w00tstock. Three (five) hours of geeks and music (and food).

Hi, foodies.  I have a confession.  I'm not only a foodie.  I'm also a geek.  A nerd.  Often a spaz and a dork.  Sometimes even a dweeb.  I read David Eddings novels.  I like etymology.  My mom took me out of 3rd grade early one day to go to the opening day matinee of Return of the Jedi.  I carry a towel in my car, and not just because I have kids.  I watched Star Trek: The Next Generation every week while making tacos.  I played Diablo, Diablo II, WarCraft II, and Balder's Gate.  Before that, I played games on my ColecoVision and Nintendo 64.  Hell, I married the guy who played Crow T. Robot and Observer on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

None of that may make any sense to some of you.  Some of you already know.  One thing you should all know is that there is a show you should see, should it come to your town.  It is full of geeks, music, and runs about three (or five) of the funniest, most awesome hours evar.  That show is w00tstock.  And here are some pictures and clips.

Don't worry, foodies - There's cake - it's in the middle (and it's not a lie).  And I made cookies.  They're at the end.  You can skip down there if you just don't get it and/or care about the geeky stuff.  It's ok.  I won't judge and/or know.

So here are pictures and clips of what I saw last Monday at the Guthrie in Minneapolis.  It still geeks me out that my husband gets to do stuff like this for his job, and that I get to go along for the ride - my life is pretty surreal sometimes.  And awesome.

My Pass.  It's made of fabric and is a sticker!

Bill and some of the cast.  There was a lot of photobombing happening that night.  

This was sort of the mass photobomb.    

This clip is Paul and Storm introducing Len Peralta.  You should click that link and then click FlipFace and pay the man to make you one.  They. Are. Awesome.  Here's mine:

From this....

....to this.

...or this for Christmas.

Then I got bangs...

...and a new FlipFace (complete with necklace!)

OK, so that's Len.  Also in that clip above, is the CAKE from Celebration Generation. (See mass photobomb above, too.  Marie Porter, pastry genius and chef to the nerdy, is in the chef's whites in the middle.)  Backstage there were coffee brownies and chai blondies.  I bought the mix for the chai blondies - they have CAFFEINE IN THEM! And ARE AWESOME!!

She also inspired me to make these:

They're Rummy Bears.  

These little Gummy Bears are currently soaking up rum as I type this. 

More later on that.

Now, back to w00tstock. Here are some clips.

My husband, Bill, and Kevin Murphy invite Paul and Storm to the stage for a Sing-Along.  

Do you know the chorus?

The Whole Cast sings a generic National Anthem.

A w00tstock first.  

She said yes!

  

The big finale with the Dating Game Kiss at the end.

Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy and Bill with Molly Lewis.

She plays the ukelele and writes songs.  And wants to have Stephen Frye's baby.

.

Here's Wil Wheaton wearing her shirt.

Here's Bill and the rest of the cast signing autographs.  

Yes.  After a FIVE HOUR SHOW, everyone signed autographs for 90 minutes.  

Bless you, Guthrie Staff, for not killing us all.

Wil Wheaton, Bill, Adam Savage and me.  

Dig my @rootsandzest tee shirt. 

You can get your own, personalized Twitter shirt from TinyRun.

I promised you cookies.  Here they are.  I made two kinds, but only took pictures of one.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate cookies.  Don't let the fact that it's a Weight Watchers recipe scare you.  They're awesome.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup natural peanut butter (I used Trader Joe's peanut butter with flaxseeds)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

Instructions:

*Beat butter and sugars with a mixer until blended.   Add vanilla and egg; beat well.  Add peanut butter, beat until blended.  Divide butter mixture evenly between two bowls.

*Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.  Spoon half of flour mixture into one of the bowls of butter mixture; stir until well blended.

*Stir cocoa into remaining flour mixture; add to remaining bowl of butter mixture, stirring until well blended.

*Cover both bowls and chill at least one hour. (I did it overnight.)

*Preheat oven to 375F

*Roll peanut butter dough into 76 balls (1/2tsp works well for amount).  Roll chocolate dough into 76 balls.

*Gently roll together one chocolate ball and one peanut butter ball.  Place balls 2 inches apart on lightly grease baking sheets.  (Make sure to place them so you can see both sides.)

*Flatten cookies with the bottom of a glass or ramekin.

*Bake at 375F for 8 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes on pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

38 calories per cookie!

I also made EatingWell's Blueberry & White Chocolate Chunk Ginger Cookies, but I had to do it quick so my kids wouldn't see, and didn't take any pictures.  Sorry!!

I brought these cookies and some wine to the show.  For backstage, not for me in the audience.

The wine (Rootstock Sauv. Blanc from Trader Joe's, changed with a Sharpie) was gone by the end of the show.  Finished onstage by the cast. (photo by HellZiggy)

(Len Peralta, Bill, Me, Adam Savage, Wil Wheaton,  John Scalzi (foreground), Mrs. Wheaton,  Chris Wright.  Photo taken by Molly Lewis.)

The leftover cookies were brought to the lobby of the hotel where the cast was staying and enjoyed until 4am.

The End.