Troy’s Bagel Bites Casserole

By Tara in Recipes 9 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Looking for a meal to make with your friends while watching tonight’s back to back to back episodes of Community? Make Troy’s Bagel Bites casserole, as featured in last week’s episode (Curriculum Unavailable)! For those who missed it, he described his dish as “Bagel Bites in a deconstructed Hot Pocket reduction with a Doritos glaze.”

For ease (and to more accurately match the image of the casserole he was  holding), I took some liberties with the Doritos and made a Doritos bread crumb topping instead of a glaze. I tried my best to stick only with the ingredients he listed, but found that I needed a bit of marinara sauce to make the Hot Pocket reduction work. If you like the processed foods that go into this dish, you will probably love this. It tastes essentially like a large, crunchy Hot Pocket. Mr. Geek’s reaction was “This is…” and then he proceeded to eat his serving, mine, and then go back for more. He still can’t seem to describe it to me. I’d love to know what you think of the recipe if you try it!

Troy’s Bagel Bites Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 18 Bagel Bites (2 boxes of 9 each, I used pepperoni)
  • 9 Hot Pockets (I used pepperoni)
  • 1  1/2 cups of marinara sauce
  • 1/2 bag of Doritos

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Line Bagel Bites on the bottom of the casserole dish, fully covering it.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

While the Bagel Bites are baking, start heating the Hot Pockets in the microwave. Don’t heat them for the full time or use the crisping sleeve–you just want them to be warm enough to separate the filling. I put three Hot Pockets on a plate at a time and microwaved them for 3 minutes.

Carefully separate the Hot Pockets and place the filling in a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce. Simmer until cheese is melted. (Hint: Hot Pockets cheese is not… natural. It takes forever to melt.)

Once Bagel Bites are out of the oven, spoon the Hot Pockets sauce mixture over the Bagel Bites, spreading evenly.

Top the casserole with the seasoned tops of the Hot Pockets. Feel free to break some pieces to evenly cover the entire casserole.

Bake for 5 minutes.

While baking, pulse your Doritos in a food processor, blender, or your bare hands if you’re awesome.

Top the casserole with Doritos crumbs  until fully covered, spray with cooking oil.

Bake for an additional 2 minutes until Doritos on top are hot.

Serve. Apologize profusely for making your friends eat this.

 

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Custom Batman Shoes

By Tara in Geeky Fashion No Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Converse has taken their sweet DC shoes to a new level–in a couple weeks, you’ll be able to get custom-order shoes featuring Batman, Catwoman, Riddler, and Joker prints and corresponding colors. Put the print wherever you want, change the colors of the racing stripes, eyelets and more, and even “tag” it with your ID. I’m eyeing this Catwoman print–which one would you get?

Custom Converse, $75 at Converse.com.

(Source: Fashionably Geek)

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8-Bit Cutting Board

By Tara in A Geeky Home 2 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Looking for a great quality wood cutting board, but don’t want it to look like everyone else’s? Prairie Oak Studios can help you out. Their boards include 8-bit renditions of Mario and Nyan cat, or just simply beautiful designs. They feature this quote on their site: “Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” -William Morris. With these cutting boards, you’ll get a great product that will also make you smile every time you use it. Can’t beat that!

Cutting boards: $59-110 at Etsy.com.

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Googly-Eyed Stationary

By Tara in Crafty Geek, Gift Ideas No Comments Tags: , , ,

Let’s be honest here: Googly Eyes make everything better. Some ladies in the geek community have even started “vandaleyes”ing various objects in public with googly eyes. This stationary set will assure that the card is greeted with a huge smile. The set comes with 12 cards of various sweets (including cupcakes, cotton candy, ice cream, and lollipops) and 24 googly eyes to affix where you so choose.

Eye Candy Notecard set, $9.95 at Amazon.com.

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Geek Fashion: Superhero Swimwear

By Tara in Geeky Fashion No Comments Tags: , , , , , , ,

As summer gets closer, the search for the perfect bikini is on. If you’re looking for something a bit unique or geeky, like yourself, look no further! Give one of these comic-inspired bikinis a try:

TMNT Halter

This bikini top pairs perfectly with a pair of black bikini bottoms and shows your love for TMNT without making you dress up like one.
On sale for $18.74 at Spencersonline.com.

Wonder Woman Bikini

Feel like a superhero yourself in this Wonder Woman bikini. The cut looks pretty comfortable!
$42.99 at SuperheroStuff.com.

Supergirl Bikini

Watch out for kryptonite and wedgies in this itsy-bitsie Supergirl bikini!
$42.99 at SuperheroStuff.com.

Batman Monokini

If you’re looking for a little bit more coverage, this Batman monokini’s where it’s at. Monokinis are also available for Wonder Woman and Supergirl.
$47.99 at SuperheroStuff.com.

What do you look for in a swimsuit?

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Geek Etiquette: Stop Waiting

By Tara in Geek Etiquette 5 Comments Tags: , ,

I was flipping through a magazine the other day, and came across this ad for a Honda CR-V. I was a bit startled by its sentiment, which is one I’ve heard from many friends. “Before I get married I want to…”

I’m sorry, but if getting married means you wouldn’t be able to do anything on your bucket list anymore, then why are you marrying that person? I think every item shown on this list would be more fun with a partner. And if your partner DOESN’T want to be on a superhero kickball team with you, then I think it’s time you start looking for someone else. Seriously.

Stop putting off life decisions or exciting opportunities because you haven’t accomplished something yet. Don’t wait until you’ve lost those last 10 pounds to make your awesome cosplay outfit. Don’t give up a sweet job or opportunity because you’re not sure if you’re ready to move or if your friends will still be there. And don’t put off marrying the person you love because you haven’t experienced everything by yourself yet. You will still be you. You can have your independence. You’ll just have a partner waiting for you when you get home or right there with you, supporting you and cheering you on.

Are you putting off a big life decision? What’s holding you back?

 

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Pay Your Mother Labor Reparations

By Tara in Holidays No Comments Tags: ,

Still looking for a Mother’s Day gift? Forget the flowers and just cut mom a check. The American Coalition for Labor Reparations can assist you in finding out just how much you owe her, after considering labor costs and other hardships she’s had to overcome. At the very least, have her check out this site and give her a huge hug. She deserves that much at least.

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Vegan/Allergen-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

By admin in Recipes 1 Comment Tags: , , , ,

Cupcakes by Geeky Hostess, Photo by Vince Miller

As I’ve been making cupcakes for others, I’ve found the need for a vegan, allergen-free recipe. Although this recipe isn’t gluten-free, it does take care of people who can’t have dairy or eggs. I was turned on to the type of recipe, “crazy cakes”, by the makeup artist on the Job Hunters set. Apparently this type of cake was made often during the depression/war time because of the lack of more expensive ingredients. The only weirdish ingredient in it is white vinegar, but I promise you can’t taste it (even in the raw batter). Almost everything else you should be able to find in your pantry already!

These particular cupcakes were made for my dad’s birthday–I expected them to taste weird or different, but the family loved them, even those who didn’t have food allergies. The cupcakes turn out pretty light and fluffy and can be topped with a frosting of your choice. (I used canned frosting for these–but here’s a dairy free frosting recipe from Divvies, courtesy of MarthaStewart.com.) I then topped the frosting with tons of sprinkles and hand-molded chocolate dinosaurs, cause they were born around the same time as my dad. :-) You can find the same mold at Amazon.com.

Allergen Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe inspired by traditional “Crazy Cake”, this one taken from Divvies Bakery, as found on MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (the original recipe calls for cake flour, but it turns out just fine without, in case you don’t have it)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare cupcake pans with wrappers

In a medium bowl, lightly mix together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water until well combined. Add dry ingredient mixture and mix until smooth.

Pour batter into cupcake tins, filling each cup 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Immediately remove cupcakes from muffin tin and transfer to a wire rack to let cool.

Frost and enjoy!

Do you have any fave recipes for people with dietary restrictions? Share the links in the comments!

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Smart Mudflap Girl

By Tara in Gift Ideas No Comments Tags:

Show everyone that smart ladies are sexy (or get a mudflap sticker for the lady or gentleman in your life that likes their ladies smart!) with this awesome version of the traditional “mudflap girl” we’ve all seen before. At only $6.99, you can get a few for your friends! I know I’d want to strike up a conversation with someone who has this sticker…

Smart Mudflap Girl decal, available at ThinkGeek.com.

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