By AC Shilton, Outdoor

Argentine celebrity chef Francis Mallmann can stand the heat—in fact, he loves it. But he wants to get the hell out of the kitchen. And he thinks you should, too.

“My least favorite place to cook is inside four walls,” he says. Next time you head out on a hike, Mallmann recommends taking along ingredients—a few eggs, a potato, an onion, a sprig of parsley, and some olive oil—for an impromptu, al fresco meal.”Go into the mountains and find a nice stream. Look for a stone with a wedged-out center. Place it over two flat stones and make a fire underneath it,” he says.

Once you’ve cooked in the woods (and no, coffee in a Jetboil doesn’t count), Mallmann swears you’ll never go back to those mush-in-a-pouch meals that many of us resort to in the backcountry.

Mallmann recently released “Mallmann on Fire”, a 100-recipe cookbook with the heft and richness of one of the seared sides of beef that made him famous in South America. The word cookbook feels somewhat inadequate to describe Mallmann on Fire. From the opening spread—a landscape portrait of Mallmann cooking fireside beneath the Andes — it’s clear the book is as much about travel, adventure, and a sense of place as it is about making food.

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By Paul Nelson, KTVN-TV

Three years of drought is taking its toll on Washoe Lake. The water is a few hundred yards away from the boat dock, where the water used to reach. That is leaving behind nothing but a muddy mess and thousands of dead fish.

Chris Healy is a spokesman for the Nevada Division of Wildlife. He says the lake’s water has receded much more quickly in the past few weeks.

“This kind of thing happens, periodically, at Washoe Lake,” Healy said. “Unfortunately, all too often in the past couple of decades.”

The fish line the old shoreline for hundreds of yards down the east side of the lake. Almost all of them are carp, and Healy says if they are dying, you know it’s a bad situation.

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Sound checks for the annual SnowGlobe music festival in South Lake Tahoe have been rattling windows for the past two days.

Neighbors of the Lake Tahoe Community College ball fields, where the event is staged, are sensitive to the loud bass because the first year it was so bad pictures fell off walls in houses.

City Manager Nancy Kerry told Lake Tahoe News the sound was pushed higher for a few minutes during the checks, but that promoters will be held to their contracted decibel levels once the show begins at 3pm today. (It ends at 11 tonight, is from 2:30-11pm Dec. 30 and from 2:30pm Dec. 31 to 1:30am Jan. 1.)

City officials are also warning people to dress appropriately because temps will be in single digits and teens the next three nights.

More buses have been added to transport people between the venue and casino area so standing around in the cold should not be an issue. Every 30 minutes buses will leave MontBlue at 2:30pm Dec. 29 and ending 1am Dec. 30, between 2:30pm Dec. 30 and 1am Dec. 31, and 3:30pm Dec. 31 and 2am Jan. 1.

To also help with transit issues, BlueGo Route 53 will have additional buses during the festival.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times

The long-range weather forecast is the biggest wild card in the battle over every available bucket of water in drought-stricken California — but a close second may be Dianne Feinstein.

In a dispute in which positions have hardened after years of fighting, the state’s senior U.S. senator, who is expected to broker any deal that reallocates water supply, is one of the few remaining enigmas. The only thing consistent about Feinstein’s role as water referee is that the fights have left bruises on the exacting and thick-skinned senator over the years. The last few weeks have been particularly rough.

A year that started with Central Valley figures branding her a radical environmentalist and Bay Area dilettante ended with accusations from once-friendly colleagues and liberal editorial boards that the 22-year veteran of the Senate was shilling for Big Agriculture.

For months, Feinstein had tried to craft a compromise drought relief bill by negotiating a water deal behind closed doors with the state’s major agricultural interests. Late in Congress’ lame-duck session, those talks collapsed. No legislation got passed.

Yet Feinstein is eager to get back in the ring as soon as Congress picks up again in January.

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By Nick Zaccardi, NBC

Olympic champions gymnast Shawn Johnson and slopestyle snowboarder Jamie Anderson were announced as NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” season seven contestants.

Anderson, a resident of Meyers who rides for Sierra-at-Tahoe, won gold in the Olympics earlier this year.

It’s the first time since the third season that the Donald Trump show will include Olympians.

Other contestants this season include Johnny Damon, Kate Gosselin, Gilbert Gottfried, Terrell Owens, Geraldo Rivera and Ian Ziering.

The season premieres Jan. 4 on NBC.

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Jenni

Jenni is a nice 11-month-old gray tabby cat who does well with other pets.

She would also be fine as a single pet. In the shelter, she amuses herself by playing with the toys in her kennel. Jenni likes to play rough and wrestle and will sometimes play bite when she gets over excited, so might be best in a home without small children. Cat adoption fees are discounted at the shelter for the rest of December, just $40.

Jenni is spayed, microchipped, tested for FIV, and vaccinated. She is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs and cats who are waiting for their new homes.

Go to the Tahoe animal shelter’s Facebook page to see photos and descriptions of all pets at the shelter.

Call 530.573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.

— Karen Kuentz

Artemis at Ski Run has fire pits out front and a view of Lake Tahoe. Photo/LTN

By Kathryn Reed

Owning and operating a restaurant is said to be a difficult endeavor – even more so in a place like Lake Tahoe because of the ebb and flow of customers as the seasons change or if the snow falls. Double that and people might question your sanity.

But that’s exactly what Brian and Angela Luke did this year when they opened a second Artemis restaurant in South Lake Tahoe.

“It’s been harder than we thought, definitely. But it seems to be working out,” Brian Luke told Lake Tahoe News. “We had some growing pains. We are getting it dialed in.”

Getting a day off – well, that never completely happens.

“Every day there is something,” Angela Luke said. “It hardly feels like work when we are both involved. It’s part of our everyday life. I can’t imagine it not being part of our life.”

But they will be even busier in January when their second child arrives. Still, the restaurants are their babies in a different way.

“Every location brings a different set of challenges. You have to jump in and immerse yourself before you are clear what those challenges are and how to go about tackling them,” she said.

Two restaurants weren’t in their plans when the first eatery in the Kings Trading Center near the Y opened in 2010.

“It was kind of out of necessity,” Brian Luke said. “We outgrew that place in the summer.”

Seating in the back patio was added, but the kitchen was still tiny. This created additional problems – the inability to get food to the table in a timely manner.

So, then the couple wrestled with whether it would be better to get a larger location or open a second restaurant. They looked at several locations, including the old Swiss Chalet.

Then Elie Alyeshmerni, owner of Ski Run Marina, approached the Lukes about taking over a soon to be vacant suite in his center. They jumped at the opportunity and opened that spot in May.

Aubrey, Brian and Angela Luke

It’s not visible from Highway 50 like the Y location, but it has a lake view – something the strip mall can’t offer.

The menus are relatively the same, with lunch and dinner offered at both.

Two big differences at the Ski Run location are the full bar and breakfast. The former allows them to offer a comprehensive happy hour every day from 3-6pm. An espresso bar and mimosas are indicative of the variety of morning drinks that are available. Breakfast is a mix of American and Greek dishes.

What the Lukes have noticed at Ski Run is the extremes – super quiet or super busy. A rush comes in before the Tahoe Queen is set to sail. Tourists are finding the restaurant, while locals are more often found at the Y location.

“The first one is definitely very homey. It is very local clientele-based and very comfortable for people who have been coming there for four years,” Angela Luke told Lake Tahoe News. “This one is a lot more tourist driven. One of our main goals is to also make this a place where locals can enjoy. It’s such a great location.”

Next summer the outdoor bar will be operational. This time of year fire pits are keeping people warm outside. Getting into the catering side of the food industry is another goal.

Brian Luke has an extensive background in restaurants, having worked in the Caribbean as an executive chef and in other aspects of the industry before opening Artemis. He knew he was ready to open his own restaurant; he just thought it would be in the Bay Area. Prices, though, made that an unrealistic dream.

As a kid his family made regular treks to Tahoe. One Christmas he came snowboarding and started looking around at various vacancies where he might be able to open a restaurant.

The Greek theme came about by not wanting to duplicate what existed on the South Shore. Plus, he was familiar with Mediterranean food and it ties into the healthy Lake Tahoe lifestyle.

“I was trying to fill a niche that nobody was doing and trying to do it really well – good food at good prices and a great atmosphere, with great service,” Brian Luke said.

(Angela, who grew up in South Lake Tahoe, met Brian as he was opening the first restaurant.)

Beyond the food, the service is one thing that sets Artemis apart from other restaurants in South Lake Tahoe. The staff at both locations is attentive, friendly and knowledgeable.

“Service has been the hardest thing because of the transient nature of town. It’s hard to find good people in this town,” Luke said. “I’ve never had such hard time finding staff that was qualified and would show up and take things seriously and act like professionals.”

Training is critical – so are standards. Luke said if people don’t meet their standards, they are let go.

“We didn’t want to accept that this is just Tahoe,” he said. He isn’t lowering his standards.

His employees have been rewarded, with many who have been with them since Day 1 who have risen to management positions.

“Our goal is to be perfect. We try to get as close as we can on a daily basis,” Luke said.

By Larry Weitzman

All the colors are taken 1903 was a remarkable year. Not only did the first powered flight by a human take place by the Wright Brothers, but our country was introduced to the Crayola. Crayola became one of those marketing miracle words like Kleenex, Thermos, and Frigidaire in which a brand name was used to describe a product. In elementary school it was the lucky student who had the Crayola box with 64 crayon colors. I was lucky to have eight or 16.

Even Crayola has suffered from political correctness in naming its colors like Prussian Blue in 1958 became Midnight Blue, Flesh was renamed Peach in 1962, in 1999 Indian Red became Chestnut, although that color got its name from a reddish brown pigment found in India. Even Chartreuse became Laser Lemon in 1990.

Larry Weitzman

While Crayola has 120 colors in its palette, like Electric Lime, Fuzzy Wuzzy, or Outer Space with all colors being defined by their approximate Red Green Blue components, only two of their colors (pigments) are pure, Black and White with Black having a component base of 0,0,0 RGB and White listed as 255, 255, 255 component parts of RGB.

Perhaps it should be explained that all colors are made from some combination of the primary colors Red, Green, Blue. White is equal parts of RGB and Black is no light whatsoever (hence 0,0,0). What is sometimes taken for granted is how much we use color to describing things, especially humans or in politics, so much so that there are practically no basic colors left including a combination such as the use of the term Rainbow (Coalition).

If you are of the left side of political persuasion, you are Red or a Pinko. If you are from Africa, you are Black although there are Blacks who are not from Africa but still identifying as an African American. Sometimes Hispanics from Latin America are referred to as Browns (Brown Power). During World War II the term Yellow was used to describe a component of the Axis power.

If you are an environmentalist, you are Green. If you are a Republican or from a Republican state you could be thought of as from a Red state as they were described by mainstream media in the 2000 presidential election, a description that has stuck until this day.

It is most interesting that the late Tim Russert, who is credited for the current red/blue state designation, did not call the Red states as Democrat leaning states and the Blue states as Republican leaning states. (Republicans are kind of thought as cold and heartless by their adversaries.) That designation would certainly have been more fitting and descriptive, but maybe not politically correct. Who wants to be labeled a Red, especially if you are one.

In 1908, a newspaper published a map with the red state/blue designation in the same manner as Russert. In 1976, the designation was reversed (red-Democrat; blue-Republican) and held that way until 2000.

So with the regard to the eight or so basic colors, White, Black, Red, Blue, Green, Gray (senior citizens), Yellow, Brown, Purple (a color used as to support men’s gay rights and Black women) and Pink (also used to identify women’s issues like breast cancer) there appears to be only one color yet unclaimed politically and that is Orange. While Orange is the name for one of nature’s great foods (lots of vitamin C and fiber), no one has used it politically. Perhaps it should be identified with men’s issues like prostate cancer. It is currently one of the colors for the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins (there goes the alliteration) and it is the color for Syracuse University (Syracuse mascot is Otto the Orange and they are called the Orangemen).

After Orange, political groups will have to dig deep. Maybe the next political color will be Mango Tango, Bittersweet, Cornflower, Inchworm or Neon Carrot.

Larry Weitzman is a resident of Rescue.

By Mark S. Aloia, Huffington Post

Most people take a common set of steps when preparing to lose weight. Pick an activity. Pick a diet. Cut out junk food. Pick a start date. Recruit support. One step, however, is typically missed, and recent research suggests it is as important as anything: Review your sleep habits.

We all know how sleep can affect us. A poor night often results in complaints of low energy, poor work performance, and irritability. We may even recognize that we tend to be less active after a night of poor sleep — but most of us do not pay much attention to how sleep may affect our eating behavior.

Think carefully — do you ever crave certain foods after poor sleep? Personally, my sleepless nights are often followed by cravings for “comfort foods,” which can be high in fat and carbohydrates. And science confirms it. More and more scientific literature is pointing to a tie between the amount of food we eat, our food choices, and the time of day when we eat — all factors that could keep the number on the scale from dropping.

In experiments comparing short sleep duration (about five hours a night) to more normal duration (seven to eight hours a night), researchers have found that study participants who are forced to shorten their sleep crave the high fat or carbohydrate laden foods later at night, and they eat more than people who sleep longer.

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By Lauren Coleman-Lochner, Bloomberg

After a rocky start to the holiday shopping season, U.S. retailers benefited from cheaper gas prices and an improving job market in the weeks leading up to Christmas, raising optimism that sales reached a three-year high.

Customer Growth Partners President Craig Johnson, who tracks the retail industry, now expects holiday sales to grow about 3.9 percent, a faster clip than he had previously projected as his “base case.”

The biggest payroll gains since 1999 and the lowest gasoline prices in five years are prompting consumers to spend more liberally. The decline in gas prices, which are down 22 percent this month, could free up $3 billion in holiday consumption, Johnson said. The money has largely gone toward hard lines, such as televisions, headphones and toys, he said.

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