Poached Eggs on Polenta with Pesto and Crisp Prosciutto

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Home alone, I scoured the Sunset magazine cookbook today for a recipe for dinner that Michael wouldn’t like. This recipe caught my eye because of the pesto on top. Michael avoids “green things” but I was free to go for it. I made the polenta early in the day and thawed some homemade pesto from [...]

Santa Maria-style Grilled Tri-tip

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(Recipe 44 of 98) We haven’t been very successful at grilling tri-tip but I have to say this one came out quite good. Michael put it on the grill and we watched a recorded episode of American Idol. It was perfectly done in the time it took to watch a one hour episode minus the [...]

Asian Pear, Persimmon and Almond Salad (Recipe 43 of 98)

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I decided to try this recipe since I happened to have ripe Fuyu persimmons in the fridge. All I needed was an Asian pear and some sliced almonds. This salad is easy to make and the dressing is quite tasty. I served it with a fruited pork tenderloin and it paired quite well. Here is [...]

Paprika Tomatoes with Poached Eggs (Recipe 42 of 98)

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Shakshouka, or Paprika Tomatoes with Poached Egg was going to be a tough one to pull off. I knew Michael wouldn’t touch it, so I adjusted the amounts to make two servings of tomatoes to which I added just one egg. Perfect size for me. I cooked it in a larger pan, then transferred to [...]

Pinot-braised Duck with Spicy Greens (Recipe 41 of 98)

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I have never tasted duck before nor have I ever cooked it. But, since this recipe is in the magazine I had to cook it. Michael loves duck but has always found it not to his liking in restaurants. Today I made this duck, scaling the recipe down to two leg quarters since I would [...]

Devilish Chorizo Chili with Hominy (Recipe 40 of 98)

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For many years it has been a tradition for me to have chili on Halloween night . Tomorrow is Halloween so I thought I would make this chili because the recipe says it improves with time. So I made it today thinking it would be even better tomorow night. What I can tell is that [...]

Port-Braised Short Ribs w/ Ginger & Star Anise (Recipe 39 of 98)

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I have made short ribs twice since I met Michael. Both times I promised never to make them again. They were gristly globs of beef floating in thick fat and totally unappetizing. I cringed when I saw the short rib recipe in Sunset, but, I had to make it. Maybe Michael would forget I promised [...]

Biscuit-topped Chicken Potpies (Recipe 38 of 98)

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Michael and I had these potpies for dinner tonight in front of the TV watching The Amazing Race. They were scrumptious. I loved the creamy chicken filling. The sage in the biscuits was a little strange but loved the addition of the cheddar cheese. I will definitely make these again.   Here is the recipe [...]

Pear Pecan Upside-down Cake (Recipe 37 of 98)

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In my Sunset Cookbook challenge I have had my first failure, and it was on an epic scale. I made two of these cakes at the same time but did not double the recipe for fear that it wouldn’t come out the same. I did everything twice, following the recipe to a tee. My plan was [...]

Penne with Mushrooms and Prosciutto (Recipe 36 of 98)

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Today has been a hectic day so I chose an easy pasta dish to make for dinner. I was not able to find oyster mushrooms so I substituted baby portobellos. This was a very good dish overall. Michael emailed me from upstairs where he ate his dinner and told me it was “Da Bomb.” I [...]