You all know I’m ridiculously excited for the new season of Arrested Development. Most of the links I’ve found, videos I’ve watched, and food I’ve eaten in the past week have all been in the Arrested Development theme. Now, lucky readers, I’m passing it all onto you! What a fun, sexy time for you.

Favorite Videos: Arrested Development Sneak Peeks

This site has five different clips of the new season hidden inside the picture. Click around and see what pops up! (My favorite clip includes bees.)

Favorite Sites:  Recurring Joke Pages

I’ve found two different and excellent sites that show all of Arrested Development’s hidden jokes (and where you can find them). Study up before watching Season 4!

• RecurringDevelopments.com
• NPR’s Guide to Running Gags from Arrested Development

Favorite Posts: Arrested Development Recipes

I’ve been posting a lot of recipes/party tips for Arrested Development, and I have one more coming tomorrow morning. Here are the ones I’ve already published!

• Arrested Development Premiere Party
• Bluth Bananas Recipe

Favorite Recipe: Skip’s Scramble

You’ll see my version of the Skip’s Scramble tomorrow, but this guy already wins. Every item in his scramble is themed and it’s all beautifully photographed. I can only aspire to be as awesome as him. Find his amazing post at Cooking with B.S.

Will you be watching Arrested Development on Sunday? And will you be watching all the way through, or savoring it by watching only a couple episodes at a time?

I couldn’t wait until photos were done to try it…

When I first tried to make Bluth Bananas, I tried a fairly basic recipe: Frozen Banana + Melted Chocolate (and a tiny bit of butter) = Profit, right? Unfortunately, that recipe resulted in clumpy, unappetizing bananas and way too thick of a coating. It was too rich and difficult to eat! However, I’ve figured out a way to make a prettier and more delicious chocolate banana: Magic Shell.

You know that stuff you can buy in the ice cream section at your store? It quickly becomes solid once it hits your ice cream? You can make it at home with two ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate chips and coconut oil. It will make the best Bluth Bananas. There will always be money in the banana stand with these babies.

Bluth Bananas

Ingredients:

• 4  Bananas
• 3/4 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup Coconut oil
• Chopped nuts, optional
• Popsicle sticks

Directions:

Carefully put a popsicle stick in each banana. Wrap the banana (I wrapped it in plastic wrap and placed it on wax paper) and place in the freezer. Let freeze for a few hours or overnight.

Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir until ingredients are combined and smooth. (Ta-da! You’ve made Magic Shell!)

Take a frozen banana and dip into the chocolate mixture. You will most likely need to pour more chocolate over the banana using a spoon.

Roll one side of the banana over a plate of the chopped nuts. Let cool/harden on wax paper. Place back into the freezer until you’re ready to serve.

(If you have leftover “Magic Shell” you can store it in a container in your fridge. Just heat it up for a tiny bit in the microwave then spoon over the cold item of your choice!)

I posted a while back about a $10 costume sale BuyCostumes was having, and I ended up buying a bunch of stuff myself. Well, today they announced that many of the costumes/accessories from that sale are now $8 or less! Ridiculous.

If you need costumes, check out the sale. If you don’t need costumes, then you’re no friend of mine.

Visit the sale at BuyCostumes.com.

Do you think of yourself as part Captain America, part Wizard, part God of the Grill? Then this is the item for you. This caped apron will show off your patriotic pride while flapping gracefully in the wind. There’s no other way to grill. Makes a perfect Father’s Day gift or 4th of July/Memorial Day host gift.

Caperon, $60 at BetaBrand.com.

Source: The Awesomer

But I did get that KitchenAid mixer. And I don’t know what kind of fairy cult dust was in that box, but I LOVE it. It mixes stuff and so much more! Let’s just say that I wouldn’t be making so many baked goods if I didn’t have that. The only problem? I didn’t want to get one of the fun colors, for fear of outgrowing it or moving to a kitchen that would one day clash with it, so I got a nice onyx black. It’s sleek, but it doesn’t stand out or show my personality. So what’s a girl to do?

Get some of these amazing KitchenAid decals. The decals can be removed easily so when you do outgrow the design, you can just go back to your normal mixer or put on a new decal. It’s a fun way to show your fun/geeky side without potentially ruining or harming an expensive piece of equipment! Take a look at some of my favorites, below:

Skull Cupcake Decal

You’re cute and sweet, but NO ONE gets between you and your cupcakes. Share the warning with these decals, available in sets of 8 for $5.99 or 16 for $9.99.

Sir Mix A Lot

Show your mixer the respect he deserves by calling him “sir” (and honoring a rapper at the same time, if that’s your thing.) The decal’s available for $5.99.

 Wonder Woman

Your mixer’s essentially a superhero, and so are you for making all of those delicious treats. Show this with the Wonder Woman decals including the large logo, stars, and a piece for the top of the mixer. The set’s available for $15.99.

Just Beat It

Pay homage to Michael Jackson and remind your mixer of its job with this decal, available for $10.00. This Etsy shop has some other punny designs including Stir Crazy and Whip It, Whip It Good.

The Dark Knight

This decal shows off your love of Batman in a pretty way. It can be super discreet if you don’t include the decal that says “The Dark Knight” and just use the design. This decal’s available for $10.00. This Etsy shop also has a great Doctor Who TARDIS decal, for when your mixer can hold more contents than you first thought possible.

Have you decorated your mixer? Which decal should I get for mine?

Drinks

Arrested Development-themed drinks were easy. We had juice boxes for Buster, Wine boxes for Lucille, and the ingredients for make-your-own “Cloudmir” vodka martinis. Everyone had something, and I didn’t have to do much prep. Win-win!

Food

Oh dear. I went through the food items mentioned in Arrested Development, and took out all of the ones that would potentially give my friends heart attacks or food poisoning. (Goodbye hot ham water and chicken in chicken sauce. Skip’s Scramble, we’ll see you another day.) Unfortunately, the food items left over made for an…interesting…array of party food. What did I include, you may ask?

• Mayanneggs. They were exactly as you’d expect . Mr. Geek and I were both surprised to see that people actually ate them (although most people chose to have their egg sans mayo.)
• Ice Cream Sandwiches. As delicious as ice cream sandwiches are, they’re way better when inside of a prison ice cream vending machine. If you plan on keeping them out at a party, get yourself a cooler (full of evidence?) or choose a specific time of the party to bring them out. They melt quickly. I was running back and forth between the freezer for most of the party.
• Bluth Bananas. See above. The chocolate stayed mostly in tact, but the banana melted and became mushy fairly quickly. A mushy banana is not a fun banana.
• Candy beans. Delicious. Easy party food. Win-win.
• Cornballs. Oh, cornballs. It was only appropriate that my cornball recipe did not turn out. I used a hush puppy recipe (it’s essentially cornbread mix, an egg, and some chopped onion), but the oil must have been too hot. The outside would get brown way too quickly, and the inside wouldn’t be completely cooked. If I did wait for the inside to cook, the outside became an unappetizing black. Luckily, no one burned themselves.

So for those keeping score at home, we have hard boiled eggs, ice cream sandwiches, chocolate covered bananas, candy beans, martinis, wine, and juice. Most bizarre mix of party food I’ve ever had. I don’t recommend it. I ended up making some popcorn later in the night just to even out the food a bit and not put my friends into a sugar shock.

As you may all have known (why didn’t anyone tell me?) the characters on Arrested Development never claimed to be great cooks or have good taste in food.  I had made a huge mistake.

Still looking to make  Bluth Bananas? I’d recommend not making them like I did (with melted chocolate and a bit of butter). Instead, try my Revised Bluth Bananas Recipe! Bring the bananas out of the freezer right before you plan on eating them.

Activities

You’re going to be watching Arrested Development. This is a no-brainer. But if you want something else to do, here are some suggestions:

• Encourage your guests to come dressed in costume.
• Host a photo wall. My dad printed the amazing mugshot backdrop for us that he modeled after this promo photo. Mr. Geek created the fantastic quote signs. You can see more photos in the Geeky Hostess Facebook Album.
• Host an Arrested Development trivia contest. IMDB can get you started.
• Hold a Chicken Dance competition. Has anyone ever seen a chicken before?

Have fun! Report back here on how your premiere party went, and what you think of the 4th season.

Although I’m upset I didn’t think of it first, I’m loving the new show on My Damn Channel: “Life: A Gamer’s Guide.” It teaches little life lessons in an entertaining way, and they start off with a lesson on how to be geek fit. The tips are basic for those who have exercised before, but they’re good reminders.

Now where can I find an awesome headband?

Life: A Gamer’s Guide can be found at MyDamnChannel.com

Wear your favorite book close to your heart with these amazing lockets. JunkStudio will take the cover of your favorite book, miniaturize it with magic, and turn it into a locket. You can then insert your favorite quote or a picture from the book on the inside. What a cute idea! I can see this also being a meaningful gift. I’d love to give one to my mom–she instilled a love of reading in me from a very young age.

If I were to get one for myself, I’d most likely pick the book “The Time Traveler’s Wife” as it’s one of my favorites, and the name alone can concoct up thoughts of Doctor Who and other time travel stories.

What book would you select?

Custom Book Locket, $20.50 at Etsy.com. 

Happy Friday everyone! This past week kept me busy with shoots and prepping for more shoots. Lots of fun stuff coming up in the future! Let’s take a look at what kept me busy the rest of the week:

Favorite Game: Google Image Breakout
You’ve probably already heard about this, but if not, here you go: Go to Google Images and search for “Atari Breakout.” Be delighted at what happens. Lose an hour of your day. Come back here and thank me.

Favorite Video: Arrested Development Trailer
Guys. GUYS. I’m so excited. I’m planning Arrested Development party posts. I’m crafting recipes. I’m dreaming about the series. I’m playing the trailer on repeat. I think it’s time to break out the Banana Grabber Advent Calendar. 9 days left!!!

Favorite Event: SIFF Opening Night Gala
I attending the opening night gala for the Seattle International Film Festival last night, which just happened to be a showing of Much Ado About Nothing with Joss Whedon,  Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, Nathan Fillion, and Clark Gregg. The movie was a lot of fun (Joss did a great job modernizing the play while keeping the original text), and the after-party was a fantastic way to catch up with all of my friends. This may be one of the few events that brought in both my friends from Seattle’s “geek” community AND my friends from Seattle’s filmmaking community. It may also have been the only time the SIFF Opening Night Gala needed “no prop weapons allowed” signs. Overall, a great time for everyone who attended!

Favorite Post: Troy’s Bagel Bites Casserole
I looked back at old Geeky Hostess posts today, and found out that I posted Troy’s Bagel Bites Casserole recipe exactly one year ago. It felt fitting since NBC announced that the show will be renewed for another season this past week. Enjoy/I’m sorry!

What have you been loving this week?

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about 3D printers. People are currently trying to find their limits and well, haven’t succeeded yet. I hear rumors of food, body parts, and guns being printed.  How about we take a step back and appreciate it for the art it can create in addition to the science and technological achievements?

I, for instance, love this jewelry made with a 3D printer. It’s geometric, science-y, and yet makes an elegant statement piece. Best part? It’s relatively inexpensive. The pendant necklace is $59, the ring is $55, and a pair of square dangle earrings are only $36. You can find the whole set at TheGrommet.com!

What are you loving most about 3D printers?