Since CBS moved NCIS to Tuesday nights, we have had to move our weekly poker game to Wednesday nights. It wasn’t really an inconvenience for us, except for Ivan, my neighbor across the street. He had to drop out because him and the wife have square dancing down at the American Legion Hall on Wednesday nights.
I considered replacing Ivan with my dentist, but he filled in one night and insisted on bringing his Pomeranian dog Shep with him, and that we let the dog play cards with us. The dog wasn’t a very good poker player. Every time he had a good hand, he wagged his tail. On top of that, every time the dentist won a hand, he would scoop the chips toward him, click his teeth and shout, “Ah, the doctor of pain!” I’ve got to find a new dentist.
So the game was left up to me, my Indian exterminator buddy, Raj Mahal, who we just called “Bug”, my buddy Stinky Pete from down at the plant and Inga, the third-grade music teacher over at Ella Fitzgerald Elementary School.
This week’s game was at my pad. I had the felt ready, the chips counted out and Tom Petty loaded up on the portable CD player. But I wasn’t happy with the snacks. I was tired of the pizza delivery guy coming to the door during a game of Texas Hold-Em, mostly because after a few hands I didn’t have the money to pay for it. We could always count on Stinky Pete bringing over a two-pound bag of chips and a pint of store-bought French Onion Dip. The only problem was, Stinky Pete would stop by the 7-11 to buy them on the way over, and when he showed up, the bag was open and half-empty and most of the dip was on his chin and his jeans.
Inga always shows up with a six-pack of Zima, and “Bug”, well, “Bug” just shows up.
So this week, I provided some new exciting Bicycle Cards munchies and I was going to win.
The cards were dealt and I had a pair of 5’s in the hole
Roasted Red Pepper Dip
1 8oz. Package Cream Cheese, Softened
1 8oz. Container Sour Cream
2 Tbs. Creole Seasoning
1 Cup Roasted Red Pepper
Pile everything into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Serve with quartered, toasted Pita bread.
“Raise.” Stinky Pete always raised after the hole cards were dealt. At least he wasn’t wagging his tail. Everybody else called and I put in. The flop came up J,J,5. Stinky checked, Inga opened another Zima and “Bug” folded.
I threw in a handful of chips for the raise and stared Pete down. Stinky met my raise; Inga took a swig of Zima, put her sunglasses on and folded. I was ready for the next snack.
Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots
1 Lb. Frozen Tater Tots
1 Lb. Raw Bacon, Cut in Half
¼ Cup, Pickled Sliced Jalapenos
Toothpicks
Place a jalapeno slice on each frozen Tater Tot and wrap with half slice of bacon. Secure with a toothpick.
Place Tater Tots in a basket and deep-fry until bacon is done, about 5 minutes. Remove tots, drain on paper towels and serve with honey mustard.
It didn’t matter what came up on the river or anything else. The snacks were a hit, and I stole the pot from Stinky Pete with what I like to call, “A Motown Full House”. Jacks ‘n Fives.
See you next week everybody.
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