Local Life

Cheesy jalapeños perfect for popping

Spicy, cheesy and piled with pork. You really can't go wrong with stuffed jalapeño peppers for Father's Day.

Bacon, maple elevate cookies

These cookies aren't exactly a healthy treat for your father … or anyone else's for that matter.

Tapenade enhances the best parts of olives

Try this quick and easy barbecue pork salad for a summer weekend. It has a barbecue flavor without heating up the grill. This is a one-pot meal that's great for two, or increase the recipe for a crowd.

Give dad what he craves with steak, potatoes

My family has been weaning itself from red meat for years. We still love it, but the portions and frequency are less than they used to be. Still, when I started planning a Father's Day menu for my husband and my dad, I thought it might be nice to bow to tradition by turning to the Batman and Robin of manly fare — steak and potatoes.

Jazz up the classic campfire s'more

Three simple ingredients — a marshmallow, a piece of chocolate and two graham crackers. The symbol of summer and campfire snacking.

Chef's salad updated with Mediterranean flair

The traditional chef's salad is a snapshot of the typical 1970s-era American deli counter. This version has Mediterranean flair, with cumin-rubbed grilled shrimp, roasted peppers and a light lemon dressing.

Freeze-dried corn powder gives polenta a kick

"Polenta — I May Be Doing it Wrong." This was the subject line of an email we received a couple of months ago, from a reader who wanted to know why her cornmeal porridge always "seems to turn out bland and somewhat uninteresting." "I've tried a couple different preparations so far (sliced and baked, mush under stew)," the reader explained, "but I'm just not a fan."

Rapper 2 Chainz robbed at gunpoint in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO — Police say platinum-selling rapper 2 Chainz was robbed in San Francisco just hours before he was scheduled to perform at a concert.

Adventure guide your passport to summer fun

Looking for a way to keep your kids healthy and active this summer? Give them a Vancouver Summer Adventure guide: a passport to free or low-cost community activities and summer fun.

Camas paratriathlete finds inspiration for success in another's discouraging words

Don't tell Darren Smith he can't do something because the 47-year-old's natural response is to do it.

Guess 'Who' pops up in novels, chronology?

Obsessive "Doctor Who" fans, your wish has been fulfilled.

Check It Out: Where there's smoke, there's meat on the grill

Now that it's June, my husband and I think about grilling — a lot. Not that we don't barbecue the rest of the year, but June practically shouts "summertime cookouts!" in our household. Which is probably why I wrote about a grilling cookbook last June, and why I'm doing it again this year. There is a difference, though. Last year I encouraged outdoor chefs to venture beyond grilled meat by checking out "The Gardener and the Grill" — a great choice for learning how to move those veggies from the frying pan into the fire. This time I want to give meat-lovers the chance to grill up a delicious menu with the help of Adam Perry Lang's "Charred & Scruffed."

Larch’s Asian Pacific Islanders connect with culture

Program gives offenders chance to connect, perform, reach out

LARCH CORRECTION CENTER — Bouncing and chanting to the drum’s rhythm, the barefoot, bare-chested dancers in flower-print sarongs are greeted by the audience’s gasps of disbelief, giving way to cheering. “Dancing in front of a group of people isn’t what a lot of us grew up learning how to do,” says Antonio Ruiz, or “Blue” as the other offenders at Larch Corrections Center call him. That didn’t stop Ruiz and about 30 other offenders from putting on an Asian Pacific Islander, or API, program for friends, family and a handful of other Larch inmates.