FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Beef Soup With Carrot & Potato {Easy Recipe}

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Beef Soup_

Every few days, a chill hits the air in Austin.  And just like that I’m faced with a soup craving, every few days.

Beef Soup - Stew Vegetables

I’ve made a giant pot of beef soup twice this week because it’s cozy and filling without leaving you stuffed and sleepy.  It’s really the perfect meal to have on hand these days, feeling appropriate for the occasional 30 degree night, 80 degree day, and all that falls in between.

Crockpot Beef Shoulder Roast

And it’s simple, simple.  Requiring little ingredients and even less skill, a recipe like this makes a compelling argument to ditch the can this winter!

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Roasted Root Veggies With Garlic Chives

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Roasted Root Vegetables with Chives

There’s a running joke in my family that nobody is allowed to bring roasted root vegetables to a family dinner, especially my Aunt Sherry as the nobody, especially a holiday meal as the family dinner.  Because fifteen years ago, Aunt Sherry served a dish of extremely undercooked and arguably under-seasoned root vegetables at Thanksgiving dinner.  And not one of us has managed to forget. Poor Aunt Sherry!

Root Vegetables for Roasting

So after fifteen years of homemade roasted root veggie dislike, I decided to give them another shot.  I halved this recipe {for the most part}, increasing the quantity of garlic and shallots and subbing rosemary for chives.  And I used a combo carrots, turnips, and parsnips to make up my two pounds of root vegetables.  And it was a totally different {better!} experience than I remember having all those years ago.

Roasted Root Veggies

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Venison With Cranberry Rhubarb Sauce – @MarxFoods

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Grilled Venison with Cranberry Rhubarb Sauce

“Don’t overcook it!”, is the most common advice you’ll get when researching how to prepare venison. And, after grilling these Marx Foods medallions, I can say with certainty that paying close attention to temperature is advice worth repeating.  While grilling, it seems impossible that meat could be done so quickly.  But because venison is exceptionally lean, containing about one-third of the fat of a lean beef cut, it cooks at record speed. I heeded caution and used a meat thermometer to ensure perfectly rare venison steaks.

Rare Venison

When deciding on how I’d prepare the venison, I took into consideration the quality of meat that Marx Foods had sent me in the past.  I knew this wasn’t the kind of meat that should be buried in stew or overpowered with sauce.  It’s the kind of meat that affords a minimalist approach: simple seasoning, careful cooking, complimentary sauce.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Rhubarb Sauce

A buttermilk soak, olive oil/salt/pepper, and a piping hot cast iron grill pan was all this venison needed for cooking.  And then to celebrate the holiday season, I topped with a dollop of cranberry rhubarb sauce since venison pairs so nicely with classic fall flavors.  Instructions for venison preparation are below and recipe for cranberry rhubarb sauce can be found here.

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Cranberry Rhubarb Sauce

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Slow Cooker Cranberry Rhubarb Sauce

Homemade cranberry sauce is one of the easiest recipes you can make this holiday season.  All you need is a slow cooker, about four hours notice, and a few simple {and fresh!} ingredients.

Cranberries and Rhubarb

I was looking for a way to liven this fall favorite and adding rhubarb and Chinese five spice did just that. Although still very tart, rhubarb is a little less tart than cranberry allowing for a recipe that calls for less sugar.  And Chinese five spice {cinnamon, cloves, star anise, fennel, and pepper} pulls all of the flavors together, like a bow on a present.

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