Lunchtime Links for September 30th, 2013

• Picky Palate: Pumpkin pie smoothie.
• The Live-In Kitchen: Pumpkin chocolate chip bars.
• Serious Eats: Ramen in Seattle.
• The Kitchen: How to freeze cookie dough.
• Cookies & Cups: Pumpkin apple muffins. 

Sweetgreen - September Salad

I enjoy Sweetgreen's salads, but I never quite get around to eating them as much as I'd like.  If they had one by my work I would definitely be here more often for lunch! 

On a recent visit to the Mosaic District shopping center in Virginia, I decided to pop in to Sweetgreen to try their September salad, which I had heard about from their e-newsletter.  The September salad consists of "organic mesclun + shredded kale with 'true blue' maryland crab, green and red peppers, raw corn, avocado and spicy sunflower seeds; topped with a carrot chili vinaigrette".  This salad was delicious! Besides the obviously tasty crab, I loved the mix of the crunchy peppers, corn, and creamy avocado.  I really enjoyed this salad and I'm very glad I got to try it while it was available.  I look forward to seeing what they have in store for the October salad :o) 

NYC Weekend

I am off to NYC for the weekend, and I'm looking forward to spending time with friends, and hopefully hitting up a few foods stops throughout the weekend (of course)!

On my agenda so far are:

- Minamoto Kitchoan
- Cafe Zaiya
- Momofuku Milk Bar
- Ippudo Ramen
- Shake Shack - for one of their location-specific concretes, haha

Have a great weekend everyone!

Lunchtime Links for September 26th, 2013

• Kirbie's Cravings: 5 minute microwave Nutella fudge. 
• Wine & Glue: Pumpkin Nutella rolls. 
• Buzzfeed: Mindy Lahiri quotes. 
• Averie Cooks: Soft and puffy pumpkin spice honey cookies. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Brown butter pumpkin waffles. 

Pumpkin Spice M&Ms

Hellllllllooooooooooooo, Pumpkin!  These Pumpkin Spice M&Ms are currently available at Target stores only, so definitely pick up a bag if you're there and love pumpkin items.  I originally thought these would be white chocolate based, but based on other online reviews it appears they are milk chocolate M&Ms with a hint of pumpkin.  I am planning on making Picky Palate's Chocolate Pumpkin Spice M&Ms with these soon, I am sure they will be delicious! 

Lunchtime Links for September 25th, 2013

• Averie Cooks: Chocolate peanut butter mocha powerballs. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin spice dip.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Peanut butter brownie magic bars.
• Serious Eats: Spiced pumpkin chocolate chip loaf.
• How Sweet It Is: Chocolate chip cookie cheesecake parfaits.

Tarte Cosmetics Haul

Yay for new beauty products! I got a few items from the Tarte Friends and Family sale recently, and also got the oil (2nd photo) through my best friend at a discount as well.

In the top photo we have:

Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Eye Base

Amazonian Clay Creamy Powder Bronzer (with brush)

EmphasEyes High-Definition Eye Pencil

Park Avenue Bronzer + Brazilliance Self Tanner Duo

and a sample of the Double Detox Amazonian Clay Facial

And in the bottom photo we have the famous Pure Maracuja Oil

So far I have tried the eye pencil, Park Avenue bronzer (which is a long-time favorite of mine), and the Maracuja oil.  I don't normally stick with just one brand for cosmetics but I really like everything I've tried from Tarte so far. The oil is even better than I expected, it absorbs quickly, doesn't make me break out, and leaves my skin very soft.  I think it'll be even better in the dry fall/winter months! 

NJ Visit

I'm in NJ for a few days for work - hoping to pick up some cider doughnuts at Terhune Orchards if I get a chance as well! Have a great start to your week everyone!

Lunchtime Links for September 20th, 2013

• Cookies & Cups: Ritz Carlton chocolate chip cookies. 
• Averie Cooks: Salted caramel swirled-pumpkin cheesecake bars. 
• Bake at 350: Nutella chocolate chip sea salt-sprinkled cookies. 
• Oh Sweet Basil: Pot roast sandwich.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Caramel glazed pumpkin cinnamon roll muffins.

Georgetown Cupcake - Chocolate Sunshine Cupcake

What a bright and sunny cupcake to say hello to the weekend! This Chocolate Sunshine cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake was offered as a free secret flavor recently, and it's a variation of the birthday cupcakes with a bright yellow vanilla frosting.  I especially love the little rainbow sprinkles that add extra color and texture to the cupcake.  The "sunshine" frosting is normally only available through special order, so it was a nice bonus to get a cupcake on a regular day with this frosting :o) 

Lunchtime Links for September 19th, 2013

• I Heart Naptime: Brown sugar pumpkin cheesecake. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Cookies and cream cookie dough. 
• A Kitchen Addiction: Maple-cinnamon pumpkin coffee cake. 
• Bakerella: Boo and Grumpy Cat cake pops. 
• Picky Palate: Chocolate pumpkin spice M&M cookies. 

Seattle Visit - Nishino Restaurant

During my recent visit to Seattle, my parents and I got to try the omakase dinner at Nishino restaurant.  The restaurant itself is on the outskirts of what I consider to be central/downtown Seattle, tucked away into a hilly residential area. The space was pretty small but very bright and airy throughout the dining room, with an open kitchen.  All of the courses were fresh, delicious, and mostly seafood-based as you can see in the photos, which I really enjoyed. It was all beautifully presented and overall a really lovely dinner!

1: Salmon, toro, clam

2: Amaebi shrimp ceviche

3: Albacore tuna sashimi and salad

4: Miso cod, vegetables

5: Walla Walla onion, maitake mushroom, and oyster tempura

6: Arctic char and vegetables

7: Nigiri, negitoro roll, soft shell crab roll

8: Assorted mochi and fresh fruit

Nishino
3130 E. Madison
Seattle, WA 98112
206.322.5800

Lunchtime Links for September 18th, 2013

• Cookies & Cups: Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
• I Heart Naptime: Easy Oreo brownies. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Triple chocolate mousse cake. 
• Table for Two: Apple cider caramels. 
• Averie Cooks: Loaded M&M Oreo cookie bars. 

Seattle Visit - Tanakasan Restaurant

After seeing a Serious Eats post about TanakaSan in Seattle, I knew I definitely wanted to try it out the next time I was in town!  The menu seemed Asian/mostly Japanese, with a bit of a twist in the ingredients or the preparation, which I always like trying out just to see how creative some chefs can be.

To start off brunch, my mom and I got some yuzu and tea drinks and settled down with the menu.  We chose a few plates from the dim sum menu, as well as the tanakasan ramen which was more of an "entree" size compared to the others.  

The dishes were all really great - I especially liked the pork belly and corn in the ramen, and the addition of bacon to the Osaka pancake (okonomiyaki in Japan) was a welcome change, haha. The restaurant space was airy and bright, and I would love to come back again to try some other dishes - especially the twice fried chicken wings which we didn't have enough room for this time!

Part of the brunch menu

Lemongrass pork- bibb lettuce, nuoc cham, pickled daikon

Chili char squid- fragrant herbs, jicama, lime, serrano chiles

Osaka pancake- shrimp, bacon, bonito, Kewpie mayo

TanakaSan ramen- rich pork & sweet corn broth, pork belly, soft egg, black garlic butter, scallion, shiitake

TanakaSan

2121 6th Avenue

Seattle, WA 

206.812.8412

Lunchtime Links for September 17th, 2013

• Picky Palate: Candy bar crusher cookies.
• Buzzfeed: Dunkin' Donuts is the best.
• Bakeaholic Mama: Pumpkin cheesecake crack dip.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Ramen burger.
• Averie Cooks: Lofthouse-style soft peanut butter chip sugar cookies with peanut butter frosting.

Bravo TV - RHOC 100th Episode Shirt

If you follow me on Twitter, you'd quickly realize that I talk about Bravo a LOT - especially on nights that new episodes of their shows are on, haha.  It's always nice to get rewarded for my obsessive Bravo love (like with the Bravoholic account), so I was very happy when I found out I had won a "Real Housewives of Orange County" 100th episode special edition t-shirt, haha.  I initially thought it would be their "regular" OC shirt with the two oranges, but this one is a cute design with lots of sliced oranges spread out across the front of the shirt.  Thanks Bravo for the fun prize! 

Lunchtime Links for September 16th, 2013

• Averie Cooks: Fudgy brownie cookie dough ice cream sandwiches. 
• I Heart Naptime: One hour roasted chicken.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Cinnamon streusel pumpkin pancakes.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Matzo ball soup.
• Table for Two: Cookies and cream ice cream.

Wegmans - Germantown, MD Grand Opening

The Germantown, MD Wegmans opened yesterday, and of course I HAD to be there on the first day! The store was PACKED with lots of eager shoppers and the love for Wegmans was everywhere, haha.  Having a store close to work will definitely mean lots of trips there over lunch, which I am really looking forward to. 

For anyone that knows/loves Wegmans, you'll hopefully understand my excitement at meeting the man in the photo above - DANNY FREAKIN' WEGMAN, CEO!  As soon as I verified that it was him, I had to ask for a photo, as any Megafan of Wegmans would :o) Welcome to the neighborhood, Wegmans!

Lunchtime Links for September 13th, 2013

• Kirbie's Cravings: No-bake peanut butter cheesecake. 
• Averie Cooks: Softbatch cookie butter brown sugar cookies.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Arugula pasta salad. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Hot fudge pudding cake. 
• Serious Eats: Pasta with cherry tomatoes and herbed Ricotta.

Andy Cohen X Lady Gaga

This past Wednesday evening, Lady Gaga was the special guest for Bravo's Watch What Happens Live ExtravaGAGAnza, and it was AMAZING!!!

Since the link to the Watch What Happens Live video page gets updated pretty regularly, here are all of the clips I could find so far, it was such a fun show to watch!

- Favorite Costume
- Plead the Fifth
- Housewives Tagline
- Edge of Glory Hole Game
- Aftershow #1
- Aftershow #2
- Aftershow #3
- Aftershow #4

Last but not least, Lady Gaga drunkenly putting makeup on Andy is awesome, haha.

Lunchtime Links for September 12th, 2013

• Kirbie's Cravings: Individual seven-layer dip cups. 
• Picky Palate: Mango peach slushy. 
• Kevin & Amanda: Cookie dough billionaire bars. 
• Table for Two: Cold spicy peanut sesame noodles. 
• Dessert for Two: Red velvet cupcakes. 

Georgetown Cupcake - Double Milk Chocolate Birthday Cupcake

Double the chocolate, double the yum! This is Georgetown Cupcake's chocolate-tastic Double Milk Chocolate Birthday cupcake: Valrhona chocolate cupcake topped with milk chocolate buttercream frosting and rainbow baubles.  For anyone that wishes the Milk Chocolate Birthday cupcake was a little more chocolate-y, this is the cupcake for you. I love the milk chocolate frosting at Georgetown Cupcake so this was a winner in my book for sure!

Lunchtime Links for September 11th, 2013

• Kevin & Amanda: Chocolate peanut butter Nutella Oreo cookies. 
• Table for Two: Fried pickles. 
• I Heart Naptime: Homemade bread. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Microwave chocolate cupcakes. 
• Closet Cooking: Caprese chicken pesto pasta. 

Shake Shack - September Custard Calendar

Happy September everyone! As you can see, as we get into fall the flavors transition from seasonal fruits to cakes and dessert flavors, yum. I look forward to another great month of Shake Shack custards!

Monday: Salted Caramel

Tuesday: Banana Bread

Wednesday: Red Velvet

Thursday: Thin Mint

Friday: Peanut Butter & Jelly

Saturday: Coffee & Donuts

Sunday: Oatmeal Creme Pie 

It's Pumpkin Spice Latte Season!

The other day, I saw an ad on the metro by Starbucks, celebrating a decade of Pumpkin Spice Latte seasons.

TEN YEARS?! My obsession has officially entered its 10th season, according to this metro ad. Crazy!

It's still pretty warm out, but I am certain that I'm not the only one that is looking forward to tucking into a cup of creamy pumpkin goodness ASAP.  On a somewhat related note, I'm headed to the Starbucks Mothership this week so the blog will be taking a vacation as well :o)  Enjoy the start of PSL season, everyone!!