Lunchtime Links for August 30th, 2018

• The Kitchn: Mexican street corn pasta salad.
• Averie Cooks: Grilled Pepperoni pizza. 
• The Cozy Apron: Corn chowder.
• Table for Two: Dark chocolate mug cake.
• Dessert for Two: Small batch dinner rolls.

Lunchtime Links for August 29th, 2018

• The Kitchn: Leftover chicken recipes.
• Bake at 350: Salted caramels.
• Steamy Kitchen: Thai chicken coconut soup.
• Creme de la Crumb: Bacon avocado potato salad.
• Seasons and Suppers: Balsamic pork tenderloin and peach salad.

Home Goods - Rae Dunn Ramen Bowl

I am (surprisingly) pretty good about only "window shopping" at HomeGoods, but I just couldn't resist getting this Rae Dunn "Ramen" bowl on my recent visit! I have two other "word" bowls from her, but of course I had to get this one in honor of one of my favorite foods.  I have a feeling that the "Ramen" and "Cereal" (bottom of the stack) are likely for college students, but it's still a cute and useful item for anyone that is a fan of these foods!

Lunchtime Links for August 28th, 2018

• My Baking Addiction: Pumpkin roll recipe.
• The Kitchn: 10 creamy chicken dinners.
• Damn Delicious: Shrimp Scampi Gnocchi.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Tomato and avocado salad.
• Picky Palate: Peanut butter s'mores toast.

Lunchtime Links for August 27th, 2018

• The Cozy Apron: Panzanella.
• Averie Cooks: Mini chocolate chip cookies.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Nutella stuffed peanut butter banana muffins.
• Crazy for Crust: Pumpkin coffee cake.
• The Pioneer Woman: Caramel Macchiato cupcakes.

Wegmans - Pumpkin Cold Brew

In my opinion, the time to celebrate pumpkin and pumpkin spice foods can't come soon enough since Fall always feels so short!  I was happy to see this sign for a pumpkin cold brew coffee at Wegmans yesterday because it's the perfect combination of pumpkin spice flavor + cold drink on a hot day.  Cold brew coffees are also delicious because some regular iced coffees can taste very bitter to me, and cold brew coffee is much smoother.  I am looking forward to trying lots more pumpkin goodies as we actually get into Fall!

Lunchtime Links for August 24th, 2018

• The Pioneer Woman: Chicken Caprese salad.
• My Baking Addiction: 10 no-bake desserts.
• The Kitchn: Big-batch recipes for lunch.
• Crazy for Crust: Chocolate chip banana bread.
• A Spicy Perspective: Chocoflan impossible cake.

Lunchtime Links for August 23rd, 2018

• Gimme Some Oven: Ultra crispy baked chicken nuggets.
• The Kitchn: Chipotle shrimp Cobb salad. 
• How Sweet Eats: Skirt steak with avocado pesto and grilled corn relish. 
• Damn Delicious: Black pepper cheddar bacon biscuits.
• Seasons and Suppers: Heirloom cherry tomato salad with garlic confit toast.

Lunchtime Links for August 22nd, 2018

• The Kitchn: Flaky pie crust.
• The Cozy Apron: Hash brown potato cakes.
• Crazy for Crust: Apple crumble bars.
• Averie Cooks: Skinny Italian chicken pasta salad.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: No-bake cookies.

Baked Bear - Sea Salt S'more Cookie

Some of my old co-workers took me out to dinner and dessert at Baked Bear last week, and it was the perfect time to try out the new cookie flavor - Sea Salt S'more! 

 

I got the cookie as part of a sundae - which consists of ice cream, one cookie, and toppings.  I got the Sea Salt S'mores cookie, cookies and cream ice cream, and fudge topping. 

As you can see, the cookie had plenty of sea salt, which balances out the sweetness of the rest of the cup, haha.  The cookie itself felt much softer and thinner than their other cookies, but I think that may be due to the use of marshmallows in the dough, which I've also seen before when I've made cookies like this.  The important thing is that it tasted good, and I'm glad I had a chance to try the limited edition cookie!  

Lunchtime Links for August 21st, 2018

• A Spicy Perspective: Crispy no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars.
• The Kitchn: Creamy garlic butter Tuscan shrimp.
• Averie Cooks: Frosted soft sugar cookies.
• Dessert for Two: French toast for two.
• Smitten Kitchen: Layered mocha cheesecake.

Lunchtime Links for August 20th, 2018

• Apartment Therapy: DIY doormat ideas.
• The Kitchn: Pasta ideas for lunch boxes. 
• Serious Eats: Buttery clams with burst tomatoes.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Chocolate cake.
• Table for Two: Grilled Asian marinated flat iron steak.

Sunday Morning Bakehouse - Cinnamon Sugar Brioche Doughnut

I have quickly become a big fan of Sunday Morning Bakehouse's treats that are available at the Pike Central Farm market, and my recent favorite is the cinnamon sugar Brioche doughnut! 

The doughnuts are available in the cinnamon sugar version, as well a homemade jam-filled version.

I love that these are sold in paper cups to make it easier to hold while taking it home and when you're eating!

The doughnut manages to be super light and rich at the same time.  Which might sound like a bad thing, but it's literally like biting into a cinnamon sugar pillow, haha.  You're definitely getting the satisfaction of a decadent doughnut, but without a heavy feel.  It's hard to explain it clearly, but I can tell you that it's super delicious!  I look forward to enjoying more of their treats in addition to this doughnut! 

Lunchtime Links for August 17th, 2018

• The Kitchn: Tuscan Tortellini.
• Crazy for Crust: DIY pumpkin pie spice. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Crispy salt and pepper tofu.
• Handle the Heat: Brown butter coffee cake.
• The Cozy Apron: Steak salad.

HomeGoods - Weekend Notebook

I always make a point to walk through the stationery and office-related sections in HomeGoods, especially this time of year when they are really pushing the "back to school" items.  I found this cute pink notebook with the planners and journals on sale for $4.99, and it's a super cute options for school or work notes.  If you're in the market for office or school supplies in lots of cute designs, be sure to check out what's at your local HomeGoods.  Maybe if you buy this notebook, one of these weekends it'll finally come true, haha! 

Lunchtime Links for August 15th, 2018

• Seasons and Suppers: Tacos al Pastor.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Chocolate frosting. 
• The Kitchn: Corn casserole. 
• Serious Eats: Grilled steak recipes.
• Dessert for Two: Chocolate banana muffins.

Georgetown Cupcake - Strawberry Sundae + Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

 

I am loving all of the summery and cute Georgetown Cupcake flavors this month - so much pink! These are the Strawberry Sundae and Strawberry Lemonade cupcakes, which are both on the August special flavors list.  

 Strawberry Sundae: Strawberry cupcake with a fudge core topped with a strawberry buttercream frosting, fudge star drizzle, rainbow nonpareils, hazelnuts, and a waffle cookie wedge.  

 

Strawberry Lemonade: Fresh strawberry and lemon cupcake, topped with a strawberry buttercream frosting, hot pink sparkling sanding sugar, and a candied lemon wedge.
 

Georgetown Cupcake's strawberry frosting is so fluffy and delicious - definitely one of my favorite frostings of theirs!  The Strawberry Sundae has a lot going on especially up top, but it's perfect for anyone that loves ice cream sundae flavors.  The little waffle cookie wedge on top is super cute too! The Strawberry Lemonade really does have a strong lemon flavor, and I love the little details like the mini lemon wedge.  It's a nice option for people that don't like traditional (like chocolate) cupcake flavors!

Lunchtime Links for August 14th, 2018

• Apartment Therapy: French Bulldog cafe in London.
• Averie Cooks: Chicken avocado black bean salad.
• Bakerella: Dark chocolate chip truffle cookies. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Cobb salad.
• Cookies and Cups: Triple chip pudding cookies.

Lunchtime Links for August 13th, 2018

• Averie Cooks: White chocolate sheet cake.
• Dessert for Two: Honey garlic chicken thighs. 
• Smitten Kitchen: Focaccia sandwiches. 
• Damn Delicious: Asian chicken salad.
• The Cozy Apron: Guacamole.

HomeGoods - Fall Candles

While I am fully aware that it's still August/summer, I can't help but feel excited for Fall when I see all of the fun seasonal items pop up in HomeGoods! These DW Home candles have a very cute seasonal design, and smell really good and true to the label, haha.  The Pumpkin Latte one especially had a very strong coffee note which I really liked, since coffee scented candles are one of my favorites.  These large candles were priced at $14.99, but I wound up getting the smaller version of the Pumpkin Latte candle for $9.99.  If you're starting to look for some cute Fall decor to bring out in a few weeks, be sure to stop in to HomeGoods because they're starting to roll out more and more items as we get closer to Fall! 

Lunchtime Links for August 10th, 2018

• The Kitchn: Krispy Kreme's Reese's Outrageous doughnut.
• Love and Olive Oil: Chicken Caesar salad pitas. 
• Crazy for Crust: Easy baked Churros.
• I Heart Naptime: Vanilla ice cream with Reese's. 
• Handle the Heat: Chocolate dipped shortbread cookies.

Sugarfina - Birthday Reward

I recently went to Sugarfina to ask about my Sugarfina Rewards birthday gift that I received an e-mail about.  I was very happy to see that the member reward really was any 3 piece Bento box with my choice of cubes!  After spending a fair amount of time looking through all the different flavors, I decided to go with the Island Pineapples, Peanut Butter Peanuts, and Pink Flamingos.  I just couldn't resist the cute summery designs of the pineapples and flamingos, and of course I love anything with peanut butter!  If you're a fan of sweets and candies, the free rewards program is definitely worth checking out, especially for great benefits like this one!

Lunchtime Links for August 9th, 2018

• Handle the Heat: Caramel brownie cheesecake.
• SoraNews 24: Starbucks' Matcha S'more Frappuccino.
• Gimme Some Oven: Cold sesame peanut noodles. 
• The Kitchn: Summer tomato recipes.
• Seasons and Suppers: Peach crisp buttermilk cake.

Lunchtime Links for August 8th, 2018

• The Kitchn: Healthy lunch ideas for work.
• Damn Delicious: BBQ roasted chicken.
• The Impulsive Buy: Krispy Kreme Reese's Outrageous Doughnut.
• Serious Eats: The best Santoku knives.
• The Cozy Apron: General Tso's chicken tacos.

Pike and Rose - Jinya Ramen Bar

The moment I found out that a Jinya Ramen Bar would be opening up in the Pike and Rose area, I was pretty much counting down the days until they announced their grand opening, haha.  I have been to other Jinya restaurants a bunch of times - mostly in the Seattle area, but there are also other locations near here in DC and VA - and have always enjoyed their ramen.  This location officially opened yesterday on the 6th, but I had the chance to try it out with my friend C and other local ramen fans at the preview event the night before!

 

I like the setup of the outdoor dining space - especially this large communal table with a fire pit in the center.

The preview event definitely made sure that no one left hungry - there were lots of passed appetizers and mini bowls of ramen throughout the night!

One of my favorite bites are the Takoyaki, which consists of a soft flour-based batter with tender pieces of octopus as the main ingredient.  The octopus was super tender in every bite.

The mini wonton tacos with salmon poke (above) and spicy tuna (not shown, but definitely enjoyed, haha) were also delicious.

The place filled up pretty quickly once the event got started.  I really liked the exposed lighting and upside down planters, which looked really nice above the bar/communal high top tables!

The crispy chicken (karaage) appetizer was seasoned really well and very crispy on the outside without being dry on the inside.  It's one of my favorite Japanese foods, and this one did not disappoint.


And now to the main event - the ramen!  They served a number of mini bowls so we could try out the different flavors.  I love that they did this, so we could really get a good taste of the chicken, vegan, and pork broths, the thin/thick noodles, and the various toppings.

 

 Chicken Ramen

 Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen

Tonkotsu Black Ramen

Judging from the preview event crowd, the neighborhood is definitely excited to have a new ramen restaurant in the area!

Jinya Ramen Bar

Pike & Rose

910 Prose Street

North Bethesda, MD 20852

Lunchtime Links for August 7th, 2018

• I Heart Naptime: Mediterranean salad.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Homemade peanut butter cups. 
• Sora News 24: Peanuts hotel in Japan. 
• Smitten Kitchen: Minimalist barbecue sauce.
• Dessert for Two: Orzo pasta salad with Feta.

Lunchtime Links for August 6th, 2018

• I Heart Naptime: BBQ chicken salad.
• The Kitchn: 2 ingredient sweet potato pancakes. 
• A Spicy Perspective: Sesame chicken burgers.
• The First Year Blog: Reese's Pieces peanut butter cookies. 
• Averie Cooks: Grilled honey lemon butter salmon.

Bon Matcha - Honeydew Melon Soft Serve

I really enjoyed the cherry blossom soft serve at Bon Matcha back in the spring, so I was happy to be able to try out a new seasonal flavor this past weekend when I was in the area.  Also, it was the perfect timing since I was using my Paper Source soft serve tote that day, haha!

The current seasonal flavor is Honeydew Melon, so I got that swirled with their Matcha flavor.  Love that perfect soft serve swirl! 

The Honeydew Melon flavor was like biting into a super ripe and sweet melon- they did a really great job with this flavor.  I was pleasantly surprised because I was wondering if it would really taste like the real fruit, or more like artificial candy.  This was the perfect treat on a hot summer day! 

Lunchtime Links for August 3rd, 2018

• The Kitchn: Saucy chili-garlic cucumber noodles.
• Crazy for Crust: Banana pudding cake.
• Gimme Some Oven: Cajun corn chowder. 
• Apartment Therapy: Lunch boxes. 
• The Live-In Kitchen: Burrata with tomatoes, pesto, and toast.

Georgetown Cupcake - August Flavors

A new month means a new limited edition set of flavors at Georgetown Cupcake - and August's lineup looks so fun!  I'm especially loving the ice cream themed cupcakes - too cute!

- Blueberry Cheesecake: Blueberry cheesecake cupcake with a graham cracker crust, topped with a vanilla frosting and a blue fondant flower.

- Butterscotch Waffle Cone: Butterscotch cupcake with a butterscotch core, topped with a butterscotch buttercream frosting, butterscotch drizzle, hazelnuts, rainbow sprinkles, and a waffle wedge.

- Strawberry Lemonade: Fresh strawberry and lemon cupcake, topped with a strawberry buttercream frosting, hot pink sparkling sanding sugar, and a candied lemon wedge.

- Strawberry Sundae: Strawberry cupcake with a fudge core topped with a strawberry buttercream frosting, fudge star drizzle, rainbow nonpareils, hazelnuts, and a waffle cookie wedge.

- Key Lime Cheesecake: Key lime cheesecake cupcake with a graham cracker crust, topped with a key lime frosting and a candied lime.

- Mermaid Vanilla: Vanilla cupcake infused with sparkling blue sanding sugar, topped with baby blue vanilla buttercream frosting, sparkling blue sanding sugar and a green fondant mermaid tail.

- Banana Split: Banana cupcake with a rich fudge core topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting, a fudge drizzle, hazelnuts, rainbow sprinkles, and a maraschino cherry.

- Confetti Cone: Madagascar vanilla cupcake infused with rainbow candy nonpareils, and topped with a bright bubblegum pink vanilla buttercream frosting, rainbow jimmies, and a white fondant ice cream cone.

Lunchtime Links for August 2nd, 2018

• Dessert for Two: Pancakes for two.
• The Kitchn: Chicken pasta with creamy Parmesan sauce.
• The Cozy Apron: Roasted beet salad.  
• Seasons and Suppers: Brownie stuffed chocolate chip cookies.
• Buzzfeed: Panera's double bread bowls.

Lunchtime Links for August 1st, 2018

• Bake at 350: Vanilla bean cream cheese.
• Damn Delicious: Italian wedding soup. 
• Apartment Therapy: IKEA Gratulera collection.
• Crazy for Crust: Peanut butter cookies.
• The Kitchn: Easy Texas toast.

Bath and Body Works - Fall Candles

Happy August everybody!  What better way to celebrate than with... Fall candles, haha.  Yes, I am fully aware that it's still summer, but when Bath and Body Works came out with the new Fall candles and there was a sale, of course I had to snag a few of them. 

I love most of the Fall candles, but I was particularly excited to get the Apple Cinnamon Cider and Pumpkin Peanut Brittle ones.  The Pumpkin Peanut Brittle smells like pumpkin spice and peanut butter, a very warm and bakery-style scent to me which I love.  And the Apple Cinnamon Cider definitely smells like cider which is great, compared to a regular apple scent.  It might seem too early right now, but if you're also a fan of Fall scents like apples and pumpkin you should definitely check out the collection soon!