So, Fish Sauce also

The Chile Dipping Sauce is the recipe that has fish sauce as an ingredient. I added more carrot, jalapeño and garlic than called for. I could still smell the fish sauce after everything was mixed and worried that it would be a too prominent flavor but after a night in the refrigerator the flavors blended. I was still doubted whether or not to bring it to poker night or not.

Chile Dipping Sauce (modified)

I doubted people would like it but I figured that bringing it would do no harm because there was going to be four sauces in total.

Buffalo Wing Sauce

One of the sauces, the whole reason chicken strips and the other sauces were made, was the Buffalo Wing Sauce. I have a recipe that I got from the newspaper from one of the bars around Fenway Park that I like; it's good as is but I have modified it. My modifications include beer and garlic and a reduction stage on the stove top. This sauce causes heat to sit at the back of your tongue and the top of your throat. It doesn't make you cry but you think that it might.

Honey Mustard Sauce

Honey Mustard Sauce was one of the sauces. It is simply: mustard, honey, red wine vinegar in a ratio of 3:2:1. I have modified this recipe also to include garlic. I usually just eyeball the measurements for this and for this amount, (about a cup), there were two small cloves of garlic.

Recipe of Blue Cheese Dressing

I made Blue Cheese Dressing because I had some blue cheese in the refrigerator. I also had sour cream and garlic, which is all one needs for blue cheese dressing.

Grocery list for items that were forgotten on the first trip to the grocery store. The paper bags are what I put my fresh baked bread items in.

I use the stand mixer the most of all of these appliances. The blender is the oldest. The blender is the first cooking appliance that I ever purchase because I don't consider toasters, toaster ovens or coffee makers to  be cooking appliances even though they are. 

Knives

The first quality knife that I ever bought was the middle one, the Chef's Knife, then I bought the top knife and then the carving knife at the bottom.

Cast Iron Pans

These are the two cast iron pans that I use the most, the 12" skillet is far more used than any other pan in the kitchen. The 10" griddle pan is great for frying eggs.

Two Burner Grill/Griddle Pan

I use this rarely but I like it. The difference between a grill and a griddle is that a grill has lines and a griddle does not.

This is not a flattering picture of Paul.

Paul is not known for winning hands at poker. He said this is the first hand that he won in three years but I think he was lying but I really couldn't dispute it. He won $10 bucks on that hand.

I brought homemade bread, homemade rolls, not breaded chicken fingers with four types of dipping sauce. The Chile Dipping Sauce was the favorite of the group, followed by the Buffalo Sauce, the Honey Mustard Sauce was the least favorite. I also brought some cold cuts, for the homemade rolls, a case of bottled beer and cut celery & carrots.

Joe made chili, chicken wings and bought some calzones.

Ralph also made chili because originally Joe said that he was going to make sausages with pepper and onions. I think Joe's chili was better even though Joe doesn't eat chili. Ralph's chili tasted more like taco filling, which wasn't bad but it wasn't better then Joe's. He also brought Miller High Life.

Brian brought beer for himself and two packs of large numbered cards. We only play with large numbered cards because some of us have old man eyes. We play: cards talk. Brian came in with homemade crab Rangoon but he had his mother make them. They are very good but all he has to do is carry them in so he does not get full credit for bringing them.

Paul brought beer and pistachios. Paul comes for the company and usually leave $60 lighter. Paul doesn't cook and it has been agreed that he only has to bring himself and his cash because usually there is close to a ridiculous amount of food anyway. 

I cashed in $52 dollars in chips, so minus the $20 dollar buy in, I won $32, which sure beats losing.

Some folks were dipping the bread, celery and carrots into the Chile Dipping Sauce and into the hot sauce which isn't something I would have done but it's important to see how people eat, if you want make things that people like to eat.

The Chile Dipping Sauce, the sauce with the fish sauce, was the biggest hit of the night other than the bread but it's very hard to beat good fresh homemade bread.