King of the Nerds 3x02 "And Now for Something Different"

Out of the few reality shows I actually watch, this one almost always makes me sad when the contestants are eliminated. I suppose King of the Nerds is kind of special that way, as everyone seems to be genuinely decent people rather than just there for the fame. But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself! Let's talk about the challenge this week first, right?

As has become a tradition, the show always features an episode where the groups must compete in a cosplay competition. Tonight was the nerds' chance to get their goofy on as they came up with stories to act out on stage. They needed to pay attention to not only making costumes, but also being creative and having a moral to their story. The blue team, House Hooloovoo (I think that's how it's spelled!), had the advantage of Lily, who is a competitive cosplayer, and was put in charge of the costumes. The green team, Team SMASH, was a little less confident, and decided to focus more on the story and moral, knowing their costumes could never match up to the other team.

With guest judges Yaya Han, Billy Boyd, and Tara Strong presiding over the proceedings, the two teams both presented their, what, cosplays? I would rather call them skits, to be honest. Anyhow, as expected, Hooloovoo did well in the costume department, and their story was pretty decent too. Smash's costumes weren't as great, and some of their acting was a bit stilted, but they had quite a bit of humor and focused more on the moral. In the end, Team Smash came out victorious thanks to those qualities.

Which left Hooloovoo to head into the Nerd Off. Deciding to be up front about their decision, everyone has apparently picked Thomas to send into the Nerd Off, though it's not entirely clear why. Meanwhile, the other team has to choose who they want him to face off against. Or is it really the other team deciding? Because there are other games afoot here, namely, the girls who already started to form an alliance last week have now also roped in Jonathan and Ben to join their ranks, thus giving them three people on each team to take out the others one at a time. They decide they want to get Kaitlin out as they view her as a pretty big threat.

Now this is kind of interesting. I'm pretty sure no one has formed this large of an alliance before on the show. In the past, we've seen mostly duos band together to reach the end, but now there's a team of six. This could either work really well, or blow up in their faces pretty quickly. Nonetheless, it's time for Thomas and Kaitlin to find out what challenge awaits them in the Nerd Off, and it's... riddles. Oh boy.

Honestly, riddles are tough. Some people just really get them, but personally I only get them sometimes. If I had been able to think a bit longer on some of them, maybe I would've been able to get them, but on the show they went by so quickly. ANYway, enough about me, who cares. Thomas and Kaitlin actually battle neck and neck on this one, right up until the last question, which was something like - When thin, I'm fast. When fat, I'm slow. I serve by being devoured. Wind is my enemy, your breath my foe. Something close to that, anyhow. The answer? Candle, which Thomas did not guess, and Kaitlin did, which means... goodbye to Thomas.

I felt kind of bad for him; he seemed like a very nice, shy, person, and a genuine nerd. Some of the people on the show, I'm not quite so sure they are what you would classify as a typical "nerd" which I guess is also prejudice or something by saying they can't be a nerd because they're not nerdy enough, blah blah. Anyway, bye Thomas, sad to see you go, enjoyed your Gollum voice.

Do you have any favorites yet? For some reason I like that Jonathan guy - he seems well-rounded and like he could go pretty far. I'm not sure on the ladies yet, but maybe uh... uh... uh oh. I forgot her name. The one with the wing-y glasses who's married. Amanda! Let me know in the comments who you are rooting for!

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Dulce de Leche Cake Brownies

 

Are you the type that likes your brownies dense and, dare I say it, moist? Or do you prefer them to be more like a condensed cake? If you're looking for the former, I'm going to direct you to another homemade brownie recipe - Deliciously Decadent Homemade Brownies. But if you like a more cake-y brownie, or even if you're just more in the mood for a cake-ish brownie, then you really should give these dulce de leche ones a try.

To be honest, I was just looking for a brownie recipe that I already had the ingredients to make at home, and that I could also maybe use my new 8x8 stoneware pan to bake it in. So, voila! Dulce de Leche Brownies. Or, Cake Brownies, because man, they really are more like a cake than a brownie!

Now, I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I used about half as much chocolate as stated. I also had to bake the thing for waaay longer than the recipe stated, so I'm not sure if that has to do with the less chocolate or the fact that the recipe said you could make it in an 8x8 or 8x10 pan. Obviously an 8x8 would take longer, but it really took at least 15-20 minutes longer than it said it would, which is quite a difference in my book. I reflected the longer cooking time in my below directions. I also had to eat mine with a fork rather than just using my hands, which to me means more cake than brownie, but should I squabble? No.

But let's talk more about the dessert itself. You would think with two whole cups of sugar, it might be overly sweet, but it's totally not. You could also absolutely make the dulce de leche yourself too rather than using some from a can, but like I said, sometimes I just vote for easy and whatever is around than doing extra work. Simple and scrumptious are always my friends. Anyway, you would also think the dulce might make those bits overly sweet, too, but instead it really just adds a nice bit of extra moist flavor.

Dulce de Leche Cake Brownies
Author: Jen @ Fresh From The…
Servings: 9 Brownies
Prep time: 00:20

Cook time: 00:55

Total time: 01:15

Light, moist, and cakey brownies with a dulce de leche topping.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 ounces (5 blocks) unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 6.75 ounces (1/2 of a 13.5 ounce can) dulce de leche

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare your 8x8 baking pan by spraying with non-stick spray.
2. Melt your chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments in a microwave-safe bowl. Make sure to stir it in between each bout in the microwave, and don't overdo it. Let that sit while you do the rest.
3. In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in your eggs one at a time, beating well in between each addition. Add in your vanilla and mix well. Slowly pour in your flour and mix until just incorporated.
4. Now, your chocolate should hopefully be cooled. If not, let it sit for a few more minutes. Then, slowly drizzle it in with your mixer on low until the chocolate is all nice and combined. Pour that into your baking pan and smooth out until even.
5. Open up your dulce de leche, scoop about half of it into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds to make it a bit more workable. Dollop that onto your brownies, then take a knife and swirl it over the top to give yourself a nice swirly pattern. You do this with the thin part of the knife, not the wide part.
6. Bake that for 55-60 minutes until the middle has set. You can stick a tester in there, but it may still have some stuff come out. That's okay, you're going to let it sit in the warm pan on the counter for another 10 minutes, which will firm up that middle. Slice and serve!

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays

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Supernatural 10x11 "There's No Place Like Home"

The Mark of Cain is looming ever larger in Dean's mind, so much so that he's decided to try a cleanse of sorts - no more eating greasy foods or indulging in the booze, just some egg whites and water. But the darkness is still there, showing up in a new tremble in Dean's hand, especially as he holds a nasty knife. Good thing we've got a nice parallel storyline to help our wee minds understand what's going on with him this week!

Before the brothers can find Cain to ask him about the Mark, they must attend to some other business - namely, Charlie is back from Oz, and is apparently wrecking havoc, beating up seemingly innocent people. The boys soon find out these people aren't so innocent. Rather, they are all tied to the death of Charlie's parents. Or should we say Celeste's parents? Apparently that is her real name! Anyhow, they track down the next person she will be targeting, and find her to be super badass, to the point where she can kind of take down Dean.

Whaaa?

Charlie drives off, but then another Charlie drives up. Oh! There are two Charlies. Basically, back in Oz, they were going to lose the war, so Charlie decided to let wizard release the darkest part of her self in order to help win the war. Well, they did, but she did some pretty terrible things to do it, so Good Charlie didn't want to let her back inside. Dark Charlie was pissed and came back to the real world to track down their parents' killer in order to win Good Charlie back over, or something. Only she breaks the key to Oz, which was the thing that performed their magical separation, so right now... they're stuck. Which is no good, because if you hurt Dark Charlie, it also hurts Good Charlie. Got it?

Okay! Well, Good Charlie and Sam go off to try to see if they can find another key to Oz. They discover that a former Man of Letters had gone to Oz in the past, eventually came back thanks to the help of L. Frank Baum, and went into a witness protection of sorts. They set off to find him.

Meanwhile, Dean has tracked down the guy who killed Charlie's parents, and waits there for Dark Charlie to show up. Show up she does, but convinces Dean that she just wants to talk to the guy, nothing more. That, of course, is a lie. She just kills him, even after he is rather apologetic. Dean heads to the local watering hole to think about drowning his sorrows, only to have a strategically timed conversation with DC, who then steals the Impala to go off in search of GC and Sam.

GC and Sam have tracked down the dude and find out that he is actually also the good version of himself. The dark version of himself is the wizard back in Oz. The only way to get them back together is to mortally wound the good guy to get the wizard to come and save him, thus bringing a key with him. They do, and the wizard appears, but as soon as he does he starts trying to kill Sam. GC has to kill the good guy in order to also kill the wizard and prevent him killing Sam. Meanwhile, Dean has stopped DC from going inside by, you know, punching her a lot, satisfying his inner Mark rage stuff for the moment.

In the end, they are able to reunite the two halves of Charlie to make her whole again. She lives to fight another day, but not with the boys, and hopefully not to die at some close time in the future. She vows to help them figure out this Mark thing, and forgives Dean for the beating, even though he's not so keen to forgive himself, which is, as Charlie points out, kind of his thing.


Random Thoughts:

- This was probably a pretty fun episode for Felicia Day to do, getting to play the badass side of Charlie while also doing the more funny side-kicky side too.

- They were laying it on a little thick with the comparisons between Dean and Dark Charlie, sheeeeesh.

- I enjoyed not having the whole angel and demon of it all for this episode. While certainly Castiel and Crowley are big parts of the show now, sometimes it's nice to just have the brothers doing their thing, even if it did still involve a big recurring guest star.

- Next week's episode looks like it could be pretty funny, but then the one with old Dean wasn't as great as it could've been, so who knows if Teen Dean will be better. Too bad we can't get some Teen Sam in there too, but alas I think Colin Ford probably looks older than the current Teen Dean, though technically Dylan Everett is one year older than Colin. Hmm... hmm...

Quotes:

Dean: As soon as we get rid of this demonic tramp stamp, I am back on the booze, burgers, and... more booze.

Dark Charlie: Should've known Rocket and Groot would track me down.

Dark Charlie: You lied to yourself... that's kind of your move.

Dean: Oh you son of a bitch!

Dark Charlie: You hit like a girl who never learned how to hit.

Sam: Be careful out there.
Charlie: Does that sound like either of me?

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King of the Nerds 3x01 "Judgment Day"

You guys, I almost completely missed that the premiere was happening tonight. Luckily, I happened to have TBS on in the background two days ago and saw a commercial for the new season, so I was able to record it in time. What, you say, didn't you have it set up to record from last season? I would have, sure, but the DVR was replaced and blah blah blah. Anyway! Enough about me. On to the show!

It's always tough to comment on who may do well on the show this early in the game. But I was surprised to notice that former Jeopardy champion Colby was a contestant. I was like, hey, that's Eyebrows from Jeopardy! Yes, I gave him a nickname during his tenure on Jeopardy for always having an eyebrow-raising expression going on. He could come off as kind of know-it-all-y on there, but from the brief time we've seen him on KOTN so far, he doesn't seem that way at all.

Anyhow, here's what went down. After everyone convened at Nerdvana for the first time, the players were split up into two teams, as is the norm. But this time around, they did not pick their own teams. It's not entirely clear how the teams were chosen, but I suspect they tried to make them evenly matched in all areas. Thus, the blue and green teams were born. Their first challenge? To create a Rube Goldberg type device that would reveal their chosen team names.

After spending a little bit of time getting to know one another, they got down to business. In the end, the blue team prevailed in the challenge. Their device was just a bit more creative and whimsical, and I have to agree with the decision. That meant the green team was going to the Nerd Off. Like in past seasons, the team itself would choose one member to go in, while the other team would choose their opponent. So who was chosen?

The green team chose Ori, who seemed surprised, but he was the only one as everyone else on both teams seemed to know that was happening. The real surprise came with who the blue team voted in - Jacob. Everyone thought Jacob was safe, that the other team was going to pick either Colby, due to his Jeopardy fame, or one of the girls, because of her cosplay knowledge. But that was all part of the blue team's plan - frazzle them.

And, sadly, it worked. The Nerd Off challenge was all about anime, kotaku and, uh, some other third word that I don't remember, which was bad for Jacob because Ori is a big anime nerd, or otaku? Honestly, it seemed like Ori was going to shoot himself in the foot because he wasn't really studying, while Jacob was getting some serious study tips and help from his other teammates. Alas, Jacob did not prevail, which is a shame because he seemed pretty nice. Which leaves Ori to cause more distress among his team members - just what the blue team was hoping for. So I guess they could call that a success.

It's hard to say at this point who has a chance at winning the whole shebang. The girls (minus Kaitlin, it seemed) did talk briefly about trying to set up an all-girls alliance that goes beyond the teams, but it wasn't clear if everyone was really into it. Kaitlin seems like she is probably going into a Nerd Off soon just because she is a bit off-putting and intense. I think Jonathan maybe has a chance, and seemed like one of the nicer people there too. Otherwise, it's too hard to tell yet!

That's all for this week! Do you have any early predictions or hopes?

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Supernatural 10x10 "The Hunter Games"

Well, my friends, winter break is officially over. Sad, I know. But that does mean Supernatural is back from hiatus. So what are the wacky Winchesters up to this week? Well, as you may recall from the last episode, Dean went a little nutso on Castiel's former meatsuit Jimmy's daughter Claire's adopted dad and some other dudes. Whoa, if you could follow that sentence, good for you. So, yeah, he basically killed a bunch of humans. A bunch of despicable humans, but humans nonetheless, which is an altogether big no-no for the hunters of all things that go bump in the night.

Sam and Castiel are naturally a bit appalled, though I should say Dean is also rather appalled too, and perhaps moreso than them. They need to figure out how to get rid of the Mark right quick, before Dean gives in more and more, etc. The only person they can think of that may know how to do that is Metatron, so Cas gets him on loan from Heaven to interrogate. But this is Metatron we're talking about, he's not going to be super forthcoming with the info unless it does something for him. He does give them one clue to start with, though, and that is they need the first blade. You know, the blade they had Crowley hide not too long ago, the one that makes Dean go even crazier with blood lust? Yeah, that blade.

Speaking of Crowley, he's been hanging out with his mum, who is doing all she can to appear to be contrite about her past actions, to get on his good side. But, as witches are wont to do, she's not being entirely honest. Instead, she spies on Crowley and overhears when the Winchesters tell him they need to the first blade back. She has one of Crowley's lackeys take it and then kills him, pretending that he was betraying Crowley. Crowley seems inclined to believe her, but hopefully he's not a complete doof.

Meanwhile, Cas is also a bit stricken about what has happened in Claire's life, and wants to help her. She is like oh hellz no and instead goes and hangs out with two imbeciles who are like hey girl, we can definitely beat up and possibly kill that dude who just murdered an entire group of huge men even though we're both scrawny idiots. So she calls up Dean, who Cas has already asked to try to make amends with her, and gets him to meet up. The two dummies try to jump him, but he defeats them rather easily. Claire thinks he's going to kill them, but he holds himself back. In the end, she has a little talk with Castiel and decides she's going to try to straighten up, but on her own. But hey, she might call him sometimes?

Which is good, because earlier he was losing it when he was interrogating Metatron about what he needs to do to get rid of the Mark after procuring the first blade all over again. Basically, Metatron wants a little give and take - he gives, he takes. It's not clear what he even wants for his information, but Dean is less than inclined to give in to his demands, and decides to rough him up a little. He goes so far as to start plunging an angel death blade into his throat when Sam and Cas come in to stop him. Metatron says something about the end being the beginning or some cryptic hooha like that, which may be a clue.

Sam is like well maybe it has something to do with Cain - you know, the one who gave you the Mark? The one who still has said Mark, and has been living with it for hundreds of years? Oh yeah, why didn't we think to try to ask him about it already? That I really cannot say, because duh.

Random Thoughts:

- The recap music is pretty great. Always love when they use their classic rock. And it was edited nicely to go with it too.

- Why would Claire ever think those two would be able to take on Dean after he killed all of those men? I mean, get a clue, girl. That is just stupid. I know you're a teenager, but that really pushed the boundaries of credulity.

- If I'm being totally honest, I was only half paying attention to most of this episode. Although it set up a few things, it was pretty much a filler.

- Not sure what Rowena's ultimate goal with Crowley is. Clearly she has some kind of motive going on, because it seems like she would be able to escape if she really wanted to.

Quotes:

Metatron: What, just like that, social hour is over?

Metatron: As I said, ain't life a bitch.

Rowena: Your mum was a prodigy.
Crowley: Funny, not what I called you.

Castiel: I like texting. Emoticons.

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Toasted Marshmallow Squares

Well look where we are, in a brand new year. Okay, a little over a week old. I guess I was on something of a bit of hiatus from the blog, so here I am - back again with a new recipe for your tastebuds. Although if any of you got the new Joy the Baker cookbook over the holidays, you may have already seen this one in its pages.

I received a few cookbooks over Christmas, and am looking forward to sharing more of the recipes as I get around to making them. Aside from the new Joy the Baker book, I am looking forward to using Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home, which has some pretty awesome ice cream recipes. And the boyfriend got me (or maybe us) a fancypants French pastry book called The Art of French Pastry, so perhaps you will be seeing some fancy pastries on here soon too.

But today I'm bringing you a take on the classic s'mores that you can make at home. I made s'mores bars before, and while they were decent, I have to say that I'm pretty sure these are better. The main reason? The shortbread bottom. Oh man that shortbread is SO. GOOD. Like, I may go bake some shortbread on its own rather than add all the bells and whistles good. For reals.

Toasted Marshmallow Squares
Author: Jen @ Fresh From The…
Servings: 30 Squares
Prep time: 00:15

Cook time: 00:50

Total time: 01:15

A version of the beloved s’mores, but that you can make at home without a campfire.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread)
• 15 large marshmallows, cut in half

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Beat together your butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides, then put in your vanilla and egg yolk and beat well. Add the flour and salt and beat on low speed until incorporated.
3. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with a little flour and press it down with your fingers, trying to make it as even as possible.
4. Bake until the crust is golden brown around the edges, but still slightly soft in the center, 20-24 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the crust cool in the pan for 20 minutes, leaving the oven on.
5. Use the parchment paper to carefully remove the crust. Run a knife between the crust and the paper and carefully slide the crust onto a baking sheet.
6. Top the crust with a thin layer of Nutella and arrange the marshmallow halves on top. Stick the pan in the oven and bake about 4 minutes until the marshmallows are warm and soft. Remove from the pan and turn on the broiler. Using the back of a spoon, press down and smash the marshmallows.
7. Broil the marshmallows, but keep a close eye as they will brown quickly. My broiler was a bit uneven so I rotated the pan to get a more even toasting. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Good warm or at room temperature!

Recipe via Joy the Baker Homemade Decadence Cookbook