Lunchtime Links for March 29th, 2013

• Steamy Kitchen: Curried beef dumplings.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Vanilla cream filled doughnuts.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Salted caramel sauce.
• Picky Palate: Four ingredient banana s'mores cookies.
• Table for Two: Crockpot chicken taco chili.

Perks of Being a Wallflower DVD

If you haven't read/seen The Perks of Being a Wallflower, go do it NOW, NOW, NOW! 

Seriously though, I loved the book when I first read it years ago, and I was really happy with the movie adaptation as well.  The movie really captured the fragile and emotional moments of such an endearing story.  There's almost always the feeling that a movie won't be as good as the original book, but I think they did a great job with this one. I look forward to re-watching this as much as I've re-read my worn out copy of the book :o) 

Lunchtime Links for March 28th, 2013

• Thought Catalog: Simpsons quotes in order of importance. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Sausage cheddar biscuits.
• Bake at 350: Hostess cupcake cookies.
• Cookies & Cups: Oreo cookie filling dip.
• Bakerella: Rainbow bright cupcakes.

Krispy Kreme - Cookies and Kreme Cake Doughnut

Oreo + Doughnut = Hello, I am SO trying this. I came across this at work one morning and just couldn't pass up a chance to try Krispy Kreme's new Oreo doughnuts.  This specific one is the Cookies and Kreme Cake doughnut.  It's a glazed chocolate cake doughnut topped with Oreo crumbles, and the doughnut hole is filled with Oreo frosting, because that's really what you need to top off this sugar bomb, haha. 

Unsurprisingly, I love this doughnut. I already love the chocolate cake doughnut, so adding Oreos to it was really only going to make me love it more. Could I eat a lot of it without any consequences? Of course not. But for anyone that loves Oreos as much as I do MUST try this out while it is available, it's your civic Oreo duty! 

Lunchtime Links for March 27th, 2013

• Brown Eyed Baker: Chocolate truffle cookies.
• How Sweet It Is: Black bean and panzanella salad. 
• Cookies & Cups: Beer and pretzel cookies.
• A Kitchen Addiction: S'mores ice cream. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: 3 ingredient Biscoff spread cookies. 

West Elm Modernist Bowls

I've had my eye on these West Elm Modernist bowls for a while now, so as soon as they were having a dinnerware sale I snatched these up immediately.  I also got a matching serving bowl (not pictured) afterwards because I really liked the design of these bowls. 

The smaller bowls are a little smaller than an average soup bowl, which is good because I am severely lacking in cabinet space as it is.  I use them for cereal, ice cream, side dishes, and as candy bowls when I have friends over.  If you're into more bold colors in your kitchen, the other designs would be perfect for you as well! 

Lunchtime Links for March 26th, 2013

• The Kitchn: 5 things to bake in a muffin pan.
• Picky Palate: Slow cooker creamy chipotle chicken tortellini.
• Oh, Ladycakes: Easy caramel sauce.
• BGSK: Broccoli and Parmesan Israeli couscous.
• Kirbie's Cravings: 3 ingredient peanut butter cup cookies.

The Art of Sending Mail - Hey Love Designs

I'm so happy to have a guest blog post over at my friend M's Hey Love Designs blog today, in her "The Art of Sending Mail" series!

I love sending mail and I was happy to put together a list of resources that I use for making and buying cards. I look forward to seeing the other posts in this series as well, it's always nice when people share my love of sending real mail!

Lunchtime Links for March 25th, 2013

• The Kitchn: Lofty buttermilk pancakes.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Fresh strawberry cinnamon rolls.
• The Pioneer Woman: Beef fajitas.
• Warm Vanilla Sugar: Caramel banana French toast.
• Serious Eats: Bucatini with spicy shrimp, arugula, and breadcrumbs.

New Justin Timberlake CD

He's baaaaaaaaaaack!!

I enjoy going out to physically get CDs when they come out, and this new Justin Timberlake CD was no exception.  The 20/20 Experience CD came out last Tuesday and I've been listening to it in my car ever since.  The mood of this CD is definitely very different compared to his last CD, with the most notable difference being the song lengths.  I think each song on this new album is at least 7 minutes long, haha.  I am so so happy that JT is back to making music, and looking as dapper as ever!!

Lunchtime Links for March 22nd, 2013

• Kirbie's Cravings: 2 ingredient cookies and cream cookies.
• How Sweet It Is: Whipped feta. 
• Cookies & Cups: Caramel stuffed truffle cookies.
• Table for Two: Heart shaped chocolate sandwich cookies. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chocolate Turtle cookies. 

Shake Shack - Chocolate Chip Cookie Custard

As I've tasted and documented many of Shake Shack's custard flavors, I've come to notice that the photos don't always showcase the special menu items properly, haha.  Case in point - if you look closely, you might see some chocolate swirls in this cup, but you probably wouldn't guess this as the Chocolate Chip Cookie custard.

That being said, Shake Shack definitely doesn't skimp on making each special flavor taste exactly as they are named, haha.  This vanilla custard base had swirls of chocolate throughout, and little chunks of chocolate chip cookies in the bottom of the cup.  It was like eating a Chipwich, in cup form, mmm.  This is a classic flavor combo, and anyone that is a fan of chocolate chip cookies will love this one! 

Lunchtime Links for March 21st, 2013

• A Kitchen Addiction: Skinny fudgy brownies. 
• I Heart Naptime: Super soft sugar cookies. 
• Bake at 350: Mad for macarons.
• Picky Palate: Brown butter salted chocolate chip cookie for one. 
• The Kitchn: Top 5 desserts to make pink.

Target Shirt + Paper Source Macaron Stamp

I recently bought some cute items at Target and Paper Source - two stores that definitely fuel impulse purchases, haha.  The grey button down shirt is casual and cute, a great pairing with colored skinny jeans (which have become my weekend staple).  I especially like the tiny polka dots that gives the shirt more detail without looking TOO cutesy.  

Paper Source has a wide range of macaron-themed items on display, and this stacked macaron stamp was too cute to pass up.  Now I can properly express my love of macarons in paper form, haha.  I can't wait to make lots of cards using this stamp! 

Lunchtime Links for March 20th, 2013

• How Sweet It Is: Chocolate frosted cake doughnuts. 
• I Heart Naptime: Chocolate marshmallow cookies with Reese's.
• Bakerella: San Francisco treats. 
• Cookies & Cups: Tagalong bars. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Homemade Oreos with peanut butter. 

BYT DonutFest, DC

On March 2nd, a few of my friends and I embarked on a sugar high like none other, in the form of BYT's DonutFest - an afternoon of doughnuts as far as the eye can see, seriously.  As you might imagine, this event was AWESOME for a doughnut-lover like myself, and I really hope that they have this event again.  I especially liked trying out shops that are not yet opened, which makes me even more excited to try them out (hopefully) soon. 

Here's a quick rundown of the gluttonous day:

GBD doughnut holes; Zeke's DC Donutz red velvet doughnut

Store-bought doughnuts, in case the 293483948739247374324 options weren't enough, haha.

Jackie's brioche doughnut with blood orange glaze

Astro Doughnuts selections

Astro Doughnuts' samples, including s'mores, creme brulee, passionfruit, etc.

Eventide - I especially loved the yuzu sesame on the bottom center! 

Mac's cider doughnut on a stick, perfect for a crowded event like this one.

Farmers Fishers Bakers - vanilla crullers 

Pizzeria Orso - Nutella doughnuts

District Doughnut offered lots of tasty choices as well as coffee, which was a nice touch.

Poste - Yes, they really served duck fat doughnuts with bourbon maple glaze, haha.

Hot Hot Bakery - Vanilla custard doughnuts (they also had a Nutella version, not pictured).

Heller's Bakery brought a TON of doughnut options, as you can see here.

 A little memento from GBD - I can't wait to try their fried chicken too!

Lunchtime Links for March 19th, 2013

• Cookies & Cups: Hot chocolate cookies. 
• How Sweet It Is: Homemade roasted garlic oil.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Easy fudgy and chewy brownies. 
• Table for Two: Pizzeria style pepperoni pizza. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Sesame chicken.

Georgetown Cupcake - Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcake

My first thought writing this post is that I love how the frosting of this Strawberry Cheesecake cupcake matches my cupcake stand, haha.

As soon as I saw that this was the free secret flavor of the day, I knew that I would love it.  I love cheesecake + Georgetown Cupcake's strawberry frosting, so this was a no-brainer for me.

You can see how the "cake" portion really is like a mini cheesecake, complete with a graham cracker crust.  Both the frosting and the cheesecake had strawberries mixed in for a delicious and decadent mini-cake.  I hope they bring this flavor back again sometime!

Lunchtime Links for March 18th, 2013

• Brown Eyed Baker: Whoopie pies. 
• Serious Eats: 10 Vietnamese dishes to eat at Eden Center. 
• Cookies & Cups: Krispie treat bark. 
• Bake at 350: Dark chocolate glaze. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Nutella pizza.

Daikaya DC - Miso Ramen

After trying Daikaya's shoyu ramen, I knew I'd be back SOON to enjoy their ramen again, haha.  On this visit I ordered the Mugi-Miso Ramen, topped with roast pork, chashu, bean sprouts, onions, garlic, ground pork, and scallions.  I couldn't get enough of the nitamago last time, so I added on an order of the egg to this miso ramen. 

Once again, I really enjoyed this bowl of ramen.  The mugi-miso broth was lighter than other miso ramens I've tried before, but still had the delicious richness.  Again, even being not much of an egg lover, LOVE LOVE LOVE the partially cooked marinated egg here. It's SO good!  As of the beginning of March, Daikaya is also open for lunch, which makes me super jealous of everyone that works in the area!

Lunchtime Links for March 15th, 2013

• A Kitchen Addiction: Monster cookie bars. 
• BGSK: Creamy Habanero and tomato soup. 
• Table for Two: Nutella lava cookie cups. 
• Eat, Live, Run: Turkey taco casserole. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Italian sausage tortellini soup. 

Kate Spade Postcard

I recently placed an online order from the Kate Spade website, and along with the cute pink wrapping paper, the package came with this card above.  I thought it was super cute and such a fun, Kate Spade-ish message.  

I have since purchased a frame for it and have it displayed in my living room.  It's always nice to have a fun little quote art in your apartment, don't you think?  

Lunchtime Links for March 14th, 2013

• A Kitchen Addiction: Peanut butter banana chocolate chip muffins. 
• Table for Two: Classic French onion soup. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Easy chocolate peanut butter cookies. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Biscoff Banana bread with Biscoff cookie streusel. 
• Picky Palate: Toasted marshmallow Tagalong peanut butter cake bars. 

White Chocolate Easter M&Ms at Target

Ooh la la - another fun limited edition find!

This year, Mars offered a white chocolate M&M for Easter, only available at Target stores.  Their shape is very similar to peanut butter M&Ms - a little fatter than the regular milk chocolate version.  If you're a fan of white chocolate, you will definitely love these. I likened them to white chocolate vitamins - way too easy to eat a handful or two, haha.  Even if you're not a huge white chocolate fan, I think these would be a nice addition to a snack mix, or even better in baked goods.  Give them a try if you like trying out seasonal candies!

Lunchtime Links for March 13th, 2013

• Cookies & Cups: Caramel stuffed krispie treats. 
• I Heart Naptime: Dark chocolate caramel tart with salted almonds. 
• Steamy Kitchen: Chinese fried wontons. 
• Serious Eats: Peanut butter chocolate thumbprint cookies. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Homemade Nutella. 

Hey Love Designs - Blair Waldorf Notecards

Some of you may recall my "Mean Girls" notecards from Hey Love Designs that I got last year - it was only a matter of time before I'd order a new set of fun cards, haha.  

This time I ordered Gossip Girl-themed cards in tribute to the fabulous Miss Blair Waldorf. I loved Blair's character on the show, and I totally could see Blair giving these cards to her minions, haha.  Again, I will probably have a problem actually using up too many of these cards, because they are so so cute! 

Lunchtime Links for March 12th, 2013

• Cookies & Cups: Chocolate chip cookie peanut butter tart. 
• A Kitchen Addiction: Easy French baguettes. 
• Food Fanatic: Cookie bars. 
• Eat, Live, Run: Indian spiced chicken burgers. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Easiest 3 ingredient Nutella brownies. 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Am I the last person to find out about these Hershey's cinnamon chips? I honestly had never noticed them before, until I started to see them popping up in a bunch of baking blogs in the fall/winter.  Luckily, it didn't take me too long to find them- as always Wegmans came to the rescue!

I used these cinnamon chips in place of chocolate chips for my usual pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe, and they turned out pretty tasty! The cinnamon chips melt into the dough slightly, and add lots of great cinnamon flavor.  I did miss the chocolate taste a little bit, but that's because I really love chocolate, haha.  I think the cinnamon flavor went well with the pumpkin for the perfect cold-weather treat.

For more recipes using these cinnamon chips, check out the Hershey's recipe archive here.

Lunchtime Links for March 11th, 2013

• Kirbie's Cravings: 4 ingredient espresso chocolate hazelnut cookies. 
• Picky Palate: Dulce de Leche chocolate banana muffins.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Gooey butter cake. 
• How Sweet It Is: Crispy avocado BLT salad. 
• Bakerella: S'mores brownies. 

Han Dynasty - Cherry Hill, NJ

I had heard of Han Dynasty restaurant here and there on food blogs, but had never tried it when I've been in Philly.  Luckily, a Cherry Hill, NJ outpost opened, which is right by where my best friend and her husband live, woo!

Here we have the Dry Fry style beef which consists of triple flash fried beef with dry peppers, celery, bamboo shoots, and Sichuan peppercorns.  This had a heat that grew with each bite, even avoiding the peppers in the dish didn't make it any less spicy, haha. It was definitely that specific type of addictive spicy though, and I loved it!

This isn't a very pretty-looking plate, but it sure was delicious.  We also got the pan fried dumplings and Dan Dan noodles. A lot of beige, but super tasty, haha.  I would love to go back again and try more dishes, especially the spicy ones! 

Han Dynasty - Cherry Hill
404 Route 70
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
856.428.0088

Lunchtime Links for March 8th, 2013

• Picky Palate: Toasted marshmallow cookies and cream milkshake. 
• Eat, Live, Run: Roasted Italian parmesan potatoes. 
• Serious Eats: S'mores rice krispie treats. 
• Table for Two: Sundried tomato fettuccine. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Easy peanut butter cookies. 

Super Bowl Party - Cheese Plate

While this cheese plate idea didn't come directly from Pinterest for me, seeing all of the Super Bowl food pins on there definitely got me thinking!  

Since part of my contribution was cheese, I figured I would take some regular cheese blocks and make them a little more festive.  I probably could've spent a little more time rounding out the edges, but I think these still turned out pretty cute :o)  These cheese blocks could be carved into a variety of sports or party-theme shapes for any occasion - best of all, everything is edible so you don't have to get a lot of "extras" to make this work! 

Lunchtime Links for March 7th, 2013

• Kirbie's Cravings: Easiest Nutella cookies. 
• Penny Pincher Fashion: Steals under $30. 
• Table for Two: Chorizo and andouille potstickers. 
• Picky Palate: Brown butter salted double chocolate chunk cookies. 
• The Kitchn: Korean chicken sliders with braised kale and kimchi. 

Bon Chon - Rockville

Some of you may recall my obsession with the crispy, ohmygahh obsession that I have with Bon Chon chicken, which I've had in VA.  Well, as of a few weeks ago, there is a Bon Chon DANGEROUSLY close to both my apartment and work, and there is no turning back now.

So far, I have only managed to go a few times, but I'm not sure how long this actual restraint will last, haha.  For anyone that hasn't tried Bon Chon (or Korean fried chicken) in general, it is unlike any regular wings or fried chicken you have probably had before. SUPER crispy and the sauces (Soy Garlic and Hot) are fantastic. Definitely try it out if you get a chance!! 

Bon Chon - Rockville

107A Gibbs Street Unit A

Rockville, MD 

301.637.9079

Lunchtime Links for March 6th, 2013

• Kirbie's Cravings: 4-ingredient midnight cookies. 
• Cookies & Cups: Cake batter brownie snack cakes. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Creamy tomato orzo soup. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Red velvet poke cake. 
• Table for Two: White chocolate macadamia nut cookies. 

Zeke's DC Donutz

Mmm... doughnuts! 

Or specifically, "donutz", I guess, haha.  Zeke's DC Donutz is conveniently located right by Dupont Circle, which works out well for me because I frequent that area. N and I checked them out the morning of Presidents' day, which was great because we had a lot of doughnuts to choose from that were available.  

We split both the Vanilla Creme Brulee (left) and Peanut Butter Bacon (right), and they were both delicious! I will say, the Vanilla Creme Brulee was really really really good, way better than even I expected it to be.  The top of the doughnut had a hard sugar shell just like a creme brulee, and the vanilla custard inside the doughnut was plentiful and rich.  Don't get me wrong, the peanut butter bacon doughnut was great too (how could it be bad?), but the Vanilla Creme Brulee was really fantastic.  I can't wait to come back to try their other flavors! 

Zeke's DC Donutz
2029 P Street NW
Washington, DC 20036

Lunchtime Links for March 1st, 2013

• Cookies & Cups: Bruschetta Burger. 
• Serious Eats: Peanut butter banana cake.
• The Pioneer Woman: Thai chicken wraps.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Chocolate sugar cookies.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Molten lava cake bites.

Shake Shack - March Custard Menu

Yay, another new month of Shake Shack custard flavors!

Monday: Boston Cream Pie
Tuesday: Buttery Caramel Cocoa Nib
Wednesday: S'mores
Thursday: Lime Coconut Crumble
Friday: Salty Chocolate Peanut Butter
Saturday: Waffles & Bacon
Sunday: Mint Chocolate Chip

Ummmmmmmmmm HELLO FRIDAY AND SATURDAY I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!