from scratch: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Kids love helping in the kitchen. My 5 year old cousins helped me pour and mix the ingredients and then formed the cookies.

Groupon – sign up for an account

Groupon (similar to LIVINGSOCIAL) is a deal-of-the-day website. Mostly they have deals with restaurants, where you can buy a coupon for say $20 and spend $40 worth in the restaurant. I love it and I just purchased 2 Groupons for gourmet cupcakes.

Click below to join and purchase :]

GROUPON

BonChon Chicken (Annandale, VA)

BonChon Chicken
6653 Little River Turnpike
Annandale, VA 22003
(703) 750-1424

http://www.bonchon.com

At 8PM on Friday night, the tables, the booths, and the bar were all packed. Fortunately, a table cleared a few minutes after we arrived and we were seated. We ordered the tofu and kimchi dish which has some pieces of pork belly in it. Yum!

Tofu Kimchi dish ($16.95)

We also ordered the Large Bon Chon Chicken Special (half spicy, half garlic soy sauce). Delicious. Good amount of breading and perfect amount of sauce. American fried chicken usually has flaky breading, but this isn’t like that at all.  I like this technique better because it locks in the flavor of the sauce.

Half Spicy/Half Garlic Soy Sauce (Large $19.95)

The food was good, but the service is practically non-existent.   I knew this ahead of time so I wasn’t really bothered by it.  We weren’t ever acknowledged in the restaurant and had to try several times to get the attention of the wait staff. There is no particular server for your table. Also, they tell you ahead of time that the chicken will take about 35 minutes to cook. So if you go in, expect to wait and expect for the standard Asian restaurant service. If you’re the impatient type or you’d prefer not to wait such a ridiculous amount of time, consider ordering ahead or ordering take-out.

Crumbs (NYC, NY)

Crumbs
1675 Broadway
New York City, NY10019
(212) 399-3100

http://www.crumbs.com

Crumbs on Broadway (New York City, NY)

I was up in NYC for a weekend visiting some friends.  Stopped by Crumbs out of necessity.   We went to the location on Broadway (53rd).

Crumbs: cupcake heaven

Perfectly moist.  They offer a variety of sizes (Taste 2.25″,  Classic 3″, and Signature 4.5″).  Of course, I chose their signature size.  It was so good!  Best of all, they are opening business in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with seven new stores all at once. Heavenly. Thank you, cupcake gods.

http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/restaurants/bestbites/14989.html

I cannot wait for May 2010.

Foggy Bottom
Georgetown
Downtown
Cleveland Park
Reston
Clarendon
Rockville

Crumbs: Bryant Park cupcake ($3.75)