GRAMMYS

The menu for the Grammys was Steak Frites with Dijon Au Jus, Popcorn and Lay's Potato Chips. Salty!

MARTIN CHRISTOPHER

Martin Christopher Harper has clients who have an amazing house in Boiceville, NY about 5 minutes from ours. He comes up from time to time and when he does there is sure to be a lot of great food and even more great fun. He was host to Jeff, Jason, Thomas Baber, Eli Schmidt, Chris Stone, Fredrik and I. Eli and Chris are new to the Catskills, but they were right at home in a big country kitchen. The result was Macaroni and Cheese, Sausage and Peppers and a Grapefruit, Hazel Nut and Goat Cheese Salad. It was perfect and as usual I ate the most.

QUICHE No. 2

Quiche of the Day is Peppers, Broccoli and Black Olives.

POTATOES No. 4

I never liked traditional Scalloped Potatoes because they're usually soupy with a weird texture. I call these Dry Scalloped Potatoes. No Cream. Sliced Russet Potatoes and Onion tossed in Canola Oil, Sea Salt, Ground Pepper, topped with Sharp White Cheddar Cheese. Bake at 400˚ until the Potatoes are golden brown, the Onions are caramelized and the Cheese is bubbly. To die for.

KINGSTON INDIAN RESTAURANT

I was happy to hear that the New Paltz Indian Restaurant opened a location in Kingston. They have a lunch buffet during the week for $8.95 and a dinner buffet on Saturday nights for $12.95. Buffets are usually a bad idea. Not here. They replenish the food in small batches so it doesn't sit there for hours. Coming here also solves my problem of being a creature of habit and always ordering the same thing. Always. Every time I've been here they've served something different. This buffet is a lesson in Indian Cuisine.

FLYGANDE JAKOB

It was my turn to work in the store and I came home to the weirdest and most amazing meal I've had in a long time. It's called Flygande Jakob (Flying Jacob) and it's old school Swedish Comfort Food. Chicken, Bacon, Banana, Chili Sauce, Sea Salt, Ground Pepper, Whipped Heavy Cream and Peanuts. What!? Saute the Chicken with Salt and Pepper till browned. Fry the Bacon and set aside. Whip the Heavy Cream and fold in Chili Sauce. Then add the Chicken, Bacon, Bananas to a large oven dish, pour the Cream Chili Sauce over everything and top with Peanuts. Bake for 15 minutes at 400˚ and serve over rice. Sweet, savory and so satisfying.

FRIED CHICKEN W/ NUTMEG MASHED POTATOES

I made the Fried Chicken. All I do is season the Chicken first with Sea Salt, Fresh Ground Pepper, Garlic Powder and Cayenne Pepper. I add a tablespoon of Water and as much Sriracha Chili Sauce as you can handle to four Eggs and beat it all together. I dip to coat the Chicken in the Egg mixture then dust each piece lightly with Flour. I fry the Chicken in half an inch of hot Peanut Oil till golden brown on one side and then the other. Fredrik made the Mashed Potatoes. He added fresh ground Nutmeg, Sea Salt, Ground Pepper and Butter to peeled, cooked Red Potatoes. He whipped it all together in the blender because he likes his Potatoes silky smooth. The mild, slightly sweet Mashed Potatoes were a great balance to the spicy Fried Chicken. That's what we're going for. Balance. Um, this is all starting to sound like a metaphor.

BACON CHEESEBURGER DELUXE

I was in a terrible mood this evening. I was going to do Fried Chicken, but I was "over it." Fredrik left me in the car, went into the market and bought everything necessary to make one of my favorite things to eat. His thoughtfulness pulled me out of my funk and his cooking inspired 216 photos edited down to these 7. I'm not kidding. Good Food is Magic.

QUICHE

The Quiche of the Day is Spinach & Bacon with a Homemade Crust.

ROAST CHICKEN W/ GARLIC, ONION & POTATOES

This is Fredrik's version of One Pot Chicken and Potatoes. He added a base of Chicken Stock, Whole Garlic Cloves with rough cut Onion and Russet Potatoes. The thing I've learned from Fredrik is that you can rarely over season food, especially something as bland as Chicken and Potatoes. He used Sea Salt, Ground Pepper, Italian Herbs, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika and baked it in a covered pot at 350˚ for an hour. When it was done the Potatoes had absorbed the stock, the Garlic and Onions were like butter and the Chicken fell off the bone. So good.

LEFTOVER FOOD

Don put this together before he left last night and told me to just heat it up today. Spanish Rice, Tomatoes, Onion, Cilantro, Sour Cream and Cheddar Cheese. I warmed it in the oven at 350º for 20 minutes. He was right, it was so delicious.

GOLDEN GLOBES

The great thing about having our store is that we can make friends in an instant. Last minute we invited Donald DiMartini and Scott Huber to our house for our First Annual Golden Globes Party. Jason and Jeff came too. It was truly a special event for all since we live here full time and therefore have cable. Don and Scott brought over what they already had planned for dinner... Cheese Ravioli, Meat Balls and Sausages. I prepared Nachos, Chicken Tacos and Spanish Rice. Everything turned out great, so it was food, fun, more food and lot's of yelling at the TV. Viva Italia! Viva México!