After some rejuvenation at the hotel, we had worked up an appetite for some partying!
The cocktail party was set up on a beautiful terrace –
As usual, you gotta get a drink in your hand to start the evening –
VIDEOS
Jenna said it was a good night for cosmos. I concurred.
I actually wasn’t really in a drinking mood and only had a few sips of my drink before I abandoned it.
The alcohol was a plenty but the food was sparse!
The party was sponsored by Campbell’s + Swanson’s and all of the appetizers were recipes made with one or the other (semi-homemade style)
Butternut Squash + Sage Soup. These were my favorite
I had two shots!
Braised Beef + Veggies (which was actually really good!). Shared this one with Tina.
Chicken Skewer [This photo was taking after dark. I couldn’t even seen the object, but look what my camera can do!!]
And sliders – had two of these.
And a Manhattan!
Extra sweet. I sipped on this but didn’t finish it either.
By far the best menu item were the Tomato Soup Cupcakes. They tasted like carrot cake! Had two of these too
The party food was good, but when you put 300 hungry foodies in a room with passed hors d’oeurvres, there are going to be some fights! We debated going for a "real" dinner at a restaurant (mainly for fresh salads) but decided our second [third in some cases] cupcakes would fill us up enough. We were all a little disappointed in the food throughout the day. I can see how the sponsors want to get their products in our mouths, but I think even Campbell’s would agree there are appropriate times for canned goods and times when we need the real deal – especially at a food event like this one!
At 8PM we headed to the streets to make our way to the after-party, which was hosted and organized by these super cool famous bloggers: Simply Recipes, Steamy Kitchen and The Pioneer Woman.
As they often are, this after party was totally rockin’!!!! Unlike the official Blogher party, we were bombarded with passed apps – but by this point I was full and had moved on to DESSERT! [Although I did have a bite of one app]
The site Foodzie, "an online marketplace where you can discover and buy food directly from small passionate food producers and growers" was there sampling a selection of desserts. I tried a bite of almost all of them –
Pecan Coconut Bars, which were to-die-for
These Toffee Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies were the best ever – they tasted just like cookie dough!
Scharffen Berger Chocolates was another sponsor and had these amazing dark chocolate mousse towers. I had about 1/4 of one shared. SO amazing.
And came home with some for later!
Jenna’s friend Rocky was pouring Murphy-Goode and La Crema – two of my favorites!
I had a taste of two, but again, I just wasn’t in the mood for alcohol so I didn’t finish them.
Isn’t she gorgeous!
HP was also a sponsor and had some of their computers available for playing. I tried out a new touch screen one and wow – going on next year’s birthday wish list. SO COOL. Like a giant iPhone. I was especially excited to try out the calendar, of course, which syncs with Google Calendar!
The 3 of us were so tied, so we left around 9 to walk back to our hotel. But we didn’t come home empty handed. This was by far the coolest swag bag ever!
Goodies from CHEFS!!!! Knives, spatulas, kitchen timer, ice cream scoop and more!
But by far the coolest was this Bodum french press – TO GO! You just press and then drink it right in the cup. NEAT-O!
***
Enter 7 hours of solid sleep 🙂
***
Due to a hotel mixup, we were 3 people sharing 1 queen bed room last night. Poor Tina slept on the floor while Jenna and I slept like rocks side by side in our sleep masks and ear plugs 🙂 We’re still on East Coast time, so we said if we woke up early we’d say "blog" to see if the other was awake. Sure enough, at 5:51AM, just after Tina left for the airport I muttered, "Blog?" Haha.
We’re currently drinking coffee and blogging in bed 🙂
We tried out the Starbucks VIA instant coffees and were very impressed.
I ate this banana too.
I"ve got a blogger run scheduled at 7:26 and then breakfast with more girls at 9AM next to the hotel. I’m not sure how well I"m going to do on this run – my body is rather annoyed with me right now and doesn’t seem to have much energy. Can’t wait to get back in the health groove.
My flight’s at 11:30 so you probably won’t see me again until tonight – unless I get some free wireless somewhere 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my friend Amanda!!!
This just looks like so much fun!!! I really want to go in the future!
the food choices were kinda random… cause you’d think with a ton of food bloggers they’d know you’d expect some fancier/less semi homemade stuff.
but those desserts look fantastic!
Love your dress! It looks super cute and girlie with a little bit of a 50s vibe.
It was great reading about your BlogHer trip. Seems like SO much fun!
I would never imagine putting together tomato soup and cupcakes, but I’m glad they were good. Seems like you have had a great time at Blog Her Food. 🙂
Looks like a fabulous night! I love the tomato soup cupcakes, I may have to try and replicate those!
Soo amazing. I love the sound of the tomato soup cupcakes
I like your dress Kath. You looked stunning! I’ll have to try to find the recipe for the tomato soup cupcakes. Sounds interesting and yummy!
The photos are fabulous Kath!! wowee!! I love your new camera.. you’ve got some great shots this weekend. Enjoy the rest of your day and have a safe flight back!
tomato soup cupcakes?? wow that sounds crazy! but I am sure they were scrumptious! looks like such a fun time and that hotel is georgeous! what a beautiful setting with some beautiful bloggies!
Sorry the food was so dissapointing 🙁
Travel safe!
Looks like so much fun! The tomato soup cupcakes sound so interesting!
First off, your dress is adorable! Sorry the food was a little lackluster, but I do have to agree with everyone who said that those tomato cupcakes look amazing! Have a safe trip home!
That dress is so cute!!! I can’t stand eating a bunch of bite-sized things when all I want is a sit-down meal. The food still looks wonderful though! I’m intrigued by the carrot cake caramel and tomato cupcakes!
Have a safe flight back, and hope you get some down time in tonight 🙂
SO SO much fun Kath! I am loving that dress… polished, classy, and stylish! Mind me asking where it’s from?
Wow, that butternut squash and sage soup shot sounds delicious. I can completely understand why second were in order. 😉
Hope everything goes well with your travels back home!
Oooh looks like fun, even though I can see how the food sponsors wouldn’t really be the best for serving food toa bunch of food bloggers all weekend long! The drinks and cupcakes look fabulous though 🙂
what a fun event! the tomato cupcake thingys sound interesting & yummy (if they’re anything like carrot cake)! :o) your dress is adorable, too! i love it.
i cant believe all the freebies you scored. yes!!! love free stuff. and those desserts look amazing. cute pictures.
I love your dress – you look great in it and it is so cute! Now I’m craving small little appetizers and desserts – but it’s only 9 am so I better stick with some oats.
What a fun night!
Your dress is SO cute! Where did you get it?
And yay for all the freebies. Kitchen stuff is the best!
I would definitely have expected better food considering you are all food bloggers. Didn’t they know you would all be taking pics to post on your blogs and talking about the food?
Anyway it sounds you all had a blast. How fun to be able to spend time together in San Fran and enjoy meeting with soem readers.
I’m so amazed by the quality of your photos! They look fantastic.
I’m quite surprised by the lack of fresh, homemade food at these events. Frozen Bertolli dinners and tiny little appetizers?? HUH?
Those cupcakes sound amazing, what a great idea! I might be re-creating that one!
Such beautiful pictures and I love your dress!! Such a bummer about the apps… 🙁
But the tomato soup cupcakes do sound interesting! Have fun with new friends today!!
love all the teeny tiny food! the tomato soup cupcake sounds intriguing….
Looks like so much fun!
PS – I freaking LOVE your dress. You are seriously too cute!
Oh how I love La Crema Chard — one of the first I ever started drinking and so good!
LOVE your dress!
I’m sorry to hear that the food was a bit lackluster! I would have expected more a foodie event!
Hey you got that dress in Boston, right? You look adorable! I can just tell it was so much fun. 🙂 Boo to not enough food though.
Hi Kath. I’m glad you are having fun in san fran. I had an idea. i am running the TUFTS 10k in boston. I was wondering if you wanted to try and get a group of MA bloggers/runners to do the race together. it is a very empowering run! I instantly thought of you because you love to run and your blog is much more popular than mine. so get back to me and let me know. thank you. i hope to talk to you soon!
Hey girl, thanks for coming by the party! And you ROCKED that dress!!!
You all 3 looked beautiful as always: ) food looked amazing!
you three girls are so cute!
glad you had such a fun time last night!
jenna
What a great post and weekend you had – made the readers jealous and hungry, but it has been nice to follow you. I am a long time reader who started a blog. I hope you will check it out!
ww.octosquid.wordpress.com
That camera is beyond awesome. Your photos are amazing and I am thinking I will start saving some pennies for that one….
Seems as though it’s already been said, but…. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the dress! It’s so chic and adorable!!
Thank you for sharing your day with us! I live in the SF area and can’t believe I didn’t know this event was happening!! Looks like a lot of fun. Next time.
Great recap and your dress is so cute!
Those tomato soup cupcakes look interesting, and I would love to try that chocolate tower…yum!!
OK the Bodum gadget would rock my world.
THe touch screen is cool, but my hubby (the techie whore) had to have one- and every time Samantha (our cat) sashays past, her tail highlights thing- she even sent someone an email once!! CRACKED My ass up!!
Also, not thrilled with the lack of ergonomics of reaching your arm out every second to the screen- methinks my right delt would get overdeveloped 😀 or at least really sore!
Hope you continue to enjoy SF> I did my post grad there and LOVED it!
y’all look beautiful!!
Wow, looks like an amazing time!
Wow, so much to keep up with!! Love the little bites of food, but, yeah, you’d think they’d have more real food for foodies lol.
The swag bags ROCK!
Have a safe trip home. 🙂
Jenn
I am just going to reiterate what everyone else said, that dress is totally adorable!!!! And you totally rocked it!
That dress is awesome on you! Where is it from? This post made me excited for the Foodbuzz festival. I’m staying at that same hotel when I go!
Two things:
1. I am super jealous of your fabulous time at the conference!
2. Your dress in these pictures is SUPER CUTE!!
It sure was sweets galore at the after after party! Yum! What a whirlwind of a weekend. I bet it will be nice to start eating the Kath way again.
Looks like a fab time, and some nice swag! 😀
The world must know, where is the dress from? 😀
you look fab and it looked like fun!
TOMATO SOUP CUPCAKES?! haha genius
THE PIONEER WOMAN! One of my first food blogs that I still love so much. Her new Tasty Kitchen site has some GREAT recipes.
Love the dress you wore to the party.
These pics are GREAT!!! You look SO PRETTY!!!!
SanFran looks like a blasty, and I am uber jealous that you went to THE PIONEER WOMAN’S afterparty! I love her!
Even though I read Tina and Jenna’s posts already, I really loved reading yours too. Kath you are so great at photography!
Your pictures are amazing!!!!
Looks like you had a wonderful time! The desserts at the after party look incredible.
Cheers,
~Laura
Backstage Pass to Health & Happiness
LauraMKE.blogspot.com
I LOVE your grey dress! Where did you find it?
Wow, looks like you’re having a blast (as is to be expected).
I can’t get over how crisp your photos are with the new camera!
your camera works wonders. the photo’s that you took are amazing! 🙂 you girls look beautiful and i’m so glad you had fun!
I’ve been loving this blog for awhile (lurking), using your recipes (just did seeded crackers), but now I MUST comment. PLEASE PLASE PLEASE tell us more about the dress!! 🙂 Glad you had fun, thanks for keeping us updated.
What a fun trip!
Sounds like you guys had a blast! Wish I could have gotten all those fun goodies
I’m glad you had such a fun trip. It looks like you really enjoyed yourself!
THANKS EVERYONE!!
Dress was from H&M in Boston!!
Kasondra,
You are welcome to use my comments section to invite people to join your race team!
Kath
always wanted to try the Starbucks Instant coffee!
Waiting till it arrives in Malaysia!
Looks like you guys had a fun trip!
and u look great!
tc!
jac
Oh my god, Kath, that gray dress is absolutely GORGEOUS on you!!!! Wow wow!
Kathy, First of all your dress is awesome – You look very cute. Love the photography. Tomato soup cupcakes look very interesting.