Lunchtime Links for February 29th, 2016

• Table for Two: 25-minute bacon Gnocchi with broccoli and shaved Brussels.
• The First Year Blog: Peanut butter chocolate cake.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Baked macaroni and cheese.
• Gimme Some Oven: Drunken noodles.
• Damn Delicious: Shrimp Carbonara.

Lunchtime Links for February 26th, 2016

• Crazy for Crust: Nutella crumble cake bars.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Yellow cake with chocolate frosting.
• Warm Vanilla Sugar: Espresso glazed chocolate doughnuts.
• Oh, Sweet Basil: Mini peanut butter Oreo trifles.
• Bake at 350: Yellow cake with cookie dough filling and fudge frosting.

Lunchtime Links for February 25th, 2016

• Love and Olive Oil: Double vanilla marshmallow cutouts.
• The Cozy Apron: French onion soup.
• Handle the Heat: Cream cheese stuffed chocolate cookies.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
• Picky Palate: Reese's peanut butter puffs chocolate chip cookies.

Lunchtime Links for February 19th, 2016

• Smitten Kitchen: Belgian brownie cakelets.
• Crazy for Crust: Small batch chocolate chip skillet cookie.
• Damn Delicious: Creamy chicken noodle pasta.
• Love and Olive Oil: Salted vanilla hot chocolate.
• The First Year Blog: Mini Oreo cheesecakes.

Lunchtime Links for February 18th, 2016

• Damn Delicious: Spaghetti and meatball soup.
• Crazy for Crust: Brownie pie.
• Oh, Sweet Basil: Sausage Alfredo pasta.
• Creme de la Crumb: Red velvet sandwich cookies.
• The Kitchn: Stuffed shells.

Georgetown Cupcake - Vanilla and Buttercream Cupcake

This may look like the regular Vanilla Squared cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake - but the difference in in the frosting!  This free secret flavor has the classic vanilla cake base, but instead of a cream cheese based frosting, this one is all vanilla buttercream.  Many people may associate buttercream frosting with wedding cakes or maybe grocery store cakes, but this buttercream frosting is rich without being cloying or overly thick.  Be sure to try this out if you like classic vanilla flavors! 

Lunchtime Links for February 16th, 2016

• Picky Palate: Brownie recipes.
• Damn Delicious: Roasted garlic cauliflower.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Texas sheet cake.
• My Baking Addiction: Red velvet Oreo cheesecakes.
• The First Year Blog: Valentine's day slice and bake cookies.

Seattle Visit - Fumie's Gold Mont Blanc Buche de Noel

It's been a while since Christmas, but this cake was too delicious to not share on the blog! While I was in Seattle visiting my parents for the holidays, my mom ordered this fabulous Mont Blanc Buche de Noel from Fumie's Gold in Bellevue.  We always make at least one trip to their store when I visit for all of their Japanese-style cakes which are always delicious.  

This special order cake was the perfect combination of a Mont Blanc (sweet chestnut flavor cake that's very popular in Japan) and a roll cake (also popular in Japan).  The squiggly (technical term, haha) part on the top is a very distinct Mont Blanc component, and it's a sweet chestnut paste that is so delicious! I wish that Mont Blanc cakes were more prevalent in the US - I think they would be really popular if people saw them more often in bakeries!

Lunchtime Links for February 12th, 2016

• Warm Vanilla Sugar: Peanut butter butterscotch marshmallow squares.
• Creme de la Crumb: 20 minute Beijing beef.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Triple chocolate fudge cookies.
• Cookies and Cups: Whipped cream pound cake.
• Table for Two: Peanut butter overload cookies.

Skoshbox - January Box

The January Skoshbox was filled with a great variety of sweet, sour, and even some savory snacks!  From the top left we have chocolate panda chocolate/cookies, fruit gummies, yakitori corn puffs, sugar "bread" cookies, cola-flavored soft candy, and a tongue-staining soda gum - I told you there was a lot in there, haha.  I have not had the majority of these snacks before, and it was really interesting trying each of them out.  I hope Skoshbox continues to add in lots of unique snacks in my future boxes! 

Lunchtime Links for February 11th, 2016

• The First Year Blog: Brownie bottom cheesecake bars.
• Seasons and Suppers: Poutine potato skins.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chocolate Nutella cookie bars with sea salt.
• A Spicy Perspective: Cinnamon rolls.
• Crazy for Crust: Cheesecake waffles.

Trader Joe's - Hot Chocolate Sticks

How cute are these hot chocolate sticks from Trader Joe's? As soon as I saw them on the shelf I knew I had to buy a box.  The idea is very simple - you warm up your milk, and then stir the hot chocolate stick in the mug until the chocolate melts into the milk to make a delicious hot chocolate.  

I liked that the sticks were individually wrapped - they would make a cute decoration for a gift!  You could also adjust the amount of chocolate you melt in very easily, if for some reason you didn't want to melt in all of the chocolate... haha.  I hope they bring these back again during the holidays this year! 

Lunchtime Links for February 10th, 2016

• Creme de la Crumb: Chicken Alfredo baked Penne.
• Cookies and Cups: Homemade Saulsalito cookies.
• Dine and Dish: Chocolate marshmallow s'mores cookies.
• The Kitchn: Pizza bites.
• Dessert for Two: Chocolate peanut butter hearts.

Cafe Mocha M&Ms

I have to confess- I bought these Cafe Mocha M&Ms a while ago and then planned on baking with them... then forgot about them, haha.  Finally I decided to try them out, and I loved the coffee scent and subtle flavor.  I generally like coffee-flavored chocolates and desserts, so these were right up my alley.

I always love coffee and chocolate together, so my first instinct was to mix these M&Ms into some brownies - yum! I know these look pretty much like the holiday M&Ms but there's definitely a coffee flavor throughout.  These also add some color and texture to the regular brownies, which is always a plus.  I can't wait to see what the next round of limited edition flavors are!

Lunchtime Links for February 9th, 2016

• Creme de la Crumb: Red velvet skillet cookie.
• Gimme Some Oven: Peanut butter flourless chocolate cake.
• The Kitchn: Congee rice porridge.
• Love Swah: Nutella Croffle.
• Crazy for Crust: Chocolate Creme Brulee.

Toll House Chocolate Peanut Buddy Bars

During the big East Coast blizzard that came through a few weeks ago, I wanted to make something that was easily shareable with some friends and was easy to bake.  Luckily, the back of the Toll House chocolate chips bag had the perfect recipe for me - Chocolate Peanut Buddy Bars.  I had everything needed on hand, and I love basically anything with chocolate and peanut butter combined.  

This recipe comes together really easily, and you can adapt it with any mix-ins you like - different flavor chocolate chips, nuts, candy, Nutella, whatever you feel like adding.  Of course, these big Toll house milk chocolate chips are always a good option! The official recipe included melting part of the bag of chocolate chips and spreading it over the top of the bars, but I kept it with just the chocolate chips mixed in and it was still delicious. I will definitely be making these again soon! 

Lunchtime Links for February 8th, 2016

• Crazy for Crust: Peanut butter cup gooey bars.
• Damn Delicious: Baked spaghetti and meatballs.
• I Heart Naptime: Pink velvet cupcakes.
• My Baking Addiction: Potato wedges.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Peanut butter lover's monster cookies.

Georgetown Cupcake - February Flavors

February brings us a lot of special flavors at Georgetown Cupcake - and all of them have a pink component which makes them extra festive and pretty!

Strawberry: Classic madagascar bourbon vanilla cupcake baked with fresh strawberries and topped with a fresh strawberry frosting and a fondant heart

Strawberry Lava Fudge: Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a rich fudge core topped with a strawberry icing anda fudge star drizzle

Raspberry Chocolate Chip: Classic Madagascar Bourbon vanilla cupcake baked with fresh raspberries and Callebaut chocolate chips, topped with a whipped Callebaut chocolate ganache frosting and a double heart fondant decoration

Pink Chocolate Swirl: Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a twist of whipped chocolate ganache and pink chocolate buttercream frosting

Strawberry Cheesecake: Strawberry cheesecake baked with fresh strawberries and a graham cracker crust, topped with a fresh strawberry buttercream frosting and a double heart fondant decoration

Red Velvet Swirl Cheesecake: Classic cheesecake swirled with red velvet and a graham cracker crust, topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting and a double heart fondant decoration

Valentine's Day "XO" Chocolate: Valrhona chocolate cupcake with bubblegum pink vanilla buttercream, candy nonpareils, and “XO” fondant

Valentine's Day "XO" Vanilla: Madagascar vanilla cupcake with baby pink vanilla buttercream, candy nonpareils, and “XO” fondant

Lunchtime Links for February 5th, 2016

• Two Peas and Their Pod: Pepperoni pizza rolls.
• A Spicy Perspective: 3 ingredient chocolate truffles.
• Picky Palate: Peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Cheesy Lasagna dip.
• My Baking Addiction: Birthday marshmallow cereal treats.

Georgetown Cupcake - Black & White + Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge Cupcakes

The special January flavors at Georgetown Cupcake had a very chic black and white theme, and they were all delicious! 

Black and White: Valrhona chocolate cupcake studded with white Callebaut chocolate chips and topped with a twist of Callebaut white chocolate buttercream and Callebaut chocolate whipped ganache frosting

Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge: Chocolate cupcake cored and filled with fudge and topped with a marshmallow buttercream frosting, fudge star drizzle and sparkly white fondant snowflake

I loved the thick black and white swirled frosting on the Black and White cupcake, and anyone that likes the original black and white cookies that these are based on would enjoy this cupcake version!  The Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge cupcake was also wonderful, especially the marshmallow buttercream frosting with fudge - what a delicious combo! I hope these flavors come back as free secret flavors later this year! 

Lunchtime Links for February 4th, 2016

• Kirbie's Cravings: Red velvet chocolate lava skillet cake.
• Gimme Some Oven: Chunky guacamole.
• The Pioneer Woman: Triple chocolate cookies.
• How Sweet It Is: Crunchy chicken spring rolls with blood orange dipping sauce.
• Averie Cooks: Chicken Manicotti.

Lunchtime Links for February 3rd, 2016

• My Baking Addiction: Chocolate salted caramel scotcheroos.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Wacky chocolate cake.
• The Pioneer Woman: Grilled shrimp Ceviche.
• Dessert for Two: Lofthouse sugar cookies.
• Crazy for Crust: Oreo truffle dipped strawberries.

VS Pink + Ban.do Food Gifts

While I was out shopping a few weeks ago, I noticed a pretty delicious theme to some of the items I was seeing in stores.  The shirt on the left is from VS PINK, and the bottle is by Ban.do and sold at PaperSource.  Both of these would be great as motivation to go to the gym - or to get food, whatever you think is best, haha.  I think they would also make cute gifts for anyone else that loves fries/pizza! 

Lunchtime Links for February 2nd, 2016

• Bakerella: Oreo cookie rolls.
• The Kitchn: Stir-fried beef and broccoli.
• Cookies and Cups: Banana cake.
• Damn Delicious: Chicken satay.
• Creme de la Crumb: Nutella stuffed red velvet pancakes.

Shake Shack - February Custard Calendar

It's time for another great month of custard flavors at Shake Shack, with lots of delicious options. The s'mores and malted chocolate cheesecake especially sound awesome!

02/01 - 02/07: S'mores

02/08 - 02/14: Banana Caramel

02/15 - 02/21: Golden Sponge Cake

02/22 - 02/28: Malted Chocolate Cheesecake

02/29: Coconut Tres Leches

Lunchtime Links for February 1st, 2016

• Dessert for Two: Cheesecake in a loaf pan.
• Damn Delicious: One pot taco spaghetti.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Mocha cupcakes with espresso buttercream frosting.
• Creme de la Crumb: Greek yogurt banana bread.
• Crazy for Crust: Chocolate Churro pies.