Lunchtime Links for July 31st, 2013

• Serious Eats: S'mores variations.
• How Sweet It Is: Stovetop Buffalo chicken shells and cheese.
• The Kitchn: Creative s'mores ideas.
• Cookies & Cups: Coffee cake cookies.
• I Heart Naptime: S'mores bars.

Tarte Cosmetics - 30% Off Online Sale

Starting today through August 4th, you can get Tarte Cosmetics for 30% off on their online store, woohoo!  Just use the code "TARTEFF" at checkout.

Some of my favorite products from this brand are:

- Amazonian clay 12-hour blush
- Amazonian clay mineral bronzer
- multiplEYE lash enhancing primer

I would definitely recommend checking out their sale if you're in the market for some new makeup!

Lunchtime Links for July 30th, 2013

• Averie Cooks: Softbatch Funfetti sugar cookies.
• Picky Palate: Slow cooker white chicken chili mac.
• How Sweet It Is: Fluffernutter chip ice cream. 
• The Pioneer Woman: Skillet chicken lasagna.
• What's Cooking, Love?: Funfetti cake cheese ball.

Georgetown Cupcake - Neapolitan Cupcake

Yay for a new flavor! This Neapolitan cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake was offered as a free secret flavor recently and I more or less ran over to get my hands on it, haha.

This cupcake is a Classic Madagascar Bourbon vanilla cupcake with “twisted” chocolate buttercream and strawberry buttercream with a pink fondant flower

The colors remind me of the bizarre astronaut ice cream that I used to buy at museums as a kid, but trust me it's much much better than freeze-dried ice cream haha.  The strawberry and chocolate frosting twisted together was fantastic!! I also love the color combination of the three flavors, very pretty! 

Lunchtime Links for July 29th, 2013

• Serious Eats: Crisp and chewy chocolate chip cookies. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Peanut butter lover's ice cream.
• The Kitchn: Watermelon popsicles.
• Thought Catalog: Signs you're addicted to Starbucks.
• Averie Cooks: Triple peanut butter monster cookie bars.

Shake Shack F Street Concretes

One of the main reasons why I was excited for the F Street DC Shake Shack  is that each location has their own concrete flavors - so of course I had to try them out right away! 

My friend M and I met up for dinner, and it didn't take much to convince her to get one too so we could try two in one trip, haha. 

Doughnuts are Forever: Vanilla custard, Astro Doughnuts coconut doughnut, strawberry jam and rainbow sprinkles.  

If you know me at all you will know why I had to have someone else buy and eat most of this one, haha.

Beltway Blonde: Vanilla custard, cheesecake blondie, salted caramel sauce and banana

And here we have both of the concretes sitting pretty on my tray.  For obvious (COCONUT) reasons, the Beltway Blonde was my favorite of the two, with big chunks of blondie mixed in, and the salted caramel was a delicious touch as well.  However, the Doughnuts are Forever concrete is an awesome idea, and I love that they utilize a local restaurant's doughnuts for the custard.  Maybe one day they will switch to a different doughnut flavor....?

We went for dinner on opening day, which meant a nice bonus of free samples being passed around.  I tried the Buttery Caramel Cocoa Nib, the featured custard flavor of that day, and I really liked the rich caramel with the little tiny cocoa nibs mixed liberally throughout.  We also tried some of their beverages as samples as well. I'm so happy to have another Shake Shack in DC!!

Lunchtime Links for July 26th, 2013

• Serious Eats: Chocolate chip Bundt cake.
• Eat, Live, Run: Peanut butter cup ice cream.
• The Live-In Kitchen: Parmesan potato rounds.
• Cookies & Cups: Nutella-filled chocolate chocolate chip cookies.
• Kirbie's Cravings: No-bake Oreo cheesecake.

Daikaya Izakaya - Dinner #2

A while back, C, O, and I met up for dinner at Daikaya. Back in May I tried a few dishes and really liked them, so I was excited to check out a few new plates this time around.  I enjoyed all of the dishes, but I especially liked the aji fry and the crab croquettes.  The aji fry was on the daily specials menu, so I hope that it comes back again sometime when I am back.  It was a fun night catching up with friends and enjoying lots of delicious food!  

Aji fry with ichimi aioli

Chicken thigh skewer

Edamame with chili oil and garlic

Ruibe - Hokkaido-style frozen salmon sashimi with fresh wasabi, grated ginger, Sekigahara tamari

Crab croquettes with Old Bay, corn, tonkatsu sauce, nori salt

Lunchtime Links for July 25th, 2013

• Table for Two: Chocolate sugar cookies.
• Kirbie's Cravings: NYT chocolate chip cookies.
• Raspberri Cupcakes: Mickey and Minnie macarons.
• Cookies & Cups: Neapolitan cookie sandwiches.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Cinnamon twist knots.

Dim Sum Card

Why yes, I did crack up for about 5 minutes straight after seeing this card in Paper Source.

And please tell me I'm not the only one that read the card to the tune of "Everybody Have Fun Tonight"...???

Lunchtime Links for July 24th, 2013

• Smitten Kitchen: Hot fudge sundae cake.
• The Pioneer Woman: Chicken taco salad.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: S'mores pie.
• Picky Palate: Charred corn, bacon, and berry summer salad.
• How Sweet It Is: Bacon cheeseburger skillet pizza.

Shake Shack - Honey Roasted Peanut Custard

I love when Shake Shack puts a spin on a classic flavor, such as this Honey Roasted Peanut custard above.  My initial thoughts were that this would taste like a) regular peanut butter or b) Honey Nut Cheerios, haha.  Turns out it's a little of both, and then some!

This custard had all of the richness I expected from a peanut butter custard, but with an extra hit of sweetness from the "honey roasted" portion.  It definitely had more depth than a regular peanut butter flavor, so of course this was a winner in my book! Add some marshmallow sauce to this and it would've been a delicious honey fluffernutter in a cup :o) 

Lunchtime Links for July 23rd, 2013

• I Heart Naptime: Chocolate chip cookie waffles.
• Picky Palate: White chocolate peanut butter M&M blondies. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Copycat Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies.
• Cookies & Cups: Sweet and salty no-bake peanut butter bars.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pancake mug cake.

bkr Water Bottle

The minute I saw the bkr bottle sale on One Kings Lane, I fell in love with the minimalist design and the variety of colors that the bottles came in.  I immediately gravitated towards this Crush color, and in the end I'm really glad I got this one.  It's such a bright and fun color, it can make even water exciting, haha.  The bottle itself is made of glass so it's super durable without being too heavy for regular use.  Check these out if you're looking for a stylish and travel-friendly bottle for your beverages :o) 

Lunchtime Links for July 22nd, 2013

• Steamy Kitchen: Chicken satay with peanut noodles.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Chocolate cookies ice cream bowls.
• Picky Palate: Broccolini, spinach, and garlic pasta. 
• Serious Eats: Brown butter blondies.
• The Kitchn: Shrimp and avocado summer salad rolls.

Georgetown Cupcake - American Birthday Cupcake

This is patriotism at its most delicious, hahah.  

The cupcake above was the free secret flavor at Georgetown Cupcake on July 4th, consisting of vanilla cake, vanilla buttercream frosting, and a gigantic fondant star on top.  I always love how Georgetown Cupcake gets creative with the secret flavors when they fall on holidays! 

Lunchtime Links for July 19th, 2013

• Serious Eats: Ice cream sandwiches.
• Table for Two: Creamy orzo with chicken sausage.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Creamy Biscoff ice pops.
• The Kitchn: Salad in a jar.
• Cookies & Cups: Mallomar brownies.

Japan Visit - Kobe Plaisir Restaurant

While we were in Japan, my mom and I took a quick trip over to Kobe and Tokushima, which was a relatively short but fun visit.  One of the highlights was lunch at the Kobe Plaisir restaurant.  My mom had read about it online and I was really excited to try it out.  We had a reservation in the Teppanyaki room and sat down for a decadent and leisurely lunch.

Our lunch consisted of the following:

- Apertif/vinegar drink

- Amuse

- Seasonal soup

- Steak

- Fresh salad

- Grilled seasonal vegetables

- Steamed rice and miso soup

- Dessert

- Coffee/tea

The restaurant takes a lot of pride in using only local and seasonal ingredients, and the servers all took the time to explain each dish's components to us for each course.  We had a personal teppanyaki chef for our meal, and it was great to hear about the ingredients from him as well.  

The meal came with white local short grain rice, or garlic fried rice with little bits of the Kobe beef mixed in - it took about .000010 seconds for me to ask for the fried rice haha.  It was SO GOOD.

After our meal, we were escorted to a "library" which is a separate room with a few couches for people to come to specifically for dessert.  Along with our cappuccinos, we received a pretty plate with matcha green tea ice cream and a coconut-based panna cotta.  What a lovely way to end a meal! 

As you can see it was an amazing and memorable meal in Kobe - it was absolutely delicious, fresh, with fantastic service as well.  I would love to go back and try their other dishes sometime! 

Lunchtime Links for July 18th, 2013

• The Kitchn: Summer salads with tomatoes and corn.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Eggless Nutella brownies.
• Cookies & Cups: Soft malted chocolate chip cookies. 
• Buzzfeed: Mindy Kaling capturing angst.
• Warm Vanilla Sugar: Creamy salted caramel sauce.

Japan Visit - Pierre Herme Macarons

During my visit, I realized that the Aoyama Pierre Herme wasn't too far from my oldest brother's home, so the first free time we had I persuaded my mom to go with me, haha.  The space was small but packed with beautiful macarons and other desserts.  The white, glossy display cases and interior really made all of the pretty colors of the desserts stand out.  The boutique felt a little intimidating to walk into at first, but the store employees were really nice and helpful, even offering samples of some hazelnut cookies while we were looking around.

 

We got a box of the following macaron flavors:

 - Macaron Infiniment Jasmin

- Macaron Infiniment Rose

- Macaron Celeste

- Macaron Chocolate Amer

- Infiniment Vanille

- Infiniment Caramel

- Macaron Envie

These macarons were clearly beautiful to look at, but they were DELICIOUS as well!  Each one had a strong flavor without tasting artificial or too sweet, and they really nailed each of the different flavors.  I wish I could've made more than one visit and I definitely want to go back, especially with all of the desserts and the cafe there! 

Lunchtime Links for July 17th, 2013

• I Heart Naptime: Chocolate chip Oreo cookie bars.
• The Pioneer Woman: Jalapeno quesadillas.
• My Baking Addictions: Peanut butter Snickers brownies.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Ritz cracker chocolate peanut butter ice cream sandwiches.
• The Kitchn: Cake-stuffed fruit.

Japan Visit - Tokyo Skytree

Early on during my visit to Japan, my mom and I headed out to see the Tokyo Skytree Tower and Solamachi (Village) - it opened just over a year ago, so it was extra new and exciting to see.

We arrived just before lunchtime, so we didn't have to wait for a table at one of the restaurants at the top of the tower - we got a table right by the windows for a great view while we ate our lunch (below).  I love how a lot of traditional Japanese restaurants still serve this sort of varied bento box-style food.

Here's what part of the tower looks like - it's a little difficult to get it all into one photo, especially with so many other people there too, haha.

The lower levels of the shopping village had a number of food stands all around - I obviously loved this Macaron Skytree, so fun! 

Even after spending a few hours here, I felt like there was so much more to check out - I would definitely recommend it for anyone visiting the area! 

Lunchtime Links for July 16th, 2013

• How Sweet It Is: Chocolate peanut butter truffle pie.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Cinnamon sugar tortilla ice cream bowls.
• Picky Palate: Gooey Biscoff chocolate chip cake bars. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: 3 ingredient eggless Nutella cookies. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Banana cake with cream cheese frosting.

Japan Visit - Rilakkuma Stores

OF COURSE I had to find at least one Rilakkuma store while I was in Japan - luckily I wound up going to two!

The first Rilakkuma store we went to was in the Tokyo Skytree village, and it was a small but super cute store with LOTS of fun items for sale.

Yes, of course I love the gigantic Rilakkuma statues that are in front of each of the stores, haha.

There were TONS of cell phone cases - ALL for the iPhone 5, which I don't currently have - sad times indeed.

A few of the items I got include a card case (which I've been using for my metro pass), chopsticks, and a few pens, as well as a new headphone jack mascot for my iPhone - and yes, this was really more to try to make up for the fact that I couldn't buy a phone case, haha. 

Lunchtime Links for July 15th, 2013

• Kirbie's Cravings: Stuffed strawberry cheesecake bites.
• Bake at 350: Two-ingredient ice cream.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Pesto chicken salad.
• BGSK: Hot fudge milkshake.
• Bakerella: Oreo ice cream sandwiches.

Japan Visit - Mister Donut

During my visit to Japan in late May, one of my "go-to" places was Mister Donut.  They're all over Japan, but never really close enough to anywhere that I have been before during past visits.  Luckily, this time around, I was able to go to TWO locations, woohoo!

The first Mister Donut was right by the Tokyo Skytree, and it was one of the cutest places I've ever seen.  You would think this was something out of Disney World, not just a doughnut/coffee shop, haha.

 

So many delicious doughnuts on display!

Seriously, so cute. This is Pon de Lion, the official (?) mascot of Mister Donut.  He is a lion, with the signature Pon de Ring doughnut in place of a mane.   And yes, the whole store was filled with cute murals and themed chairs.

I got an iced coffee, but I like how they offer free refills for the hot coffee - such a nice way to relax with a doughnut and tasty coffee!  The Pon de Lion doughnut was their Pon de Ring doughnut with an extra filled doughnut hole in the middle, and topped with a chocolate disk.  This doughnut was SO SO SO good.  It was chewier, like it had some mochi in it or something, and really delicious. 

At the second Mister Donut that I went to, the decor wasn't as crazy themed but they had a nice variety of doughnuts as well.  Of course the Hello Kitty themed one (center left) caught my eye, haha.

As you can see, the Hello Kitty doughnut is a regular round doughnut with a strategically placed chocolate bow fitting right in with the plastic wrapping.  The apple-flavored frosting was better than I expected - not too sweet and reminded me of the taste of fresh apple juices that are popular in Japan. Also, in the back you can see the brown sugar Pon de Ring - so so so good.  I will definitely be there to try out more doughnuts the next time I am in Japan! 

Wedding Weekend

I'm off to upstate NY this weekend for my fabulous friend M's wedding! I can't wait for a fun weekend filled with lots of celebrating!! Have a great weekend everyone :o)

Lunchtime Links for July 11th, 2013

• Serious Eats: No-bake s'mores bars.
• Table for Two: Chicken and Chorizo rice.
• Cookies & Cups: Birthday cake chocolate chip cookies.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Southern fried chicken.
• The Kitchn: Chocolate and vanilla marble cake.

Kate Spade Tote

I got this Kate Spade tote bag a while back during one of their online sales - it's always so hard to resist when they have a good sale!  This tote can fit my iPad and everything else I want to cram in, with 3 wide sections dividing up the bag, as well as pockets on both the front and back inside panels.  My favorite part though has to be the bow details on both sides of the tote bag.  I love this bag for work, travel, and for every day in between!

Lunchtime Links for July 10th, 2013

• The Kitchn: Tips for better iced coffee.
• Serious Eats: Vanilla sprinkle cookies.
• Cookies & Cups: Ice cream cone krispie treats.
• Eater: Shake Shack in London.
• Food Fanatic: Funfetti cookie dough truffles.

Target Gift Bags

I recently stopped in Target for something (there's always "something" to get there, haha), and came across LOTS of super cute gift bags that are very reasonably priced.  Most of them were $1 or maybe a little bit more, which is a great price for gift bags! They come in a variety of patterns and sizes, so I got a bunch of them to have on hand for gift-giving needs.  I love how bright and fun they all are! 

Lunchtime Links for July 9th, 2013

• Cookies & Cups: Strawberry s'mores.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Sorbet champagne cocktails.
• Food & Wine: Creamy cucumber and grilled potato salad.
• Cupcakes and Cashmere: S'mores tarts.
• Serious Eats: Crumb cake muffin tops.

Retro MTV Brunch - Laguna Beach + The Hills

Well, it looks like I know what I'll be doing at 8am for the next couple of weeks...

Starting today, MTV will be showing ALL of Laguna Beach and The Hills seasons as part of "RetroMTV Brunch", yessssssssssssssssssssssssss.  From 8am - 12pm Monday through Friday, we can all get our fix of two of the best shows EVER.  I have never wanted to work from home more in my life, hahaha.

And yes, I am fully aware that I can watch these episodes whenever I want since I own the DVDs, but that still won't stop me from watching them on tv, of course.  Be sure to tune in if you're also a fan of these shows!

Lunchtime Links for July 8th, 2013

• Food & Wine: Watermelon and charred tomato salad.
• The Kitchn: Mexican corn salad.
• Brown Eyed Baker: No-bake s'mores pie.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Roasted corn and red pepper guacamole.
• Cookies & Cups: S'mores fudge bars.

Dunkin' Donuts - Maryland Mug

I was at my usual weekend Dunkin' Donuts (yes, I have separate weekday and weekend DD's, lucky me) and was waiting in line like usual, when I came across the elusive city mugs!!  I had seen photos of these floating around Twitter here and there but I hadn't actually seen them in any stores until now.

I love my Maryland mug, it's a perfect addition to my vast mug collection/obsession.  In addition to the lovely Maryland mug, I also used a recent coupon for this summer's $0.99 iced coffee/tea refill cup.  And wow, this cup is HUGE. I'd guess it's at least twice the size of last summer's, haha! I am excited to have two new items to fuel my DD love! 

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone! This year I get both the 4th and 5th off of work so I'll be taking a long weekend on the blog as well.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Lunchtime Links for July 3rd, 2013

• Serious Eats: Caneles de Bordeaux.
• The Kitchn: Italian salad dressing.
• Picky Palate: Cap'n Crunch macarons.
• How Sweet It Is: Thai steak salad with roasted chili mango vinaigrette.
• The Pioneer Woman: Strawberry ice cream.

Georgetown Cupcake - Oreo Cheesecake Cupcake

There's just something about adding Oreos to something that makes it extra delicious for me - and this free Oreo Cheesecake cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake was no exception! 

This was similar in structure to their other cheesecake cupcakes, like this blueberry cheesecake cupcake that I've had previously.  Although obviously I liked the Oreos much more than the blueberries, haha.  This was a creamy and rich cheesecake base with lots of Oreo crumbles mixed throughout - I love this one and I hope it comes back again soon! 

Lunchtime Links for July 2nd, 2013

• Thought Catalog: 20 things girls like to talk about.
• Serious Eats: Baked chocolate mousse cake.
• The Kitchn: Balsamic vinaigrette.
• Table For Two: Strawberry ice cream.
• Warm Vanilla Sugar: Texas sheet cake.

Shake Shack - July Custard Menu

Looks like another great month of Shake Shack custard flavors in July!

- Monday: Blackberry Buttermilk
- Tuesday: S'mores
- Wednesday: Strawberry Blonde
- Thursday: Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Friday: Caramelized Peach
- Saturday: Marshmallow Peanut Butter Swirl
- Sunday: Blueberry Coffee Cake

I've definitely got my eye on Saturday's flavor, it sounds delicious!

Lunchtime Links for July 1st, 2013

• Cookies & Cups: Blackout cupcakes.
• The Kitchn: Japanese ice cream spoons.
• Kevin and Amanda: Strawberry shortcake doughnut muffins.
• Table for Two: Lobster and shrimp mac n' cheese.
• Picky Palate: Peanut butter cookie dough layered chocolate cake.

The Drybar Scavenger Hunt

This past Sunday, I was one of the lucky winners of a Drybar blowout gift card and umbrella!  Their Twitter/Instagram account posted clues to a few different spots in downtown Bethesda throughout the day, and I was able to find the one inside Barnes & Noble. The umbrella is a fun, bright yellow and says "rain blows" on it, haha. I am excited to try out Drybar with my gift card soon!