Is Writing About Poker Now Illegal In Washington State? And More Poker Party Recipes

Here are some poker tidbits, and a poker grub recipe.

POKER NEWS

Danny Westneat of the Seattle Times writes about the hypocrisy of the state of Washington, where online gambling was made illegal over a week ago. Apparently, the state is now trying to control bloggers in that state, and Todd Boutte is the first casualty.

The state told him that his site is illegal because it links to online casinos and tells people how to gamble online. So does Daniel Negreanu’s column, which appears in the Seattle Times. The paper may be in violation of the law, according to gambling officials.

Apparently the hypocrisy is that the state pushes their lottery online. Blog Herald, where I found the link to the Times story, thinks the law will be overturned on freedom of speech grounds. Hallelujah. Otherwise, think about the total confusion that will be caused by televised poker. Blackouts?

I say, boycott the Washington state lottery. Or, let ‘em eat crow, when the law does get overturned. But if crow isn’t available, you could invite Washington state gambling officials over for a home game and make some chicken quesadillas. Recipe below.

CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

Chicken quesadillas are pretty easy to make, and perfect bitesize food (once you cut them, of course) for  a poker home match with the buddies. If you’re using precooked chicken, you can skip over to baking steps (starting at #5 in the “Instructions” section below).

The instructions below only have no measurements, and I’m only describing how you can make one quesadilla. I tend cook Italian-style, which is to guess at measurements. I figure you’re smart enough to extrapolate to make more.

Ingredients and equipment:

(1) Cooking oil
(2) Ground chicken or boneless chicken thighs or breast. If using the latter, cut into thin strips.

(3) Button (white) mushrooms, sliced [optional].

(4) Onion, diced [optional]. If you don’t like onions because they’re too strong, try sweet Vidalia onions or even green/ spring onions (sliced finely).
(5) Salt and black pepper, to taste

(6) Non-stick frying pan.

(7) 8″-10″ large tortillas. You need two per quesadilla.
(8) Cheese, grated. Mozz, cheddar or pepperjack’s fine.
(9) Salsa.
(10) Baking tray.
(11) Oven.
(12) Additional salsa and/or sour cream.

Instructions:

(1) Heat the frying pan at medium high (7-8) with 1-2 tbsp of cooking oil (canola or vegetable).

(2) Add ground chicken or strips, and cook until the pink just goes away. Make sure to stir with a flat spatula, if necessary to avoid sticking.

(3) Increase heat to high (9-10) and sliced mushrooms and diced onions (if using). Saute and toss until everything is cooked, about 3-4 minutes. Feel free to add other spices or herbs. (I tend to add rosemary and thyme, or any dried Italian seasoning. Do this in the last minute of cooking.)

(4) Add salt and pepper, to taste. Mix in.

(5) Turn off the stove and remove the pan from the heat. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

(6) Pre-heat your oven to 325 F (Sorry, I might follow the metric system for pretty much everything, but not for cooking.) It’s been awhile since I used an oven, but I think this takes about 10-15 minutes.

(7) If you used chicken pieces rather than ground chicken, take two forks and try to shred the cooled chicken a bit. (Don’t do this earlier or the chicken will dry out.) If you don’t know how to shred, take a pair of kitchen scissors and snip all the chicken into thin slices. You don’t want the quesadillas to be lumpy. Drain any liquid from the sautee mixture before spooning onto the tortillas, in the next step.

(8) Assemble your quesadillas. Place a  tortilla on the (cold) baking sheet. Sprinkle a thin layer of cheese evenly, leaving only about a half-inch rim around the tortilla uncheesed. Spoon on your sauteed mixture over the cheese and spread evenly.

(9) If you want, add a very small amount of salsa with a fork, not a spoon. You want no liquid  on the tortila, or the quesadilla will be a mess.

(10) Sprinkle another thin layer of cheese over everything, and place a second tortilla over the first. Press down gently to flatten everything out. Most standard baking sheets will probably hold two quesadillas, so if you have a big party, you may need another baking sheet. Keep in mind that if you do use two trays in the oven at the same time, and you put them on different racks, one may cook quicker than the other. Similarly, don’t try to make triple-decker quesadillas. They just won’t work.

(11) Place the baking sheet in the oven and let the quesadilla(s) bake for 7-8 minutes.

(12) If the cheese has not all melted, bake for another 2-4 minutes. It shouldn’t take much longer than that, assuming you pre-heated the oven before step 11. Don’t let the tops of the quesadillas scorch. They’ll blacken a little, but you can always scrape that off with a butter knife.

(13) Place a baked quesadilla on a cutting board and cut into wedges. Don’t “saw” at the quesadilla with the chef’s knife. Just a few short, sharp thrusts should do it. A bread knife will just tear the quesadilla apart.

(14) Serve on a platter with salsa and sour cream. Just have the sense to serve them before your poker game, and put leftovers in the fridge immediately, or risk get sick.

Enjoy.

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