Fool of a Took Podcast

This week we discuss book 3, chapter 2, "The Riders of Rohan", from The Two Towers.  Today's "Food For Thought": The Blondies of Rohan Listen, I wasn't feeling particularly inspired this week, OK? The riders are blond... right...? Honestly, just follow this recipe as written, it is perfect. https://smittenkitchen.com/2006/11/blondies/ For the mix-ins, I used toasted pecans, chopped up soft caramel...

This week we discuss book 3, chapter 1, "The Departure of Boromir", from The Two Towers.  Today's "Food For Thought": Boromir's Cream Horn Yes, that name was meant to be gross. Anyway, a cream horn is a real dessert and it felt right to honor Boromir. Recipe adapted from https://stressbaking.com/cream-horns/#recipe Thaw a sheet of puff pastry and slice it into 1/2 inch strips. Grab either pastry c...

*FYI - This episode is AUDIO only* A special BONUS EPISODE of Fool of a Took Podcast for the season 2 premiere. We sat down and analyzed Peter Jackson's 2001 Oscar winning adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring (the extended versions). We discuss the movie's triumphs, what we loved about it, and what we didn't love so much. Today's "Food For Thought": Movie Theater Popcorn ----------------------...

June 25th - Season 2 - THE TWO TOWERS   ---------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the Fool of a Took Podcast — the show where deep lore meets even deeper nonsense! Here's the catch - 2 of the 4 hosts have never read the books before! Join Chris, RJ, Pat and Laura as they dive headfirst into the world of Tolkien. With chapter snacks, fresh grog, and plenty of tongue wagging, F...

As season one concludes, Frodo does an exposition dump, Chris nearly dies, and Sam forces Frodo to relive this childhood trauma. This week we discuss book 2, chapter 10, "The Breaking of the Fellowship", from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought":  The Eye of Sugar I've been waiting a whole book to make these, so the final episode of season 1 felt like the right time! Use any cup...

Sam has a "crappy" time on the boat, Pat can't tell what color his shirt is, and Boromir gaslights the fellowship. This week we discuss book 2, chapter 9, "The Great River", from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought": Mini Swiss Rolls with Eyes (What Sam Saw) The Cake: 6 large eggs, separated, room temp 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1...

Figuring out our Lembas bread equivalents, Gimli has his first crush, and Pat gives out presents for his birthday. This week we discuss book 2, chapter 8, "Farewell to Lorien", from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought": Elven Lembas Bread Yes!! I finally get to make Lembas bread! Probably one of the most recognizable foods from LOTR. I reviewed probably 15 different recipes befo...

Deciding our new addresses in Lorien, uncovering each others banes, and  role-playing J.R.R. Tolkien's editor trying to reduce the amount of proper nouns per chapter. This week we discuss book 2, chapter 7, "The Mirror of Galadriel", from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought": Galadriel's Mirror Glaze I've been watching too much Great British Bake-Off, so for this episode I learn...

The fellowship traverse the magical lands of Lothlorien, an accident from Chris' past resembles Sam's tree predicament, and how "The Brave Little Toaster" might play a significant role in Tolkien's multiverse. This week we discuss book 2, chapter 6, "Lothlorien", from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought": Lothlorien Fizz Intended to evoke vibes of a never-ending summer, even in...

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...

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- anothe...

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 Ri...

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-re...

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 o...

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-...

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...

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 ----------------------------------------------------...

Frodo chooses the worst time to do a singing jig, Strider definitely doesn't work for the Middle Earth Parks Service, and finding the truth about Tolkien's love affair with tramps. This week we discuss book 1, chapter 9 - "At the Sign of The Prancing Pony", from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought": The Prancing Pony's Blackberry Tart This recipe is based on https://simplyscrump...

Laura changes her mind about Tom Bombadil, the Hobbits kill time doing naked cartwheels and Pat chokes on a donut. This week we discuss Chapter 8, "Fog on the Barrow-Downs", from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought": A Donut Diorama of the Downs There is no recipe for this one. Combine donuts and various candies to represent the Barrow-Downs and our hobbit heroes as they need re...

Sam sleeps like a log, rain is mostly pee, and Pat struggles to articulate his hate for Tom Bombadil. This week we discuss book 1, chapter 7 - "In the House of Tom Bombadil", from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought": Tom Bombadil's Dinner Spread This episode's Food for Thought was simply a recreation of what Tom fed the hobbits at his house. This included white bread, butter, y...

Laura accidentally roofies the group, Merry gets aroused by Tom Bombadil, and Pat & Rj attempt a sea shanty. This week we discuss book 1, chapter 6 - "The Old Forest", from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought": Magic Willow's Mandatory Naptime Tea Get yourself some chamomile tea or other herbal tea. Drink it and take a nice nap. Do not spike your friends' tea with sleep aids...

The hobbits take a bubble bath, Laura learns about Papa Smurf's secret, and saving Merry at BuckleBerry Ferry makes Pat throw up his drink. This week we discuss book 1, chapter 5 - "A Conspiracy Unmasked", from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought": Fatty's Stuffed Mushrooms 4 Portobello mushroom caps 1 cup cooked crumbled sausage 1 medium onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1...

Chris pulls a rain man, the hobbits get roofied, and J. R. R. Tolkien's real name is revealed - it's not what you think it is. This week we discuss book 1, chapter 4 - "A Shortcut to Mushrooms", from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought": Mrs. Maggot's Hearty Mushroom & Bacon Quiche Frozen or homemade pie crust (deep dish) 1/2 lb bacon (extra thick cut recommended), chopped 1...

Rest in peace Otho, fat shaming, and Ted Sandyman ruin's Pat's dream of being Gandalf. This week we discuss book 1, chapter 3 - "Three Is Company" from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought": Mrs. Maggot's Hearty Mushroom & Bacon Quiche Frozen or homemade pie crust 1/2 lb bacon (extra thick cut recommended) 1 tsp veg oil ---------------------------------------------------- Wel...

A typo breaks the silence, the gang give each other travel names and Aragorn turns RJ on. This week we discuss book 1, chapter 2 - "the Shadow of the Past" from The Fellowship of the Ring.  Today's "Food For Thought": A Snack for Gollum Smoked salmon Cheese of choice (recommend chive cream cheese and smoked gouda) Crackers Swedish fish This snack does not need a recipe. Please don't make me explai...