughnuts.

Hello Kitty 2012 Campaign HQ - Living Social, DC

Earlier this month I posted about the Hello Kitty Presidential Campaign at LivingSocial in DC - well, here is a little photo tour of what there was to see at the campaign headquarters!

Hand-crafted paper Hello Kitty, and a super cute HK-version of Mount Rushmore

Lots of fun Hello Kitty/political artwork on the walls of LivingSocial

This piece in particular cracked me up - the bear in the back right especially

The view of the headquarters from outside

This is the cute, comfy limited edition t-shirt I bought in the upper level shop.  There were a few t-shirt designs, as well as keychains, bow headbands, art prints, tote bags, etc.  On the top right of the photo is the free button and sticker that I got from the event. Lots of cute, fun stuff for any Hello Kitty fan! 

Lunchtime Links for November 6th, 2012

• The Kitchn: Pumpkin and brown butter blondies. 
• Cupcakes for Breakfast: Pumpkin cupcakes with brown butter cream cheese frosting.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  
• My Baking Addiction: Pumpkin brownies.
• Glitter Guide: Halloween compost cookies.

Bigelow Fall Teas

I bought these Bigelow seasonal teas last fall, and looked forward to their return this year.  Luckily, with a sale and coupons, I also managed to get them for a great price as well - 2/$5 on sale + two $0.55 coupons that doubled to $1.10 each. Check your local stores because these will likely go on sale if they haven't already, being a Fall item.

Since the Bigelow website seems to be keen on extensive (and sort of funny, in an unintentional way) descriptions, I figured I'd let the teas speak for themselves, haha:

Apple Cider Herbal Tea-  Fall in love with Bigelow® Apple Cider Herbal Tea. There's nothing like a crisp, cool Autumn day to turn trees vibrant hues and our attention to the weekend ritual of football games, apple picking, raking leaves... And there is no better way to warm up after a day in the fresh outdoors than with a steaming cup of Bigelow Apple Cider Herbal Tea. An all-natural blend of premium herbs and spices, Apple Cider Herbal Tea is big on flavor but has no caffeine and no calories - just sweeten to taste for a healthful, soul-warming treat the whole family will enjoy often.

Pumpkin Spice Tea- Fall in love with Bigelow® Pumpkin Spice Tea. The harvest moon brings bountiful blessings for us to enjoy, not the least of which is Bigelow Pumpkin Spice Tea. Smooth and satisfying, its rich, round flavor is a masterful blend of the finest, mountain-grown teas. Pumpkin Spice Tea has no calories - just sweeten to taste for an Autumn treat that is sure to warm the hearts of family, friends and all who gather 'round. 20 individually foil wrapped tea bags per box.

Now doesn't that make you feel all fall festive and cozy?

Lunchtime Links for November 5th, 2012

• Bakerella: Candy corn and spider web cake pops. 
• Serious Eats: Chocolate peanut butter jack-o-lantern cookies. 
• Cookies & Cups: Lightened up pumpkin cream cheese swirl bars. 
• The Kitchn: Apple cider recipes.
• How Sweet It Is: Fudge striped pumpkin peanut butter cookies.

Shake Shack - Figs & Coach Farms Goat Cheese Custard

Back in September I headed over to Shake Shack to try out the Figs & Coach Farms Goat Cheese custard... yeah, not something you see everyday, right?

Much like many of the other non-chocolate custards, this special flavor looked exactly like a regular vanilla custard at first glance, haha.  I was always suspicious that they gave me regular custard in the beginning, but I've since come to realize that a lot of them look plain on the outside.

The goat cheese flavor was very pronounced, but not overbearing.  I felt like it added an extra level of creaminess as well as some tart flavor to the custard base.  As far as the fig portion, I can't recall any big pieces of figs being visible, but there were specks of fruit mixed in as well.  I find that many of their special flavor custards are blended really well, to the point that the flavors are more so tasted than seen.  This was a good and creative flavor - any goat cheese fans will love this one!

*Update: Shake Shack provided me a link with more information on Coach Farms here!

Lunchtime Links for November 2nd, 2012

• Serious Eats: All of the cream puffs at Pacific Puffs, San Francisco. 
• Bake at 350: Rosy little pumpkin cupcakes. 
• My Baking Addiction: Sugar and spice cupcakes.  
• Picky Palate: Pumpkin brownie cupcakes with vanilla bean buttercream. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin frozen yogurt.

Shake Shack - November Custard Flavors

Another new month of Shake Shack custards, woohoo!

Monday: Toffee Pear
Tuesday: Pretz-idential Caramel
Wednesday: Pumpkin Pie
Thursday: Apple Spice Cake
Friday: Cranberry Almond Marzipan
Saturday: Maple Cheesecake
Sunday: Chocolate Hazelnut

Mmm, lots of fun-sounding Fall flavors!  Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday are definitely on my to-do- list!

Lunchtime Links for November 1st, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin hot chocolate. 
• Serious Eats: Chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream. 
• Penny Pincher Fashion: The classic trench.
• Eat Yourself Skinny: Iced pumpkin cookies.  
• A Kitchen Addiction: Soft baked ginger cookies with pumpkin pie dip.

Hello Kitty Campaign Event - Living Social, DC

11/02 update: The pop-up Campaign Headquarters will be at the Living Social space through November 6th, with events and prizes throughout!  Also, the proceeds from the upper level store merchandise sales are going to the Red Cross - Hurricane Sandy relief fund!

How awesome is this???

For whatever reason, Hello Kitty is doing a presidential campaign event today at the Living Social space in DC, haha.  Unfortunately it's running through the work day so I won't be able to get there until later, but it sounds like a fun event if you're in the area!

(E-flyer courtesy of Washingtonian)