Recent Posts

Entertaining, Fun Food

Unique Sandwich Cutters

It’s the first day of Spring, and dreams of sunny picnics and lazy afternoon tea parties have entered my head. Little sandwiches are a go-to at both of these events, but it’s best to avoid the cliche triangles, circles, and squares. Dress your sandwiches up with these fun sandwich cutters!

DynoBytes Sandwich Crust Cutter
Who doesn’t love dinosaurs? $4.49.

Bat Bytes Sandwich Crust Cutters
Perfect meal for a Dark Knight marathon before the newest movie comes out. $6.69.

Puzzle Bites Sandwich Cutter
These sandwiches will be the hit of your game night! $7.50.

Crustache Crust Cutter
Whether you’re playing “spot the hipster” in the park or just need a quick disguise on your lunch break, these mustache sandwiches will do the job. $5.95.

What’s your favorite sandwich recipe? I’m partial to Nutella and Banana. (Does that even count as a sandwich anymore, or is it just dessert?)

Geeky Fashion

Geek Beauty: Hunger Games Nail Polish

Colors, from top to bottom: Smoke and Ashes, Agro, Fast Track, Luxe and Lush.

I’ve mentioned the Hunger Games nail polish back when it was first announced, but I had the privilege of trying some of the colors a couple days ago. I have to say, I’m very impressed. The initial ads made the colors look cheap and not too attractive, but this is actually some of the best nail polish I’ve found.

The polish, made by China Glaze, is thick, creamy, and extremely easy to put on. I am the worst at putting on nail polish, and even I was able to put it on without too many errors. My polish normally smudges or chips within hours of applying, and I’m on the second day with this stuff looking good as new. The darker colors went on easily with one coat, although I did two for each nail in the picture above. The polish dries very smooth, even the ones with glitter dries as smooth as the ones without.

Most importantly, these colors aren’t so closely tied with Hunger Games that they could never be worn again. In the Capitol Colours collection from Ulta that I purchased, you get the four colors shown above: ranging from subtle to intense. These colors can work in any season, for any type of person. The rest of the collection features even more versatile colors.

The Hunger Games collection can be found at Sally Beauty Supply and Ulta, but supplies are running low.

What color do you think I should sport to the premiere Thursday night? And what color(s) will you be getting?

Gift Ideas

Adorable Geeky Onesies

 

Geekling Designs has some of the best geeky onesies I’ve seen in a very long time. Every time I tried to pick a favorite, more incredible ones came along. If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, Star Wars, math, Doctor Who, Nintendo, or pretty much any other geek thing, you will find something you love.

Prices range from $3.12 (for hair clips) to $29.15 (for a set of two onesies). The average onesie is $16.66-$18.74.

Turn your baby geeky with onesies, hair clips, t-shirts and more at geeklingdesigns.ca.

Geek Etiquette

Geek Etiquette: Host/Hostess Gifts

The Geeky Hostess is gonna help you get your manners on! Each Monday, we’ll focus on a topic of etiquette. We’ll take a look at the classic rules (using Emily Post as a guide), and then evaluate the rules for our daily lives, creating a guide to “Geek Etiquette.” Have an etiquette question or topic suggestion? Email tara@geekyhostess.com!


You’ve been invited to a small dinner party with a couple people you’re close with, but you don’t hang out with all the time. Do you bring a host/hostess gift with you? If so, what?

Emily Post states:

A gift for your host or hostess is a lovely way to thank them for their hospitality and is always appreciated. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive; simply consider the nature of the occasion and local custom when making your choice. In some parts of the country, a hostess gift is considered obligatory, while in other places a gift is brought only on special occasions. If it’s the first time you’re visiting someone’s home, then it’s a very nice gesture to bring a small gift.

If you’re still unsure if your occasion calls for a gift, take a look at Emily Post’s tips.

So you’ve decided to bring a gift. What do you bring? I often go for a drink or cupcakes, because those go over well with my group of friends, they’re things the host can enjoy with everyone that day or save for later, and it doesn’t potentially compete with what they wanted to serve. If you’re looking for something a bit more unique than your average bottle of wine or bouquet of flowers, I recommend these items:

  • Gamer Wine. A bottle of this wine will make you look like the coolest guest around. The wine’s actually tasty and the names, “Noob”, “Stunlock”, and “Gamer Widow”, appeal to your host’s interests. If your hosts don’t drink, bring a bottle of a fancier or craft soda, or some sparkling juice.
  • Unique Candy. A small candy gift is a sweet and inexpensive way to thank your host for the invite. Even better if it’s something they haven’t heard of before!
  • Games. A nice card game,  inexpensive board game, or expansion of their favorite game can be a great way to say “we should get together again soon to play this.” Get them a favorite of your own, or check out Board Game Geek for suggestions and reviews.
  • Kitchen Gadgets. If you’re staying for a while or are looking for a larger gift, a fun kitchen gadget or apron can make a great gift. Think Geek has a lot of fun suggestions!

Basically, bring something inexpensive but thoughtful. If you love something, a host/hostess gift is a great way to introduce that item to your friend.

Do you bring gifts when visiting others? If so, what do you usually bring?

Geeky Fashion

TARDIS Apron

Jordan Dene makes a variety of adorable and geeky aprons on her Etsy site (including Powerpuff Girls, Batman and Robin, and Pokemon themed ones), but none are as amazing as her TARDIS aprons. They’re available in sizes small-large, or in a less curvy, one-size-fits-all option.

The TARDIS apron is available for $58 here, or you can see all of her designs at Etsy.com.

Fun Food, Game of Thrones, Recipes

Game of Thrones Cookbooks

I hope you’re ready for stew, because two different Game of Thrones-inspired cookbooks are available for pre-order. A Feast of Ice and Fire, the official companion cookbook, won’t be available until May 29th. But if George R.R. Martin’s blessing means nothing to you, then you can put your order in for The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook, available on April 18th. Both cookbooks will feature food similar to that served in the books and tv series, and will be perfect for your theme parties or just a nice, hearty meal to make when Winter is coming.

Neither book will be out in time for the second season premiere of Game of Thrones on April 1st, so this recipe from The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook will have to hold you over:

Pre-order your books now!
The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook, $10.06 at Amazon.com.
A Feast of Ice and Fire, $23.10 at Amazon.com.

Weddings

TARDIS-Inspired Wedding Ring

Gino Arizmendi made this TARDIS-inspired wedding ring and it’s been making the rounds over the last week.

Today, he listed prices:

To get the ring exactly like the picture, cast in 14K gold and with a 1CT Princess Cut Diamond G-HSI1 quality. The ring is set with 30 points in diamonds, 16 baguettes, and 6 rounds for a total diamond weight of 1.30ct. The cost is $9950.

The ring can also be made with a 0.75CT Princess Cut Diamond G-HSI1 quality. The ring is set with 30 points in diamonds, 16 baguettes, and 6 rounds for a total diamond weight of 1.05ct. The cost is $6670

I will also make the ring with 0.50CT Princess Cut Diamond G-HSI1 quality. The ring is set with 30 points in diamonds, 16 baguettes, and 6 rounds for a total diamond weight of 0.80ct. The cost is $3650

I can also make this ring in Sterling Silver and set with Cubic Zirconium for $380.

Gino’s also working on a similar men’s design.

Interested in ordering your own? Email him at ginoarizmendi@artgemsjewelers.com.

Recipes

Dad’s Famous Pie Recipe

For Pi Day, I went to the best pie maker I know: my dad. I’ve had pie-loving friends rave over his pies, and he’s especially well known for his pie crust. Today I present to you his famous blueberry pie recipe! 

The first step is making the filling.  Mix the following ingredients together.

Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
4 cups fresh blueberries
Mix enough to break some of the blueberries.  Set aside.

Set oven at 400 degrees.

The most important part of any pie is the pie crust. These instructions are for making a lattice top pie.

Pie Crust:
2 cups flour
1 cup Crisco shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
6-8 Tablespoons water

Mix flour and salt. Using a pastry fork cut the shortening into the flour until your mixture is even and pea sized. If you haven’t spent at least a few minutes on this step, you aren’t done. This step is the key to a flaky crust.  Take half of the pastry and add 4-5 tablespoons water. Mix until it is not dry and pliable.  Flour the dough, your work surface and a rolling pin.  Roll the dough into a circle large enough for the bottom of the pie.  Don’t over work it.

Set the pie crust in the pie pan.  Trim the excess and mix with the rest of the loose flour.  Add the filling to the pie pan.  Dot the top of the filling with small slices of butter.

Back to the lattice top crust… Add 4-5 tablespoons water as needed to the remaining pie crust mixture.  Mix the dough, flour and roll out just like the bottom of the crust.  Try to roll the crust into as large of an area as possible.  Using a table knife, cut the pastry into strips at 3/4″-1″ width for the lattice top. Make sure to select the longest ones to run the full distance across the pie in both directions.  Start from one end and weave!  It’s hard to explain but whatever you come up with will still taste good!

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

After 30 minutes, remove the pie and lower the temperature to 375.  Make a mixture of milk and egg white.  Brush on the pie crust until the whole crust shines.  Sprinkle with course raw sugar and again with granulated sugar.

Put the pie back in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the crust is brown.

Fun Food

Pie Pan for Picky Eaters

Happy Pi Day! Although in the past I’ve refused to write about pie (cupcakes ftw!), I will make an exception today.

This pie pan is one of the niftiest inventions I’ve seen in the pie-sphere in quite some time. Making pie for a group and can’t decide between apple and pumpkin? Making a savory pie, but feeding a vegetarian as well? Make two separate halves of a pie in one go!

The “Split Decision Pie Pan” looks easy to use and would be perfect for pie tastings, picky eaters, or making a savory and sweet pie at once. You can eat nothing but pie all day with this thing!

Available for $14.99 at Amazon.com.

Stay tuned later for a drool-worthy pie recipe!

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