So you’ve got the brand spankin’ new poker table, your favorite deck of cards, and a bunch of your buddies are coming over to play some poker later. What are you missing? Food. Sure, you could just throw in a frozen pizza or grab some chips & salsa and be done with it. Or, you can get some great poker-themed food and drink and make the poker night that much more fun!
Finger foods are probably the best way to go about the food situation when playing poker. More often than not, people will want to keep playing while snacking. Here is one recipe for Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers:
Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers
15 fresh jalapeno peppers
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 oz shredded Monterrey jack or pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup crushed corn flakes
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cut peppers in half lengthwise; remove seeds and membranes with a small, sharp knife. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, shredded cheeses, and mayonnaise. Mix well. Fold in the bacon bits and stir to combine. Fill pepper halves with the cheese mixture.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
- Dip each jalapeno half in the egg mixture, then roll in the cornflake crumbs to coat. Arrange coated pepper halves on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in your preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until evenly browned. Serve warm from the oven with a creamy ranch dipping sauce, if desired.
- Makes 30 stuffed jalapeno pepper halves.
- For the main course, a Texas-style barbeque beef brisket is both easy and tasty. You can whip this up on the barbeque, in a rotisserie, in the oven, or even in the crock pot. The key is to season the meat well with garlic, BBQ sauce, and diced green chilies. If you’re doing this in a pan or slow cooker, add a can of beer or even cola to act as a tenderizer.
- Cook the beef over low heat for several hours until the meat is cooked throughout, then slice the brisket thinly and pile it high on white rolls. Make sure there is plenty of sauce to go with the sandwiches. Yum!
If spicy isn’t the way you want to go, try these Crab Stuffed Mushrooms:
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds (about 24) white mushrooms
4 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 fresh green chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 pound crab meat, shelled and flaked
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon ground red pepper
6 ounces quality white cheddar cheese, grated
- Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel and remove the stems. Place the mushroom caps on a shallow baking dish.
- Mince the stems. Combine all the remaining ingredients, including the minced stems, and mix well.
- Spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps and bake in a preheated 350° oven for 15 minutes. Serve warm. Makes about 24 appetizers.
Oatmeal Cookies
Or maybe if something sweet is all that you crave, try these oatmeal cookies:
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup molasses(light or dark)
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
3 1/2 cups raisins
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease baking sheets and set aside.
- Mix together the butter and sugar until creamy.
- Add eggs and molasses and beat well.
- Stir in the raisins and let them soak in this mixture while you sift the dry ingredients.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- Add to butter mixture.
- Stir in the oatmeal.
- Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2″ apart on greased baking sheet.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until the center of the cookie is set.
Makes about 8 – 10 dozen irresistible cookies.
Cookies can be cooled on foil spread on a counter or table.
