Seasonal Eater

by Summer Miller

Well, the good news is winter has arrived just in time to think about spring, summer and fall. Part, a big part, of being a seasonal eater is planning ahead and now is the time to let farmers plan for you. You might be thinking of roasted potato soup and hearty comfort foods, but farmers are thinking of crisp salad greens, spring broccoli and garlic scapes. Now is the best time to subscribe to community supported agriculture (CSA) programs to ensure a bountiful and veggie-filled 2012.

Joining a CSA is a great way to become a seasonal eater and it’s pretty simple. Find a farm you like with an established CSA program, prepay them somewhere between $400-$550 and wait in eager...

It’s a Tea Party

by Erica Hengelfelt

A new year is nearly upon us, and after a long evening of celebration and festivities, it will be time to put the fancy champagne glasses back in the cupboard for yet another twelve months. Trade them in for more appropriate vessels—ceramic mugs or dainty teacups—to use while celebrating National Hot Tea Month this January.

Cold and flu season has officially begun, making mid-winter the perfect time of year to introduce hot tea into the diet. Research has indicated that drinking tea, even as little as one cuppa’ day, aids the immune system in its daily war against bacteria, microorganisms and viruses. Tea, the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, also boasts health...

Kid-Friendly Without The Crayons

by Danielle Herzog

When I was pregnant, I was amazed and frightened by how many people told me that I should go out as much as possible now because once the baby was born, there wouldn’t be any time to eat out or try new restaurants.  So when my daughter was born, I made a firm decision that she was going to learn how to eat out and not just at places that had kids’ menus. With that in mind, I started testing out restaurants in the Omaha area to see what places were kid-friendly, but not necessarily kid-oriented. Where can I bring my child to that doesn’t only serve chicken fingers and fries? 

With my three year old daughter in tow, the first place I looked was Blanc Burgers & Bottles at Midtown Crossing....

Chef Chat

by John Horvatinovich

Television networks still have a long way to go when it comes to developing great food programming in my mind, but I applaud them with a light 2-finger golf clap. If your favorite food shows include phrases like “y’all” or “E.V.O.O.” then don’t bother reading the rest of this article.

It is easy to be passionate about food in a perfectly decorated, Alice in Wonderland test kitchen, nestled in a spacious sound stage, with little culinary elves gathering your ingredients for every show. However, one chef in particular has dared to be original and his winning recipe is taking on the impossible. 

Whether it is impossible dinners or impossible restaurants, Chef Robert Irvine and his team...

How to Use Celeriac

by Summer Miller

In case you haven’t noticed grocery stores are working diligently to be beautiful. I, for one, can hardly enter the whirring doors of a supermarket without being mesmerized by the glistening stacks of blushing pink ladies and rounded columns of orange carrots with green fronds flowing. And somewhere, usually tucked between green and white ribbed fennel and red orbs of radish sits Celeriac, the ugly stepchild of root vegetables, gnarled, rough, brown and easily passed over. Visually it’s a wart on the unblemished skin of the produce isle. But vegetables are like people and beauty is only skin deep, a little work with this humble tuber can yield great rewards.

Celeriac, also known as...

A gorging we shall go

by Leo Adam Biga

The annual Renaissance Madrigal Christmas Feast at the Omaha Marriott is equal parts Tony and Tina's Wedding, Shakespeare, Knights of the Round Table and Food Network theme show. That is if the theme is a Saxon bacchanal. A food orgy all wrapped up in a fancy dinner theater bow.

For four nights in December the ballroom is transformed into an old English castle hosting a seasonal holiday celebration, circa 1600. Royals, attendants, escorts, a court jester, a kitchen wench and carolers are among the costumed characters greeting guests December 6-9 at the Marriott, 10220 Regency Circle.

More than 20 years in the running, this recreation of Christmas past is one of the metro’s...