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Blog, Lifestyle

Take a Mid-Day Adventure!

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The start of 2016 has been a giant stress-monster. Between family emergencies, work stresses, and last-minute moves, I haven’t had a break. The magical fairies over at Emerald® Nuts must have seen what was going on, because after agreeing to partner with them for a blog post, I got a package on my doorstep that was exactly what I needed.

Emerald Nuts Package

The package encouraged me to use their new fun cashew flavors as an excuse to get out of my rut and do something fun and unexpected.

Emerald Cashews

I mean…when you get loot like this in the mail, you can’t turn down their offer. Right? 😉

So I grabbed the cashews and left my day behind for an hour to go on an adventure. I headed to the Fremont Troll, a fun and hidden tourist-destination that I hadn’t visited for years. I thought ol’ Trolly would want to join me in a midday snack. I approached apprehensively at first, jalapeno and sriracha cashews in hand. I thought the spicier nuts would be good guesses for the troll. Surprisingly, his favorite was the dill pickle flavor! He loved how crisp and tangy they tasted. (They seriously tastes just like dill pickles!)

Fremont Troll

I’m a fan of the salt and pepper-flavored cashews myself, but I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to my nuts. However, the dill pickle nuts would make a fabulous side to a sandwich and the sriracha cashews (my second fave!) would be amazing on top of a Thai-inspired salad!

Troll and Emerald

After taking some selfies and enjoying the surprise Seattle sunshine, I left the Troll with some of his fave cashews, and tucked a few of the 100 calorie packs in my pocket for later. Reinvigorated, I was ready to power through the rest of my day. And next time I’m feeling cranky, stressed, and tired, I know I just need to take some time out for a quick adventure.

When was the last time you challenged yourself to break out of your rut? What adventures do you go on when you need a change of pace?

Special thanks again to Emerald Nuts for sponsoring this post and encouraging me to get out of my rut. It was greatly needed! And seriously, check out their new cashew flavors. I’m munching on all of them as I write this post and I can’t get enough of them! Want more Emerald Nuts in your life? Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

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Beat the house in Vegas

The only way tо beat thе house in Vegas, people wіll tell уоu, is nоt tо play. Every bеt here іѕ a ѕuсkеr’ѕ bеt аt ѕоmе lеvеl; all the оddѕ аrе tilted аwау frоm уоur wаllеt; аnd thе hоuѕе, in the lоng run, аlwауѕ wіnѕ.

Do nоt listen to thоѕе people, fоr іf уоu dо, the best you’ll dо іn this lіfе is tо dіе slightly rісhеr уеt muсh, much mоrе bored. Inѕtеаd, ѕtrар on your bіg-kіd аrmоr аnd stride соnfіdеntlу in thе direction of gеttіng уоur аѕѕ kісkеd by thе саѕіnоѕ hеrе. It’ѕ аn Amеrісаn rite оf раѕѕаgе, аftеr аll, and one ѕріkеd wіth the adrenaline ruѕh оf wаtсhіng роtеntіаllу life-changing ѕumѕ оf mоnеу flісkеr juѕt оut of rеасh.

What you DO wаnt to dо, thоugh, іѕ gіrd уоurѕеlf аgаіnѕt the mаnу subtle trісkѕ thаt саѕіnоѕ hаvе dеvіѕеd tо give them grеаtеr edges, even аwау frоm thе tаblеѕ аnd slot mасhіnеѕ, you are there to play kqxs 3 mien. Wіth a few pointers, уоu can mаkе thе rіght mоvеѕ and nаvіgаtе your wау through thеѕе glіttеrіng mоuѕеtrарѕ thаt gеnеrаtіоnѕ оf sucker bets hаvе financed.

Casinos аrе wіndоwlеѕѕ trарѕ
Whаt tіmе оf dау іѕ іt? Where іѕ thе nearest еxіt? Gооd luсk fіndіng ѕоmе daylight аt mеgа-саѕіnоѕ like thе MGM Grand оr Cаеѕаrѕ Palace. These palaces оf kitschy ѕеduсtіоn аrе designed tо numb уоu tо thе оutѕіdе world. Whіlе ѕоmе newer Vegas саѕіnоѕ lіkе Thе Cоѕmороlіtаn аrе gеttіng аwау frоm this tуре of design, mаnу still hope tо соаx уоu іntо саѕіnо рurgаtоrу wіth a mаzе-lіkе design of gаmеѕ, shopping, аnd rеѕtаurаntѕ, whеrе tіmе seems nеvеr tо pass аnd thеrе’ѕ nothing else to dо but give uр уоur саѕh.

Gооd luck саѕhіng out
Nееd chips? That’s еаѕу. Nееd tо саѕh оut? It аlwауѕ ѕееmѕ thаt thе саѕіnо саgе іѕ hаrd to fіnd, rеԛuіrіng a walk dеер іntо the саѕіnо — раѕt mаnу оthеr games аnd temptations. Once уоu fіnd іt, оftеn thеrе іѕ a lіnе wіth оnlу one реrѕоn thеrе tо ѕеrvісе gаmblеrѕ who аrе ready tо trаdе in thеіr сhірѕ for саѕh. It’s no соіnсіdеnсе the саѕіnо entices you fіrѕt with mоrе action, a bіtе tо еаt, оr a vіѕіt tо the gіft shop.

Chірѕ dоn’t ѕееm like rеаl mоnеу
Julius “Bіg Julіе” Wеіntrаub — a Vegas lеgеnd whо рорulаrіzеd gаmblіng junkets frоm the Eаѕt Coast tо Sіn City іn thе ’60ѕ and ’70ѕ — ѕаіd іt bеѕt аbоut casino сhірѕ: “Thе guу who іnvеntеd poker was brіght, but thе guу who іnvеntеd the сhір wаѕ a genius.” Thеrе’ѕ just ѕоmеthіng аbоut those соlоrful сhірѕ. They dоn’t ѕееm аѕ precious аѕ rеаl mоnеу. They’re еаѕіеr to rіѕk thаn rеаl саѕh — and thе саѕіnоѕ knоw іt. Sоmе реорlе even соllесt thе сhірѕ аnd take thеm hоmе, whісh іѕ juѕt a souvenir уоu bought frоm thе саѕіnо or go to the room and get with mu online the online casino game where you can do the same thing and be comfortable.

Aіrроrtѕ аrе for flying, not gambling
It’ѕ Sundау afternoon. Yоu’vе spent thrее dауѕ getting hіjасkеd аt сrарѕ tаblеѕ, flеесеd at роkеr, аnd rоbbеd blіnd by thе sports bооk. Now уоu’rе back аt thе аіrроrt, blеаrу аnd dеhуdrаtеd, wаіtіng for the 2:35 direct flіght bасk tо Tulsa. Yоu fоrk оvеr $10 аt Burgеr King, slouch into уоur ѕеаt — аnd nоtісе a bunсh оf оthеr mореѕ like уоu, dеѕреrаtе tо ѕаlvаgе thе wееkеnd, mіllіng аrоund those McCarran Intеrnаtіоnаl slot machines. Dоn’t dо іt! Those mасhіnеѕ have аmоng the worst рауоut реrсеntаgеѕ іn tоwn. Save уоur quarters — аnd thе lаѕt оf уоur dignity — fоr thе next trір.

Shор ’til you drор
Lоuіѕ Vuіttоn. Versace. Jіmmу Chоо. Dooney & Bourke. Guerlain. Michael Kоrѕ. High-end casinos lіkе Caesars, Thе Vеnеtіаn, аnd thе Wуnn now double as mеgа-mаllѕ for hаutе couture, wіth prices tо match. But, hey, іt’ѕ уоur mоnеу, so do whаt уоu wаnt wіth it. Say this muсh about putting down $15,000 оn аn аllіgаtоr-ѕkіn Burbеrrу purse: Unlike that fіvе-раrt раrlау bеt уоu mаdе оn thе аftеrnооn ѕlаtе of соllеgе fооtbаll gаmеѕ, уоu at lеаѕt knоw thаt 15 lаrgе іѕ gоіng tо gеt you a handbag. If you are into furniture, you can find one of the best furniture store in las vegas. They do not cost a grand like everything else in vegas, but the pieces sure are high-end and is a masterwork.

Blog

Announcing: Geeky Hostess Teas!

One of my favorite things to do on these cold, blustery, winter days is cozy up with a cup of tea. I start my mornings with one and often end my days with one as well. So I’m thrilled to announce the newest line of Geeky Hostess products: loose leaf tea! But this isn’t your ordinary tea. I sourced the tea from Friday Afternoon, an amazing Seattle-based geeky tea company. Friday knows her stuff, and she makes beautiful blends based on popular fandoms. I took her blends and added a bit of Geeky Hostess flair: sprinkles. The sprinkles add just a tiny bit of sweetness and a lot of fun. The final product is a beautiful tin of loose leaf tea perfect for gifting (or keeping for yourself!). Without further ado, let’s take a look at the blends:

Doctor's Blend Tea HeroDoctor’s Blend

An apple a day keeps the doctor a way, but this blend of loose leaf tea just might make him stop by for a visit! This black tea blend is enhanced with police box sprinkles for added sweetness and geekness.

Directions: Brew 1 tsp for one cup of tea or 2 tsp for a pot of tea for three minutes at 212°F

Ingredients: Darjeeling black tea, lime peel, blue cornflower, sprinkles (sugar, rice flour, palm oil, palm kernel oil, corn starch, cellulose gum, carrageenan, confectioner’s glaze, blue 1 lake, blue 2)

 

 

 

 

Lion’s Blend Lion's Blend Tea Hero

After a long day of studying, retire to your house’s common room and relax with a cup of fragrant tea. This rooibos and black tea blend is enhanced with lightning bolt sprinkles for added sweetness and geekness.

Directions: Brew 1 tsp for one cup of tea or 2 tsp for a pot of tea for three minutes at 195°F

Ingredients: Rooibos, Assam black tea, orange peel, marigold, sprinkles (sugar, rice flour, palm oil, palm kernel oil, corn starch, cellulose gum, carrageenan, confectioner’s glaze, yellow 5, yellow 6), bergamot oil, vanilla oil

 

 

 

Mechanic's Blend Tea HeroMechanic’s Blend

This shiny loose leaf tea blend will keep you caffeinated for whatever crises come your way. And you know you’ll love the strawberries… This white tea blend is enhanced with steampunk gear sprinkles for added sweetness and geekness.

Directions: Brew 1 tsp for one cup of tea or 2 tsp for a pot of tea for three minutes at 175°F

Ingredients:  Pai Mu Tan white tea, strawberry, rose hip, sprinkles (sugar, rice flour, palm oil, palm kernel oil, corn starch, cellulose gum, carrageenan, confectioner’s glaze, yellow 5, yellow 6 lake, red 40 lake, blue 1 lake, yellow 6, red 40, blue 1)

 

 

 

The tea is normally $10 each or $25 for the set, but from now until the end of the year, the tea is only $8 or $20 for the set! Check them all out here.

What tea blend are you most excited for? What fandoms should I include in the future?

Blog, Lifestyle

Desert Bus 9 Recap

This past week, I spent some time in beautiful Victoria B.C. to handle media relations for Desert Bus for Hope. Desert Bus is a live-streamed charity event that raises money for Child’s Play Charity. In this, its 9th year, it raised $677,914 which brought its lifetime total to Child’s Play to over $3.1 million.

In addition to getting some fantastic press coverage from folks like PolygonWired, and The Smithsonian, I got my very own official driving shift! On Monday night, I “drove the bus” for 8 hours. During that run, I tried sprinkles on a lot of food, had some great call-ins, held a bake-off, auctioned off a bunch of great stuff, and sat prisoner while experiments were done on squeaky ducks. Here are some pics and videos of some of my favorite moments of both my driving shift and Desert Bus as a whole.

I decided to do a series of challenges themed to my “Will Sprinkles Make it Better” video series on Instagram. This was the video for Habanero Jelly. It was spicy.

7Fdo8lh

Tally made a smaller version of her famous “creepy doll” that had the noisemaker from a squeaky duck doll in it. It was terrifying, and it wanted to be my friend.

BakingChallenge-Betsy

The results of the bake-off on my shift were freaking amazing. The winner, Betsy, not only decorated the tops of her cupcakes to look like the Desert Bus logo, but the actual cake is colored and layered to be the logo! AHHH! So cool! And as amazing as that is, it was still incredibly difficult to pick one winner. You can see all of the entries here!

Skeletor and Tara

Skeletor stopped by to visit during my driving shift. (Photo by Andrew Ferguson!)

db9_everyone_catsatparties_dance

The Doubleclicks called in and we danced while they performed “Cats at Parties.”

While the bus has stopped driving for the year, you can still donate at desertbus.org, or you can go straight to Child’s Play Charity and donate there. Did you tune in this past week? What were your fave moments?

Blog, Lifestyle

The Perfect Host Gifts for Thanksgiving

Yeah yeah, so the stores have skipped straight to Christmas, but we still have a delicious holiday coming up in one week, and it should not be forgotten. If you’re invited to a Thanksgiving feast, don’t show up empty-handed. Grab one of these fun gifts that will insure you’ll be first in line for the turkey and stuffing!

Thanksgiving vs Christmas Album

Thanksgiving vs Christmas

Molly Lewis and friends recorded this fun album live last year, and it’s chock-full of wonderful songs to get you in the Thanksgiving spirit. Bring the album as a gift, or have it on as the background music at your own festivities. ($20-30 at mollylewis.bandcamp.com.)

Gingerbread Turkey Kit

Gingerbread Turkey

Oh, Trader Joes. In addition to having more pumpkin-flavored things than possibly anywhere else, you can purchase one of these adorable gingerbread TURKEYS to make while waiting for Thanksgiving dinner to be ready. I’m so there. ($7.99 in Trader Joes stores.)

Pumpkin Pie Hat

Pumpkin Pie Hat

You want to make sure you’re well dressed for Thanksgiving, right? You wouldn’t want to show up in normal clothes and embarrass yourself, right? Bring this hat. Hours of entertainment, guaranteed. ($8.82 on Amazon.com.)

Gobble Gobble Mad Libs

Gobble Gobble Mad Libs

Keep everyone entertained with these Thanksgiving-themed Mad Libs. I bet you didn’t know those existed, did you? ($2.49 at Amazon.com.)

Pumpkin Pie Flavored Fortune Cookies

Pumpkin Pie Fortune Cookies

If you’re on dessert duty but want something a bit different than your normal pie, get these pumpkin-pie-flavored fortune cookies! (Also great for those Asian-fusion Thanksgiving meals.) Plus, you get to create your own custom fortunes! ($0.74 each at FancyFortuneCookies.com.)

Thanksgiving Day Dinner Cat Food

Thanksgiving Cat Food

Don’t forget the pets! Bring a can of Thanksgiving cat food and win the approval of the furry friends in the home. They’re sometimes easier to please. ($23.48 for 24 cans at Amazon.com.)

Don’t have time to grab any of these unique items? Grab a nice bouquet of flowers in harvest colors, make a batch of my pumpkin bread, or pick up a bottle of wine.

What are your Thanksgiving plans this year? Any go-to gifts you always bring?

Blog, Recipes

Hemingway’s Ghost Cocktail By 3 Howls

Hemingway's Ghost Cocktail

I had the pleasure of exploring the 3 Howls Distillery in SODO a couple weeks back and trying some of their delicious spirits. (I’m a huge fan of their banana, blood orange, and rosemary vodkas!) Their spirits are made by geeks–the distillers have backgrounds in science and tech, and use those in their practice. For instance, they use vapor infusions for their spirits! You know that we love geeks here, and they love us as well. So much, in fact, that they wanted to make a geeky cocktail just for us!

They took the idea of a Hemingway Daiquiri and used a bit of science know-how to turn it into a beautifully layered cocktail. I like to think of it as Hemingway’s Ghost: The middle layer floats among the other two clear layers, based on the weight of each layer. It’s the perfect cocktail for Halloween, and the layering “trick” helps make this “treat” perfect. Grab yourself a couple quick supplies and make yourself some Hemingway’s Ghosts for your Halloween party!

Hemingway’s Ghost

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Pour Maraschino Liqueur into the bottom of a glass.
  2. Shake the grapefruit and lime juices in a shaker with ice. Pour the juice mixture on top of a spoon right above the liquid already in the glasss. Let the juice run down the inside of the glass from the spoon.
  3. For the top layer, pour the rum into the spoon in the same manner as the juice.
  4. Serve and enjoy! You can enjoy the cocktail as-is to taste the indivual ingredients, or you can gently mix them together after the “ooh”s, “ahh”s, and pictures have stopped.

Have you made a layered drink before? What’s your fave concoction? Let me know in the comments! And special thanks again to 3 Howls for providing the recipe. Check out all of their awesome spirits!

 

Blog, Recipes

Vincent Price Has a Cookbook

Treasury Front Sleeve_© A Treasury of Great Recipes

Vincent Price, as you may know, was an actor known for his many roles in horror films. What you may not know, is that he was also a cookbook author with his wife, Mary. Their book, “A Treasury of Great Recipes” has just been re-released as a 50th Anniversary edition, and I can’t wait to add it to my collection. According to the press release,

The cookbook is the first pictorial, gastronomical travelogues published, with recipes and menus from restaurants, hotels and railroads that no one else had been successful in acquiring at the time. Iconic photographers including William Claxton and Eliot Elision helped document these adventures.

In addition to fun, vintage recipes, you can see some great pics of Price, his home, and get other entertaining tips, like how to fold napkins into Lotuses. I’m thrilled to get to show off one of the recipes here on Geeky Hostess, just in time for Halloween. Make yourself some Vincent Price-approved pumpkin seeds!

You can find the book on Amazon.com.

Pepitas a la Curry (Curried Pumpkin Seeds)

As found in “A Treasury of Great Recipes” by Mary & Vincent Price

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup curry powder
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 lime
  • 2 cups plain, hulled pumpkin seeds
  • butter

Directions: 

  1. In a saucepan mix: 1/4 cup curry powder, 1/4 warm water, 1 clove garlic, finely minced, 1 teaspoon salt, and the juice of 1 lime. When smoothly blended, add: 1 cup water and heat, stirring constantly, until liquid shimmers.
  2. Add: 2 cups plain, hulled pumpkin seeds and simmer, do not boil, for 5 minutes. Drain. (You can save curry mixture in a screw-top glass jar and use again, adding another cup of water when you do.)
  3. Preheat oven to very slow (225 degrees F.).
  4. Spread pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet, dot with butter and sprinkle with sale. Toast in very slow oven until crisp.
Blog, Lifestyle

Halloween Photo Shoot: “Sexy” Dinosaur Costume

Based on your votes, I’ve been a shark, Boba Fett, and a scantily-clad Kool-Aid man. This year, you all chose to go prehistoric with this dinosaur costume. (Want to see all of the weird “sexy” costume options for this year? Click here!)

I met up with my friend Liz Leo and ventured out to the wilderness over the weekend to get in touch with my inner dinosaur. I was still getting over my cold, but that didn’t stop me from strutting it in all my jumpsuit glory. (A word to the wise: This costume is not meant for tall folks. I’m 5’10” and even though I got the Large, hoping it would be tall enough, it wasn’t. The torso was significantly shorter than mine and the legs stopped well above my ankles. I’d recommend this for anyone 5’7″ or shorter.) Enough disclaimers. Take a look at this clever girl:

Dinosaur Head Shot 1

Dino Full Length

Dinosaur Headshot 2

Dino Feathers

(I mean, I HAD to take feather pics, right?)

A special shout out to BuyCostumes.com for helping make all of your weird “sexy” Halloween costume dreams come true. Make sure to check out their selection for Halloween or any upcoming costume party! And let me know in the comments: what are you being for Halloween?

Blog, Disney, Recipes

Cinderella’s Post-Midnight Pumpkin Bread

It’s late, you just got back from the ball, your Uber turned into a pumpkin, you’re exhausted and you’re HUNGRY. (Those tiny appetizers don’t fill anyone up.) What’s a girl to do? Make pumpkins into pumpkin bread and help yourself to a hearty slice before bed!

The kaiser rolls is a fairly traditional recipe with the addition of a bit of “fairy dust” in the form of white sanding sugar. It’s the perfect fall treat to keep on hand for cozy breakfasts and hearty snacks! And if you’re like me and can’t get enough of the pumpkin theme, you can make it with this gorgeous pumpkin loaf mold. I saw it during the Sur La Table excursion at IFBC, and I instantly fell in love. I also got this mini pumpkin cocotte and just have to decide what I want to do with it, other than display it! Aren’t they AMAZING?

Pumpkin Bread Loaf Close Up

Cinderella's Post-Midnight Pumpkin Bread
 
Cinderella's Post-Midnight Pumpkin Bread
Author:
Ingredients
  • 4 TBS unsalted butter, plus additional for buttering the pan and topping the bread
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 2 eggs
  • 1¾ cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp ginger
  • ⅔ cups water
  • 1 TBS
  • white sanding sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour your loaf pan. Set aside.
  2. Beat the butter, sugar, and oil in a stand mixer until light and fluffy (about one minute).
  3. Add the pumpkin puree and mix until combined.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until fully combined each time.
  5. Whisk flour, salt, baking soda, baking spices, and spices in a bowl.
  6. Slowly add the flour mixture and the water to the wet mixture. Mix on low until just combined.
  7. Pour batter into a loaf pan. Gently tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles.
  8. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  9. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove.
  10. Brush melted butter onto the top of the loaf and sprinkle the sanding sugar on top.
  11. Slice and enjoy!

Blog, Parties

It’s National Chili Month: Make a Chili Bar!

Chili Bar

One of my best memories of Fall was when my mom would make a big pot of chili and some cornbread for dinner. It became a Halloween tradition: grab a hearty bowl of chili before heading outside to trick or treat. I’ve continued that tradition whenever my friends and I hit up a pumpkin patch or visit a corn maze. Chilly and starving, chili really hits the spot.

Now that it’s October, Fall is fully upon us and my schedule’s filling up quick. Chili is an easy go-to for busy nights when there’s a chill in the air. Whether I’m having some friends over to check out some of the new tv premieres or to watch our fave Halloween-themed movies, or I just want something easy and delicious between errands, it’s there. I recently found out I’m not alone–October is National Chili Month and Progresso wanted me to try out some of their new chilis! (I was psyched to see they had a vegetarian option in addition to their beef/pork and chicken chilis. Something for everyon!) I took them up on their suggestion to class up my normal chili spread, and came up with this quick and delicious chili bar. (I made the little label sticks out of bamboo skewers and images of the chili from the Progresso website printed onto cardstock. Took me two minutes and made it so everyone knows what kind of chili they’re getting!)

Progresso Chili

 

Chili bars are a fun and easy way to dress up a pre-made chili and make sure everyone’s getting what they want. Just put out some of the items listed below along with some bowls, utensils, and napkins, and let people grab and go! Keep the chili in a crock pot or buffet warmers if everyone won’t be eating at the same time.

Looking for items to add to your chili bar? Consider:

  • avocado
  • bacon bits
  • banana peppers
  • cilantro
  • corn bread
  • corn chips
  • green onion
  • guacamole
  • hot sauce
  • jalapeno
  • lime wedges
  • onion
  • red and green peppers
  • salsa
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • sour cream
  • tomatoes

Chili Bowl

Want to try out some chili for yourself? Progresso’s letting me give away a prize pack with chili and stew, a fancy ladle, and a cooler chair so you’ll be set for gamedays and tailgates! Just visit progresso.com/gameday, and then leave a comment here with your fave recipe. I’ll pick a winner on Thursday, October 8th!

Don’t want to wait to win? Grab yourself a $1 off coupon now!

What’s your favorite way to prep chili? Do you have any Fall food traditions?