Embarcadero, Ferry Building, & Pier 39

Ended up slacking on this yet again! Time to play catch up with some thank you's and a mini tour of my recent city slickin' activities.

First off, thank you guys for such a big response to my post on the 3-Day Detox! It's so cool to hear that it's working for so many different people. Thanks for working your magic, Dr. Oz!

The past couple weeks have been full of San Francisco adventures. I've been realizing how much I'm going to miss living here and that I haven't been taking full advantage of all the unique things to see and do. To fix that, I'll be trying to knock as many things off my San Francisco checklist as possible, from "touristy" trips to visiting local haunts.

Andrew isn't a huge fan of the hustle & bustle of the city, so I try to think of things that replicate what we'd do on weekends in our hometown when he visits. He also rarely came to the city as a kid, which makes me want to show him the more touristy/gimmicky stuff. That combo turned into an awesome day along the Embarcadero!

On Saturday morning we took the light rail over to the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, which is easily one of the best farmer's markets you'll ever go to. We decided to start off with this because it's something he loves to do in our little hometown, too. I'm kicking myself for not taking more pictures there, but I was too busy falling in love with everything!

Being around all that amazing food had both of our mouths watering, and if there's one thing Andrew and I can agree on it's a good old-fashioned American meal. Gott's Roadside is a great burger joint in the Ferry Building with tons of outdoor seating - what's better than garlic fries and people-watching? Garlic fries and dog-watching of course!

Andrew ordered the cheeseburger with everything, I got the classic hamburger (I'm boring, sorry I'm not sorry), and for our healthy option we went with garlic fries - hey, they're green right? I'll take what I can get. Whoever you are, whatever diet you're on, get these garlic fires. Just do it and thank me later. As for the burgers, Gott's uses 100% farm-raised Niman Ranch beef, veggies grown on their own farm, and the most delicious toasted egg buns. The fresh ingredients make all the difference!

After stuffing our faces casually enjoying our awesome meal, we started walking down the Embarcadero to Pier 39. I hadn't spent much time down there in forever, so it was nice to soak it all in and make mental notes of other places to try (hello, Slanted Door and Plant Cafe).

The Pier was full of happy tourists and kids with ice cream cones! We took our sweet time walking around looking at the little shops and kiosks, then we watched the sea lions act out a melodramatic soap opera on the docks. Still can't figure out what they were all blubbering about (I really couldn't help myself with that one, sorry).

My favorite part was seeing my 21-year-old boyfriend get all excited about the magic show being performed on the Pier. Mission "Act Like a Kid Again": Accomplished!

Life-Changing Chocolate Cupcakes

People are generally surprised to learn that I go bat shit crazy for Valentine's Day. It is one of very few days of the year when I break out of my indifferent-at-best attitude and try to show each person I encounter that I appreciate their existence. These cupcakes are how I do that.

The dark chocolate ganache on these cupcakes is a BIG deal. You can and will become addicted. You know that song "This is What Dreams are Made of" by Hillary Duff? She wrote that about this stuff. It's a really great way to keep people around, like boyfriends and other people with taste buds.

Last year's awesome batch

You will need:
1 Box dark chocolate cake mix (I used Pillsbury)
1 Cup heavy whipping cream
4oz Dark chocolate bar, at least 60% cacao
4oz White chocolate bar
1 Cup dark chocolate chips
4 Tsp Corn syrup
Red food coloring
Sprinkles (optional but always a good idea)


Mix up your cake batter as directed on the box. Place cupcake wrappers in each tin, fill halfway, then add some chocolate chips and finish filling. This will ensure that they won't all sink to the bottom while they bake. Give the tin a good shake to even them all out and help them bake evenly! Pop them into the oven for the recommended time.

Meanwhile, make your life-changing chocolate ganache. Chop up your dark chocolate and white chocolate bars separately and place each into separate bowls that will be good for dipping. Pour the heavy whipping cream into a small pot and cook over medium heat. Bring it just to a boil and turn the heat off. Pour half of it over the dark chocolate and the other half over the white. Stir each with a fork until you have beautiful, smooth liquid chocolate. Add 2 teaspoons of corn syrup to each bowl and add 3-4 drops of red food coloring to the white chocolate. Stir again, then allow to set for about 10 minutes.

Are your cupcakes done yet? Of course they are, this is the internet and you're reading at your own pace. Let them cool completely.

Once they're cool, you're ready to start dipping! This is where the magic happens. You will never frost cupcakes faster in your entire life. Just grab a cupcake and dip the top straight into the dark chocolate ganche. While removing it from the ganache, give it a little spin to keep the dripping to a minimum. It's a good idea to pop them into the fridge to set.

Now it's time to decorate! You can be as lazy or as detailed as you want. The pink ganache makes a great decorating tool; you can either dip your cupcakes into it for a double-dipped look, put it into a piping bag with any tip your heart desires, or drizzle it on. Sadly, I realized I was out of Valentine sprinkles in the middle of making these, so I went with simple white pearls. Please outdo me.

Andrew is "not a sweets person" (WTS?) but even he can't resist these cupcakes, so I'll definitely be making more for Valentine's Day. And maybe every day after that. Who's with me?!