This summer I decided to move the content from two blogs I started as side projects. Mungrysoldier was a tumblr blog that was one of my first forays into blogging and strictly explored the lifestyle of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the hungrymungires was a food blog that originally was supposed to be a group effort. Since then I’ve never posted anything related to two of the most important things in my life (Training and Eating).
Until now.
First of all, the word POTLUCK spurs images of old ladys with casserole dishes after Sunday Mass. Each of them bragging about their secret recipes (which really were ready-made grocery isle products). Or at work, where half of the employees make an effort to make themselves noticed while the other half DGAF and bring near-expired pop/chips/canned beans to clear out their pantry.
Rarely would you think that a potluck would involve 70+ of Calgary’s most BADASS Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu players. It’s not about who cooks the most baddest dish, but its about a bunch of dudes bringing what they love to eat. . Beers, smoked pork shoulders, adobo chipotle pepper coleslaws, CHICKEN ON THE WAY…and of course.
BOURBON CHOCOLATE SALTED COOKIES
Enter Recipe
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup of SOFT butter
.5 tsp salt
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
BOURBON WHISKEY
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet DARK AS EVIL chocolate chips (60-75%)
½ cup of bourbon
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cream butter and sugar together using a mixer or with a wooden spoon. Look for a light and fluffy consistency that has a slightly grainy texture.
Mix in eggs, vanilla, and whisky.
Slowly incorporate and beat in the baking soda, salt, and flour.
Once mixed, take the dark chocolate chips and fold it in.
Arrange the mixture on a parchment paper or saran wrap. Roll into an even sized log and cut into 1 ½ inches thick slices.
Arrange slices on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper.
Bake for 12-15 minutes depending on how soft you want the cookies.
Cool for half an hour. Take sauce brush and baste the cookies with bourbon, letting dry for another 10 minutes before going back again.
Most cookie recipes online called for several licks or tablespoons of bourbon. 4 tbps earns one the right to attach “bourbon” to this recipe. But I wanted each bite to carry that distinct taste and when I quadrupled the dose it didn’t turn exactly as planned. I left a wonderful note of bourbon but without the alchohol. I stepped out of my kitchen for a minute and when I stepped back in…WOAH. The air was drunk.
But was that enough? Nope. I decided to baste the cookies with some bourbon at the end after they’ve cooled. This worked out perfectly in keeping the cookies moist and the bourbon distinctly comes to stand alongside the chocolate and salt.
The cookies turned out all right. Ok I lied. They were f$@#* amazing. What doting mother doesn’t love her child? What masterful chef doesn’t love his bourbon chocolate salted cookies? The dark chocolate was a perfect match for the sea salt, while the stubborn helping of bourbon puts a fist through the flavour not to mention moistening it perfectly.
But on this day the cookies were only a part of the celebration. Our gym had to welcome 6 new black belts. Each with their own specific journeys and paths taken to get where they are. Our Prof made them have a speech and it was great to see that even the fellas who weren’t up to giving speeches gave honest and significant words. Overall, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for a black belt, isn’t a lifestyle, it’s a passion.
I was taking some pictures when all of a sudden our Prof called me name. Guess I levelled up.
I’m two stripes away from the next level. It’s strange being past the halfway point towards my purple belt. I literally am at the most difficult stage of training in terms of commitment. Statistically so many blue belts drop off at this level considering they either feel like they’ve learned enough to defend themselves or they move onto something else.
At this point, I’m positive I’ll be training for my whole life.
THE MUNGRY GHOST 