We drove into Sonoma and had an early dinner at the girl & the fig.

It was an adorable restaurant!

Inside:

We dined outside on the patio, which was beautiful– and sort of romantic!

Our meal started with marinated olives. I ate a bunch.

And then plenty of bread. I must have ate 4 or 5 pieces over the course of the meal.

As my cocktail, I ordered the Fig Royal, which was made with sparkling wine and fig liquor. It was so, so, so delish! Light and subtly sweet.

The table split a trio of appetizers…

Crispy Pork Belly with aramelized apple, parsnip purée, frisée salad & brandied pork jus. I didn’t try this one, but it got a good reviews.

I ate a few of the Matchstick Frites. They reminded me potato sticks.

My favorite appetizer was ‘The Works,’ which was a selection of three cheeses, cured meats, seasonal fruit, house-made fig cake, and baguette. I dominated this one!

It had all of my favorites!

The night turned really cold once the sun set. Luckily, the restaurant had plenty of blankets to warm us up.

Warm tea helped too!

I’m glad that I filled up on appetizers because my bowl of broth was not quite the meal I had hoped for. But, it did leave plenty of room for dessert!

We headed next door to El Durado Kitchen to warm-up and enjoy some treats.

Again, we shared a bunch of desserts among the group:

Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brulee with chocolate shortbread, a Pumpkin Pie and Apple Crumb Tasting Plate, and Chocolate S’mores Tart with a graham cracker crust, guittard chocolate ganache, fluffy italian meringue, vanilla ice cream.

The S’mores Tart was heavenly!!!

Holy yum!!!

After dessert, we said our goodbyes, and then Beth, Meghann, and I drove back to San Francisco.

It was an awesome day, but I was so sad to say goodbye to my blog friends. We don’t have another meet-up on our calendars. I think we need to change that, ladies!

After brunch, Jenna, Kath, Meghann, Beth, and I drove up to Sonoma County for a day filled with wine, food, and photography!

Our first stop was Matanzas Creek Winery.

The views were breathtaking!

Jenna’s friend, Adam, was our tour guide and photographer for the day. He’s also the Director of Social Media Director for Jackson Family Wines, so we had lots to chat about.

Then we headed down to explore the lavender fields of Matanzas Creek Winery. I didn’t realize how much I liked the lavender smell until yesterday.

It’s heavenly!

Jenna hooked us up with a private wine tasting at Matanzas, so then we headed to the tasting room.

The tasting was so fancy!

And just for us!

The wine tasting included a lovely plate of cheeses that paired oh so well with the wines. I pretty much finished the entire plate.

We tasted 6 different wines.

Chris of Matanzas hosted our tasting. We tried a Sauvigon Blanc (my fav!), an amazing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, 2 Merlots, and a Cabernet. All of the wines were delicious– lots of body and flavor.

There were a lot of wine pours, but I didn’t let a single ounce go to waste.

Cheers, ladies!

Our next stop was the Arrowood Winery for another tasting.

Wine country is gorgeous!

At Arrowood, we tried more delicious wines– Viognier, Gewurstraminer, Chardonnay, two different Cabernet Sauvigons, and a Syrah. My favorite was the Viognier– rich, exotic, lush, and creamy. Delish!

Adam took so many beautiful shots of us gals. Thanks, Adam!!!

To see all of Adam’s photos from the day, check out his flickr account.

I love Beth!

After wine tastings X 2, we were off to dinner in Sonoma.

Despite drinking a few cocktails and staying up late last night, I somehow managed to meet Kath, Shannon, and Quinn for a morning run. I was totally and utterly exhausted when my alarm went off at 6:45 AM, but I was so glad that I went.

We covered about 3.5 miles running along the bay, and totally lucked out with another gorgeous morning in San Francisco. It was a little chillier than yesterday, but it was still a wonderful early-morning run.

After my run, I grabbed a cup of coffee from the hotel lobby to take with me to my room while I showered and got ready for the final event of the Foodbuzz Festival.

The Farewel Brunch, hosted by Nature’s Pride, was held at the Restaurant Lulu, which was located about a mile away from the hotel.

The brunch was incredible! Everything was so fresh and delicious.

And the brunch menu was awesome!

My first plate included a piece of Kerrygold Aged Cheddar and Mushroom Frittata, a mini Crouque Monsieur, Panzanella Salad, and Pear and Bleu Cheese Salad. All were delish!

My second serving was another Crouque Monsieur + coffee with half and half.

And my third plate was a piece of Nutty Oat French Toast with Pear Compote and Whipped Cinnamon Butter. I was really hungry this morning!

After breakfast, Jenna, Kath, Meghann, and I headed to wine country for a fun-filled day of wine, cheese, and good times. Be sure to check back for my recap in the morning.

And finally, a BIG thank you to Foodbuzz for an amazing weekend and to Bertolli for sponsoring my trip. I had a FABULOUS time!

Good night, blog friends! I’m pooped!

Tonight’s dinner was put on by Outstanding In The Field and was held in the Greenleaf produce warehouse.

The Greenleaf produce warehouse was such a cool setting for a foodie dinner!

The dinner tables extended all around the warehouse.

Due to the water bottle mishap in my purse, I ended up carrying around my electronics in a plastic bag for most of the night. What a dork!

Shannon and me!

New blog friends!

One of the passed apps during the cocktail house was a crostini with tuna puree.

Cocktail hour in the warehouse was happening!

Our place settings consisted of mismatched plates, handmade bamboo chopsticks, and customized menus. So neat!

The meal started with a light appetizer of marinated veggies.

Bloggers!

Then we were served a soup of mushroom dashi, maitake, shimeji, enoki mushrooms.

Next was Udon, grilled Monterey calamari in a browned butter ponzu reduction, cucumber, kaiware, frisée and yellow pear tomato with chojang and sesame vinaigrette.

We had fun with the old school seltzer bottle!

The main course was salmon with garlic and curry.

And a creamy mushroom risotto with koshihikari rice and crispy maitake mushrooms. So delish!

And more wine.

The roasted brussels sprouts with ponzu fried garlic, guanciale, and bonito fakes was out of this world!!! It was easily the best dish of the night!

I ate 2 servings.

There was also soy braised beef cheeks and oxtails served with baby carrots and fingerling potatoes.

The beef was incredible!! It was sooooo tender!

For dessert, we had Koshihikari rice pudding with cookie crumble and warren pears on top. It was good, but a tad on the bland side.

After dinner, it was time for the Foodbuzz Blog Awards.

As you probably know, I received nominations in 3 categories:

• Best Healthy Living Blog
• Blogger would you most like to take to dinner
• Blogger would you most want to make you a cocktail

Somehow, I won all 3 categories!!!! Crazy, yet cool!

I am totally floored and honored! Thank you, readers and Foodbuzz! What an amazing night for Carrots ‘N’ Cake!

My blogger friends also won awards: Jenna won “Blogger most likely to have a cooking show,” Kath won “Best Food Blog,” and Caitlin won “Best Blogger Humanitarian Effort.” It was so cool!!!

Once back at the hotel, a bunch of us gathered at the hotel bar and celebrated with a cocktail and dessert. We shared the chocolate torte, which was absolutely divine! I loved the strong, fresh mint flavor!

I also celebrated with a Grey Goose dirty martini.

Kath suggested an early morning run tomorrow, so I only drank about half of my martini. There’s no way I want to run hungover in the morning. Ick.

I can barely keep my eyes open and I have another fun-filled day planned for tomorrow.

I still can’t believe that I won 3 Foodbuzz Awards! Ahhh! What an honor! I’m heading to bed with the biggest smile on my face ever!

G’night!

After the morning festivities, we walked about a mile to the afternoon Tasting Pavilion.

On our walk, I snapped a photo of Danica and Kath. How adorable is this photo?!?

I snapped one with Danica too!

The Foodbuzz Taste Pavilion was a total foodie paradise!! There were so many delicious things to sample! I literally had a bite of everything and did a terrible job of pacing myself. But, I guess that’s what the Taste Pavilion was all about!

Some of my favorite bloggie friends demonstrated their original recipes at the Taste Pavilion.

Sabrina and her Egg White Veggie Frittata Muffins:

Brandi and her Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast:

Shannon and her Savory Pumpkin Bread Pudding:

Shannon’s recipe was de-lic-ious! I’m actually sort of obsessed with her Savory Pumpkin Bread Pudding. I cannot wait to make it myself!

Gruyere + bread + pumpkin + sausage = amazing!

Brittany also made her Healthy Veggie Stuffed Hummus Sandwiches, but unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to try it. It looked absolutely delicious though!

I kind of love this photo!

My favorite item of the entire afternoon was Annie the Baker’s “dough balls.” Holy yum!!!!!

I was SO EXCITED to see Annie at the Taste Pavilion. Remember when I blogged about these delectable treats at BlogHer Food? I’m totally in love with Annie the Baker’s goodies– especially the toffee dough balls! Heaven in your mouth!

I had a ton of delicious tastes of white wine at the Taste Pavilion.

I pretty much lost track of all of the different wines that I tried.

My blog friends had a fun time tasting wines too!

I also tried a bunch of wonderful, full-bodied cheeses from Kerrygold. So amazing!

And, of course, I took advantage of the plethora of sweet treats at the event.

Um, I definitely lost track of all of the goodies that I ate. Oops!

I totally didn’t need a beer, but the chocolate stout sounded so delightful… and it totally was! So glad that I tried it!

And, after all of those cocktails, I ate a few more of Annie’s dough balls.

THEY ARE SO ADDICTING!!!!!

As a side note: It was fun to see Carrots ‘N’ Cake on the Bertolli menu!

After eating for 2 straight hours, Jenna, Meghann, Kath, and I headed to a Merlot wine tasting session.

I loved all of the Merlots, but I especially enjoyed the Palmona (aka wine #3). It was so smooth!

I definitely left the session a little tipsy!

Before we left the Taste Pavilion, we got a little silly in the photo booth. So fun!

Once the event was over, we walked back to the hotel, blogged, and freshen up for the big event.

All in all, it was amazing day of delicious food with so many friendly and passionate bloggers. I’m so, so, so glad that I was able to attend the Foodbuzz Festival!!!!!

Our morning started with breakfast at the Ferry Building, which is right down the street from the Hotel Vitale.

Rumor has it that Blue Bottle Coffee Company has the best coffee in the whole country, so obviously I needed to try it.

We waited a good 20 minutes to get to the head of the line at Blue Bottle.

While we waited, Jenna embraced her food blogger duties and snapped some shots of her delicious-looking egg sandwich with roasted red peppers. Food blogger in action!

For breakfast, I ordered an Arborio Rice Cake from Blue Bottle, which was absolutely amazing– one of the best gluten-free treats I have ever eaten.

It was incredibly moist and had a strong, sweet flavor of brandy. Yum!

The long wait at Blue Bottle was definitely worth it. My Cafe Au Lait was perfect– foamy, bold, and very smooth.

Delish!

After breakfast, we headed to the outdoor farmers’ market, which had gorgeous views of the Bay Bridge.

Farmers’ market + coffee = perfect Saturday morning!

While I snapped photos, my partner in crime held my coffee.

Everything at the market looked so incredibly fresh– and, of course, it was all local.

I’m so jealous of San Francisco’s local food scene!

While wandering around the market, Kath and I stumbled upon the Noe Valley Bakery table. Everything looked so delicious, we just had to try something.

I loved the name of this muffin:

Kath and I ended up sharing a pumpkin scone. Obviously, I loved it!

I also tried a bite of ripe pluot.

I loved the vibrant colors of the farmers’ market!

The ladies!

Just me.

Yay for food bloggers!!!

After spending about an hour at the farmers’ market, Kath, Meghann, and I headed to the Cowgirl Creamy cheese tasting session.

Omg, there were so many amazing cheeses!!!

I had taken a ton of notes during the session, but a water bottle mishap in my purse destroyed them all. But, I’ll do my best to remember what I sampled!

The Fromage Blanc was the first cheese that we tasted. It sort of reminded me of whipped cream cheese, but it’s made with whole milk instead of cream and had a much stronger flavor.

My favorite cheese of the bunch was the Inverness, a new cheese in the Cowgirl Creamery’s offerings. It had a nice strong taste and a dense, creamy mouth feel. I loved it!

I also liked the Mount Tam, which was smooth and creamy, yet firm with a buttery, mellow flavor.

Time for the main event at the Foodbuzz Dinner and Award Ceremony! I’m off!

A little before 7 AM, I met Sabrina, Kath, Meghann, Shannon, Brittany, and Emily for a 5 mile run by the bay.

Running in San Francisco was fabulous!

Palm trees!

Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. So cool!

Ghirardelli!!! I hope I get to visit later!

Alcatraz!!! I really wish that I could visit. I bet it would be so cool. Maybe the next time I’m out here I will have a chance to tour it. I know Mal would love learning about its history in person!

We took a photo of the group at the halfway mark of our run.

We picked up the pace on the way back to the hotel. I think our average pace was below 9 minute miles and we covered 5.25 miles. Awesome! It’s the furthest I’ve run since my half marathon in May. Hopefully, my hip won’t totally hate me later today!

It’s time for breakfast and foodie-packed day!

See ya!

My evening started in the hotel bar for a champagne toast hosted by the Bertolli folks.

After some brief introductions, we toasted to our recipes being “on the menu” at the Foodbuzz Festival.

I love champagne!

Oh, yes I do!

After our champagne toast, I headed upstairs to the Hotel Vitale terrace for the Foodbuzz welcome reception.

The kick-off event was a wonderful opportunity to make new friends and put faces to blogs before the weekend got underway.

At the cocktail party, I enjoyed an Autumn Apple martini, which was made with Skyy Infusions Pineapple, Skyy Infusions Citrus, Honey Water, and Apple Juice. It was a great martini– strong on the booze and not too syrupy-sweet!

The view from the terrace was beautiful!

Healthy living bloggers!

After a couple of drinks, we headed to the Street Food Fare, which was GREAT!!!

The Street Food Fare was basically a huge hall filled with delicious eats, sweets, and drinks. It was a foodie heaven!

There were so many yummy options! Holy food!

The chorizo potato taco from Tacolicious was easily my favorite of the evening!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the raw food station, but I liked their selections a whole lot! They were so fresh!

Raw pomegranate-lavender cheesecake! Yum!

The flatbread pizzas were also pretty amazing. I love pizza!

The beet and mushroom salads were also a highlight of my evening. Apparently, I have a weird beet obsession?

Kath, Meghann, and I shared the two salads. We definitely needed to pace ourselves at this type of event! It would have been really easy to overeat and leave feeling much too full.

And, of course, there was plenty of dessert at the Street Food Fare.

I tried ALL of the different flavors of cupcakes from Mission Minis. Did you expect anything less of me?

And I had a few bites of coffee ice cream from Straus Family Creamery. It was delicious, but at this point in the evening, I was much too full to really enjoy it. My stomach was stuffed!

We have an early run scheduled for the morning, so I’m off to bed. I’m excited to get out there and run– I just hope my stupid hip holds up.

Good night, guys!

My room is gorgeous! Thanks, Bertolli!

Love it!

Blogger in action.

I always judge a hotel by the quality of their bath products. These ones are excellent. Very spa-like!

The goodies and mini bar are out of control! So much deliciousness! I wanted to dig into it so badly! I was hungry after an hour-long workout in the hotel gym.

Luckily, a special package from Bertolli arrived for me just in time!

It was full of yummy eats and cooking gadgets. So cool!

There was even meat, cheese, and bread inside. Yum! It was definitely a foodie swag bag!

Dinner isn’t for another few hours, so I made myself a little snack to hold me over.

Time to get ready for the cocktail party on the terrace! I’m really looking forward to it!

So, I’m sort of obsessed with Virgin America– reliable internet access, touchscreen entertainment system, and on-demand snacks and drinks. Remember the last time that I flew the airline? I practically gushed about my experience! It’s such a cool airline. I highly recommend it!

Before taking off, I munched on a KIND bar. The almond & coconut flavor might just be my favorite.

My snacks for the plane included: an apple, dried apricots, pistachios, and some Amazing Grass… and I ate them all before lunch. I don’t know how to pace myself sometimes!

While working away, I sipped on some hot black tea.

I made some serious progress with my To Do list this morning. I made some long-awaited changes to my blog and finished my Health post.

Wi-fi + 6 hour flight = mucho productivity!

Even after eating all of those snacks, my stomach started to grumble. Apparently, there wasn’t enough staying power in those snacks.

I probably should have ordered a “proper” lunch, but it being Cookie Friday and all, I settled on some gourmet chocolate chip cookies. Of course, cookies are not the healthiest option, but I’m on vacation and a workout in San Fran will even it all out. Plus, the’re really good cookies– tons and tons of chocolate chips!

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter! I’ve been tweeting like a mad woman! Also, be sure to check out the Foodbuzz Festival hashtag at #fbzfest. And, if you’re not in SF this weekend, Caitlin started #notinSF. Love it! I’ll definitely miss her this weekend!