Chisago County Press

Let’s BEE real, it’s honey recipes

I was trying to think of an inspiration for this week’s column, and it came in an unusual form. Our publisher, Matt Silver, and I were judges in the Chisago Lakes Spelling Bee earlier this week. Matt has been doing it for quite some time and this was my third year doing it. As I was writing this column on Tuesday and brainstorming for it, I was also counting down the hours to the bee and for some reason it came to me to just do honey recipes!

And into the doldrums we go

The holidays are over now, and that’s always a bit depressing. Even though the weather hasn’t been disgustingly cold yet, it’s just brown, gray, black and a very ‘blah’ feeling outside. And now we have a few months of the cold, snow and chill coming up before we emerge for spring.

HOLIDAY HOOPS HIGHLIGHTS

Crossing the border into Wisconsin did nothing to hamper the hoops game of the Chisago Lakes boys basketball team.

Chisago Lakes Board reviews audit in final meeting of 2023

The Chisago Lakes School Board finished up some important business on their last day before Christmas break on Thursday, December 21.

Ring-in-the-new year fun recipes

Now that Christmas has come and gone, it’s time to ring in 2024!

NB gets quality win over Denfeld, but stung by Hornets for first loss

The Vikings played two solid halves in leading wire-to-wire over the Duluth Denfeld Hunters on Tuesday, December 12 to bump their record to 4-0 on the year.

Wildcats blow past Pine City and Monticello to move to 4-1

Chisago Lakes came out on top in a dance with the Dragons of Pine City, Tuesday, December 12.

CL grabs first win, 43-38 over Hibbing

The Wildcats had a nice comeback last week, earning their first win of the season over Hibbing.

Counting my blessings!

Christmas is finally upon us, and I’m really counting my blessings this year.

Wild Mountain continues to plow ahead of the pack with environmentally sensitive snowmobiles

On any given day at Wild Mountain ski and snowboard area, you typically couldn’t go without hearing the whine and shifting gears of a snowmobile at some point during your day. Whether a sled was going up hill to fix a lift or racing across the runs to aid a downed skier, or just getting cargo from the top of the hill to the bottom, that ‘wahhhhhhhhhhhh’ blasting from a snowmobile could be heard throughout the property.

Savor the holiday season

Christmas season is in full swing and many holiday parties are happening, so remember that it’s the time of giving, have fun with the family you have, and enjoy the little things. Also, remember that calories don’t count on the holiday, so grab that extra serving, pack those extra cookies and take down a little too much egg nog this holiday season!

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

OK, the headline is a little misleading. I’m starting to get into the festive Christmas mood, and I have my first family Christmas gathering this weekend, but something definitely feels off with no snow on the ground.

District starts to regroup after failed levy; custodians agreement reached

The Chisago Lakes School Board began the process of regrouping after the two failed voter questions in early November. At their regular meeting Thursday, November 16, Superintendent Brian Dietz said the district is thankful for all the help and support received in the process and that they would see what the next steps will be.

Post-Thanksgiving creations on menu

I know we are a week past Thanksgiving already, but many people, myself included, freeze some of the leftovers when you have plenty of them and then you can use them later in different recipes.

Hutch buries North Branch in state semis

While they’ve run up a 27-5 record over the last three years heading into their state semifinals game against Hutchinson, they’ve made a lot of teams look overmatched and confused on defense while they’ve ran their Power T offense full of deception, misdirection, traps, pulls and counters.

Undem breaks school record again, finishes fourth at state

Chisago Lakes senior Ellie Undem closed her career in style, earning two medals at the state meet last week at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.

Vikings pillage Red Knights on their way to U.S. Bank Stadium

North Branch couldn’t have scripted a better start to their first round state tournament game last week against Benilde-St. Margaret’s, with running back Tyler Minke ripping off an 82 yard touchdown score that set the tone for the night and propelled the Vikings to a 38-27 win on a cold and blustery Thursday, November 9 contest at Monticello High School.

Undem breaks her own records; heads to state in 50 and 100 free

Ellie Undem is returning to Minneapolis for another crack at the state tournament, but this time she’s hoping for a trip to the finals in both the 50 and 100 yard freestyle.

Venison on the menu in our house

Oh deer, we’ve finally got our freezer stocked with venison! It’s been a couple of years since we’ve had the delicious and delectable lean meat, but we’re finally stocked again, and I can’t wait to get into some of the classics and even try some new things.

Osmundson finishes seventh at state for girls; boys take 15th

Although the Chisago Lakes boys cross country team made it to the state meet on Saturday, November 4, the two Chisago Lakes girls who also qualified stole the show.

It’s official: I’m getting old!

I’m officially feeling old.

Wildcat boys claim section crown, headed to state meet

Youngsters were at the forefront for the Chisago Lakes boys cross country team as they punched their ticket to the state tournament for the first time in a decade with a Section 7A win at Hibbing Golf Course on Thursday, October 26.

Defense pitches a shutout as NB looks for second straight state bid

Drill scores twice in the second quarter as the Vikings run over the Thunderhawks 28-0

North Branch and Grand Rapids played a pretty close game in the regular season, and the Vikings wanted to make sure there was no doubt when it came time to play the Thunderhawks in sections Saturday, October 28.

Top-seeded Wildcats stunned by Como Park, season ends

Chisago Lakes seemed to be a shoo-in for the Section 4AAA finals when they drew the top seed. They had played — and swept — all of their potential opponents on that side of the bracket in the regular season.

Vikings knocked out by Lumberjacks in section semifinals

The North Branch volleyball team knew they were going to have their work cut out for them taking on the top-seeded and highly ranked Cloquet Lumberjacks in the section semifinals on Monday, October 30.

Odds and ends wrapped up at regular meeting as district awaits voting

As the Chisago Lakes School Board was anticipating the levy and bond questions coming up Tuesday, November 7, they had a light regular school board meeting on Thursday, October 26.

Step behind the magical curtain

I get asked fairly often about this food column and the origins of it. Obviously I took it over from Alice Nelson, who did a fantastic job with it for decades, but she had decided a few years ago that it was time to retire, so I stepped in. At first it was going to be temporary, but then it turned it to permanently.

Vikes chop down Lumberjacks, two wins from state

From the opening kick off until they sat the starters to rest them, the North Branch football squad absolutely squashed Cloquet on Wednesday, October 18 at Cloquet’s brand new field and wrapped up the top seed in Section 7AAAA and a first round bye that goes with it.

More ghoulish recipes for Halloween

Last week, we tackled a lot of fun Halloween sweets, which are some of my favorites!

Vikings smash Greyhounds, lock up first round bye in sections

Although football games aren’t played on paper, it was pretty evident heading into North Branch’s home game against Duluth East on Friday, October 13 what the end result was going to be.

Halloween treats for more than kids

It’s about time for Spooky Season! Halloween is just a few weeks away, and the ghostly parties are starting up! So that means it’s time to dust off your favorite costume and bring out your best recipes for the gatherings!

STMA Fall Classic a tough test for North Branch

North Branch and Monticello remained on a collision course for a Mississippi 8 Conference championship clash next week when they both won their last two M8C games.

Vikings ground Thunderhawks down, win fifth in a row

There was a slugfest on Friday, October 6 at North Brand Stadium, but like they have most times this year, the Vikings remained standing when they beat back a tough challenge from Grand Rapids, winning 28-21 over the Thunderhawks.

2023 Chisago Lakes Referendum at a glance

The Chisago Lakes School District is asking two referendum questions this year, and there’s been plenty of queries swirling around what will be done with the money if either one passes.

Soup is a cozy hug

It’s soup season! Slow cookers, fast boils and everything in between, it’s time to start wafting in the aromas of a good, healthy (sometimes not so healthy) soup for the soul!

CL Schools preliminary levies approved; ticket processing fees being eliminated

During the first regular school board meeting of the school year on Thursday, September 28, Director of Curriculum Sarah Schmidt presented the district-wide state testing results (see Chisago County Press, August 31), which were steps in the right direction. The district, along with a majority of others in the state, have not returned to pre-pandemic numbers in testing, but Schmidt did point out that Chisago Lakes is outperforming nearby districts in reading and math.

Vikes run winning streak to four, title still in sight

North Branch swept a pair of conference matches last week, and they kept their unblemished Mississippi 8 mark in tact to continue on a crash course with Monticello for the conference title.

Vikings pass test, down unbeaten Denfeld

Overcoming a disastrous start on Friday, September 29, the North Branch football team knocked Duluth Denfeld out of the undefeated ranks with a commanding 33-14 win over the Hunters, knocking them from the top 10 rankings and earning themselves some consideration among the state’s elite in Class AAAA.

Let’s settle in for a cozy fall

We’ve finally hit the fall cool down. Earlier this week, it felt like we were in the dog days of August, but man did that cold front slap us like my mom used to slap me when I talked back to her!

HOMECOMING HAMMERING

North Branch beats up on Mora, punctuated by Volner’s 96 yard score

North Branch took a while to separate from the Mora Mustangs at their homecoming game on Friday, September 22, but once the heat turned up, Mora folded up shop and the Vikings moved to 3-1 with a 40-14 victory.

Vikings out-dig Wildcats at Pink Out Night

On-court results took a back seat in the Chisago Lakes-North Branch volleyball game on Thursday, September 21 held at Chisago Lakes High School.

Wildcats win back-to-back swim meets

After a come-from-behind win over the Becker Bulldogs, the Chisago Lakes girls swimming and diving team got to cruise to an easy win over Cambridge-Isanti for their second straight Mississippi 8 Conference victory.

Osmundson and Hall dominate at Wildcat Invite

Chisago Lakes’ runners Kaia Osmundson and Annika Hall have been outstanding at most of the meets they’ve been in this year, usually finishing first and second and pacing the Wildcats’ girls team.

Warm, hearty fall meals for me

We’re getting into the thick of fall season here in Minnesota. Granted when you’re reading this column, it’s going to be almost 80 degrees outside, but we’ve had a nice, brisk week, and after this little mini heatwave, we’ll be back into the fall temps in no time.

Robillard runs roughshod over Hawks in big victory over Hermantown

Hermantown and North Branch have had some epic battles on the gridiron over the past few years and Friday, September 15 was no different.

North Branch races by Rock Ridge

After about five minutes of game time in North Branch’s tussle against Rock Ridge on Friday, September 8, there was no doubt who would come away victorious.

Doing the Cabbage Patch

OK, so I’m not really going to do the Cabbage Patch dance, as I’m a terrible dancer! But, I’m going to learn to be a better dancer this school year, because our exchange student, Guglielmo, is an Italian Junior Champion dancer. He’s going to teach me a thing or two, so the next time I am on the dance floor, I don’t make a fool of myself like normal.