Rolling Hills Casino

It’s been raining for days and rain is in the forecast for six of the next ten days. Is the gloomy weather starting to get you down?  Here are eight ideas to brighten up your day.

1. Meet a friend for coffee.
Aromas Coffee Shop is my favorite place for a caramel macchiato.

2. Take a bubble bath. 
There’s nothing better than a bubble bath in a Jacuzzi in your room at the Lodge.

Here’s a recipe for a wonderful bath with long lasting fluffy bubbles that will help you retain moisture in your skin : Mix ½ cup mild body soap, 1 tablespoon of honey, and one egg white. Pour the mixture under the water as you draw your bath.

3. Play a new game.
There’s a new Yahtzee game at Rolling Hills.

4. Try a new recipe.
You’ll find a great recipe for our Artichoke Encrusted Halibut on our blog, “Recipes made easy at the Corning, Wine, Food, and Art Festival.”  It’s a favorite at Timber’s Steakhouse.

We’ve also posted some recipes on YouTube.  Here’s one on how to cook a salmon filet in minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAjDHvgaVnI.

5. Play a round of golf at Sevillano Links. 
It’s no drearier right now than it is on a summer day in Scottland where the game was invented. Start your game after noon for the best rates and warmest temperatures.

6. Go out for breakfast or lunch at Timber’s or the Rolling Hills Buffet.
If you are 50 or over, enjoy a 50% discount on your Buffet meal on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

7. Get a new look.
There’s a hair stylist at the Traveler’s Center at Rolling Hills.

8. Have a party. 
Invite your friends and make a day — or night — of it. Rolling Hills has everything you need for a fun time including fun and games, and food and drinks. Plan your party for Saturday night, and treat your guests to free live music and dancing in Carlinos. Best part is you don’t have to clean your house before the party starts. 

The Food and Beverage team knew a gigantic 10-foot tall gingerbread tree was going to be their biggest project yet. However, I think they underestimated how huge of an undertaking it would be! Just attaching the lights proved to be a significant task. The tree has 1,600 lights, and each took 30 seconds to attach. If I did my math right that is 8 hours of painstaking labor. Work on the gingerbread tree continues this week in the Buffet.  You can see its transformation into a holiday masterpiece as our chefs decorate it in their spare time.   

When I took the photos of the Gingerbread tree’s progress, I started to get hungry. Of course, I had to check out what was on the menu.  I snapped a few photos of my favorite foods to share with you.  Looking at the food just made me hungrier, so I had to stay for dinner. The eggplant Parmesan, salmon, and tortellini was as delicious as it looked.  I didn’t save room for dessert.  That doesn’t mean I skipped dessert!

Today is another day, and my mouth is watering for the 4-ounce lobster and filet mignon dinner advertised by Timbers Steakhouse for only $28.  I don’t have any photos of that as each dinner is cooked to perfection when it is ordered, and I haven’t ordered it yet.  Mine will be medium rare.  How do you like your steak cooked?

Next week, we are filming a cooking demonstration by Hobart Vogel.  Can’t wait to share that with you.  What dishes would you like our chefs to demonstrate making? Share your ideas with us on Facebook. 

One of the most wonderful things about Northern California is the Sacramento River. In the fall and spring, fishermen from all over the world come to Tehama County for a chance to catch a salmon.  

Salmon season is over for 2011, but the spring run is just around the corner.  In our first YouTube Cooking Demo, Food and Beverage Manager James Rosenbalm demonstrates how to filet a salmon using a knife found in most kitchens. Click this link to see the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMazoUuvC1s&feature=g-hist

In the background, you can see a little bit of the busy kitchen at Rolling Hills Casino and you can hear vegetables being chopped, pots and pans clanging, and the deep fryer crackling behind me.  We now know to use an external microphone for our demos, but the camcorder's internal microphone was sufficient because Chef Rosenbalm has such a strong clear voice.  He did a great job on the video, and I’m sure you will find his demonstration helpful next time you need to filet a fish!

Our next video will feature Executive Chef Hobart Vogel preparing one of his favorite salmon dishes that are so popular in our Rolling Hills Buffet. 

Of course, if you want salmon for dinner, but don’t feel like catching, fileting, or cooking one, come to the Buffet for dinner.  We’ll even do the dishes.

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.

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. 

Take the food out of a holiday and it just wouldn’t be a holiday anymore. Even solemn religious fast days such as Yom Kippur and the 40 days of Lent are ushered in with feasts.

40 days is a long time not to party or eat foods we enjoy. I looked up what people give up for Lent; a holiday observed by many Christians, as well as many non-Christians, in the days before Easter. One list featured the five hardest foods to give up for Lent: coffee, meat, fast foods, fried foods, and desserts. I think breads should be on that list too. Another listed the top 10 clichéd items given up for Lent: alcohol, chocolate, cursing, Facebook, television, junk food, soda, smoking, texting, gossiping.

Personally, I think one should never give up for Lent that which is impossible to sacrifice — such as gossiping for most people. I cannot imagine any teenager giving up texting without parental mandate, which would make everyone’s life miserable. I need Facebook to know what my kids are doing. The ban against cursing would end as soon as I break something, which would probably happen the first day because I’m clumsy. Give up chocolate? Impossible! I need that to survive.

I gave up coffee once (or twice). I was working as a safety procedure writer for Chevron Pipeline. About 2 PM, the caffeine withdrawal headache set in and after staring at the same badly written sentence for what seemed like hours, I gave in and headed for the coffee machine. It was one of those fancy contraptions that poured coffee, cappuccino, or lattes with a push of a button. That day it poured nothing. I pushed the button again . . . and again . . . and still nothing. I thought I could get it to work by banging it. I was about to throw the non-responsive machine to the floor when the CEO came in. “Are we having a melt down,” he calmly asked as he refilled the coffee machine. Simple solutions are not apparent without caffeine. I emphasize, one must never give up for Lent anything that interferes with survival.

Lent always begins on Wednesday, which is why Mardi Gras, the feast day before the fast, is always on a Tuesday. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday because it’s the last chance to party before the six week period of abstinence, and because it is traditional to eat fatty rich wonderful foods on this day. Creole and Cajun foods are especially popular for Mardi Gras parties, because of the association of Mardi Gras with New Orleans. New Orleans is famous for Mardi Gras celebrations, and many customs associated with Mardi Gras have their roots in the French quarters of Louisiana. Throwing beads from parade floats is one of these traditions. Wearing purple, green and gold is another tradition.

You don’t have to go to New Orleans to enjoy Mardi Gras. The Rolling Hills Buffet is serving up Mardi Gras cuisine and giving out a string of beads with every meal. Wear green, gold and purple and you may even feel like you are in the heart of New Orleans.