Rolling Hills Casino

Congratulations to Leslie Lohse on being named 2012 Woman of the Year for the 2^nd District. She was honored at a ceremony at the State Capitol on Monday.

"Leslie is a passionate and dedicated citizen who ably serves her revered and historic Nomlaki tribe, her community and her state through her selfless leadership," said Assemblyman Jim Nielsen. "Her energy and abilities have ensured a bright future for generations now and yet to be born in the north state."

Leslie, as Treasurer of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Band of Indians, participated in putting together the Tribe’s purchase of over 2,000 acres near Corning, and was instrumental in bringing about the construction of the 70,000-square-foot Rolling Hills Casino that includes three restaurants. She also played an active role in the tribe's success in bringing about two new hotels next to the casino, the John Daly Signature link-style Sevillano Golf Course, and a private hunting club to the tribal lands. The Tribe recently opened the Rolling Hills Clinic, on in Corning and one in Red Bluff, to provide medical and dental services for the county.

The Health Clinic is especially important to Leslie, who is an active community advocate dedicated to making Tehama County a safer, healthier, and more prosperous community. 

Leslie also serves on the California Native American Heritage Commission, National Indian Health Services Budget Committee, Tehama County Girls, Inc. and as the chairwoman for California Tribal Business Alliance.

Leslie and her husband, Larry, live in Willows. They have two sons, Erik and Kyle, and four grandchildren.

Held every March during Women's History Month, the Woman of the Year ceremony recognizes one woman from each of the 80 Assembly districts. It started in 1987. The 2nd Assembly District is comprised of all or parts of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yolo counties.

Rolling Hills Casino chefs demonstrated how to make artichoke-encrusted halibut, bananas foster, wild mushroom beurre blanc, and other delicious dishes at the recent Wine, Food and Art Festival.  After the demonstrations, attendees sampled the food they had just learned to make. 

The food was as beautiful as it was delicious.  Don’t take my word for it.  Check out this two-minute YouTube video with highlights of the demonstrations and entertainment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r7lyWiB0XA&feature=youtu.be

More than 1,000 people attended the event, which raised over $10,000 for the Corning Rotary Foundation. After expenses are paid, the profits will go towards scholarships and local charities.

Here’s a few of the recipes our chefs made for you to try:

Timbers Artichoke Crusted Halibut

Ingredients:

6 ounces drained, marinated artichoke hearts
1 tbsp. lemon juice
½ tbsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. chopped peeled garlic
6 ounces extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
4-6 fillets of halibut weighing 6 to 7 ounces each
4 ounces of Japanese Panko breadcrumbs

Preparation:

In a stainless steel mixing bowl combine your artichoke hearts, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic, and blend together. Then add your Parmesan cheese, panko, and a nice drizzle of olive oil.

Once your crust is well blended, take spread the crust evenly and not too thick on one side of the filet.

Heat your skillet with the remaining olive oil and place the fish, crusted side down, into the pan and cook until golden brown. Flip the halibut over and place in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes

Bananas Foster

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons rum
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise and crosswise
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Preparation:

In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar, rum, vanilla and cinnamon. When mixture begins to bubble, place bananas and walnuts in pan. Cook until bananas are hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve at once over vanilla ice cream.

Pan Seared True Cod with Wild Mushroom Beurre Blanc

The Cod

Ingredients:

2  six ounce cod fillets
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tb. olive oil
¼ cup all purpose flour

Preparation:

Trim, rinse and portion cod fillets. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat olive oil in heavy frying pan. Lightly coat fish with flour and shake off excess. Place fish in pan skin side up and cook until the fish releases easily from the pan. Turn fish over and finish cooking other side.

The Wild Mushroom Beurre Blanc

Ingredients:

3 Cloves Garlic (Chopped)
1 Shallot (Chopped)
½ Onion (Chopped)
1 Thyme Sprig
½ Carrot (Chopped)
White Wine
3 Tb. Butter
3 Tb. Lemon Juice
1 Tb. Capers
1 Cup Wild Mushrooms
¼ Cup Tomatoes (Chopped)
¼ cup Fish Stock
Parsley Garnish

Preparation:

With the same pan used to cook the fish, add garlic, shallots, onion, carrots, thyme and a splash of wine.  Let cook until carrots are soft.  Add butter, lemon juice, capers, mushrooms, tomatoes and stock. Let cook until mushrooms are soft.

Rice Medley

Ingredients:

¼ cup Wild Rice
1 cup Stock
1 cup Assorted mixture of  other hardy rice
2 cup Stock

Preparation:

Cook the wild rice and assorted other rice separately. Add rice and stock together, and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 50 minutes.

Once cooked, mix the two rices together.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups Whole Milk
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 cup Granulated Sugar, divided in half
Pinch Salt
1 Whole Vanilla Bean, Halved and Seeds Scraped
5 Large Egg Yolks
11/2 Teaspoons pure Vanilla Extract

Preparation:

In a medium pan over medium low heat, whisk together the milk, cream, half of the sugar, salt and the vanilla bean.  Bring mixture to a boil. While the milk mixture is heating, combine the yolks and remaining sugar in a medium bowl.  Using a hand mixer on low speed or whisk until mixture is pale and thick. Once the milk mixture comes to a slight boil, whisk about 1/3 of the hot mixture into the yolk mixture.  Add another 1/3 and return to the sauce pan.  Using a wooden spoon stir the mixture constantly over low heat until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon.  Do not boil or the yolks will overcook. Pour the mixture through a sieve, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Add to ice cream maker until ice cream is achieved.

The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, owners of Rolling Hills Casino, continued a tradition of giving back to the community in 2011 with over $637,000 of grants and donations to programs benefitting public safety, health care, education, and economic development in Tehama County. 

“We are very proud to be able to give back to the community that we live and work in,” said John Crosby, Economic Development Director for the tribe. “The contributions we make to non profit organizations, fire departments, education and health care programs, and Tehama County government benefit us all, and make our communities safer, healthier, and more prosperous.

The Tribe made education a priority in its charitable giving program this year. According to Marketing Director Kate Grissom, the Rolling Hills Foundation donated $70,000 to educational programs. Donation recipients included SERRF, Expect More Tehama, Sacramento River Discovery Center, Tehama County Department of Education, Exploring Music, and College Options. Education is vital to the future prosperity of Tehama County,” said Grissom.  “We need a highly educated workforce in order to attract strong, growing companies to our area and provide more employment opportunities.”   

The Tribe also earmarked funding for local economic development initiatives and contributed over $26,000 programs such as the Tehama County Branding project. “The Tehama County Branding Project is an ambitious effort to promote tourism and put more cash into the local economy,” explained Grissom. “Increased tourism will provide opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and create more jobs.”

The tribe donated over $300,000 to Tehama County for the general fund and district attorney’s office, $40,000 to public safety agencies, and $21,000 for health care programs. 

Other organizations and programs that benefitted from major sponsorships and grants include CASA of Northern Valley Catholic Social Services, Girls Inc., Connecting Circles of Care, Inc., and Shasta Cascade Wonderland.

Hundreds of organizations benefitted from smaller donations, including prizes such as dinner for two at Timbers, golf passes, and a night at the Inn. “We donated almost $160,000 in prizes for charity raffles and silent auctions,” reported Grissom. “These donations helped organizations raise even more money for their charities.”

Grissom anticipates the Rolling Hills Foundation will focus most of its grants on community development and education in 2012, with sizable contributions to public safety and health.  “We make an effort to support the programs we believe will make the most long-term impact on our community,” said Grissom. 

Christmas was a lot brighter for many families and service organizations thanks to the generosity of Rolling Hills Casino employees who raised over $8,000 for charity through raffles and recycling programs.

An employee raffle raised almost $6,000, while a recycling program organized by Food and Beverage Department employees raised $2,500.  The money raised enabled employees to purchase gifts for needy families and individuals through the NCCS Northern California Catholic Social Services, Glenn County Adopt a Family, and Salvation Army Angel Tree programs.  Employees also donated part of the raffle proceeds to the Corning Christian Assistance, Corning Fire Department, Northern Valley  Catholic Social Services, Alternatives to Violence in Red Bluff, Just for Children in Orland, and the Family Service Agency of Tehama County.

“We have awesome employees, “ said Gretchen Allen, Human Resources Manager for the Casino. According to Allen, community involvement and charitable giving doesn’t’ begin and end with the holiday season. Many casino employees are volunteers for Relay for Life, Expect More Tehama, and other programs dedicated to the health, safety and education of our community.  

Hard to believe it’s Thanksgiving already. We have a lot to be thankful for in Tehama County. It’s a great place to live and visit, and this Thanksgiving there is no other place I’d rather be.

Many of our friends and family are celebrating their holiday with us at Rolling Hills Casino, which makes the day special for those of us who work here. I joke that the best part of eating dinner in the Buffet or Timbers is no dishes, but truthfully, the best part is the food. Tender turkey, fluffy mashed potatoes, and stuffing is on the menu as well as a wide assortment of foods grandma never thought about serving. My mouth is watering to try the Apple Bourbon Pork Loin with caramel apple cream in the Buffet.  The chefs have been cooking up a storm and the smells coming from the kitchen are wonderful.

Whether you ate at home or at the Casino, if you are looking for something to do with out of town guests after Thanksgiving Dinner, bring them to the Casino.  While the adults play their favorite games, the kids can play in the Arcade. 

It’s supposed to rain Thanksgiving, but the forecast for the rest of the week looks clear enough for game of golf.  I don’t know about you, but I’m going to need a game of golf to burn off that extra piece of pumpkin pie. Did you know that one hour of hitting range balls burns about 250 Calories! The average 18-hole golf game burns 800 calories if you ride in the cart, twice that if you walk.

Dancing is another great way to burn calories. The average person burns 326 calories an hour doing the twist and 300 calories square-dancing. I have never seen anyone square dance at Rolling Hills, but I’m sure the Cottonwood band will play a song or two you can twist and turn to this Saturday night from 9pm to 1am.  This band is a legend in Northern California and they know five decades of dance songs. Admission is free.

It just occurred to me that burning calories can be as fun as eating them. It really is better to play.

Have you got your costume ready for the big Halloween Party and Costume Contest at Rolling Hills Casino this Saturday night? There’s $1,500 to win, with prizes for the top 15 contestants.  Registration is from 7PM to 9PM at the Shasta Club, and the contest starts at 10pm in Carlinos.  DJ Brad Bonner will be spinning tunes from 9PM to 1AM for your dancing pleasure.

I heard lots of people from Chico, Corning, Red Bluff, and even Los Molinos plan to participate.  I can’t decide what I want to be yet. For those like me who still haven’t decided on a costume, here’s some ideas and tips:

Real or fake weapons and masks aren’t allowed in the casino, so you can’t be the masked bandit, Zorro, or a fully-wrapped mummy. However, you can be a mommy. In the past, I’ve seen guys masquerading as pregnant women on Halloween. I wonder if the men carrying the extra weight developed more empathy for mothers by the time the night was over. You can also be a big baby, although some people I know don’t need a costume to be one of those.    

I expect to see a lot of news inspired Halloween costumes this year:  Kate and Will, Charlie Sheen, Harry Potter and his fans.  I heard space junk costumes are trendy right now. With a cardboard box and tin foil, you could be a party crashing satellite.  Though technically, you can’t crash a party you are invited to. Band names and movie titles are fun to represent by costume.  Why dress as Natalie Portman’s troubled character in the movie, when you could dress up as a black swan?  Well I guess the character from the movie would be easier to portray. TV is always a good source for costume ideas: Pan Am stewardesses, The Playboy Club bunnies, Smurffs. . .

Do you have a beard?  Wear a pink tutu, tights, make-up and wig and be a bearded lady in the circus.  Do you have a lot of feather’s? Last year’s winner was a peacock.

Costumes don’t have to be expensive. With a cardboard box and some paint you could be a slot machine.  Or you could be an aquarium, rubiks cube, or jack-in the box.  One year's winner was an artist painting a self-portait inside a picture frame. There’s lots of costumes you can create by “thinking in the box”.

You don’t have to spend one dime if you use clothing you already own. Your closet is a treasure trove of costumes just waiting to be created. You probably already own all the clothes and accessories you need to be a tourist, gypsy, pirate, cowboy, nerd, etc.  With a little black dress, you can be a cat, librarian, devil, hag, wizard, witch, zombie, Elvira, evil fairy, the women in a music video. Cut up that old shirt of yours that you never wear into a vest or something else.  If you stretch pantyhose over your hair, you’ll instantly look bald. 

I found some great ideas online from costumeideazone.com including this tip for winning a Halloween contest: “It’s not what you wear, but how you wear it.” Pretend you are in a play and you are your character.   Have fun and interact with people as your character before the contest starts so that party-goers develop an appreciation for your costume.  Strutt your stuff, especially during the judging.  If you are Elvis, put those lips and shake those hips.

Good luck. 

I can’t believe its October already!  It’s pouring outside, but by Friday the sun will be shining bringing with it warmer weather in time for Sunday’s Orange Ball event at Sevillano Links and this weekend’s pheasant hunt at Clearcreek Sportsclub. Rain or shine, there’s plenty of entertainment at Rolling Hills Casino this week, including Comedy night with Bruce Baum and Jimmy Shubert on Friday and live music with the band “All Fired Up” on Saturday.

When I think of autumn, I think of comfort foods, pumpkins, and Gingerbread Houses.    The annual Gingerbread House project completed in November/December is a “must see” at Rolling Hills.  Each year, our Food and Beverage team constructs a wonderland extravaganza with a magnificent gingerbread house as the centerpiece.  The gingerbread houses are at least 3 feet tall. One year, the project featured an elaborate castle with moat and bridge, another year it was a beautiful mansion. The theme is different every year. We don’t have a theme yet for this year’s gingerbread house, and we need your help.

Gingerbread House Theme Contest: We need a theme for this year’s Gingerbread House to help our team get started on the design.  Submit your theme idea on our Facebook page or by emailing info@rollinghillscasino.com.  The person with the winning theme idea will receive dinner for two each week in December.  In addition, we will donate $500 to the charity of the winner’s choice.

I don’t know about you, but I get a little hungrier with cooler weather.  I’ve been in the mood for steak and seafood lately, so I’m pretty excited about this month’s featured dinner in Timbers Steakhouse: A mouth-watering four-ounce petite filet mignon with six deep fried or skewered shrimp for only $18. Timbers is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5pm to 10pm.  For reservations, call (530) 528-3506. 

After a good dinner, I like to laugh. There will be plenty of laughter at this Friday’s Comedy Night featuring Jimmy Shubert and Bruce Baum. With his large mustache and long hair, Baum looks like David Crosby, but he will swear he is not. He can sing, however, and has several songs on YouTube with his band the Nogginblasts. He co-authored the Letters From a Nut series of books, written under the pseudonym Ted L. Nancy. He even appeared on the Simpsons as an animated version of himself, and is the creater of the comedy web-desitination “ theOuterNet.com. Perhaps you saw one of Bruce’s numerous appearances on Hollywood Squares, Full House, Growing Pains, Comedy Central, HBO and / or Showtime — Or perhaps not. Some of us have better things to do than sit around and watch TV all day: Such as coming to Rolling Hills and seeing Bruce Baum perform live.

Jimmy Shubert also has an impressive resume as an actor and comedian, both in film and on television His hour-long stand-up comedy special was named a top ten comedy DVD  for 2010 by Punchline Magazine, and is available on itunes. You may have seen him in his recurring role on “King of Queens” for five years and several appearances on “Entourage”. He has released three comedy albums, “Animal Instincts” “Pandemonium” & “Alive & kickin.”

The Comedy Club doors open Friday, October 8 at 7:30pm; the show starts at 8:30pm. Reserved table seats are $15; general admission tickets are only $10.  Get your tickets early, as they often sell out for Comedy Club nights. You can get tickets at the Casino coat check, online at www.ticketforce.com, or by phone at (877) 840-0457.

Come back on Saturday and get “All Fired Up” for dancing.  Meet your friends in Carlinos for a night of live classic rock from 9pm to 1am.  Admission is free.

World Tourism Day is this Tuesday.  Too often, we think we have to travel far to be a tourist. Perhaps we should change our thinking and explore all the reasons tourists from all over the world visit our area.  The North State has many wonderful assets: the Sundial Bridge, art galleries and antique stores in Red Bluff, Shasta Lake, the New Clairvaux Winery, the Sacramento Discovery Center, and of course Rolling Hills Casino and Sevillano Links. This week, think like a tourist and start your world tour with a trip to the Rolling Hills Casino and Resort.  

If you like to play golf and want to make a day and night of it, Sevillano Links has Play and Stay packages available that include hotel accommodations, all-you can-eat breakfast, a round of golf, cart usage, and range balls. Visit http://www.sevillanolinks.com/stayandplay/ for more information. 

If you like to hunt, fish, and sport shoot, the Clear Creek Sports Club offers upland game bird and duck hunting, wild boar hunting, fly fishing, and trap/sporting clays. Contact the Clear Creek Sports Club at (530) 520-9464 for the full range of opportunities.

A tourist has to eat. Rolling Hills Casino has several dining options that make it worth being a tourist. The all-you-can-eat Rolling Hills Buffet features prime rib every day for lunch and dinner as well as a wide assortment of popular dishes.  If you want a dinner cooked to perfection just for you, Timbers Restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5pm to 10pm.  Tucked away from the gaming floor, Timbers is the ideal place for a romantic getaway or special dinner.  For a quick bite to eat close to the action, Aroma’s Coffeeshop offers pizza, hot dogs, gourmet sandwiches, gelato, and specialty coffee drinks.

Stay overnight at the Rolling Hills Lodge or Inn.  Both beautiful hotels offer comfortable accomdations, and all-you-can eat breakfast.  

Or park your “home away from home” in our RV Park with full electrical and water hookups. It’s safe and secure with 24-hour patrol.  Private showers and laundry are available at the Traveler’s Center.  Sevillano Links also offers Golf Play and Stay packages for the RV Park.  To take advantage of the RV Park Stay and Play, check in at Sevillano Links before checking into the RV Park.

No vacation is complete without entertainment.  Rolling Hills Casino is the North State’s premier entertainment destination with over 800 slot machines and the most popular table games including Blackjack, Emperor Pai Gow Poker, Texas Shootout, and Three-Card Poker. 

This week’s Entertainment Calendar highlights include Monday Night Football, the $10,000 Piggy Smash finale on Friday, and the James Slack band on Saturday night.  Visit our entertainment calendar for more information about these and other upcoming events. http://rollinghillscasino.com/calendar/

We hope you have a fun journey to Rolling Hills Casino and Resort, your local tourist destination.

We have a slogan at Rolling Hills Casino: “It’s better to play.”  

Sometimes watching others play is just as fun.  That’s certainly the case with Monday Night Football at Rolling Hills, where you can watch the big game each week on gigantic 14 foot screens, enjoy all-you-can eat appetizers, and have a shot at winning cash and prizes.

It’s also fun to watch someone put on goggles and grab a hammer to smash a piggy bank.  Every 30 minutes from 8pm to 11pm on Fridays in September, our computer randomly selects a table game or slot machine. The person playing with their Shasta Club card in the selected seat gets to choose a piggy bank containing $100 to $1,000.  

Watching someone win a big jackpot is exciting.  However, I bet winning the jackpot is significantly more exciting. Just ask Guadalupe, who recently won a $25,000 jackpot playing slots!

Golf is something else that I think is more fun to play than watch.  This Saturday, September 24, there are two opportunities for golfing and camaraderie that benefit our community: Golf for a Cause to benefit Girls Inc. and the Corning Elementary 3^rd Annual CEEF Golf Tournament. For more information on these two awesome events visit www.sevillanolinks.com.

It’s cheaper to play golf on Tuesdays and Thursdays if you are over 50.  Only $45. After you work up an appetite on the course, enjoy the buffet at ½ price.  Age does have its privileges on Senior Days.

Saturday Night Live Music is the same price for everyone regardless of whether you’ve earned extra privileges for age.  ADMISSION IS FREE.  This week Kelly McDonald band plays from 9pm to 1am. Work it up on the dance floor and call it play.