A fondness for potatoes
Aly and I were discussing what was going to be on our menu this week, and we got to talking about sides because I seem to always default to some kind of potato.
Dahl sisters ski their way to state meet
Anna and Maren Dahl have been foundational rocks for the Chisago Lakes girls’ alpine ski team all year, and the pair really came through in the Section 7 meet at Giants Ridge Tuesday, February 6.
Upsets highlight county clashes between North Branch and Chisago Lakes
Viking boys earn revenge while Wildcat girls win second game
The North Branch boys basketball team has had some great spurts of play this year.
Cozy dinner ideas
That ended up being a great Super Bowl after a snoozer of a first half! But the game exposed me as a little bit of a fraud.
DANCE TEAMS HEADING BACK TO STATE!
Both the Jazz and Kick dance teams are headed back to the state tournament for the third year in a row.
Ultra competitive county gymnastics meet ends in deadlock
North Branch and Chisago Lakes earn rare tie at 137.375 apiece
Ties are common in some high school sports. You see them all the time in soccer and hockey and even swimming.
Girls ready for sections
Senior Brooke Klemz almost waited a little too long to get her first career hat trick. She scored three goals to lead the Wildcat girls’ hockey team to a 6-1 win over the River Lakes Stars Tuesday, January 30 at Chisago Lakes Arena in the final regular season varsity home game for Klemz and her senior teammates Breanna Ritter and Aly Vogelsang.
North Branch avenges two earlier M8C losses
Big Lake and Becker were the opening salvos in North Branch’s seven game losing streak earlier this year, so the Vikings are hoping wins over the two starts a similar streak, just in winning fashion.
Losing skid reaches 13 for CL
Things just haven’t been going the Wildcats’ way this year on the basketball court. The girls’ hoops squad dropped two more contests, a lopsided Mississippi 8 Conference affair against Monticello, and an in-section matchup against Hermantown.
Vikes improving play, nearly knock off Becker
The North Branch girls basketball team may be just coming off a six game losing streak, but you’d never guess it with their inspired play last week.
The Great Conundrum was solved for me
I wrote on this last year for the first time, but it’s tough to focus on which recipes I want to share this time of the year. It’s the last, biggest, best football game of the year this weekend, but then just a few days later, Valentine’s Day is on the calendar too.
Wildcats shine bright under the Target Center lights
Playing at the Target Center is usually reserved for the state championship games in Minnesota.
Ski teams wrap up regular season; sections on the horizon
While most people have enjoyed the unseasonably warm temperatures this winter, cold weather lovers and in particular alpine skiers, have been on the outs.
North Branch trades wins with Saints and T’Hawks
North Branch avoided the long losing streaks they’ve had this year when they rebounded from a loss against Spectrum to beat St. Francis on Tuesday, January 23.
AREA GIRLS HOOPS HIGHLIGHTS
The Vikings couldn’t shake their losing streak last week, and it stretched six games after they went 0-3, beginning with a Mississippi 8 Conference loss to St. Francis.
GymCats look sharp heading into tough gymnastics section
It’s a rare, but great accomplishment when everything goes according to plan, especially in a high school gymnastics season.
Spring time food? Really?
Well normally, we’d be tackling crockpot meals or comfort food this time of the year, but since we have spring weather without the spring crops, we might as well have some outside-of-the-box recipes.
AREA HOOPS HIGHLIGHTS
Streaking season continued for the North Branch boys basketball program last week. They have won and lost in long streaks, and after the roller coaster of a ride, they now stand at 8-8 on the year. The Vikings began the season 4-0 before losing seven straight games. They proceeded to rattle off four straight wins after that, with two of them coming last week.
Heating things up with jalapeños
It’s been a while since I’ve put the spotlight on spicy food, so if you have a soft palette or can’t handle the heartburn, you may not want to read any further!
NB breaks losing skid
North Branch finally busted out of their long losing streak last week, claiming victories over Zimmerman and Rock Ridge. Their skid had reached seven after an early week loss to Cambridge.
CL crushes Princeton but misses Schmidt in loss to C-I
Chisago Lakes crushed Princeton in the second half to take a big win over a Tigers team that has been a top Mississippi 8 stalwart for years.
‘Cats claim first crown at River Falls Invite
After 15 years of second places and third places, the Chisago Lakes gymnastics team finally claimed the first place crown at the River Falls Invite on Saturday, January 13. The Wildcats scored 134.925, edging out host River Falls, who scored 133.175.
Activity fees to rise at Chisago Lakes next year
Starting next year, the price tag for participating in activities throughout the Chisago Lakes Middle School and High School will be rising.
Wildcats extend Vikings’ misery in county clash
No matter the records the past few years, the North Branch and Chisago Lakes boys basketball teams have had competitive games, and their match up on Friday, January 5 at North Branch was no different.
NB crushes ‘Cats to break out of skid
The North Branch girls basketball team took the anger of their three game losing streak out on Chisago Lakes when the two teams squared off fresh out of the holiday break on Friday, January 5 at North Branch High School.
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.