#11 Pork sugo with pappardelle at Delfina

My group of friends has been discussing trying to get a reservation at Delfina for some time now. I finally got a reservation 3 weeks in advance for 6 people (the max) and we went last Tuesday. Since Delfina is also on the list at #11 with the pork sugo with pappardelle, it was a good opportunity to cross off another item.

(photo from Yelp)

Win #1 - they seated us almost immediately, unlike A16 where we had to wait 45 minutes past our reservation time.
Win #2 - they have Vino Nobile di Montepulciano on the wine list - one of my favorites and usually hard to find
Win #3 - they leave a water bottle on the table so you don't have to constantly ask for refills

Then there was the food. Oh the food. See the whole menu here - it changes daily. We had:

1. Grilled fresh calamari with warm white bean salad - I actually tried the tentacles!
2. French fries
3. Insalata di campo - not enough prosciutto
4. Pappardelle with pork sugo (duh)
5. Warm Scharffen Berger Chocolate Torta with Olive Oil Gelato and Maldon Sea Salt

I also tried Andrew's duck which was so moist and delicious it practically melts in your mouth, Adam's grilled fennel-crusted fennel which I was not a huge fan of (I think I just don't like fennel), Jamie's olive oil mashed potatoes which were excellent, and Andrew's Profiteroles with espresso gelato which was delicious but I liked the chocolate torta more.

My favorites - pappardelle with pork sugo and chocolate torta. The serving of pasta is deceptive. It looks small but it was actually quite filling. And so tasty. I tried to eat it as slowly as possible so I could savor it.

Delfina was definitely a win. But between the cost and the need to make a reservation 3 weeks advance for a Tuesday night, it will have to be for special occasions only.

#64 Paper masala dosa at Dosa

I've been wanting to go to Dosa for awhile after hearing several people at work rave about it. Tuesday dinner in the Mission a few weeks back was a perfect excuse so to Dosa we went! Bonus - we got to cross #64 Paper masala dosa at Dosa off the list.

For those of you not familiar with a dosa, I give you the Wikipedia description (since Wikipedia knows all):

The Dosa is a South Indian delicacy from Tamil Nadu, made from rice and black lentils. Dosa is a typical South Indian food, eaten for breakfast or dinner, and is rich in carbohydrates and protein.

Thanks, Wikipedia!

And now, the Paper Masala Dosa -

(due to another low light situation, I was not able to grab a photo. This one is from SFgate.com)

As you can tell, and what the Wikipedia article fails to share, is that a dosa is HUGE. Think the size of a small table. And it's oh so delicious.

Dosa the restaurant specializes in Southern Indian cuisine, which is not the same as the Northern Indian cuisine that most of us Americans associate with the term "Indian food." No curry, no tandoori oven, etc. Here is what we ordered (see the whole menu here):

1. Paper masala dosa (duh)
2. Cochin calamari (not fried)
3. Chennai chicken
4. Samosas 'North & South'
5. Channa Bhatura (+ an extra bhatura)
6. Assorted Uttapam

I also enjoyed a Lychee Lush, one of Dosa's many Soju cocktails.

I loved every last bite of our delicious meal. The paper masala dosa was amazing but several of the other dishes were equally delicious. I now can't decide which I like better - Northern or Southern Indian cuisine. They are so different I don't think I could pick a favorite. I do know that I would like to return to Dosa for more!

#49 Ginger snaps at Miette

I was overjoyed when in a recent Daily Candy e-mail I learned that Miette opened a store in the Marina! It went in where Moonstruck Chocolates used to be.


It's kind of an odd choice of location for them since Sweet Dish is across the street, but I guess they have baked goods AND candy whereas Sweet Dish just has candy. Still, Sweet Dish can't be too happy about it. Anyway, this new Marina location made crossing #49 Ginger snaps at Miette off the list so much easier.

Miette gingersnap cookies come in a small plastic container for $6. You get about 10 cookies or so. We purchased one container (which I failed to get a good photo of) and each had a cookie. Here is Hanah eating hers (she looks confused):

I wasn't overwhelmed by the Miette gingersnaps. I prefer my grandmothers which, in the interest of full disclosure, are probably molasses cookies rather than gingersnaps. They needed to be thicker or softer or something. I can't put my finger on it. All I know is the remaining cookies have been sitting in my apartment for a week and a half and I haven't touched them. Oh well. I do need to return to Miette to try their cupcakes. And to continue admiring this:

Lime green colored jelly beans! In about 4 flavors/shades. Ideas for the candy bar that will be at my wedding.

Miette was the end of Big Eat SF adventure #2. Most of the others on the list will need to be accomplished one at a time since they are meal items but I might be able to squeeze one more full day trip out of it. I love a challenge!

Not on the List but Should Be: That Takes the Cake

After the Fernet experience we hopped a bus back to the Marina to cross some sweets off the list. We experienced ANOTHER fail at the Boulangerie on Union. One day I will eat that cannele. One day. Instead I got these:

I recently discovered that I love French macaroons so when I saw these beauties in the case at Boulangerie I figured I should try them. I wasn't such a fan of the caramel (shock!) and the raspberry was just OK, but the vanilla. Oh, the vanilla. It was so very yummy. I wish they'd had a lemon. Lemon is the perfect French macaroon flavor. Moving on!

Since we were on Union I thought a stop at That Takes the Cake was in order. That Takes the Cake is my favorite cupcake spot in the city (Although, oddly, I haven't had that many SF cupcakes. Especially compared to the number of bakeries I've visited in LA and NYC. I need to do an SF Cupcake Crawl soon.) I wanted to introduce my friends to the amazingness that is the Samoa cupcake. Alas, it turns out, that is a Tues/Thurs/Sat only flavor. Fail again! I couldn't leave empty handed though so I purchased these 4 beauties for another day:

(I am again experience Blogger fail with photo rotation)

1. Orange zinger (fresh orange cake topped with a sweet orange buttercream frosting)
2. Elvis in the building (fresh banana cake filled with our homemade, thick caramel filling and topped with creamy peanut butter buttercream frosting)
3. Impeach my hunger (vanilla buttermilk cake filled with our homemade peach cobbler filling topped with creamy vanilla buttercream and a sprinkle of cinnamon)
4. Razzle dazzle (double chocolate devil’s food cake topped with a fresh raspberry buttercream frosting)

Have I mentioned that That Takes the Cake has the best names for their cupcakes?

Andrew also got a Razzle Dazzle cupcake and proceeded to do this to it (viewer discretion may be advised):

(photo from @adambarth)

Scott and I dug into the cupcakes the next day.

With the exception that they would be better fresh (my fault), they were all amazing. Thick frosting, moist cake. Perfect specimens of cupcake deliciousness. I have never had a peach flavored cupcake before so that was a fun new discovery. Also the razzle dazzle since fruit cupcakes usually have a vanilla cake base. Raspberries go so well with chocolate. The Elvis and Impeach have filling, of which I am ALWAYS a fan. Especially when, in the case of the Elvis, that filling is caramel. Drool.

I've already recommended that 7x7 add a cupcake to the list if they ever re-visit. The Samoa is still on the top of my list for best SF cupcake.

The Pioneer Woman goes to Anthropologie

I've been experiencing a recent obsession with The Pioneer Woman. Ever since Bakerella visited her and posted all about it, I haven't been able to get enough. I love her writing, stories, photos and recipes. I can't wait for her next installment of Black Heels to Tractor Wheels.

Clearly I'm not the only one who loves The Pioneer Woman - she just won 3 Bloggies at the 2009 Webblog Awards, including Weblog of the Year!

Anywho, yesterday afternoon The Pioneer Woman posted about a recent trip to Anthropologie, a store I've recently fallen in love with for all of their adorable goodies for the home. While there she purchased this:

(original photo here)

Looks like your typical Matryoshka doll set, right? WRONG!

(original photo here)

They are also measuring cups!!! I cannot get over how cute these are. As soon as I'm done with my self-imposed shopping ban I will definitely be purchasing a set.

Matryoshka Measuring Cups - $28 from Anthropologie.com

Cupcake Luggage Tags from Tutti Frutti

I am in love with the store Tutti Frutti in the Inner Sunset. It's one of those stores that just has so much fun stuff to look at. And since I love kitsch, it's the perfect place for me. Plus, it's just down the street from one of my other favorite stores, Wishbone.

(photo courtesy of Dr. J)

It's also a great place to find some cupcake goodies.

(photo courtesy of Dr. J)

I saw these cupcake luggage tags ($11.95 each) a few months back and was going to get one when my mother told me that putting one on my bag would just scream "steal me!" to the world. I still might get one for one of my carry ons. They are just too cute.

Google Alerts: Cupcakes

Anyone else find it amusing that the top 3 hits in my Google Alerts for cupcakes are the following?

Google Blogs Alert for: cupcake

Are You Over the Cupcake Craze? | poll, desserts, cakes | YumSugar ... By partysugar Cupcakes have been trendy for some time now, and although Publisher's Weekly reports that several new cupcake books are scheduled to hit the shelves this Spring, I'm a little sick of the cute cakes. Over a year ago, I declared French ... YumSugar - http://www.yumsugar.com/

It’s Official: Cupcakes Have Arrived | Manolith By Akela Talamasca As far as Internet memes go, there is a half-life that can be measured in portions of 2-month cycles. Someone will discover something funny online, forward. Manolith - http://www.manolith.com/

bloomacious: Is the Whoopie the New Cupcake? By Carrie Years ago I read in a several popular media sources that cupcakes had had their day in the sun and would soon be archived far in the back of the culinary trend machine files. Of course since then we've seen... bloomacious - http://www.bloomacious.com/

I think the fact that everyone is still talking about cupcakes so much is proof that the world is not yet over them. I know I will never be!

#71 A Fernet at R Bar

After our soup at Grubstake we were stuffed. Luckily the next item on the list was a drink - #71 A Fernet at R Bar. What is a Fernet, you may ask. We did too, about 5 minutes before we got there. 4 iPhones and 2 G1s between us, we managed to pull up the Wikipedia page on the fernet.

Fernet is a brand of amaro produced in Milan, Italy. It is a bitter, aromatic spirit made from over 40 herbs and spices, including myrrh, rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, and saffron, with a base of distilled spirits, and colored with caramel coloring. The drink, whose recipe is proprietary, was created as a medicine in Milan in 1845 by a young woman, Maria Scala. Scala's name became Maria Branca through marriage. The Fernet-Branca is still produced in Milan by the company Fratelli Branca, overseen by the Branca family, though the recipe of the Italian product differs slightly from that sold in America. Fernet-Branca is 45% alcohol by volume and is dark brown in color.

Fernet-Branca is usually served as a digestif after a meal but may also be served with coffee and espresso or mixed into coffee and espresso drinks. It may be served at room temperature or on the rocks (with ice). A mint-flavored version of Fernet-Branca, Brancamenta, is also available.

This article from SF Weekly gives some insight as to how the Italian liqueur became so very San Francisco.

We arrived at R Bar and situated ourselves at the bar and ordered 6 fernets. The bartender looked a little confused so we explained our adventure to him. He then told us all about the Fernet. Apparently R Bar is the largest purchaser of Fernet in North America

He recommended a ginger ale chaser and poured us 6 shots (plus one of tequila for himself).

The Fernet is also something I never would have ordered without the list. I actually kind of liked it. But the bitter aftertaste is really unpleasant. The bartender recommended a Fernet and Coke (apparently popular in Argentina) as a way to cut the bitter aftertaste. Bryan ordered one and while it helped the taste was still there. The Fernet is definitely an experience!

Dr. J Makes My Day

Tuesday afternoon I received an e-mail notification that I had received mail from Dr. J. I wandered over to my mail box to see what fun awaited and found this:

(apologies for low quality iPhone photo)

1. Article from Napa Valley Register about Sift Cupcakery
2. Flavor list from Sift Cupcakery
3. Puffy cupcake stickers (the same ones you can buy from Archie McPhee)
4. Cupcake stickers with faces on them (you can buy them here) - how freakin' cute are these??

Thanks, Dr. J!! I loves them.

#95 3 a.m. bowl of caldo verde soup at Grubstake

I am extremely behind on Big Eat SF posts. Time to catch up. Continuing the posts for our Sunday adventure 2 weekends ago...

After Bob's we were a little stuffed but the next stop was for soup, which, we rationalized, just fills the holes in our stomachs. Yeah. None of us foresee ever being awake at 3am or being in the TenderNob (best neighborhood name EVER) at 3am so we decided to tackle #95 - 3 a.m. bowl of caldo verde soup at Grubstake, in the early afternoon.

The soup is definitely something I never would have ordered on my own had I been to Grubstake and ordered from the menu. Which is why I love this little adventure of ours - I get to try new things. The soup is potato based with kale and linguica sausage. This is a half serving, by the way. The waitress was kind enough to split our 3 bowls of soup into 6 individual servings. We tipped nicely.

Also, we learned from the menu, that eating at Grubstake is like sitting in a piece of San Francisco history. From the website:

When you sit at the Counter in The Grubstake, you are sitting in a tiny bit of Bay Area history! The rail car that houses half of The Grubstake originally served the Key Line that provided transportation between Berkeley and Oakland and San Francisco. The completion of the Bay Bridge caused major transportation changes, and, with, along with four other cars, it was "set" in San Francisco in 1927, it became a diner - long before diners were trendy. Then it was red and white and called The Orient Express. It sat alone on the lot with an alley where the present dining room is located, and the kitchen was at the Pine Street end of the car.

In 1967, the owners of Grubstake I at 142 Mason Street (now the site of the Parc Fifty Five Hotel), established Grubstake II in the rail car. When business expanded, they added the present kitchen and dining room.

I also had to include this next photo of us eating at Grubstake to further prove to Adam that he is not censored from my blog:

Dr. J Goes to Sift

My co-worker and fellow blogger, Dr. J, recently took a trip to Napa Valley and dropped in on Sift: A Cupcakery.

(photo by Dr. J)

From San Francisco Urban Safari:

I opted for the Pink Champagne which was comprised of raspberry cake and champagne flavored frosting. The cake was incredibly moist and delicious. The frosting (and there was a lot of it!) was light and refreshing. The overall creation was very satisfying and not too sweet. Sift got it just right -- a perfect afternoon treat!

Read Dr. J's full review here. She was also kind enough to bring me back an article on the bakery from the Napa Valley Register and a flavor list card. I definitely need to make it back to Napa soon for the Pink Champagne, Limonata (lovely lemon cake, fresh strawberry frosting), and Peanut Butter Ripple (rich chocolate cake, peanut butter frosting). I feel I must also share this flavor for all you Guiness fans out there: Irish Car Bomb - rich chocolatey Guiness cake topped with irish cream frosting.

More on Dr. J later. She made my day yesterday and I must share in a different post :).

Muffin Top Tin

One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes, The Muffin Tops, can now become a reality in your own kitchen!

The Original Muffin Top Tin can be purchased from The Spoon Sisters for $19.99.

According to Elaine, you can't make just the tops, so I wonder if this yields the desired result. I may have to pick one up for myself to find out.

#80 Apple fritter at Bob’s Donuts

After our Irish coffee we made our way up Polk for our first stop: Boulangerie Bay Bread for a Cannelé. However, we got to the Boulangerie only to discover they were all out! I did have a taste of a delicious chocolate tart on the way out the door. No worries, we thought, we'll go back to the Marina at the end and visit the one on Union. Next on the list: Nick's Crispy Tacos. Since I've already blogged about Nick's and my obsession with the fish taco, I decided not to dedicate a post to this stop, but I did get a photo this time:


And the group devouring their tacos:

Andrew = deer in headlights. I would also like Adam to note his continued non-censorship :).

Stuffed full of delicious tacos, the next stop was supposed to be Swan's Oyster Depot but alas they are not open on Sundays. So far we were 2 for 4 so we hoped the rest of the day would be more successful. Oysters after tacos might not have been the best combo anyway and the next stop was a pastry: Bob's Donuts and Pastries for the Apple Fritter.

Bob's is an old school donut shop. Loads of delicious donuts on display, not so clean, indifferent counter person. We ordered a few apple fritters and settled in at the bar to enjoy.

Autopsy shot:

I've never had an apple fritter before so I can't compare Bob's to anything else, but I liked it. It would have been really good fresh out of the oven. Given that I don't usually eat donuts (let's be honest, if I'm going to commit myself to that many calories, I'm having a cupcake!) and that Bob's isn't really near me I probably won't be back, but it was delicious none the less and I recommend it to the donut fans out there.

This drawing at Bob's cracked me up:

Also, if a regular size donut just doesn't do it for you, there's always Bob's humungo version:

The regular sized donut on the right should give you an idea of the size. I may have to submit this to thisiswhyyourefat.com...

#68 Irish coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe

This past Sunday a brave 6 hit the road again for another attempt to knock off as many items from the Big Eat SF as possible. The plan: start in Fisherman's Wharf and head up Polk then catch a bus back to the Marina for a few stragglers.

First stop: Buena Vista Cafe for the Irish Coffee

The Buena Vista Cafe is famous for their Irish Coffee. According to the awesome bartender, on a busy day he can make as many as 2,000! You can read about how they make their Irish coffee here. It is quite the process and fun to wash, especially since they make several at once. It's a decent amount of whiskey for a morning drink so it's definitely a pick me up.

I'd love to return to the Buena Vista Cafe for breakfast - the food looked delicious and the Irish coffee, while not something I want to drink everyday, was definitely enjoyable.

#96 Baby-coconut ice cream from Mitchell’s

Well, we're moving. We're leaving the Marina for Noe Valley. We love our apartment but had been casually exploring neighborhoods in the south of the city to improve my commute and hopefully save some money along the way. We found a really nice place on 29th and Church and we move at the end of the month!

Last Saturday Scott and I decided to drive around our new neighborhood and check out where things are in relation to it. While in the neighborhood we decided to hit up Mitchell's Ice Cream, which is a conveniently (or inconveniently, depending on how you look at it) short walk from our new apartment.


Mitchell's and Bi-Rite creamery are the two ice cream places that are part of Big Eat SF. In a lot of ways they are a very different experience. But the crowds lined up out the door, that's the same at both places. We took a number and started plotting our ice cream eating plans.

The flavor list at Mitchell's is really unlike anything I've seen before. Avocado? Purple yam (Ube)?? I definitely see many return trips in the future to try all of their crazy flavors. I sampled the Buko, or Baby-coconut, which was really tasty. While I like coconut, I don't like it enough for a whole scoop, so I decided on a chocolate peanut butter flavor. Scott got the Buko. It's has a really nice, smooth, toasted coconut flavor. I recommend it for coconut fans.

One major difference between Mitchell's and Bi-Rite is the scoop size. We got about 2x the amount of ice cream at Mitchell's for half the price. Economical, yes. But not so good for my waist line! I'm not sure the salted caramel from Bi-Rite will ever be topped for me, but the quality of the ice cream at Mitchell's is just as high. I will be back.

Martha Stewart's Cooking School

I've been kind of a blogging slacker lately, but not due to lack of post ideas. When I finally get around to uploading photos from my camera I will be back to my usual blogging frenzy.

Anyway. I've recently had an obsession with Martha Stewart. I think it started with seeing the clip of her and Snoop Dogg making mashed potatoes. The woman just cracks me up. I love her calm voice as she walks you through a recipe. She doesn't run around her kitchen all crazed, she makes what she's doing look effortless and doable for the home cook. She and Ina Garten both make difficult tasks look not easy, but possible. Plus, did you know she tweets?! Check her out at @marthastewart.

Recently my grandmother asked me if there was a cookbook she could buy for me and I knew the answer right away: Martha Stewart's Cooking School. I've been lusting after it since it was featured on the "Cook the Book" series on Serious Eats. It came in the mail earlier this week and I cannot wait to cook from it.

Description from Amazon.com:

Imagine having Martha Stewart at your side in the kitchen, teaching you how to hold a chef’s knife, select the very best ingredients, truss a chicken, make a perfect pot roast, prepare every vegetable, bake a flawless pie crust, and much more.

In Martha Stewart’s Cooking School, you get just that: a culinary master class from Martha herself, with lessons for home cooks of all levels.

Never before has Martha written a book quite like this one. Arranged by cooking technique, it’s aimed at teaching you how to cook, not simply what to cook. Delve in and soon you’ll be roasting, broiling, braising, stewing, sautéing, steaming, and poaching with confidence and competence. In addition to the techniques, you’ll find more than 200 sumptuous, all-new recipes that put the lessons to work, along with invaluable step-by-step photographs to take the guesswork out of cooking. You’ll also gain valuable insight into equipment, ingredients, and every other aspect of the kitchen to round out your culinary education.

Featuring more than 500 gorgeous color photographs, Martha Stewart’s Cooking School is the new gold standard for everyone who truly wants to know his or her way around the kitchen.

I was flipping the pages of the book last night and it just made me even more excited to use it. It is like the cooking reference book I've always wanted. The use of photos is amazing and so very helpful. Martha's first chapter is on soups and I think that's where I will start too. I will report back!

Odds and Ends

Spotted while driving through Castro/Noe:

I think it's for Mardi Gras, but in this city one never knows...

Lindsay's Cupcake Painting

My friend Lindsay is currently working on a super cute cupcake painting and I just had to share.

According to the artist, it's only about 20% done. I can't wait to see the final product! They look delicious enough to eat. Yum!

Are donuts the new cupcakes?

Jaunted seems to think so.

"We think so! Judging by the fervor we've seen around the virtual food world lately, we're ready to say the cupcake craze is over and donut madness has begun. It makes sense really, given the economy, that foodies would abandon the trendy, overpriced, over-fancified cupcake for the original fried dough comfort food."

I'll believe it when I see it.

Cupcake o'clock

Today my co-worker invited our entire team to a work break upstairs - a cupcake break! She ordered 3 dozen cupcakes from Sprinkles Palo Alto and we all chowed down.


I had half a lemon and a quarter piece each of banana and cinnamon sugar. I love Sprinkles fruit flavors. They are so refreshing without being overwhelming. I hadn't had their banana or cinnamon sugar before. Banana was good but not as good as Butter Lane's. The cinnamon sugar doesn't have frosting, just a dusting of cinnamon and sugar. Sounds blasphemous, I know, how can it be a cupcake without frosting? It was really delicious though. Like a fluffy donut.

Hanah's shame. Can you believe she scraped off all of that delicious frosting!!

Best compliment of the day: someone asked if I made the cupcakes.

This continues my trend of having cupcakes from Sprinkles Palo Alto without having ever stepped foot in the store.

Cupcake Card

Saw this adorable birthday card for a 21st birthday at Barnes and Noble this past weekend.

20 cupcakes and a martini. That's what I call a birthday!

SF Chocolate Salon!

The 3rd annual San Francisco Chocolate Salon is just around the corner! I went to this event 2 years ago and absolutely loved it. I haven't been to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival, so I can't compare based on first hand experience, but since I heard that one is kind of a let down and I know this event is totally awesome, I would say it's better!

Bonus, I live so close to Fort Mason I can roll home after I stuff myself full of delicious delicious chocolates. The hall is much bigger this year than the year I went which can only mean one thing: MORE CHOCOLATE!!

Tickets are $20 if you buy them in advance or $25 at the door.

LA Cupcake Challenge!!

Thanks to Cupcakes Take the Cake and the Daily Dish I now know about the LA Cupcake Challenge, a 3 hour event where LA cupcakeries will square off to determine who reigns supreme in the world of LA cupcakes. The entry fee is a bit steep at $40 but it's on March 29, a day I was already going to be in LA. Clearly it's a sign. I must go.

MaggieMoo's

It turns out Cold Stone was not the first to come up with the ice cream cupcake. Thanks to The Cupcake Activist, I just learned about MaggieMoo's, an "ice cream and treatery," who just introduced a new line of ice cream cupcakes they are calling "Stylicious."

The original MaggieMoo's cupcake looks just like a Hostess cupcake, only better.

"Award winning Dark Chocolate ice cream, chocolate cake and marshmallow filling topped with real chocolate ganache."

Other flavors include Better Batter Cookie Dreams, Cotton Candy Carnival, and Chocolate Heaven. Or you can create your own flavor.

The new line of ice cream cupcakes includes 9 new flavors:

• Cherry Chocolate — Chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate topping, cherry
• Cool Swirl — Yellow cake, Better Batter ice cream, marshmallow creme, vanilla topping
• Carrot — Yellow cake, carrot cake ice cream, vanilla topping
• Heart — Chocolate or yellow cake, strawberry or Better Batter ice cream, marshmallow creme, pink sprinkles, vanilla topping
• Pink Flower — Yellow cake, Better Batter ice cream, sprinkles, vanilla topping
• Snowcap Blush — Yellow cake, strawberry ice cream, marshmallow creme, vanilla topping, Sno-Caps
• Sunflower — Yellow cake, chocolate ice cream, vanilla topping, chocolate sprinkles
• Football — Chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, chocolate fudge topping, vanilla topping
• Basketball — Chocolate cake, Better Batter ice cream, vanilla topping

So the 2 closest MaggieMoo's to San Francisco are in Richmond and Walnut Creek. Who's up for a field trip?

Petra and the Hello, Cupcake! TV Dinner

My friend Petra recently baked cupcakes to look like a TV dinner, from one of my favorite cupcake books, Hello, Cupcake!


She totally rocked it! Looks just like the picture in the book :).

Cupcakes for Breakfast!

I recently joined Twitter (see lower right) and have been enjoying following @feliciaday.

If you aren't familiar with Felicia Day, I recommend The Guild and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Anyway, on Sunday @feliciaday posted this lovely photo on Twitter, which she called breakfast.


Cupcakes: breakfast of champions.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Today is the birthday of Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss. He would have been 105. Dr. Seuss was one of my favorite authors growing up and remains one of my favorites to this day. Google's homepage today featured what is now my all time favorite doodle:

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! We miss you :)

MAC Sugarsweet Collection

MAC Cosmetics' new product line is cupcake themed!

(pics from Temptalia)

I wonder if the colors have related names too...

First Hello Kitty, now cupcakes! MAC is after me this year.

*Update* Products are dessert themed!

Sugarshot Eyeshadow

Dear Cupcake Eyeshadow

Hanah's birthday cupcakes from Sibby's

Today is my friend Hanah's birthday (Happy Birthay, Hanah!) and this past Saturday she threw herself a party and ordered Sibby's cupcakes for the occasion. I love Sibby's cupcakes, but rarely get to enjoy them since they are a bakery without a storefront (I have covered Sibby's delicious cupcakes here once before).

Hanah ordered a Sibby's Sampler and requested a variety of fun decorations:

cupcakes! on cupcakes!

cute dinos

strawberries

and last, but certainly not least, seahorses (Hanah's favorite)

I knew I wanted to try the one flavor I hadn't before, Dulce de Leche, Sibby's flavor of the month - Vanilla cupcake with creamy Dulce de Leche filling (made from caramel and sweet cream), topped with rich Dulce de Leche frosting. Scott and I split one (ok, I had more than half), and it was amazing. My love of caramel is well documented and this is a cupcake after my own heart. I mean, filled with caramel?! Sibby should make Dulce de Leche an everyday flavor!

And here's the birthday girl with part of my super awesome birthday gift: