Photo via Jenny
What an absolute blast this past weekend has been! I just got back from a whirlwind trip to San Francisco for the BlogHer Food conference. I got to meet so many fun recipe bloggers – loved hanging out with these sweet girls all weekend!
You guys remember Jenny, my LA & NYC travel buddy, right? Last year I tried one of her recipes and loved it so much I posted about it over here. She found the post and left a very sweet comment. I kept trying her recipes and loving them. We kept commenting. When I was invited to LA with Bertolli, the first thing I did after hanging up the phone (and picking my jaw up off the floor!) was email Jenny and ask if she was going! And she was!
We had so much fun getting to know each other in LA. She told me about this food blogging conference in October that she was attending, and how fun would it be to go together?! I had no idea what it was, but food, friends, & San Francisco definitely sounded like something I’d be into. When I got back home – it was the longest I had ever been away from Kevin – I talked all about LA, the sweet girls, and all the food on our ride home from the airport.
I mentioned the San Francisco thing.
Photo via Jenny
Kevin must’ve enjoyed his peaceful week at home because the very next day he secretly emailed Jenny for more info on this SF trip! Did I mention I had just gotten back from the longest we had ever been apart? The two of them schemed, and even though the event was sold out, Jenny found a ticket for me in less than 12 hours. This girl has connections! :) On our anniversary trip the next weekend, Kevin gave me a little fake plane ticket he’d made and said… “You’re going to San Francisco!”
So that’s how less than 5 short months later, I ended up on a plane flying over the Grand Canyon… headed back to California! :)
Photos via Jenny
Every minute of the trip was packed with excitement. Immediately after landing we had parties to attend! The first one was held in Ghirardelli Square. What a cute place! They had a darling cupcake bakery, a very posh dog boutique, and several swanky shoppes & restaurants. And of course, Ghirardelli! Another sweet blogger I met on the trip, Shanna, split a waffle bowl sundae with me. And she let me have a sip of her salted caramel hot chocolate.. Oh my goodness, I am totally craving another one of those right now! Salty. Caramely. Chocolaty. Whipped creamy on top. Delicious!
At the party we got to meet Paula Deen’s boys. What cutie pies!
The next event was a fun Iron Chef type cook-off event for a small group of the talented food bloggers… Here I got to meet the fabulously fun & sweet Maggy from Three Many Cooks. Love this girl! She is so full of life and energy. That’s the precious Erika from Ivory Hut behind us with her sweet smile.
Photo via Jenny
The next morning was the first day of the conference. I took a photography class from the White On Rice Couple which I can’t *wait* to tell you more about! For lunch we ran down the street to Out the Door. Here I am with the super fun & sweet Lori from Recipe Girl.
Our lunch was gorgeous! Can you tell we just got out of a photography class?? :) The top left photo is mine, the rest are Jenny’s beautiful pics.
Photo via Maria
After our afternoon classes, we hurried back to the hotel to get ready for more parties! Here we are at the La Petite Soirée. Seriously amazing food here!
On Saturday, Jenny and I finally got to run around San Francisco and do some bakery hopping! Our favorite thing in the world – I love traveling with this girl! :)
Photo via Jenny
Our first stop was Dynamo Donuts. Goodness gracious, this place was delicious!!
Their maple glazed bacon apple donut was to die for. This one was my favorite!
But the caramelized banana stuffed donut was also seriously impressive!
Loved the pumpkin chocolate chip.
And this salted caramel donut! So pretty.
Donut carnage!
We also tried the chocolate rose (the glaze on top is made with rose water!) and vanilla bean donut. That one was another fav! So light and fluffy.
Time to walk!! We headed up to Fisherman’s Wharf and took in the beautiful sights around the bay.
Hung out with some cute sea lions.
Had to stop at Boudin for lunch! They were pumping delicious sourdough-scented cloud puffs into the air. We couldn’t resist! :)
Too funny, all the decorations in this place were made of sourdough bread! :)
My clam chowder was delicious.
Time for more desserts! :) This is a hazelnut tart and shortbread. The shortbread was heavenly, as all shortbreads are. I make it a habit of not discriminating against shortbreads. But it doesn’t hold a candle to Jenny’s shortbread. Make hers today! :)
Ooh, light and creamy Tres Leche cake. Loooved this.
Photo via Jenny
The final party of the weekend was hosted by Ree, The Pioneer Woman, Jaden from Steamy Kitchen, and Elise from Simply Recipes.
Finally got a pic with all the sweet girls I hung out with all weekend! :)
Lori @ Recipe Girl, Maria @ Two Peas and their Pod, Jenny @ Picky Palate, Marla @ Family Fresh Cooking, and Shanna @ My Favorite Everything.
Photo via Maria
Marla, Maria, me, & Jenny. Love these ladies! What a treat to spend such a fun weekend with them in this beautiful city.
***
Definitely run over to Picky Palate and check out Jenny’s recap of the event. Beautiful post!
And there might be a few embarrassing pics of a certain blogger that uh, conveniently got left off this blog. ;)
Beautiful pictures … !!!
I’m always amazed when I read about San Francisco and see photos like those …
I’ve lived in the Bay Area for … gee !!! … 8 years at least … and I’ve yet to actually discover this city … incredible !!!
Thank you for sharing ;-)
Your pictures are beautiful!
So crazy ridiculous! What a dreamy trip.
Now you’ve met Rocco and the Deen brothers. Dreamy.
Those donuts? YUM! That maple glazed bacon one… I don’t think I could ever encounter that wonderfulness. My current love and splurge is a ham/cheddar/maple scone at a local coffee shop. Dying to mess around with recipes and recreate it myself.
LOVED this recap, LOVED spending time with you, LOVED the salted caramel hot cocoa, LOVED all your beautiful photos! You are most certainly a favorite!! Can’t wait to play again soon :-)
Thanks, Amanda! :)
I just stumbled upon your blog (through Jenny’s blog), and I love it! I can’t wait to explore your archives when time permits. It looks like you had a fabulous time at BlogHer. Your photos are absolutely stunning, Amanda!
Just found your beautiful blog, and look forward to spending time reading through it! The photos & the food both look fabulous! I am now following.
By the way, I LOVE all your jewelry! Where do you get it???
Hi Denise! Welcome! :) I got everything except for the last necklace at Ann Taylor Loft. Boy am I predictable! :) The last necklace I got in Chicago, here’s a better look at it: Shopping in Chicago
Amanda….it really seems you have the life these days and what a cute thing your hubby did for you… so sweet. Just curious if you made those collage templates yourself for the pictures that are in groups or if you got them from somewhere, what a great way to display a bunch.
Your posts are always so visually appealing :) Also just curious how did you come to find these types of blogging conventions and things. I live in the Chicagoland area and would think you would hear about these things but I don’t. Just curious if you have any tips on how to learn about these neat opportunities?
Thanks for sharing…
Hi Stacey! For the collages, I used the MCP Magic Blog It Boards action.
I feel like there are so many conferences that I have no clue about either! :) BlogHer and BlogHer food are the two big ones.
And there’s Blissdom in January that I’m thinking about doing.
This one was my first, and I just kinda fell into it! Totally loved every minute though. :)
Thanks for sharing your amazing trip with us. The photos are incredible – feel like the food is right in front of me.
oh my gosh!! It looks like you had SO much fun….That’s exciting that you got to meet Jenny Flake and the Deen Boys!! How fun!!
I want to go get some SF clam chowder, NOW!!
Looks like you had a blast!! can’t wait to see the new recipes, YUM
ahh! i’m so jealous – i LOVE the Deen brothers :-)
Oh wow! BlogHer Conference AND a bakery tour of my favorite city??? Jealous. :) We’re going in May and I was excited about the winery tours, but this looks better. Think I’ll follow in your footsteps…I’ll finally be free from my crazy diet.
Love your scarf, great colors!
How did you not gain 50 pounds? Looks like a fun trip!
Loved this post! I first went to San Francisco two years ago and went to several of the places you visited, Boudin bakery…wow what beautiful sourdough animals…Pier 39, loved all those sea lions, Kara’s Cupcakes…YUM! I am actually heading back to San Fran again this weekend to run the Nike Women’s Marathon and am looking forward to checking out even more great places this time around…all of those doughnuts you sampled look amazing! Sounds like a fabulous weekend with a group of wonderful women!
OHHHH my GOODNESS, you lucky girl to get to meet the dean boys. I am a huge fan of Paula and her boys have used many of their recipies. Now I have a question for you with all those donuts you consume and the amazing food you cook HOW DO YOU STAY SO SLIM. lol Donna
Amanda! Amazing post! :)
Can’t wait to hear about the photo. class.
Love, Abby.
I can’t believe you got to meet the Dean boys!!!! I’m soooo jealous!
Mmmm makes me hungry.Fab photos as always.The weather looked amazing
Oh man, I was only a few feet away from you in SF! I was out there visiting old friends (I used to live in the Bay Area) and was slated to attend the TedX Conference (which was cancelled at the last minute – bummer). I took a day to play tourist, Canon 40D in hand. I walked all over the Wharf shooting typical sites and helping tourists by taking their group shots. I ended up in Ghiradelli quare just as the Blue Angels were doing their scouting runs. I entered Cellar 360 to have a quick wine tasting to find they had a special event running. Since I was soooo not dressed for the event (nice walking suit, but not all glitzy like the gals I spied all around), I declined their kind offer to join in and meet the Deen boys. I was there, just a few feet away from you, just before the event started! I so wish I would have looked around more and spotted you so I could have said hello. Of course, I would then have had to stalk you as you toured SF’s sweet shops! lol I am so glad the weather was so glorious for your visit. October really is a great time to be there. Hubby and I enjoyed a wonderful picnic along the waterfront while enjoying a perfect view of the GG Bridge – I never tire of seeing her standing so proudly at the entrance to the Bay.
So happy to hear you all had fun around my old stomping grounds.
OH man, those donuts look good. I think I need to head out there :) If I go, I’m bringing one back for my cousin, she was at the blogher conference too, and tried to get one…. didn’t turn out good. Poor girl! http://www.luvstrawberrycake.blogspot.com/
MAPLE GLAZED BACON APPLE?! Anything with that contains any of those four words, better yet, those for words together are right up my alley. Bacon and apple together is delishhh! Looks like you had a fantastic time!
What a great experience you must have had!! All! It was nice to see you out and having food with some of the girls from blogs I recognize and read. I hope one day to make it to this event. And you know what makes the scenario 1000x better?? It was in SAN FRANCISCO! My home town, my favoritest place in the whole world. Glad you had fun!
Wow…sounds like an amazing trip! Thanks for all the great pictures and letting us relive it through your photos! I’m hoping to get to a conference next year, we’ll see! :)
I love following your blog with all the beautiful pictures. You have a great sense of fashion too! Love the outfits.
WOW, you were in my neck of the woods! This was a treat as now I have some new spots to hit in the City (that’s how we refer to SF here in the bay area ;).
Thanks for sharing!
How do you find these amazing bakeries!? My hubby and I are heading to San Francisco & San Diego over Thanksgiving and will definitely hit up dynamo donuts and bi-rite creamery…how would discover similar finds if you were, say, going to San Diego? :)
Hi Emily! :) This is always my first stop:
The Best Thing I Ever Ate Map
I also check yelp.com for the highest rated restaurants & bakeries! :)
Wanted to check out Miette & That Takes the Cake in San Francisco, but ran out of time. If you do Tartine, go first thing in the morning. Bi-Rite is just a couple doors down.
Have fun!!! :)
Hi Folks
I am the author of the Best Thing I Ever Ate map that Amanda kindly linked to. I’ve actually created a separate site called http://www.famousfood.us/ which allows you to directly look up the nearest restaurants from multiple shows (Best Thing I Ever Ate, Throwdown, etc…) as well as the Michelin guide. It is designed for both mobile and PC use and gives you direct access to directions, maps, yelp ratings, in a single place.
Hope you find it useful
Rahul
Oh my gosh, this is awesome! Can’t wait to go play around! Rahul, I am completely obsessed with your site. I use it to plan every trip and sometimes even to find out where we want to go next! ;) I’ve just been looking at the individual maps but this is perfect. All in one place, mobile-friendly, and it auto detects your location? You just made my night. :)
Amanda
As always your pictures are amazing. This trip looked like so much fun. Thank you so much for introducing us to these wonderful women and their websites! I love you girl!
Nancy
Caramelized banana stuffed donut!? How did I miss THAT!? Oh My!! Gorgeous photos and wonderful recap ((sigh)).. what a wonderful weekend. So great meeting you and discovering your fabulous blog :)
best!
Dessert Darling~
It was so nice to meet you this weekend Jenny! :) Totally wished we had gotten to hang out more. I am going to have to watch our copy of Wedding Crashers again very soon! ;) xoxo
Looks like so much fun! I love all the food photos! But seriously, we next need info on all your super cute outfits and accessories! Adorable!
What a great recap! Love all the pictures! Looks like we need another “what I wore on my trip” kind of post again, wink wink. :)
Yes! I was wondering where you got the cute cardigan with the ruffle!
Ask away! :) The the ruffle cardigan is from, where else? :) Ann Taylor Loft! :) At least I am predictable. Hehe! :)
That looks amazing! Kudos to Kevin for surpising you! :)
Could you have had more fun? It looks like you had a blast. Bless you sweet Auburn boy. Did you get to see the game on Sunday? After seeing your photos my heart is longing for San Fran. The food is to die for. My husband is a big foodie. May be able to get him to think about a quick trip with food in mind.
WOW! This looks AMAZING! I just stumbled across your blog/website again after not visiting for a few years – I LOVE where you’ve gone with it!
Good friends, Good fun, Good food…what more could a girl ask for ? Great pics by the way. Now I’m hungry for something sweet. Wonder why ? ;D Thanks for sharing, Becky
You took the most amazing photos! I don’t think you even needed to go to the photography class! It was so wonderful meeting you and I hope we get to see each other soon. Let’s work on a font :)
Totally!! :) xoxo
Looks like you had a great time! All that food, esp the clam chowder in a bread bowl, looks so wonderful! And that was so sweet of Kevin to get a ticket for you to be able to go. =)
Looks like fun, but what exactly did you do?
I guess I don’t understand the concept of BlogHer Food.
Nice pics!
Hey girl! It was just a conference where you could go & take classes on how to be a better blogger. This one was focused on food & recipe bloggers. Here are some of the classes that were available to take. The best part was the fellowship with other bloggers & meeting all the sweet girls behind the recipe blogs I love! :)
I must get one of those lenses. Your pictures are amazing!!
Thank you, girl! It was such a pleasure to meet you this weekend. Wish we had gotten a chance to hang out more! :) I love this lens.. Talked Jenny into buying it so we could be twins! :)
I LOVE your re-cap and I’m completely jealous of that day that you and Jenny took to explore the city. Should have joined you! The donuts… oh my! SO glad I got to spend some time getting to know you. You’re what we call in my family, “Good People.”
Next time!! :) Let’s make it soon okay?? :) I miss you girls already!! :) I cherish the time we got to spend together! xoxo
OK, not only do I love you ’cause I do – but you make us all look AMAZING in photos! Such a great re-cap Amanda. We must get together again very soon. xxoo BTW: i might be the one to share a few of those embarrassing pics :)
Uh oh!! :) Can’t wait to see your post! :D xoxo
Okay, now I’m hungry. Where’s my lunch!?
Looks like a total blast! I’m so jealous you met the Deen bros, they are to die for adorable.
oh my word, please take me with you next time! what an amazing trip, and all of the photos are incredible! makes me miss the bay area :)
Great recap!! I had so much fun with you! I am so glad we were able to meet and hangout. You are a sweetheart! I hope we can meet up again and soon! Miss you already!
Right back atcha girly!!! Sooo looking forward to next month, can’t wait to see you again!! :) xoxo
Love it girl!!! Our trips have been so much fun! I look forward to the next one……hopefully in just a little over a month :). Yippee!! Xoxoxo
Jenny
I am so excited to see you again! :) Hurry up, November!! :) xoxo
Amanda–
Wow, I wish I had your life! You’re always going to the most amazing places and eating the most amazing-looking foods! I want to know how you continue to look so good–you must eat one tiny bite of each! Your photos are beautiful, too. I bet your have gorgeous scrapbooks. Do you make albums just about your trips? How do you ever keep up?? All I know is I’m enjoying the photos and living vicariously through you. Hope you don’t mind! Thanks for sharing with us.
Debbie
I’m sitting in my home office and it’s 12.45am.
I have writer’s block – I’m writing a wedding ceremony!
So I decide to open up my emails and to my delight I see all you girls dining on some fabulous food.
I’m now hungry, but I’ll be strong.
But PLEASE – image me, little invisible me – sitting on your shoulder as you venture into your next food safari.
:-)
Fondest regards
Lorel
Life Celebrant (Lara, Victoria Australia)
Pictures beautiful! So grateful you share so much with us each time! I’m so grateful you do this! I’m in the process of updating my website and soon to be blog and I can’t tell you how much your knowledge is worth and you share it for free! You are priceless and I appreciate the time you take to walk us through each step! Your time is valued and the pictures With your step by step how tos keep me following you! Blessing to KA!
You guys are all so beautiful! I would give anything to go to Blogher food… hopefully next year! <3
Definitely!! You must go! :) Would love to meet you!! :) xoxo
Love checking out your recaps! Would love to attend some of these conferences some day. Oh, and I’m really curious about the focaccia donut on that menu!
Looks like you had a blast! Great recap on your trip and beautiful pictures.
Oh Amanda! All those baked good look like a piece of heaven. :) That looks like such a fun conference.