Creative Poker Party Recipes

Remember when poker was just "the guys"? With the help of the poker tournaments on TV, poker is now all the rage. Move over, boys, it's time for a whole new deal. The rest of us want in on the fun. Want to have a poker party, but not sure how to make it special? Here are some tips to make your poker party a "cut" above the rest.

For the casino look, get some green felt to cover the playing table. Purchase some solid red and some solid black fabric and cut into 11"X14" rectangles, finish the edges with 1/4" hem for unique, eco-friendly napkins. Buy plates and bowls in red and black for card-like contrast. For a winning buffet table, decorate with fabric and lights. Tape strands of icicle lights along the underside of the table's edge, then skirt the table with white satin. Then using strands of clear holiday lights, illuminate the tabletop, cover lights with red and black tulle, making sure to tuck the edges under. An important concept for any buffet table is to provide visual interest. Ways to add visual interest to the buffet include varying the presentation height of foods and to incorporate a variety of colors, textures, and shapes into the menu. Speaking of the menu, creating "card-themed" menus or maybe a menu board is a delightfully creative touch.

Poker party foods need to be simple, easy-to-eat, and abundant. Plenty of pretzels, chips and salsa, fresh fruits and vegetables, and assorted nuts are awesome snack ideas. Another great idea is to use heart, diamond, clubs, and spades cookie cutters to make cookies, to cut shapes into cheese, or maybe for cutouts to decorate a cake. A couple of great recipes for poker party snacks are cheesy bacon bites and southwestern cheesy corn muffins.

Cheesy Bacon Bites
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups shredded medium/strong flavor cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp ground Cayenne pepper
2 tsp paprika/red pepper
1/2 pound bacon, fried crisp
Fry the bacon until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside. Mix butter, pepper and flour together. Add cheese and crumble bacon into flour mixture and combine thoroughly. Shape into small bite-size balls, arrange on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven(375 degrees) for about 10 minutes.
Makes 70 bites.

Southwestern Cheesy Corn Muffins
1 cup cornmeal
3 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup fresh corn, (frozen may be substituted)
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup minced onion
2 cloves fresh garlic, grated
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
1 medium jalapeno pepper, minced (removing seeds and ribs reduces heat)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 18 large muffin cups. Stir together cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, flour and salt. Add corn, buttermilk, garlic, onion and butter. Mix just until combined. Combine cheese and pepper and mix into batter. Pour into cups and bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

In addition to great food, any great poker party needs an assortment of beverages. Beer and other alcoholic drinks are standard, however, soft drinks, water, coffee, tea, and juices are also necessary items. So, grab some cards, some friends, some great food and have a poker party that's simply a "cut" above the rest.