Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 30th, 2014


T.Hanks Cards



I've seen these T.Hanks thank you cards a few times at PaperSource, and I finally just went for it and bought a pack, haha.  They make me chuckle every time I see them, and they're just the right amount of fun humor in a card.  I wonder if Mr. Hanks has ever used these himself for thank you cards? I certainly hope so, haha. 

Monday, September 29, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 29th, 2014


National Coffee Day

Happy National Coffee Day everyone!

Today, everyone can get a free cup of coffee from both Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts! At Krispy Kreme you can get a free small coffee, and a free medium dark roast coffee at Dunkin Donuts.  Why not grab a coffee for yourself and a friend, or take this chance to do a coffee taste test of the two different brands, haha.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 26th, 2014


Salted Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies



Yum, peanut butter and chocolate is always a winning combination! 

I took this Table for Two recipe for salted chocolate chip cookies and added peanut butter chips to make these fantastic cookies you see above.  I never really measure chocolate chips in the baked goods I make, so there's always a chance that the dough won't come together as well due to too many "things" inside.  However this was not the case at all, there was a great balance of flavors between the chocolate and peanut butter chips.  The salt sprinkled on top of each cookie definitely adds some depth, and is a great little touch to make these cookies special.  I highly recommend this cookie recipe!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 25th, 2014


Oreo Creme Chips Ahoy Cookies



I saw these hybrid Chips Ahoy!/Oreo cookies at Wegmans recently, and of course I picked up a pack!  This flavor was displayed alongside other filled cookies, including the ice cream parlor flavors, so I have a feeling Nabisco brought all of these out around the same time.  




It's a little hard to see the Oreo creme filling, but there's a nice even layer of it in the middle of the cookie.  Given that it's a chewy cookie x creme filling, the whole cookie is very soft and doesn't have much in the way of texture.  In terms of flavor though, if you're a fan of the Oreo filling, you will definitely enjoy this different take on a traditional Oreo cookie! 

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 24th, 2014


Shake Shack - Malted Marshmallow Milk Chocolate Custard



I've never really loved or hated malt in my sweets, but I figured that this Malted Marshmallow Milk Chocolate custard from Shake Shack would be delicious with all of the other components included either way, haha.  

As expected, the milk chocolate was the star of this custard, with liberally blended in chunks of milk chocolate throughout the cup.  As far as I know, malt makes things thicker (at least in shakes)? I didn't really notice too much of a difference with this custard, but I did think it tasted different than their regular vanilla custard.  The marshmallow flavor didn't stand out as much, but I was more than happy with the amount of milk chocolate in the custard to make up for it :o) 


Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 23rd, 2014


Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups - Averie Cooks



Peanut butter and chocolate is always a good idea- and these cookie cups are no exception! Averie Cooks is a great blog with so many delicious looking recipes, and this one for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups was a great one!

I made these in regular muffin tins, but these would be excellent in mini muffin tins for smaller cookie cup bites as well.  It's also an easy recipe to replace the add-in ingredients, like nuts, different types of chocolate, or other items you prefer.  These are a quick and easy way to get a delicious peanut butter and chocolate fix!


Monday, September 22, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 22nd, 2014


Georgetown Cupcake - Double Butterscotch Chip Cupcake



I've never really specifically ordered butterscotch sweets, but I have enjoyed all of the Georgetown Cupcake flavors that include butterscotch so far.  This Double Butterscotch Chip cupcake was no exception; I really enjoyed how many different ways that butterscotch was included!

Starting from the top, there's a layer of butterscotch swirled on top, then a creamy butterscotch frosting, and finally cake with butterscotch chips liberally mixed throughout.  Clearly this cupcake is very sweet, but the butterscotch flavor wasn't completely overwhelming like you might expect.  I hope they bring this flavor back again soon! 

Friday, September 19, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 19th, 2014


Krispy Kreme x Talk Like a Pirate Day

If you're a fan of pirates and/or Krispy Kreme, there's a fun promotion going on today for Talk Like a Pirate Day. Here are the details from the Krispy Kreme Facebook page:

To claim yer bounty on September 19, ye must:
• Come in to a participating Krispy Kreme shop and Talk like a pirate for one FREE Original Glazed doughnut.
• Come in to a participating Krispy Kreme location in full pirate costume for one FREE dozen Original Glazed doughnuts. Qualifying pirate costumes must include three or more of the following items: 

• Eye Patch
• Pira
te Hat
• Bandana
• Peg Leg
• Parrot on Shoulder
• Pirate Shirt / Loose white shirt
• Knickers
• Leather Belt
• Silver and gold necklaces and earrings
• Pirate Hook
• Pointy black boots or ragged brown sandals


If you have an old Halloween pirate costume lying around and feel like snagging a dozen free doughnuts- be sure to head to Krispy Kreme, haha! 

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 18th, 2014


Macaron Bee Macarons



I've been to Georgetown countless times, but I had never ventured over to Macaron Bee until within this past year - what a cute little shop! It's tiny but packs tons of pretty little macarons to choose from.  
From left to right, we have Vanilla Bean, Matcha, and Fleur del sel Caramel - yum! I love green tea sweets though, so the Matcha was a close winner in my book - I especially loved the little sprinkle of matcha powder on top, so pretty.  I hope to go back in the fall/winter and see what their seasonal flavors are during that time of the year :o)


Macaron Bee
1669 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20007


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 17th, 2014


Georgetown Cupcake - Chocolate - Dipped Cookies & Creme Cupcake



Anything "cookies and creme" is already a winner in my book, so I knew that this free secret Chocolate-dipped Cookies & Creme Georgetown Cupcake cupcake would be delicious!  The fantastic cookies and creme cake is coated with a glossy chocolate ganache.  This was perfect with a glass of milk, and I know that anyone that likes Oreos would love this cupcake flavor.  I hope it makes an appearance again soon! 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 16th, 2014


Kinoko no Yama - Matcha Milk Biscuits



Ever since I was little, I have loved the Kinoko no Yama  chocolate cookies - probably the only time I've liked mushrooms, haha.  They are normally little biscuit stems with a milk chocolate mushroom cap.  This variation has the same biscuit stem, but with a layer of matcha (green tea) and milk (white chocolate) as the cap.  

These are sooooooooooooo good.  I'm a huge fan of green tea flavored sweets in general, and these were the perfect poppable bites of chocolate and biscuit.  The crispy stem is the perfect amount of texture for the smooth chocolate caps.  It's really hard to not eat the whole box in one sitting, haha.  I bought these at a Japanese market a while back and haven't seen them since - I hope I can find them again! 

Monday, September 15, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 15th, 2014


BluePrint Green Juice



These BluePrint juices aren't new, but I have been enjoying them for a while now so I figured I would post about them.  They aren't cheap, but on occasion Whole Foods has had sales on them, and I always make sure to take advantage.  These specific juices were being sampled at Wegmans, and they had a great coupon for these as part of the promotion.  

Don't let the color deter you - I find these juices refreshing and really easy to drink.  Now, I've never had these as part of a real cleanse, but I do like drinking them after a heavy meal or as a healthy refreshing drink.  Be sure to try the other juice combinations as well!

Friday, September 12, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 12th, 2014


Jif Cereal



Novelty cereal + peanut butter? Count me in!  Of course, having a coupon for the item helps persuade me to try this out too, haha.  

They definitely didn't skimp on the peanut butter flavor, you can smell it right when you open the bag.  The little pillows (they actually remind me of the square doughnuts at Doughnut Plant haha) are full of peanut butter flavor and more of a light crisp texture than crunchy.  I certainly wouldn't recommend eating this ALL the time for breakfast, but hey, we're all adults here so do what you want, I won't judge. 

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 11th, 2014


Shake Shack - Chocolate Toffee Coffee Custard



The first thing that I noticed about this Chocolate Toffee Coffee custard from Shake Shack is how fun the name is, haha.  Keep repeating "Chocolate Toffee Coffee" and it turns into a jingle, or maybe that's just me.  Anyway this custard flavor did not disappoint, as the rich chocolate custard was the base flavor.  There were little bits of toffee throughout, and while I didn't get a punch of coffee in every bite, it was definitely recognizable throughout the cup.  Mmm, delicious! 

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 10th, 2014


Lindt - Cookies & Cream Bar



If you frequent Target like I do, you may have noticed a nice little display of these Lindt chocolate bars.  They are a part of the Lindt "Hello" collection, and as you can see there's quite a variety of flavors to choose from.  I have to admit the packaging is about 80% of the reason why I bought this - the designs are super cute and definitely catch your eye when walking down the aisle.

I picked the Cookies & Cream one because I love Oreos, and I am a fan of white chocolate as well.  Inside the milk chocolate shell, there's a cream filling with pieces of crunchy chocolate cookies throughout.  Since the bar is sectioned off into squares, it's nice for sharing with friends or co-workers as well.  I bought this one a while back when it was on sale, but they may go back on sale again soon! 

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 9th, 2014


Target- Doughnut Sweater



As soon as I saw this doughnut sweater on the rack at Target, I stopped right there in my tracks to check it out, haha.  It's a lightweight, soft grey sweater with a GIANT PINK SPRINKLE DOUGHNUT ON IT.  There are a few other cute designs in this same style, but of course I think this one is the cutest.  If you're in the market for some new doughnut goods for fall, definitely check this one out at Target! 


Monday, September 8, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 8th, 2014


Georgetown Cupcake - Chocolate Dipped Raspberry Cupcake



For a while now, Georgetown Cupcake offered a series of "Chocolate dipped ____" as their free secret flavors, and it was fun to see how many variations they could successfully come up with.  This one was a Chocolate Dipped Raspberry cupcake, with fresh raspberries in vanilla cake, topped with a thin layer of chocolate ganache.  The cake was studded with lots of fresh raspberry chunks, and it was very pretty to look at.  Anyone that loves fruit and chocolate would love this! 

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 3rd, 2014


Shake Shack - September Custard Calendar

Monday: Salted Caramel
Tuesday: Banana Bread
Wednesday: Red Velvet
Thursday: Peanut Butter & Concord Grape Jelly
Friday: Chocolate Mint Fudge
Saturday: Coffee & Donuts
Sunday: Golden Sponge Creme Cake

I'm a little surprised that there isn't an apple or pumpkin flavor for September, but maybe those will kick in come October. I'm always happy to see Red Velvet and Coffee & Donuts make a return on the menu, and most of these sound delicious!

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Lunchtime Links for September 2nd, 2014


Georgetown Cupcake - September Flavors

Happy September, everyone!

Georgetown Cupcake has two Caramel flavors that are the special flavors for this month:

- Caramel AppleFresh apple cupcake with a caramel core topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting and a caramel star drizzle

- Caramel Cheesecake: Caramel cheesecake topped with a caramel frosting and caramel star drizzle

Georgetown Cupcake's caramel cupcakes are always delicious, and I cannot wait to try another new cheesecake flavor!