Lunchtime Links for March 31st, 2011

• Jersey Shore: Recap from TVGasm.
• Picky Palate: Cookies and cream peanut butter. 
• Really Petite: 10 rules for petite clothes shopping.
• New York Times: "Don't call me, I won't call you". 
• My Baking Addiction: Tagalong parfaits.

Sprinkles Cupcakes - Free Cinnamon Sugar Cupcake

For two weeks before the Sprinkles in Georgetown opened, the Sprinklesmobile was roaming around the city each day, giving away a limited number of cupcakes.  I was expecting to not be able to get any given that the locations were on weekdays in DC, but as it turned out, one of their scheduled stops was in Friendship Heights on a Saturday, woo!

I spent some time shopping in the area, stopping for a drink at Tynan Coffee & Tea, and possibly checking the Twitter feed, oh, every, 4 minutes or so, haha. 

Finally, FINALLY, the Sprinklesmobile location was posted.  I ran out of Bloomingdale's (after I paid, thankyouverymuch) and hauled my butt down Wisconsin Avenue to the truck.  The poor girl hadn't even really set up anything yet and there I was, staring up at her like an overeager puppy.  To keep myself occupied while she set up, I started talking to some of the people that had started to gather around to check out the truck, inviting them to get in line (BEHIND me, ha) for a free cupcake.

As you can see, the truck display is laid out pretty nicely.  The only issue that I'm assuming the girl had was having to repeat the flavors to virtually every customer, since there was only the one open box in the front to show what cupcakes were available, and no signage about the flavors. 

After a little bit of internal debating on what flavor to get, I ordered a free Cinnamon Sugar cupcake (plus a fork and a cute mini button they were giving out as well) and headed home to try it out.

I picked the Cinnamon Sugar one mainly because I had seen it mentioned on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" by Candace Nelson, the owner of Sprinkles.  She was talking about a doughnut muffin that she loved, saying it was the inspiration for her Cinnamon Sugar cupcake. Also, I have tried their Red Velvet cupcake in the past on a trip to LA a while back, so I wanted to try something different.  The cupcake is a "lightly spiced buttermilk cake dusted with cinnamon sugar", which is interesting because it's a frosting-less cupcake.  I really enjoyed this cupcake a lot- it's a bit messy due to the cinnamon sugar, but definitely worth the mess!  I didn't even miss the frosting because the cake was very moist and went well with the crunch of the cinnamon sugar topping.  I would definitely get this cupcake again!  Thank you Sprinkles for having a great giveaway promotion before your store opened! 

Lunchtime Links for March 30th, 2011

• The Pioneer Woman: Grilled chicken and roasted red pepper panini.
• The Budget Babe: LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl's roundup. 
• DC Cupcakes: Cream cheese frosting by Georgetown Cupcake.
• I Heart Heels: Essie's spring collection.
• Serious Eats: Doughnuts in NYC.

The Laughing Cow Queso Fresco & Chipotle Flavor

 

I had heard about the new flavors of Laughing Cow cheeses, but was especially excited to try out the Queso Fresco and Chipotle flavor.  Partly because I love Mexican food and flavors, but also because it seemed so different from the regular Laughing Cow cheese.  

I have tried out these cheese wedges on crackers, on carrot sticks, and by itself.  The cheese is creamy like a regular Laughing Cow wedge, but has a nice little kick at the end.  It's great for a little snack or as a side component to lunch.  I wonder if heating this on a pita or a tortilla would be good as part of a sandwich- I will have to try that out soon! 

Lunchtime Links for March 29th, 2011

• Jersey Shore: Recap from NYMag.
• All Things Cupcake: Running for cupcakes shirt. 
• People: Lady Gaga's beauty routine.
• Serious Eats: Mixed Review of Betty Crocker cookie brownie bars. 
• The Kitchn: Shrimp and grits.

Martha Stewart Lemon Squares

 

Normally, I'll pick out a chocolate dessert over a fruit-based one, but I had recently bought a bag of Meyer lemons on sale at Whole Foods and no idea what to do with them, haha.  I found this recipe for Lemon Squares in the Martha Stewart Cookies book, and figured it was a great chance to use a few lemons up!

Since I don't have a juicer, the most time consuming portion of this recipe was actually manually juicing the lemons.  However, the rest of the recipe was easy.  Just remember that since you have to chill the crust before baking it, the recipe doesn't come together as quickly as a regular bar cookie.  

Overall, the use of Meyer lemons made these much more sweet than regular lemon bars, so keep that in mind if you're looking for a sweet bar, or a really tart, "real" lemon flavor from using regular lemons.  They are v. pretty in person and were a big hit at work!

Lunchtime Links for March 28th, 2011

• Serious Eats: Yeah! Burger in Atlanta.
• The Budget Babe: Trench coat roundup. 
• The Kitchn: Pasta with cauliflower, sausage, and bread crumbs.
• Bethenny Ever After: Recap from TVGasm. 
• Michael Ruhlman: Behind the scenes at Bouchon Bakery.