Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 31st, 2012

Happy Halloween!



Happy Halloween everyone!  I hope everyone has a great day filled with candy/sweets (this cute cookie is courtesy of Panera :o))

Monday, October 29, 2012

Hurricane Sandy - Blog Break

Fingers crossed that Hurricane Sandy doesn't cause too much damage to the area - for those of you that are also on the East coast, please be safe and stay dry!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 26th, 2012

Shake Shack Nationals Stadium - National Pastime Concrete


Mmmmmmmm... Shake Shack!  This lovely concrete is only available at the Shake Shack inside the Nationals stadium, so of course I had to try it out!

This concrete consists of vanilla custard blended with chocolate toffee, chocolate sprinkles, and malt.  I really liked the chopped chocolate toffee because it added a much needed crunch to the custard.

$6.75 might seem a little steep for ice cream, but a) it's in a ballpark b) this thing is HUGE. I got about halfway through before feeling like I was going to die, haha.  If you're in the mood for a sweet treat at Nationals stadium, I would definitely recommend giving this concrete a try!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 25th, 2012

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Macarons



Oh, Trader Joe's, you have done it again! Now, I'm not sure if these pumpkin macarons are totally new, but I'm pretty sure they are because I've never really heard much about them in the past.  I have tried their vanilla and chocolate macarons  before which are great, so of course I was excited to try the pumpkin version!

I'm pretty sure that these are meant to be defrosted before consumption, but I actually really like these frozen as well, haha.  I find these to have a really strong true pumpkin flavor, more so than a pumpkin pie/spice-forward flavor, which I like.  Now, texture-wise, these will not really replace a macaron from a bakery, but I still think they taste pretty great. They're a great little seasonal treat to have around for a snack or a small dessert.  Thank you Trader Joe's for yet another great pumpkin item!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 24th, 2012

CVS - Hallmark Card Deal

There's a great deal on Hallmark cards this week at CVS if you use your ExtraCare card!

When you purchase three Hallmark cards (excluding boxed cards) and scan your ExtraCare card at the register, you get $3.00 in ExtraBucks back for a future purchase.

I tried this out with three $0.99 Hallmark cards and I got the $3.00 ExtraBucks on my receipt, which is basically like getting all of my money back.

This is a great deal for any Halloween cards you want to send out, or just to say hello :o)

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 23rd, 2012

Scoutmob DC - Kushi Brunch

A few weeks ago N and I met up at Kushi for their Scoutmob brunch.  I have been to Kushi before for dinner, but I was excited to check out their relatively new brunch menu.  While Kushi offers their own brunch, earlier this year they offered a special brunch through Scoutmob DC, which I was pretty excited about.  With all the food we got, this was a great deal!  




Yuzu orange mimosa
We also started the set brunch with an order of edamame (not pictured).




Sushi brunch plate (I chose the salmon avocado roll out of a bunch of roll options), hiya-yakko (cold tofu), pickles



Dessert to share - Black sesame gelato


Overall this was a great brunch with lots of tasty food that I LOVE (especially sushi, no surprises there).  The black sesame gelato was surprisingly very creamy and N noted that it tasted similar to peanut butter, which I agreed with.  I'm really glad I got to try Kushi's brunch thanks to the Scoutmob deal, and I would love to come back again! 



Monday, October 22, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 22nd, 2012

Georgetown Cupcake - Free Strawberry Lava Fudge Cupcake



Here we have the REAL Strawberry Lava Fudge cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake!

You may be wondering why I say it's the REAL one - well, back when I got the free Strawberry Lava Fudge cupcake before, it turned out to be a Strawberry cupcake with fudge on top.  It was still delicious, don't get me wrong, but I'm happy to add the correct version of this cupcake to my blog :o)




Check out that gooey fudge core! As you may have figured out by now, this is a Lava Fudge  cupcake with strawberry frosting instead of the usual vanilla frosting.  I LOVE Georgetown Cupcake's strawberry frosting so this was a delicious variation of a great cupcake!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 19th, 2012

Georgetown Cupcake - Free Shark Week Lemon Blueberry Cupcake



Shark Week has already come and gone, but I still wanted to share this fun celebratory cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake!

This is a lemon cake studded with fresh blueberries, topped with a fun "ocean" frosting and Shark Week fondant topping.  I really like how they used a swirled frosting technique to add more of a water feel to the cupcake.  Otherwise, I'm not quite sure what lemons or blueberries have to do with Sharks, but it's a cute idea nonetheless :o)




Thursday, October 18, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 18th, 2012

Sugo Cicchetti


I've been to Sugo Cicchetti in Rockville, MD a few times now, thanks to the proximity to my work, and I can say that their food is absolutely DELICIOUS. I am already a fan of Cava and I figured an Italian version of a similar concept has to be good - luckily, I was right!

Here are the dishes that I've tried there so far for lunch - if you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend trying this place out, it is such a gem of a restaurant in the midst of suburban chains, haha.  The menu consists of tapas-sized housemade pastas, hearty sandwiches, delicious pizzas to share, and lots more to either share or eat on your own.  I hear that they have a pretty interesting brunch menu too, and I hope to check it out soon!


 


Porchetta Sandwich - Crispy Pork, Broccoli Rabe, Provolone, Grilled Bread




Spaghetti - Handmade Pasta, Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, Olive Oil




Bolognese - Candele Pasta, Veal Ragout




Mac n' Cheese - Handmade Pasta, Parmesan, Black Pepper




Uovo Pizza - Fennel Pork Sausage, Farm Egg, Mozzarella

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 17th, 2012

Starbucks Pumpkin VIA


Pumpkin Spice VIA, where have you been all my life??

Seriously though, these instant coffee packets from Starbucks are super delicious.  They recommend mixing this with hot milk (instead of water), and I definitely agree with this suggestion.  It isn't quite the same as a Pumpkin Spice Latte from the cafe, but it's still a creamy, pumpkin-y, and delicious option at home.

Luckily, I found a bunch of these at the second Starbucks that I checked by me, but I have seen/heard of places being sold out, so if you are interested and see any where you are, I recommend picking it up right away!


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 16th, 2012

Georgetown Cupcake - Sweet Celebrations Book Signing, 10.14.2012



Last winter, the owners of Georgetown Cupcake came out with their first cookbook/memoir, The Cupcake Diaries, which is filled with lots of their popular cupcake recipes and stories about how Georgetown Cupcake built up to such a great success.  With their second book, Sweet Celebrations, there are lots of special occasion recipes, as well as more stories about the sisters' celebrations growing up.  The book has different recipes for events like birthdays, weddings, holidays, dinner parties, and much more, including behind-the-scenes stories from their DC Cupcakes show.




Luckily, I was in town for the book signing stop in Bethesda, so of course I had to go!  S and I met up and saw Katherine and Sophie do a Q&A with the audience (lots of little kids asked questions, as expected in this area, haha), followed by a book signing segment.

The best part of the book signing was finding out that the sisters knew who I was!  Well, to clarify, they knew who I was once I told them about this blog and how I tweet about their cupcakes all the time, haha.  It was still really fun to know that they have seen my blog posts about their cupcakes before!  So, Georgetown Cupcake, if you are reading this now, please keep coming up with new flavors for me to review :o)

Monday, October 15, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 15th, 2012

Free Starbucks Verismo Latte Today

Starbucks has come out with a new in-home brewing system called Verismo, and they are celebrating with free lattes!

Per the Starbucks e-newsletter:
"Be among the first to get a sneak peek at our revolutionary new Verismo System – and experience how to enjoy Starbucks® lattes, espresso and brewed coffee at home, all from one machine. Not only will you meet the machine, you'll get to enjoy the result – a sweet, creamy, rich Starbucks® Caffè Latte made especially for you.

This special event is on Monday, Oct. 15, 4-6 p.m. at select Starbucks stores.
Find a store
hosting the event near you. We'll see you there!"

Friday, October 12, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 12th, 2012

Georgetown Cupcake - Coconut Cupcake



Well, it had to happen sometime...

Here is the Coconut cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake, sighhhhh. This is a "classic coconut cupcake with a vanilla cream cheese frosting capped with a cloud of shredded coconut".

I mean, I'm sure lots of people love coconut baked goods, right?  Let's just say, I'm not one of those people, haha. However, I can see why anyone that does love coconut would like this. It's a pillowy cloud of frosting and soft coconut shards on top of a tasty cake base.

Well, at least I finally checked this one off my list, haha!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

PA-bound

I'm off to the exotic lands of Pennsylvania for work - have a great mid-week, everyone!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 9th, 2012

Free Georgetown Cupcake - All Day Today

Some happy news for today, courtesy of Georgetown Cupcake's Facebook page:
 
Today's Secret Flavor is YOUR CHOICE! 1 FREE cupcake per person - any flavor - ALL DAY today! We're celebrating the release of Georgetown Cupcake's NEW cookbook 'Sweet Celebrations' & an ALL NEW episode of DC CUPCAKES tonight @ 8PM ET on TLC! Don't miss it!!
 
Photo courtesy of Georgetown Cupcake's Facebook page.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Seattle Weekend!

Hi everyone! I'm off to Seattle for a long weekend to celebrate my nephew's first birthday!  In addition to celebrating, I plan on cramming as much seafood as I possibly can in the course of a few days, haha.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 3rd, 2012

Tout de Sweet Shop - Salted Caramel Macaron


This may be the only time to date that I didn't buy a vanilla macaron from Tout de Sweet shop, haha.  On the left we have a new (to me) flavor, Salted Caramel, and on the right is their Red Velvet macaron.

The Salted Caramel macaron didn't taste particularly "salted" to me, but that could be because I usually eat these in 2 bites and they're gone, haha.  It did have a nice caramel smell and flavor that wasn't too overly sweet.  I'd recommend this for anyone that is a fan of caramel sweets.  I like that they offer a variety of flavors every time I'm there, and these little macarons are the right amount for a sweet treat! 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 2nd, 2012

Shake Shack - October Custard Calendar

Mmmm, the October custard flavors at Shake Shack are looking pretty fantastic, let's be honest.  There are definitely a few that I will be going out to try this month!

Monday: Red Wine Poached Pear
Tuesday: Maple Bacon Banan-za
Wednesday: Shackenstein
Thursday: Salty Chocolate Peanut Butter
Friday: Caramel Apple
Saturday: Peanut Butter Marshmallow Swirl
Sunday: Pumpkin Pie

HELLO FALL!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Lunchtime Links for October 1st, 2012

Football Oreos



Is there seriously a better way to celebrate football season?????  Yes, chips, salsa, and kettle chips are probably up there too, but c'mon - FOOTBALL OREOS!!!!!!!!

As soon as I saw the Serious Eats Oreo roundup, I knew that I had to find the football ones.  I figured they'd be around somewhere this time of year, and luckily I found these at my regular supermarket without much work (MUCH easier than the Birthday Cake Oreos).

Ok, so these are exactly the same as the regular Oreos, they are just shaped differently.  The cookie, the filling, everything except the structure is exactly the same.  That being said... a minor detail like that isn't going to stop me from enjoying these throughout the football season!