This post is sponsored by Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate.

Chocolate wasn't always my favorite treat--back in my sweet tooth days, I was more of a fruity or vanilla person (think cupcakes or strawberry ice cream). I like to think that my palate has grown up a bit, because now when I'm craving something sweet, I almost always reach for a bite of dark chocolate.

Ghirardelli has always been one of my favorites, and while I love it on its own, I often prefer it paired with something else--a spoonful of almond butter, a pinch of sea salt, some sliced apples. Today I'm sharing my two most recent pairings with you: alongside a cup of English Breakfast as a weekday afternoon pick-me-up, and after a nice long run because, you know, we deserve it.

What do you like to pair your chocolate with? Snap a photo and share it with us by using #IntenseDark, or upload it right here on Ghirardelli's Intense Dark Chocolate Photo Upload Page! As always, I truly appreciate your support as I continue to work with sponsors like Ghirardelli. Enjoy your weekend!

It's no secret that coffee is one of the great loves of my life, so you'll understand why I jumped at the opportunity to work with Lavazza again (see our initial collaboration here). I've been enjoying their coffee blends since December, so I'm excited to share a little bit more of them with you. For the next several months, I'll be incorporating their products into my mornings, recipes, and occasionally, my afternoons--because who doesn't love a good 2PM coffee break?

This month, Lavazza sent me four of their specialty blends and, as usual, they made their way into my French press. I usually like to grind my own beans (and have them a little courser), but these come already ground, which is just fine. I use a French press to make iced coffee, as well, but I'll tell you about that later. For now, I wanted to share a few tips for making the perfect French press every time.

1. Start with a clean French press (obviously). Make sure the wire plunger is free of old coffee!
2. Use one tablespoon of coffee grounds for every cup of water.
3. Pour boiling water into the French press, give it a good stir, and set your timer for four minutes.
4. After four minutes, press and serve immediately. (If the pre-ground coffee grinds were too fine, you can always pour the end result through a coffee filter into a new pot.)  Enjoy!

This post is sponsored by Lavazza. As always, thank you for your support as I continue to work with advertisers.

With a new design (and a new blogging platform!) comes a lot of new inspiration, and lately I've been really motivated to take advertising and sponsorship to a new level. If you have a blog, brand, or business that you'd like to promote in the next month or so, please stop by my new advertising page (you can book an ad space right there) and take a look. As always, I encourage you to send me an email with any questions or ideas you may have. I'd love to hear from you, and we can even chat on the phone if you prefer! I look forward to working with you soon!

Photo credit (more from this shoot tomorrow!): Sarah Gatrell of Photo + Love