Cottage Pie – delicious pie enters in the guise of leftovers

By Catherine Metzger Redstone Review

SAN MIGUEL COUNTY – Every Sunday at Finlaystone Estate, just south of Glasgow, Scotland, we would make a large roast for the dozen or so members of the MacMillan clan. After the big luncheon, there were invariably lots of leftovers. Waste not, want not, and the solution was often the creation of a Cottage Pie. This meant grinding the beef, adding some vegetables, making a gravy, and topping it with mashed potatoes. Many actually preferred the delicious Cottage Pie over the initial roast itself.

Here is FFA’s recipe for this simple, easy-

Kale salad

By Barbara Shark Redstone Review

LYONS – One of our favorite restaurants was Acorn at the Source in Denver. We often ordered their kale salad, a delicious way to eat a healthy vegetable. I riffed on my memory of that dish and now we have my kale salad at home. Take a bunch of Tuscan (Dinosaur) kale, or your favorite variety, and strip the leaves from the stalks. Cut into very thin slices across the leaves. Put into a large bowl. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and massage the kale until it tenderizes. Use your hands and really squeeze the kale for several minutes.

to-build, delicious pie that allows the leftover roast to keep on giving. Or, like I’ve done here, you can skip the roast and just brown a pound of ground beef and half a pound of ground pork to achieve a similar result.

Cottage Pie

3 medium-sized potatoes suitable for mashing (Russets or Yukon Golds)

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 C diced onion

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

2 T flour

1 T Better Than Bouillon, beef flavor

You’ll end up with about half the quantity. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice, a finely julienned or grated apple, (I use a mandoline), 1/3 cup of grated parmesan (or more to taste) and a big handful of caramelized pecans or walnuts. Serve with quarters of hard boiled eggs for lunch. For the caramelized nuts: Place a cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat. Pour in a cup of nuts and toast for a minute, then sprinkle with one tablespoon of sugar and let it caramelize. Watch carefully, while shaking the pan to move the nuts around. Stirring may prevent the sugar from melting. When the nuts are fragrant and the sugar melted, dump onto a board or plate to cool. Break up the clumps and add to the salad. Store any extras in a jar for a delicious addition to any salad. We usually finish this off between the two of us but if it is accompanying other dishes, it’s probably enough for four.

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1 1/2 C water

1/2 C frozen peas

1/2 C diced carrots

8 oz quartered mushrooms

Milk

2 T butter

• Preheat oven 375° F.

• Peel the potatoes and place in a medium-sized pan, cover with cold water, and bring to a gentle boil. Cook until fork tender.

• In a large Dutch oven, sauté the onion in the oil until transparent, about 10 minutes.

• Add the ground meats to the onions, cooking over medium-high heat. Use two forks to pull apart the larger chunks, making bite-sized pieces, until all the meat is just lightly browned. Pour off the fat, return to the pan and cook again. Pour off any excess fat.

• Sprinkle flour over the meat mixture and mix in, cooking another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

• Add the bouillon, then the water to the meat mixture and mix thoroughly.

• Stir in the peas, carrots and quartered mushrooms. Let cook gently for 5 minutes.

• Mash the potatoes and add a bit of milk, half and half or cream and the butter. Season with salt.

• Pour the meat mixture into a large pie plate. Top with the mashed potatoes and dot with butter before placing into the oven.

• Bake for 30 minutes and serve hot.

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Wondering about willows?

By Jessie Berta-Thompson Redstone Review

LYONS – Streaks of color stand out on a sunny day in late winter: a reddish line cutting into the landscape, a flash of yellow skyward. These botanical bright spots amidst winter grays are probably willow stems, which come in an astonishing array of colors. While older bark takes on a furrowed gray, young willow stems can be red, purple, powdery white, shocking chartreuse, or glowing gold.

Willows can be huge trees or very low shrub thickets, and every size in between. The willow family (Salicaceae) in Colorado is represented by willows (genus Salix) and cottonwoods, poplars, and aspen (all in the genus Populus). Willows are primarily plants of wet habitats, growing along streams and lakes, and in moist meadows, washes, and marshes. Willow leaves are pointed and often narrow, sometimes with white undersides.

Willow flowers are borne on catkins, elongated drooping clumps of small flowers pollinated by the wind. Pistillate (seed-bearing) and staminate (pollen-bearing) flowers are generally on separate plants, so each species will have two very different-looking kinds of catkins. Willow seeds are often embedded in fluffy down which is spread by wind and water. Like the stems, willow roots can be colorful, sometimes creating a surprising magenta tangle along streambanks.

There are 32 species of willows wild or naturalized in Colorado (2015 Flora of Colorado). Of these, six are big trees, and the rest are shrubs. Only two of the tree-form willows are native plants. The peachleaf willow (Salix amygdaloides) is common around the state (near water) growing to 13 to 65 ft.

The Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens (RMBG) in Lyons has a young sapling to represent this species. The other native willow tree, the black willow (Salix nigra) is less common, confined to a few areas on the western slope. The introduced willows – weeping willow (Salix bablylonica), crack willow (Salix x fragilis), white willow (Salix alba), and globe willow (Salix matsudana) are all beautiful trees, planted around old homesteads for shade and the unique ambiance of a willow.

The abundant native shrubby willows lack the shapely grandeur of those imports but make up for it in variety. There is a native pussy willow species (Salix discolor) just in Larimer County, but lots of other species have interesting buds and fluffy flowers, too.

The most widespread of the streamside shrubby willows is the coyote or sandbar willow (Salix exigua). The RMBG grows coyote willows as well as bluestem willows (Salix irrorata). Willows are some of the highest plants in Colorado, found up to 13,500 ft as low woody mats. Willows toughing it out in the alpine include the alpine willow (Salix petrophylla), the snow willow (Salix reticulata var. nana), and the lime-loving wooly willow (Salix calcicola), a rare denizen of high, calcareous soils (and not a hirsute margarita enthusiast).

In European cultural traditions, willows (especially weeping ones) are endlessly evocative – fanning the pages of romance novels, shading pastoral poems, engraved into tombstones, and drawn sheltering cute animals in children’s books. In a powerful example of traditional medicine making the leap into modern, the compound salicylic acid, abundant in willow leaves and bark, was one of the first pharmacological molecules chemically isolated from a plant, now known as aspirin.

Indigenous Americans harvested all parts of willow plants for all kinds of uses. The antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties of salicylic acid were deployed against many ailments, in the form of willow leaf and bark teas, across the North American continent. The leaves are used to flavor soups, and the young shoots and inner bark are eaten.

Willows’ narrow stems can be used for arrows and firestarting sticks; bark and stem fibers can be worked into cords and thread.The Cheyenne used a bark infusion of peachleaf willow to treat diarrhea and a bark poultice to stop bleeding. Locally, the Ute used peachleaf willow stems for baskets. The Lakota and Blackfoot used sandbar willow to build sweat lodges. The Paiute, Tewa, Keres and many other groups used sandbar willow stems, shoots, or roots in baskets, mats, and furniture weaving.

Because of their role in stabilizing stream banks, willow shrubs are a key species in post-flood restoration. Many that the Summit Housing Project is well on its way. She said that the town staff has been collecting names of people who might be eligible to live in the housing project if they meet the qualifications.

Lyons residents helped plant willow cuttings along the St. Vrain after the 2013 flood. Willows grow well from cuttings – a fresh stem in moist soil can usually root quickly.

Because of this remarkable ability, willow cuttings are used as a source of rooting hormones to encourage other plants’ cuttings to root, a natural alternative to commercial rooting powders. In gardens, willows require some extra water, so planting a native willow thicket can be good for a spot with poor drainage. A charming gardening trend right now is planting living willow fences. Tall, rooted willow stems are woven into the desired form, and then with time, they grow into a natural green tangle supported by underlying branches.

Jessie Berta-Thompson studied algae in school, and loves gardening and learning about plants. She has a degree in biology. She currently serves as Treasurer on the Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens board and as an Adjunct Researcher at the Denver Botanic Gardens, where she works on the diversity and evolution of Colorado mushrooms.

The staff has a list of over 50 names so far, she told the board, but they have not gone through the qualification process. The proposed residents cannot make more than 60 percent of the AMI (Area Median Income) and priority will be given to those who were displaced by the flood, those who live or work in Lyons and those who want to come back to Lyons to live. The AMI in Boulder County was just under $100,000, in 2022.

Sparks also said that to qualify the residents will have to have some proof that they can pay the rent. There are going to

Hi friends,

LOVELAND – It’s all about committees this week. With almost all of my bills coming before the Senate Education committee since Monday, I’m so proud to have been able to advocate for our teachers, students, and schools at the Capitol.

I’ve also been meeting with teachers from all over SD15 to hear where our policies and our budget can be strengthened to support Colorado’s public education system. From Poudre Valley School District in Larimer County to Boulder Valley in Boulder, it’s been so valuable to hear about the programs we can support

Rebuttal Continued from Page 2 percent in Crimea. But what’s a mere trifle like democracy in the “Realpolitik” world of Henry Kissinger, Vladimir Putin and Mr. Baumgartner?

Mr. Baumgartner saves his most extraordinary statements for last: that Russia “has made decisive contributions to the global equilibrium” and has “contribut[ed] to world peace” by stopping Napoleon and Hitler. Historical facts teach a different lesson. Even ignoring Russia’s imperialistic, warmongering past under the tsars, since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution Russia has: (i) invaded Ukraine in 1919, ending a brief be 24 single family homes and 4 4-plexes. She went on to say that HHSC is pursuing the possibility of getting more medical services in Lyons, such as a small medical clinic and a small pharmacy. They are working with Salud Clinic in Longmont to explore possibilities. to give every kiddo the best possible education.

The board moved on to hear a report from Dave Cosgrove, Public Works & Parks and Open Space Director who gave his annual report on the Parks and Open Space projects that are submitted to Boulder County each year. The projects are mostly carryovers from previous years and some requests for new projects.

Cosgrove spoke on the St. Vrain Greenway Trail extension, The Hall Ranch connection including an extension across the Martin property and some others that he referred to as farther out such as the Rabbit Mountain connection and others.

This week, I also had the pleasure of joining the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union to talk agricultural policy. Meeting with the farmers and agricultural workers from all across our state to listen and learn, emphasized the importance of my role on the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Com- post-WWI independence, (ii) invaded Azerbaijan in 1920, (iii) invaded eastern Poland in 1939 after signing the cynical Molotov-Ribbentrop pact with Hitler’s Germany, (iv) invaded Finland in 19391940 (the plucky Finns fought Russia to a draw), (v) invaded Hungary in 1956, (vi) invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, (vii) invaded Afghanistan in 1979, (viii) invaded Georgia in 2008, and (ix) invaded Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. Russia also controls by force pro-Russian enclaves in Moldova (Transnistria) and Azerbaijan (Nogorno-Karabakh).

So much for contributing to world peace and global equilibrium.

The board continued on to discuss a letter they received from Good Neighbors of Lyons asking the board to sign on to their letter to the Boulder County Commissioners which asks the commissioners to uphold the county land use code regarding the termination of non-conforming use as it relates to the Cemex plant in Lyons at 5134 Ute Highway in Lyons.

Lyons residents have been concerned and dismayed by the increased number of large trucks hauling cement materials in and out of the plant. After the Dowe Flats Mine was closed in October 2022, Cemex began hauling in raw materials to mix and then haul out to other locations to make concrete.

The letter states that, “10 to 20 ‘new’ 35-ton trucks are driving to CEMEX Lyons via Highways 36 and 66 every hour. This includes significant traffic through the City of Boulder from a shale operation mittee to advocate for Larimer and Boulder County farmers. From sustainable agriculture to water rights to rural opportunity programs, I joined Senator Dylan Roberts in expressing my support for our rural farmers, ranchers, and ag. workers.

As we move through the 2023 legislative session, I look forward to learning more about the needs of our rural, farming communities and the industries they support.

Colorado Senator Janice Marchman

Colorado State Senate District 15

Representing sections of Larimer and Boulder Counties

Yet Messrs. Kissinger and Baumgartner would have Ukraine do a “land for peace” deal with Putin. The short answer to that proposal is “Ukraine already did that, in 1994.” In that year, Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal in return for security guarantees of its existing borders. Signing the “Budapest Memorandum” were Ukraine, the U.S., England and… Russia. Twenty years later, Putin’s invasion proved the worthlessness of a Russian agreement to respect Ukraine’s borders and security.

Should Ukraine negotiate a “land for peace” deal with a country that has invaded it multiple times, deliberately starved to death 4 million Ukrainians in the 1930s, south of Boulder County. This is a significant alteration and enlargement from the baseline use, as the truck traffic has roughly doubled. These changes are so substantial that they have caused CDOT to require a new access permit.”

The letter asks the commissioners to “Require that Boulder County Land Use Director, Dale Case, act on Article 41003.H.1 by sending a letter to CEMEX Lyons indicating that nonconforming use has or may have terminated in accordance with Section 4-1003 of the Boulder County Land Use Code (alteration of use).” inflicted (and then covered up) horrible damage to Ukraine’s land and people in the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and is currently committing war crimes by destroying civilian hospitals, apartments and utilities?

The board agreed (all trustees) to sign onto the letter by Good Neighbors of Lyons to be sent to the Boulder County Commissioners.

In other matters, the board decided to hang onto the Apple Valley water treatment plant for at least 9 months before they decide what to do with it, for reasons that were discussed in an executive session.

And the board decided to enter into negotiations with the Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund (LEAF) after the town staff makes a list of all the things the town needs to accomplish as a result of LEAF owning the building and present that list to the board, so they can start negotiations for LEAF owning the building to use for their offices and other uses.

The Lyons Town Board approved ordinance 1140 on first reading to amend several sections of the Lyons municipal code concerning short term rentals. In one section of the rental code the board amended the code to require a short-term rental number be required in the advertisement of the rental rather than a business license number.

Mr. Kissinger and Mr. Baumgartner can probably articulate complex reasons why Ukraine should again negotiate with Russia, despite Russia’s blatant breach of the last such agreement in 1994. But a simple child’s saying provides a better reason not to: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

Mark Browning is a Lyons resident