Pat makes Robbie Jean cry, Chris plays with a sword, and Laura purposely tries to ruin everyone's night. This week we discuss book 2, chapter 5, "The Bridge of Khazad-dum", from The Fellowship of the Ring.

Today's "Food For Thought": The Fires of Moria Salsa

It's getting hot in here... sorry. This week's recipe came from https://www.aspicyperspective.com/best-homemade-salsa-recipe/#recipe and was a really flavorful salsa with an adjustable heat level. I highly recommend using a food processor, which made this incredibly fast to prepare!

4 ripe tomatoes (I actually used frozen tomatoes from last summer's garden... probably better with fresh)
1/2 red onion
3 garlic cloves
hot peppers! your choice- I used jalapeno and habanero
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sugar (no idea if this did anything, I just added a bit cause it was in the recipe but 2 tsp seemed like a lot...)
1.5 tsp salt
15 oz can crushed tomatoes
4.5 oz can diced green chilies

Roughly chop tomatoes, onion, garlic, peppers, and add to food processor. Add cilantro, lime juice, cumin, sugar, and salt. Pulse on "chop" mode until everything is chunky. If you prefer smooth salsa, use the puree mode.
Pour into a bowl and add diced green chilies and crushed tomatoes until it's the consistency you like. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

Note: This made A LOT of salsa. I started with the full recipe and 1 jalapeno to make mild salsa. Once I removed a Pyrex full of mild, I then ladled some back into the food processor with another jalapeno and 1/4 of a habanero. Once chopped, I mixed this back into what remained for the medium and took out a Pyrex full. Finally, I ladled another scoop into the food processor and added 1 habanero and what was left of the last habanero. I wanted this to be FIRE so I did not dilute it too much with the medium salsa that was left in the bowl. It was definitely a slow build kind of heat.

Also: I have a habit of rubbing my eyes a lot, so I wore gloves to handle the peppers and HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

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Hi! Welcome to Fool of a Took Podcast, a show about friends reading the Lord of the Rings together. Here's the catch - 2 of the 4 hosts have never read the books before! Pat and Rj help their spouses Chris and Laura read the Lord of the Rings for the first time in a weekly podcast that discusses each chapter along the way.

With chapter snacks, fresh grog, and plenty of tongue wagging, you can be sure we’ll all be “cracked” by the end.

----------------------------------------------------
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed todays episode, give us a like and subscribe and share this video with someone who likes The Lord of the Rings.

Watch the podcast on Youtube!
Instagram
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Original music for the show composed by Chris Newhard
Got a question? Email us Foolofatookpodcast@gmail.com

Follow the fools on IG:
Chris
Robbie Jean
Pat
Laura

The fellowship make their way into the Mines of Moria, Chris learns the etymology of the word "midnight", and Gandalf finally goes full Boomer. This week we discuss book 2, chapter 4, "A Journey in the Dark", from The Fellowship of the Ring.

Today's "Food For Thought": A Journey into Dark Chocolate and Wine

There was little food to be had in this chapter, and certainly nothing exciting. So- another play on the chapter title!

Wine and chocolate pairings are great; in this episode I did a dry, full-bodied red (Bordeaux style) with dark chocolate- both 72% and 86% cocoa. Try with some other dry reds like Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, etc., and see how each melds with the chocolate flavors and brings out other subtle flavors.

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Hi! Welcome to Fool of a Took Podcast, a show about friends reading the Lord of the Rings together. Here's the catch - 2 of the 4 hosts have never read the books before! Pat and Rj help their spouses Chris and Laura read the Lord of the Rings for the first time in a weekly podcast that discusses each chapter along the way.

With chapter snacks, fresh grog, and plenty of tongue wagging, you can be sure we’ll all be “cracked” by the end.

----------------------------------------------------
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed todays episode, give us a like and subscribe and share this video with someone who likes The Lord of the Rings.

Watch the podcast on Youtube!
Instagram
TikTok
Original music for the show composed by Chris Newhard
Got a question? Email us Foolofatookpodcast@gmail.com

Follow the fools on IG:
Chris
Robbie Jean
Pat
Laura

The gang travels to Ireland for New Years, the Hobbits aren't the only ones to freeze to death, and Chris buys a bootleg Tin Whistle. This week we discuss book 2, chapter 3, "The Ring Goes South", from The Fellowship of the Ring.

Special thanks to the amazing staff at Montenotte Hotel in County Cork for letting us record a podcast in your fine establishment.

Today's "Food For Thought": The One Ring Toss

There is no recipe for this episode. Grab a bottle with a narrow neck (bonus points if it's Mead) and some ring-shaped pretzels. Make an ENORMOUS mess while attempting to toss the pretzels around the bottle. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Hi! Welcome to Fool of a Took Podcast, a show about friends reading the Lord of the Rings together. Here's the catch - 2 of the 4 hosts have never read the books before! Pat and Rj help their spouses Chris and Laura read the Lord of the Rings for the first time in a weekly podcast that discusses each chapter along the way.

With chapter snacks, fresh grog, and plenty of tongue wagging, you can be sure we’ll all be “cracked” by the end.

----------------------------------------------------
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed todays episode, give us a like and subscribe and share this video with someone who likes The Lord of the Rings.

Watch the podcast on Youtube!
Instagram
TikTok
Original music for the show composed by Chris Newhard
Got a question? Email us Foolofatookpodcast@gmail.com

Follow the fools on IG:
Chris
Robbie Jean
Pat
Laura

Chris' counterfeit Amazon book is starting to really affect Tolkien's story, Gollum eats all the spies and the gang consumes the fellowships bodies.

This week we discuss book 2, chapter 2, "The Council of Elrond", from The Fellowship of the Ring.

Today's "Food For Thought": The (Gingerbread) Council of Elrond

This recipe is from https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-gingerbread-cookies/#tasty-recipes-71005 and it was wonderful as is!

3.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cloves
10 tbsp softened, unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup dark molasses
1 large egg at room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together dry ingredients. Using a mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add brown sugar and molasses and beat until well-combined. Add egg and vanilla and continue to beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients (slowly or you'll have a mess) and beat on low speed until just combined. Divide dough in half and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F.
Flour your work surface and roll out dough into 1/4 inch sheet. Cut into shapes and re-roll dough as needed.
Place cutouts 1" apart on a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake 8 minutes for smaller cutouts and 11 minutes for larger cutouts (4" or more). They should look dry and puffed, but not browned on the edges.
Cool for 5 minutes on the sheet and then transfer to cooling rack.

If you want to decorate your cookies with an icing that will harden, you'll need to make royal icing. I use the Wilton recipe using meringue powder and powdered sugar (https://wilton.com/royal-icing-with-meringue-powder/wlrecip-50/), and I cut it in half though I still had A TON of icing leftover from 13 cookies. It takes some practice to find the right consistency (amount of water) for cookie piping.

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Hi! Welcome to Fool of a Took Podcast, a show about friends reading the Lord of the Rings together. Here's the catch - 2 of the 4 hosts have never read the books before! Pat and Rj help their spouses Chris and Laura read the Lord of the Rings for the first time in a weekly podcast that discusses each chapter along the way.

With chapter snacks, fresh grog, and plenty of tongue wagging, you can be sure we’ll all be “cracked” by the end.

----------------------------------------------------
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed todays episode, give us a like and subscribe and share this video with someone who likes The Lord of the Rings.

Watch the podcast on Youtube!
Instagram
TikTok
Original music for the show composed by Chris Newhard
Got a question? Email us Foolofatookpodcast@gmail.com

Follow the fools on IG:
Chris
Robbie Jean
Pat
Laura

Gandalf is back, Chris confuses Snow White for Lord of the Rings and Pat's coffee mentality is problematic. This week we discuss book 2, chapter 1, "Many Meetings", from The Fellowship of the Ring.

Today's "Food For Thought": Elven Tea Blooms

Blooming tea or flowering tea feels super fancy and like something high elves would serve at a feast. If you've never heard of it, it's a small dried ball of usually herbal tea ingredients that expand into a lovely flower shape when steeped in hot water. My only complaint is that they float, so you don't get the full effect!

You can purchase a glass teapot and dried tea balls online. They make great holiday gifts 🙂

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Hi! Welcome to Fool of a Took Podcast, a show about friends reading the Lord of the Rings together. Here's the catch - 2 of the 4 hosts have never read the books before! Pat and Rj help their spouses Chris and Laura read the Lord of the Rings for the first time in a weekly podcast that discusses each chapter along the way.

With chapter snacks, fresh grog, and plenty of tongue wagging, you can be sure we’ll all be “cracked” by the end.

----------------------------------------------------
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed todays episode, give us a like and subscribe and share this video with someone who likes The Lord of the Rings.

Watch the podcast on Youtube!
Instagram
TikTok
Original music for the show composed by Chris Newhard
Got a question? Email us Foolofatookpodcast@gmail.com

Follow the fools on IG:
Chris
Robbie Jean
Pat
Laura

The Hobbit's get drunk, Chris gets a lisp, and a deep dive on the history of trolls. This week we discuss book 1, chapter 12, "Flight to the Ford", from The Fellowship of the Ring.

Today's "Food For Thought": Eggless Bread Pudding

This episode's recipe uses the stale bread and dried fruit mentioned in the chapter. It is based off https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/dessert-pudding/eggless-bread-pudding.html. I used an eggless recipe because Chris is allergic to eggs- bread pudding usually has eggs in it. If you want a more traditional bread pudding recipe, try one of my favorite baking sites, www.kingarthurbaking.com.

1 loaf Italian bread, stale. You can cut it up and let it sit out overnight to dry out a little, or you can bake slices on a baking tray in the oven for a few minutes until they're not as moist.
butter
3 cups whole milk
1/4 cup + 1/8 cup sugar
3.5 tblsp cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a casserole dish.
Butter your bread slices and cut into squares. Make a layer of butter side up bread cubes in the casserole dish. Sprinkle half your dried fruit and nuts over this layer and repeat.

In a medium saucepan, combine milk, sugar, cornstarch, and spices with a whisk. Turn heat to medium and cook while whisking continuously. You should have no lumps. After 5-10 minutes, your milk mixture should thicken noticeably. Continue to cook for 1 min after it thickens, still whisking.
Add vanilla and about 1/2 tsp butter and whisk until melted.
Pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread and add a few small pats of butter on top. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Let it cool and enjoy! I love it with some caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.

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Hi! Welcome to Fool of a Took Podcast, a show about friends reading the Lord of the Rings together. Here's the catch - 2 of the 4 hosts have never read the books before! Pat and Rj help their spouses Chris and Laura read the Lord of the Rings for the first time in a weekly podcast that discusses each chapter along the way.

With chapter snacks, fresh grog, and plenty of tongue wagging, you can be sure we’ll all be “cracked” by the end.

----------------------------------------------------
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed todays episode, give us a like and subscribe and share this video with someone who likes The Lord of the Rings.

Watch the podcast on Youtube!
Instagram
TikTok
Original music for the show composed by Chris Newhard
Got a question? Email us Foolofatookpodcast@gmail.com

Follow the fools on IG:
Chris
Robbie Jean
Pat
Laura

Rj takes back her empathy for Butterbur, Pat's memory of Sam's song is ruined by Les Miserables, and Chris makes a terrible bet. This week we discuss book 1, chapter 11, "A Knife in the Dark", from The Fellowship of the Ring.

Today's "Food For Thought": A Knife in the Dark Chocolate Mousse

Adapted from https://www.cookwithmanali.com/easy-chocolate-mousse/

8 oz chocolate chips (I used a combo of dark chocolate and semi-sweet. Use good quality chocolate here.)
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder (optional)
pinch of salt
1/2 tblsp butter
2.5 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Add chocolate chips, espresso powder, salt, and butter to a bowl.
Bring 1 cup of heavy cream to a simmer- it should be steaming and jsut starting to foam around the edges. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for about 5 minutes.
Whisk the chocolate mixture together until smooth. Add vanilla and whisk in. Let cool to about room temp.
Whip 1.5 cups of heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. When you remove the whisk, the cream should hold a peak but it can flop over. Don't overwhip- stiff peaks don't work as well.
Fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Each time, fold gently until there are no more white streaks before adding more whipped cream.
Pour into serving cups/bowls and refrigerate for a few hours until set.
Ram a knife into that sucker for dramatic effect.

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Hi! Welcome to Fool of a Took Podcast, a show about friends reading the Lord of the Rings together. Here's the catch - 2 of the 4 hosts have never read the books before! Pat and Rj help their spouses Chris and Laura read the Lord of the Rings for the first time in a weekly podcast that discusses each chapter along the way.

With chapter snacks, fresh grog, and plenty of tongue wagging, you can be sure we’ll all be “cracked” by the end.

----------------------------------------------------
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed todays episode, give us a like and subscribe and share this video with someone who likes The Lord of the Rings.

Watch the podcast on Youtube!
Instagram
TikTok
Original music for the show composed by Chris Newhard
Got a question? Email us Foolofatookpodcast@gmail.com

Follow the fools on IG:
Chris
Robbie Jean
Pat
Laura

Butterbur realizes how badly he screwed up, Harry is the worst gatekeeper of all time, and Robbie Jean has a glue trap of a mind. This week we discuss book 1, chapter 10 - "Strider", from The Fellowship of the Ring.

Today's "Food For Thought": Stout Beer for Stout People

BUY STOUT BEER
DRINK STOUT BEER
NOTICE THAT IT WAS 11% AND GET A HANGOVER

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Hi! Welcome to Fool of a Took Podcast, a show about friends reading the Lord of the Rings together. Here's the catch - 2 of the 4 hosts have never read the books before! Pat and Rj help their spouses Chris and Laura read the Lord of the Rings for the first time in a weekly podcast that discusses each chapter along the way.

With chapter snacks, fresh grog, and plenty of tongue wagging, you can be sure we’ll all be “cracked” by the end.

----------------------------------------------------
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed todays episode, give us a like and subscribe and share this video with someone who likes The Lord of the Rings.

Watch the podcast on Youtube!
Instagram
TikTok
Original music for the show composed by Chris Newhard
Got a question? Email us Foolofatookpodcast@gmail.com

Follow the fools on IG:
Chris
Robbie Jean
Pat
Laura