Oh, Valentine’s Day. You look so innocent – all sweetness, hearts and flowers. It’s unfortunate that such a seemingly simple day of love, friendship and affection has grown into a Godzilla-sized emotional super-power day of extremes. It can bring joy… Continue Reading
My mother – who was not kitchen-friendly – never prepared such delightful breakfast treats as pancakes, waffles or French toast. Even so, she was ahead of her time when it came to making healthy, simple breakfasts. She served things like… Continue Reading
I feel so fortunate that although I over-pruned my two lemon trees two years ago, they managed to remain alive and even produced some lemons. That’s great, because lemon curd is one of my favorite things to make, eat and… Continue Reading
Jaimie Maileilani Chamberlain-Lord, formerly of Redding, died in Glendale, California, on Dec. 12, 2014, after a short illness. She was 57. Jaimie was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Oct. 28, 1957. She was Donald and Claudia Chamberlain’s third daughter. She grew… Continue Reading
The child-sized white angel with her face turned skyward has held her horn-blowing pose for a month to celebrate Christmas from the top of 85-year-old Darliene Johnson’s rooftop. If only the angel could have trumpeted a warning. After all, the… Continue Reading
If only 22-year-olds Hannah Cain and Markis Grimes were born just a year later, their lives would be completely different. But as former foster kids who “aged out” at 18, the Redding couple missed the magic window to fully qualify… Continue Reading
 I’m a fan of brining. It’s the only way I’ll roast a turkey. A brined turkey is a more moist, flavorful turkey. I used to fear brines. I worried they’d make the turkey salty. I learned that if you pay attention to… Continue Reading
About 2,604 of you were there with me from the very start of this website. To you 2,604, please bear with me as I repeat this story of A News Cafe.com’s birth for the tens of thousands who’ve not heard… Continue Reading
Editor’s note: this is a best-of A News Cafe column that originally ran on November 23, 2010. My pink house isn’t finished enough yet for me to host a meal, so it’s the sisters’ Thanksgiving event at twin Shelly’s house. Sister Bethany will… Continue Reading
You may recall that Sunday, a black bear romped through my Garden Tract neighborhood in Redding. He made a stop on my roof and exited through my back yard before touring other parts of downtown. Eventually, he was “darted” Â by… Continue Reading
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