Lunchtime Links for May 22nd, 2018

• Crazy for Crust: Oreo fluff pie. 
• The Kitchn: Easy ways to use a rotisserie chicken. 
• Serious Eats: The best waffle makers. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Pesto pasta salad.
• Averie Cooks: Grilled steak Kabobs.

Lunchtime Links for May 21st, 2018

• The Kitchn: One-pot macaroni and cheese.
• SoraNews 24: Hello Kitty shinkansen (bullet train). 
• Serious Eats: Chocolate skillet cake. 
• Oh Sweet Basil: Smothered honey lime chicken burritos.
• Kirbie's Cravings: 3 ingredient flourless Nutella brownie mug cake.

The Baked Bear - North Bethesda's Grand Opening

This past Saturday was the grand opening of a branch of The Baked Bear ice cream sandwich shop, located way too close to my home!  They had a great opening party with the first 300 customers receiving a free ice cream sandwich, and lots of people came out to celebrate even in the crappy weather.

One of the owners was chatting with people in line, and passed out their menu so we could try to make the very difficult decision of what to order!  For the grand opening there were no doughnuts or brownies, but there were still plenty of cookie options to choose from for the ice cream sandwiches.  I love that you can pick 2 different sandwich "halves" for a wide variety of combinations.  You never have to decide between two cookie flavors, or even a cookie and brownie!

For my free ice cream sandwich, I decided on a chocolate chip cookie, red velvet cookie, Bear Batter (blue cake batter ice cream with fudge and brownie chunks), and mini M&Ms - so decadent and delicious!  The Bear Batter ice cream is definitely one of the most "Instagrammable" flavors with the bright blue color, haha.  They definitely don't skimp on the amount of ice cream you get either, so there's a lot of ice cream to go with the cookies. I love that they offer a "hot pressed" step, to get the cookies warmed up just enough to soften up with the ice cream - so good!  I also want to note that the cookies are available for purchase on their own, which is a great options for gifts and parties when you're not really up for baking.

With summer around the corner, it's the perfect time for The Baked Bear to open up - and for me to see how many different combinations of the ice cream sandwiches I can enjoy!


The Baked Bear
929 Rose Avenue #404
North Bethesda, MD 20852

Lunchtime Links for May 18th, 2018

• The Kitchn: Garlic herb steak and potatoes. 
• Averie Cooks: No-bake Tiramisu.
• Seasons and Suppers: Herb Focaccia rolls. 
• Apartment Therapy: 30 home-refreshing ideas. 
• Cookies and Cups: Melt in your mouth chicken.

Kristin Ess at Target

Has anyone else tried the Kristin Ess haircare line at Target?  I picked up this travel set when it was on sale after Christmas, and I keep meaning to try out the rest of the products sometime soon.  The Signature shampoo and conditioner that I tried out was lightweight and didn't feel like it was weighing my hair down.  The rose gold temporary tint spray sounds awesome and looks really fun on social media posts I've seen, but unfortunately I wouldn't get anything out of that with my dark hair. 

On a more superficial note, I love the packaging of her products, especially the soft matte feel of the bottles and tubes.  That might sound totally random, but seriously - go check them out on your next Target trip.  I always love trying out new hair products, and the "Spend $20, get a $5 Target gift card" deal on beauty products this week might be just the incentive I need. :o)

Lunchtime Links for May 17th, 2018

• Kirbie's Cravings: Sheet pan honey garlic chicken.
• The First Year Blog: Reese's magic bars.
• Creme de la Crumb: Creamy macaroni and cheese.
• Handle the Heat: Coffee brownie ice cream sandwiches. 
• Damn Delicious: Honey BBQ chicken kabobs. 

Lunchtime Links for May 16th, 2018

• I Heart Naptime: Double chocolate chip pudding cookies.
• Cookies and Cups: Sprinkle refrigerator cookies.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Shortcut chicken Parmesan.
• Crazy for Crust: Unicorn cupcakes.
• Serious Eats: Lettuce wraps with sweet-spicy chicken meatballs.

Target - Summer Items

Like many Target fans, I love checking out the seasonal section whenever the new setup is completed - there's always so much new and fun things to look at!  On a recent visit, I saw that there were a lot of summer pool/BBQ related items in tons of cute designs.  Whether you "need" new summer items or not, I suggest checking out this section on your next trip to Target, haha! 

 

BBQ themed food containers - I believe these were a set of 3 nesting bowls, each with a different BBQ design.

 

Lots of cute beach towels, like this pink ice cream cone design - perfect for the beach or pool!

Lunchtime Links for May 15th, 2018

• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chocolate cake. 
• Gimme Some Oven: Tahini dip.
• Serious Eats: Airy and light Chiffon cake.
• Creme de la Crumb: Quick steak marinade.
• The Kitchn: Baked Ziti.

Lunchtime Links for May 14th, 2018

• Cookies and Cups: Bakery cookies to order online.
• Table for Two: Quick basic chopped salad.
• Averie Cooks: Fudge ripple brownies.
• Crazy for Crust: Pink Mimosa punch.
• How Sweet Eats: Shaved egg avocado toast.

Spring Limited Edition Oreo Flavors

I noticed this setup in Target a few weeks ago, and I'm not quite sure what to make of these flavors, haha.  We all know that I'm a huge fan of limited edition items, but I'm having trouble getting behind any of these My Oreo Creation contest flavors.  From left to right we have Pina Colada, Cherry Cola, and Kettle Corn. It probably doesn't help that these three flavors happen to be things I don't really like much to begin with.  The only one I'd consider maybe trying is Kettle Corn?, possibly.  For the future flavors, I'd love to see Oreo go back to the bakery/sweets-themed because I feel like those usually fare the best in the Oreo format. 

That being said, if you do like any of these three flavors or are curious enough to try them, be sure to enter the My Oreo Creation contest to vote on your favorite here!

Lunchtime Links for May 11th, 2018

• The Kitchn: Healthy pasta recipes.
• I Heart Naptime: Homemade biscuits.  
• Damn Delicious: Creamy Chorizo Queso dip. 
• Oh Sweet Basil: Tuxedo brownie cups.
• Dessert for Two: Chocolate graham crackers.

Georgetown Cupcake - Milk Chocolate Rainbow

 

This secret flavor from Georgetown Cupcake contains two of my favorites - the milk chocolate frosting and sprinkle cake! 

The fluffy milk chocolate frosting is one of my favorites at Georgetown Cupcake, and anyone that likes chocolate will like this lighter chocolate version.  The rainbow cake is full of little colorful sprinkles throughout the vanilla cake - so good! I hope they bring this combination back for a secret flavor, or on the regular menu! 

Lunchtime Links for May 10th, 2018

• Joy the Baker: Frozen Moscow Mules.
• The Kitchn: Tofu recipes.
• Creme de la Crumb: Pesto chicken pasta salad.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Restaurant style salsa. 
• The First Year Blog: Baked vanilla donuts.

Lunchtime Links for May 9th, 2018

• Cookies and Cups: Homemade Nutter Butters.
• The Kitchn: 15 one-bowl treats.
• Averie Cooks: Grilled Tandoori chicken.
• A Kitchen Addiction: Caprese corn Tortellini salad.
• The Pioneer Woman: Chicken Fajita salad bowls.

Lunchtime Links for May 8th, 2018

• Seasons and Suppers: Rosemary olive oil smashed potatoes. 
• The Kitchn: One-pot cheesy taco pasta.
• Crazy for Crust: Yellow cake recipe.
• Bake at 350: Chocolate Streusel muffins.
• Damn Delicious: Building a salsa bar.

Lunchtime Links for May 7th, 2018

• Gimme Some Oven: Easy Elote dip.
• The Cozy Apron: Mongolian beef. 
• The Kitchn: Chicken and pasta recipes.
• I Heart Naptime: Pesto chicken salad.
• Oh Sweet Basil: S'mores chocolate chip cookies. 

Pike & Rose - Pike Central Farm Market and Owen's Ordinary Brunch

One of the most exciting things about moving into my condo has been seeing the nearby Pike & Rose area get built up with more stores and restaurants.  Having the area a short walk away has been very convenient and a little dangerous money wise, haha.  When I received an offer to write a post about the Pike & Rose area, specifically the Pike Central Farm Market and brunch at Owen's Ordinary, I was excited to check out both!

I've been to the Pike Central Farm Market in the past, but since I was not in town last weekend when it started up again for the season, I was looking forward to checking out which vendors are here this year.  My friend K and I took a lap around the market to see what was available. 

 Toigo Orchards had lots of different tomatoes for sale as well as other fruits and vegetables- on this visit I picked up their organic cucumbers.

No. 1 Sons had lots of samples and told us about their methods of reducing waste and using ingredients to their fullest for their products.  One example is the Kombucha, which uses the ginger remnants left from the ones used for pickling.  I bought a container of the apple cider dill daikon, which is super tart and crunchy!

Westmoreland Produce had lots of fresh flowers and herbs, and these patio tomato plants looked like the perfect size for people with balconies!

The Farm Market Bakery had a delicious-looking lineup of breads - the sourdough might be on the list for my next visit.

The iced coffee from Zeke's has been a favorite of mine for a while - even without any cream or sweeteners, it's delicious and not bitter at all.

After the farm market we walked over to Owen's Ordinary for brunch.  They have a nice beer garden-type outdoor dining area that is mostly covered, so even when it started to rain a little bit it wasn't an issue.

Beer Garden Menu  

Brunch Menu 

 

I ordered the Fried Chicken and Bacon Cheddar Waffle with Chili-spiced Maple Syrup, and K ordered The Californian Benedict with Multigrain Bread, Avocado and Feta Mousse, Sunflower Seeds, Arugula, and House made Home Fries. We split both dishes, and it was great combination of something healthy (ish?) and definitely not healthy, haha.  First off, the bacon cheddar waffle was delicious! I would definitely want to replicate this flavor at home with my waffle maker.  We also appreciated that it was a boneless piece of fried chicken which was easy to share, and was seasoned well too.  The avocado toast was also easy to share with two poached eggs on top of the creamy avocado and Feta mousse, and the arugula added some nice peppery flavor.  We enjoyed everything on both dishes, and I want to come back to try some other brunch items soon!

After brunch, we walked around most of Pike & Rose, and browsed in a few stores like Sur La Table, REI, and Scout & Molly's.  It's nice to be able to have a variety of stores in one area, especially when the weather is nice and I can take a long walk around the neighborhood.  I can't wait for some of the other stores to open, especially Jinya Ramen, Uniqlo, and Baked Bear - even more delicious foods to try and things to check out!

Pike & Rose
11580 Old Georgetown Road
North Bethesda, MD 20852

Owen's Ordinary
11820 Trade Street
North Bethesda, MD 20852

Note: My brunch order was complimentary as part of writing this blog post.  The rest of brunch and my farm market purchases were purchased separately, and I was not paid for this blog post.

Lunchtime Links for May 4th, 2018

• Creme de la Crumb: Chipotle shrimp Tostadas.
• The First Year Blog: No bake M&M pie. 
• Cookies and Cups: Cream cheese Alfredo sauce. 
• A Spicy Perspective: Quick-seared Carne Asada.
• Bakerella: Double chocolate Nutella cookies.

Lunchtime Links for May 3rd, 2018

• The Cozy Apron: Caprese garlic toast. 
• Seasons and Suppers: Tunnel of fudge pound cake. 
• Damn Delicious: One pot creamy chicken Alfredo.
• The Kitchn: 10 everyday cake recipes. 
• Crazy for Crust: Peanut butter bars.