Kenmore Blogger Summit 2013 #HolidayHosting #TestedTales #blogmore

Disclosure: I attended this event with all expenses paid and received gifts. I am sharing this post and my honest opinion.

A few weeks ago I headed into the city, Chicago that is, for the Kenmore Blogger Summit.  Now having been to two other Kenmore Blogger Summits I thought I knew what to expect, but they mixed it up this time.  We started out Friday night having a casual meet up with some “Holiday Hacks” by Chef Kari Karch and some improv comedy.  It was just a few hours but it was a fun night.

Some hacks we learned:

• Add frozen grapes to chill a glass of wine
• Put a too-tight pair of shoes in the freezer with a bag of water in them to stretch them
• Sprinkle cinnamon on the carpet and then vacuum for a festive smell
• Grate butter to bring it down to room temperature

After the awesome tips, we had some improv comedians come out and retell some holiday disaster stories.  The stories were sent in from us bloggers, and while they were all funny they were even funnier coming from the comedians mouths.  From cooking the turkey with the giblets in it to serving frozen ground beef as tiramisu (yeah that happened in to one blogger), the disasters were honestly nice to hear that my house and family aren’t the only crazy ones!  Next the comedians shared their own stories using various Kenmore appliances as inspiration.

Day 2 at the Kenmore Summit had us up and moving early, with a challenge of course!  Our challenge took place at the Kenmore Craftsman Brand Live Experience studio, which on its own is a fabulous place.  The studio is furnished with all sorts of Kenmore appliances that are there for everyone to touch, feel, and drool over.  Yes they are drool worthy.

So we started the day first being handed a poncho and googles to wear.

Yeah I was a little nervous, but it turned out it was just to blow up a fruitcake which wasn’t as crazy as expected.  The whole idea was to show how we don’t have to give fruitcakes anymore as holiday or hostess gifts.  Why not give something nicer, like a Kenmore product?  No I’m not talking about a stove, refrigerator or washing machine, but rather a small appliance!  I had no clue Kenmore had so many small appliances available but they pretty much make everything – from rice cookers to toasters to coffee machines!

So bake to the challenge.  We were broken down into groups and challenged to make a holiday dish using a particular Kenmore small appliance and a typical holiday food people bring.  The holiday foods were box o’ wine, tin of cookies, fruitcake and cheese tray.  My group got the Kenmore Food Processor and cheese tray.  We ended up making an amazing Bacon Cheese Flatbread, we shredded the cheese cubes in the food processor.  Bye Bye cheese tray, hello flatbread!

While we didn’t win, our dish was delicious and I learned a few more uses for a food processor.  It is such a versatile appliance that when asked if I would give it as gift I didn’t hesitate to say “yes!”  While I thought it was a pricey gift, you can actually pick up the Kenmore food processor starting at just $69.99.  The winner of the challenge was a group that used the fruitcake to make a stuffing out of it, what a genius idea!

Next up we had some Kenmore experts talk to us and tell us about the features and research that goes on behind the scenes.  We saw how amazing the vacuums suck (in a good way of course), how the refrigerators are constantly updated and how their dishwasher is so sleek and quiet!

Finally the day ended with everyone picking from under a Christmas tree.  I went first and after that people could steal or keep their own, and then at the end there was 15 more seconds of stealing.  I choose to keep my gift thinking I would regret switching if I did and I ended up with a Kenmore coffee maker.  The prizes were listed on sheets of paper inside the bags, in case you were wondering how they fit a fridge in the bag!

Not a bad gift but nope it was no fridge or stove or grill either – yes people got those!  One poor blogger stole someone else’s gift and ended up getting a garlic press and gave away a refrigerator – I think I would have cried if that happened!  The Blogger Yankee Gift Exchange was inspired by a Facebook contest that Kenmore will be launching soon, can’t wait to see it live!

Overall, it was a great experience as usual with Kenmore and I loved meeting new bloggers and connecting with ones I had only known online.