Star City Blog / Food

Judy a la Carte: Fall Recipes

By Judy Gilliard, “Judy a la carte”

With September upon us, the days are getting shorter, football fever has completely set in and some evenings are spent sitting down to a nice bowl of chili.  Fall is the perfect time to cook up a good pot of chili or an old fashioned stew to share with friends and loved ones. 

Celebrate fall and food by getting together that special group of friends to start a monthly dinner group, where each month you plan a dinner and alternate homes so that the host prepares the main meal and others bring appetizers, dessert and wine. Gather everyone together, calendars in hand and come up with food ideas while choosing dates.

'Almost No Knead Baguettes' for the Time-Starved Cook

By Alexis Abel

I am not a professional baker, but for the past two years, I’ve been baking my own bread at home. With Lincoln bakeries like Le Quartier, Bread & Cup and Great Harvest producing myriad flavors of yeast and quick breads—including cheddar cheese ciabatta, walnut sourdough and cinnamon chip bread, it can seem like there’s really no need to knead. But homemade bread is cheaper, tastier and more nutritious than any bread you can buy in a store.

In a good month, I bake every weekend, starting early in the morning to have a freshly baked loaf in time for dinner. I’ve made unusual breads like cornmeal and molasses-laced anadama bread and more traditional types, like honey-wheat bread. The most elusive bread I’ve tried to master is the traditional French baguette.

Vegetarian Series Review: Bread & Cup

By Cory Kibler
Bread & Cup is one of a few culinary stars in Lincoln's constellation of fine restaurants.  The brick facade and slightly off-the-beaten-track Haymarket location belie the focus of this establishment, which is fine food, served well, at a reasonable price.  The ambiance is cozy and minimalistic, but pleasant, and not at all ostentatious.  You may come dressed casually, but your taste buds will want to wear a tux.

Because they do their best to use as many locally-sourced ingredients as possible, Bread & Cup’s menu changes daily, depending on the types of ingredients that are available on any particular day.  It should be noted that Bread & Cup is not a vegetarian restaurant per se, but they always feature one or more vegetarian entrees.

Thursday is “pizza and beer” night and is comprised of a few different pizza choices and a dollar-off special on all beers (and they make it clear; “no light beers” -- only the finest in drafts, both regional and global). 

Locally Produced Angus Beef Available at Russ's Market

By Sarah Sullivan and Dennis Kornbluh

Last week a few lucky members of the press were given the opportunity to sample a product that was recently introduced at Russ’s Market: locally-produced steaks from the Platte River Ranch Natural Angus Beef program. The new product, which comes from 100 percent grain fed, laboratory-verified, locally produced Angus cattle, is provided by the Greater Omaha Packing Company, which supplies steaks to many top area restaurants. 

This may be a sign that food purveyors are taking notice of the growing trend among consumers to prefer natural and local foods.  Literature provided by Russ's Market claims that the Platte River Ranch Natural Angus Beef Program gets its grain-fed, natural Angus cattle from family farms in Nebraska and Iowa.  The cattle are said to be raised on a 100% vegetarian diet of corn and whole grains, without artificial flavors, coloring ingredients, or chemical preservatives.  The beef is delivered in sides and is cut into steaks in Russ's meat department to maintain freshness and control quality.