Cooking the Books

We got the protein bar recipe from here. They lingered in the...

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:12:48 -0500

We got the protein bar recipe from here. They lingered in the fridge for a while, I’ll be honest. But we definitely undercooked them.

I’m a big fan of both Chad and The Art Of Fielding and I recommend the book without reservation, even to people who are not fans of baseball or sports or college or whatever else the book is “about.” As Chad says, it is a book about love.

And shopping for jeans, and protein powder, and an impromptu burial at sea, and having sex with your boyfriend’s best friend just to cheer him up. But mostly love!

Also this is the last Cooking the Books, which is pretty sad. I moved to a new apartment and the kitchen is too small to accommodate the camera crew. Val and Andrew are heavenly angels for all their hours of hard work on this show. We made memories we’ll cherish forever, and also $198.49 from blip.tv. (Dinner’s on me, guys. Seriously. Let’s do it. Let’s go out to dinner and spend exactly $198.49).

Ah, I always mean to do this and then forget. Some food blogger...

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:03:04 -0400

Ah, I always mean to do this and then forget. Some food blogger I turned out to be!

Guess who is a great foodblogger, though: Smitten Kitchen. Jon-Jon and I made, essentially, her rugelach pinwheels. Maybe due to hot kitchen conditions, I ended up using a lot more flour than she did just to be able to work with the dough at all. And in later off-air batches, I put craisins and miniature chocolate chips in the filling, with GREAT results.

Also they’re the kind of cookie that really hits its peak three days after you bake it.

A couple of things about this episode and Jon-Jon. 1. I’m...

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:41:52 -0400

A couple of things about this episode and Jon-Jon.

1. I’m wearing my glasses because I was having such face-bleeding-snot allergy attacks that day that the only thing that could keep me from dripping in the cookie dough were little minishots of vodka, a folk remedy recommended by Val.

2. Jon-Jon not only put up with this, he went out with us afterwards when

3. my mom, who was in town, took us all out for pizza.

To sum up, please buy Jon-Jon’s book The Man in the Gray Flannel Skirt — a bizarre and wonderful read that is as captivating and inexplicable as Jon-Jon’s fondness for Tommy Girl tank tops.

Bryan Charles and I made a Bittman recipe for spicy Szechuan...

Thu, 19 May 2011 14:14:00 -0400

Bryan Charles and I made a Bittman recipe for spicy Szechuan chicken thighs topped with crispy bits of chicken skin. Watch as we ably demonstrate how not to butcher chicken! And do check out CtB’s very cute new Blip homepage.

Jon Cotner and Andy Fitch do these transcribed conversation...

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:30:54 -0400

Jon Cotner and Andy Fitch do these transcribed conversation projects that are kind of hard to explain. Watch us try! (while making juice.) A bonus part of the episode is about zits and Andy’s completely insane and wrong theory about how and why one gets them.

Sempre Susan by Sigrid Nunez is on sale this week! In this...

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:12:00 -0400

Sempre Susan by Sigrid Nunez is on sale this week! In this episode, we make stir-fried Sichuan green beans with pork, though coffee, cigarettes, and speed would have been more appropriate (according to Sigrid). This book is a must-read for anyone interested in reading, writing, being a writer, New York in the 70s, motherhood, being an artist — in short it is a must-read for most humans.

We had Emma Rathbone on the show to make strawberry cookies,...

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:43:56 -0500

We had Emma Rathbone on the show to make strawberry cookies, which figure prominently in a scene from her debut novel The Patterns of Paper Monsters. The cookies didn’t go very well but everything else did!

Jake Cleland: Thoughts While Watching "Cooking The Books: Doogie Horner."

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 23:22:19 -0500

Jake Cleland: Thoughts While Watching "Cooking The Books: Doogie Horner.":

jakec:

Cute intro music. I like it when the screen splits into multiple parts like an episode of “24.” Why does that temperature dial only go to 60? Oh it’s the timer. Who’s Doogie Horner? Do I have time to Google him? Oh no, it’s starting. JESSE VENTURA! It’s Gould as in “Ghouled”, that’s…

Jake, you raise interesting points and ask pertinent questions. They were cut-offs (we shot this in September) and we aren’t 30, come on, that’s harsh. (I’m 29 but I think Doogie is younger)

I know sometimes when I’m watching a video on the Internet...

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:21:16 -0500

I know sometimes when I’m watching a video on the Internet I can get a little bored and tune out if it’s longer than, say, :30 and not about a cat fighting a bear cub (and winning). Nevertheless I have to recommend that you give this episode of Cooking the Books’s flavors time to develop and blossom on your palate, like a fine wine/ vodka-Schlitz-lemonade beverage.

Also at 11:16 we dance.

I want to read a transcript of this episode.

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:47:44 -0400

I want to read a transcript of this episode.

Recently on Cooking the Books we had “A Visit from the...

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:42:00 -0400

Recently on Cooking the Books we had “A Visit from the Macaroon Squad” with “A Visit From The Goon Squad” author Jennifer Egan. We talked about how, when you’re reading a book with many characters and plotlines and worlds, you’re sometimes “waiting for your favorite.” One of the reasons why AVFTGS is such a remarkable book is that you’re never tempted to skim for the reappearance of a character you’d liked, but when that character does eventually reappear it’s unexpected, yet makes perfect sense. Also, this is a book that made me cry via a description of public oral sex.

Anyway, this video will teach you how to make macaroons.

Malena Watrous makes sushi and discusses If You Follow...

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:54:57 -0400

Malena Watrous makes sushi and discusses If You Follow Me.

Topics covered include:

*rotting beef hearts

*sadism and crying

*how to make sushi

*Passive-Aggressive Notes

Cooking the Books is now on blip.tv, which means you can...

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:16:58 -0400

Cooking the Books is now on blip.tv, which means you can subscribe to it in iTunes, watch it all in one place on a fancier player, all kinds of good stuff. Catch up on episodes you’ve missed and prepare for the awesomeness of our new episode, up later today!

A much better zucchini-almond burger glamorshot by Lukas.

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:12:41 -0400

A much better zucchini-almond burger glamorshot by Lukas.

This morning we had a visit from the macaroon squad, courtesy of...

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 19:31:41 -0400

This morning we had a visit from the macaroon squad, courtesy of Jennifer Egan (!) (!!!!) (!!!!!!) and this afternoon we made Veggie Burgers Every Which Way, courtesy of my friend Lukas Volger. It’s, okay, a bit of an exaggeration to say we made them every which way. We mostly made them this way, which involved zucchini and toasted almonds. I started out as a veggie burger skeptic but now I’m a zealous convert. I’d rather eat these flavor-packed featherweight zuke latkes than most real burgers, no joke.

Are We Winning author Will Leitch’s episode of Cooking the...

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:26:34 -0400

Are We Winning author Will Leitch’s episode of Cooking the Books is less of a “cooking” show and more of a “dropping something in warm but not boiling water and leaving it there for 2 minutes” show. Nevertheless it’s one of the best episodes ever for various reasons. The ending is a real shocker. I’m still a little bit shocked.

Julie “Sweet Jewish Noodles” Klausner came to the...

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:00:41 -0400

Julie “Sweet Jewish Noodles” Klausner came to the Cooking the Books studio to discuss her book I Don’t Care About Your Band and make kugel. We ended up mostly speaking Yiddish so I hope you don’t have problems understanding us. This was the first time we’d had a guest who is already a star of the funniest videos on the Internet (cf: Mommy Time, Racist Annie, Welcome To Our House) and I have witnessed people coming up to Julie on the street and thanking her for the joy she’s brought into their lives so I know you know what I’m talking about here. Julie is beautiful and hilarious and awesome to be around. She handles every situation with aplomb, even when her hands are coated in noodle goo. Visit her on the internet here.

For A Fortunate Age author Joanna Smith Rakoff’s Cooking...

Tue, 18 May 2010 12:59:00 -0400

For A Fortunate Age author Joanna Smith Rakoff’s Cooking the Books, we made a classic brunch dish from late lamented Williamsburg eatery Oznot’s Dish, harissa eggs and rosemary potatoes. This is the easiest thing we’ve ever made and one of the most delicious — if you have harissa around. If you don’t have harissa around, why not make some? It’s cheap and lasts forever and you can put it on absolutely anything, but especially eggs, fish, meat and sandwiches. Or mix it with mayo and lemon juice for a crazy dipping sauce/sandwich enhancer.

Harissa (from here):

10-12 dried red chili peppers (I used a mix of small hot ones and chile de arbol, available in the produce aisle or the Mexican aisle of the grocery store)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Preparation:

Soak the dried chilies in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain. Remove stems and seeds.
In a food processor combine chili peppers, garlic, salt and olive oil. Blend.
Add remaining spices and blend to form a smooth paste.
Store in airtight container. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on top to keep fresh. Will keep for a month in the refrigerator.

My Cooking the Books, starring Bennett as host and a very...

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 23:41:19 -0400

My Cooking the Books, starring Bennett as host and a very awesome Batman tshirt from the Val collection.

Julie Klausner came over just now and we made this kugel. ...

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 14:43:47 -0400

Julie Klausner came over just now and we made this kugel. Julie talked about Cossacks and the Holocaust a lot. She’s the best.