Five Acres with a View

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I made soda bread today using this recipe from Simply Recipes. The article suggested using a cast iron skillet to bake it in the oven, which worked very well.  I followed the recipe except for substituting currents for raisins.  It was quite yummy.

Jack made this recipe for Slow Cooker Beef Stew IV that he found at Allrecipes.  I don’t usually care for stew made in a slow cooker, but this turned out very well, even without the wine.

Last Saturday we had a pot-luck with a German theme.  I had always wanted to make sauerbraten, so I made what looks like a traditional Sauerbraten recipe from the Food Network.  However, I also decided to try a much simpler version (skipping the marinating step) called Crock Pot Sauerbraten (the first of the two recipes at this link).

Although the traditional recipe turned out well, my guests and I preferred the Crock Pot Sauerbraten.  The only change I made to the recipe at the link was to brown the meat in a little olive oil before putting it and the rest of the ingredients in the crock pot.  The ingredients (including a 3.75 pound roast) almost over-flowed the crock pot, and I would use a larger size next time if I had one.

Updated 11/10:  I’ve posted the recipe with my changes at Crock Pot Sauerbraten.

Today I made a pot roast recipe based on several different recipes found in our cookbooks and online. It turned out so well that I decided to write it down as Yummy Crockpot Roast.

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories shows how to make Crane croutons for your salad.

Tiramatzah is a tasty and seasonal variation on a classic dessert: tiramisu made with many layers of matzah bread.

The recipe for dinner tonight is named after the chef, not the holiday. I’ve never made Chicken Marsala before, and decided a recipe from Momma Mormoni…On Demand, a privately published cookbook, looked good. I’ve never had a recipe tell me “bad cook, start over” before. But then I’ve never had a cookbook offer “Feel free to come over and try it in my kitchen” either. (I don’t know how to make the accent: sorry.)

McCormick has a web site devoted to identifying old spices called Toss Old Spices Seasonally (T.O.S.S.)

WikiHow had an article on How to Make French Toast Waffles several days ago, which sounded perfect until I found you need a regular, not a Belgian, waffle iron.

My link, Five Acres with a View » Jack’s Spaghetti Sauce, is the first item returned by Google for the keywords “Jack spaghetti sauce.” Guess what’s for dinner?