Friend Patte kindly shared some olive oil and balsamic vinegar samples from Lucero California Olive Oil, headquartered in Corning.

The olive oil was a first cold-pressed Mission extra virgin, and the balsamic vinegar was an 18-year-old traditional style. I tried both on…

Mary Stegall, Redding City Councilwoman who’s served for nearly a decade, recently announced her plans to not seek re-election when her term ends this year. Stegall took time to answer a few questions just for anewscafe.com.

Q: First, can you tell…

It’s been a while since we chatted. Get yourself a beverage, pull up a chair and put your feet up while we catch up.

At the start of the new year I told about some upcoming changes on anewscafe.com’s horizon - literally.…

I hate to rub it in, but last month my twin and I watched an encore presentation of The Metropolitan Opera’s “Carmen”.

Oh my gosh. The music was spectacular. The costumes were terrific. The acting was incredible. The sets were imaginative. 

The experience itself was one…

I swore I would never use or buy silicone bakeware.

Now I just swear at silicone bakeware.

Am I alone?

I gave in to those flexible silicone pans because of the promise of muffins and madelines and cakes that would never stick. No more…

I don’t remember how many years it’s been since I first tucked a resin black Santa figurine in my kids’ Christmas stockings. I bought them at Morrison’s Discount Warehouse each December for something like 87 cents. After Morrison’s closed about a year ago, the black Santas became even that…

I recently met Alysha Barner at the fabric store where I was intrigued by the mountain of fleece she was buying. When I asked about it Alysha explained she was part of a North State group called Spouses Behind the Badge, and she was stocking up on…

Sarah Palin received a rock star’s welcome at the Sierra Cascade Logging Conference where she spoke before the first of two sold-out shows at the Redding Convention Center on Monday afternoon.

That’s 4,000 people who paid between $54 for a balcony seat to $74 for a floor seat.…

How many times have you felt like getting a bite of dinner somewhere - not too fussy, not too expensive, just simple, good food - and you draw a blank?

Here in the North State there’s no problem when we’re in the mood for Thai food or…

Note from Doni: Below is a recent conversation between myself and Dr. Kathleen McGuire, Artistic Director & Conductor of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, about the group’s upcoming Saturday concert at the Cascade Theatre. This is the first leg of the SFGMC’s…

Q: Happy 6th birthday to the Dance Project, James Santos! As the director of The Dance Project, can you still remember what the dance company was like when it was just a baby?

I have always said it was - and still…

Note from Doni: This message comes from Tim Bambino of Redding. He’s an organizer of the Save the Old St. Joseph Cemetery project. (He’s also a former Shasta High School buddy.) The Old St. Joseph Cemetery is off Walden Street in Redding, and it…

In 1943 Roberta Louise Collier was born in Tucson to parents who liked to travel.

She was a classic beauty with dark hair, a twinkle in her eyes and a wide, nearly ever-present smile.

Because she exuded optimism, curiosity and a spirit of adventure, people were…

All three of my adult kids are excellent cooks. It makes sense because from the time they were babies they hung out in kitchen, either with me or their dad, who’s also a good cook.

First they sat in infant seats on the kitchen counter. Later they grew into…

The bad news last year was when Maritime quit serving lunch.

The good news was Maritime made some drastic menu changes, including the addition of what I think might be Redding’s best…

We’re OK.…

I assumed that because I live on 20 acres in the country and my twin lives within Redding city limits, I’d be the one with chickens (and goats and cows and other farm critters) and my sister would have a…

The holidays may be behind us but the parties continue, whether for New Year’s Day or football or whatever. (Isn’t Stuper Bowl coming up?) I was pretty tickled to find these party-perfect foods, starting with Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells,…

Q: Michelle Hamm, tell us about your business - or, actually, since you have more than one - your businesses. What are they, where are they, and what services do they provide?

Our main business is IPS Services, which is a…

Note: Today we talk with Marta McKenzie and Pat Carlson, friends who’ve made literally thousands of chocolate truffles each year.  Such an endeavour begs so many questions.

Q: Can you describe your annual truffle adventure?

Marta: Over the years, the number of truffles that…

I recently pointed my car south on Interstate 5 on my way to visit friends. As I always do when traveling that direction, I stopped at Granzella’s Deli in Williams for a bathroom and snack break.

As an aside, Granzella’s may be the first place I’ve…

Chris Fiscus is my new daughter-in-law’s father, a good man, a gifted writer of father-of-the-bride toasts and a heck of a good cook.

He prepared these ribs for a family engagement dinner that honored Josh and Kat at the Fiscus home. I was blown…

I am so selfish that I bought extra jars of this item from the Redding Grocery Outlet Bargain Market for my latest GO picks - before I started writing this post.  

Gertie’s Finest Artichoke Tapenade, which the Redding GO Bargain Market sells for a jaw-droppingly…

Sometimes we need to hunt for best finds at the Redding Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. For me, that’s part of the fun.

Take, for example, the super-duper gargantuan No. 10 cans of Wis-Con Solid Pack Pumpkin for $4.99 - ($9.99 elsewhere).

What’s strange about this Wis-Con pumpkin…

A friend talked me into trying tapioca for the first time at Thai Bistro some years back.

Until then, I’d turned up my nose at tapioca. I couldn’t shake the image of that little red box of Kraft Quick Cooking Minute Tapioca, which…

After holding the top spot at the Shasta County Arts Council for 11 years, Gini Holmes has let go of her director’s position.

Board president Kathy Weaver said the SCAC will begin its search soon for a new director, someone who’ll operate the arts organization located inside the 102-year-old…

Saturday, keeping with its annual Veterans Day tradition, the City of Shasta Lake will honor veterans with a variety of events. This year’s Shasta Lake Veterans Day Parade features the theme, ”America’s Warriors Past-Present-Future.” Grand marshal retired U.S. Army Maj. Fred Salanti, founder and national executive…

One of my favorite things about the first Saturday in November is the American Association of University Women’s Home Tour and Art Show.

Rain or shine. Year in, year out. It wouldn’t be November in the North State without it.

I love…

In case you missed the annual People of Progress Octuberfest where Kelly and I demonstrated how to make potato latkes, here’s the recipe for you to enjoy at home.

(Below, Kelly and I mingle with royalty - 2009 Miss Octuberfest, aka Diana…