Grab a goodie at Gigi's Cupcakes, a national franchise with a location in The Woodlands. Here, whimsical and cheerful creations are made fresh daily, and customers love the cakes' generous application of frosting. Flavors rotate by the season, and favorites include banana cream pie, chocolate salted caramel, wedding cake, and candy crunch bar.

Stop in the store for a sweet treat, or place an order online for your next party. Prices are expensive at $3 per cupcake, but on par with most gourmet cupcakes. For those on a gluten free diet, Gigi's makes them on Fridays; just be sure to pre-order!

Gigi's Cupcakes
4747 Research Forest Drive, Suite 150
The Woodlands, TX 77381
(281) 651-5637
www.gigiscupcakesusa.com/thewoodlandstexas
www.yelp.com/biz/gigis-cupcakes-the-woodlands

After a day of shopping at The Woodlands Mall, unwind with a hearty Italian meal at Grotto Ristorante. Start with the complimentary bread and garlic olive oil, perfect for dipping and staving off hunger pains. For a lighter meal, go for soup and salad; try the Lobster Bisque and the Italian Chopped Salad with grilled chicken, prosciutto, provolone, gorgonzola, bacon, and egg. Indulge in one of the popular entrees, like the Ravioli Pera e Gorgonzola, ricotta cheese-stuffed ravioli with roasted chicken, Bosc pears, and asparagus in a gorgonzola sauce.

Dinner can be pricey, but Grotto Ristorante offers a comfortable and classy atmosphere, complete with a fireplace, in which to savor your meal. The full bar has an excellent wine list and great happy hour deals from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday through Friday. Stop in for the famous $3 Peach Bellinis and reasonably priced small plates, including $6 pizzas.

Grotto Ristorante
9595 Six Pines, Suite 100
The Woodlands, TX 77380
(281) 419-4252
http://www.grottohouston.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/grotto-ristorante-the-woodlands-2

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts (cubed)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 onion (chopped)
1 bag sliced carrots
1 container of mushrooms
4 stalks of celery (chopped)
1 can of grands biscuits
1 large can of Campbells Cream of Chicken Soup
salt and pepper
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water 

Instructions:

In a large pot add olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, sautee chicken and onions until almost cooked. Add can of soup and chicken stock whisk until smooth. Add water, add carrots, mushrooms, and celery. Once its stewed for around 20 minutes and is boiling take biscuits out of can and cut each biscuit into 9 pieces and drop into the boiling soup. Then turn it down and let simmer on medium low for around 15 minutes until the biscuits have floated toward the bottom. Make sure you stir occasionally so they don't stick. Enjoy!

It tastes better the second day so definitely enjoy it with the cold weather.