2020

Miss the Staff Town Halls? Watch them here!

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 19:43:51 +0000

Miss the Staff Town Halls? Watch them here! Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 12/18/2020 - 12:43

On December 11th and 16th, CU Boulder Staff Council hosted campus leaders Patrick O’Rourke (Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer) and Katherine Erwin (Chief Human Resources Officer), who answered a wide variety of questions on topics important to staff about the Spring 2021 semester and into next academic year. Some of the topics included:

Pandemic data in Colorado (see these slide for more) and associated decision points
Continued COVID-19 testing for staff
Return to campus planning
COVID-19 vaccinations
Furloughs, pay reductions, and other budget-related impacts
Information distribution (and proposed improvements)

If you were unable to attend, you can view the recorded sessions by navigating to the below links.

Front Line & On-Campus Focused Town Hall

Remote Worker Focused Town Hall

After viewing the town hall, if you have additional questions or follow ups please contact Staff Council or contact one of your Area’s Staff Council Representatives, and we will do our best to address these questions in our future meetings with campus leadership. We cannot guarantee a direct answer in every instance, but we will do our best to incorporate your inquiries in future discussions. Additionally, Staff Council is working with HR and Strategic Relations & Communications to provide improved communication to staff around these and related topics.

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Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini, Spinach and Chicken Soup

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 23:19:39 +0000

Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini, Spinach and Chicken Soup Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 12/15/2020 - 16:19

Story behind the recipe: I found this recipe on the internets (reddit). It was just called THE SOUP because people love it. So I had to try it. And guess what, I also love it. And I wanted to share it with you all in the hopes that it brings some joy to someone's life.

Description of the dish: Hearty, delicious, creamy and tasty soup that takes no work and is so satisfying as a meal.

This recipe makes 8 servings.

Time to prep: 15 minutes

Time to cook: 4-6 hours in the slow cooker

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp dried basil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups chicken broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 to 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups frozen cheese tortellini (or you can use fresh)
3 cups packed spinach (you can definitely add more than this if you want)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy cream or 1 cup half and half

Cooking Instructions:

In a microwave-safe bowl add the onions, flour, basil, garlic, tomato paste and drizzle with olive oil.
Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring every 90 seconds or so. (The mixture will be pasty and look weird but don’t worry it will all be okay in the end). Add the mixture to the slow cooker*.
Add broth, tomatoes, chicken, salt and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir.
Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours (or until chicken is very tender).
Remove the lid use a fork to remove the chicken out of the slow cooker. And add in tortellini and spinach, Parmesan cheese and warmed cream (cream should be warmed because it may cause curdling if added in cold).
On a cutting board, shred or cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Add the chicken back into the slow cooker. Put the lid back on and cook on HIGH for about 10 more minutes, or until the tortellini are cooked through.
Ladle into serving bowls and enjoy!

Submitted by: Kati Monday, Leeds School of Business

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Staff-Focused Town Hall December 11 & 16 - Ask Senior Leadership Your Questions

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 03:58:24 +0000

Staff-Focused Town Hall December 11 & 16 - Ask Senior Leadership Your Questions Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 12/06/2020 - 20:58

When:
December 11th, Noon - 1:00 p.m. (front line and on-campus worker focused)
December 16th, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (remote worker focused)

Where:
Zoom - RSVP required (via the links above)
*Please note that only the first 500 attendees to log in to the webinar will be permitted. We are working on a YouTube live stream to accommodate any attendees over our capacity.

Join CU Boulder Staff Council in a town hall and Q&A session with campus leadership. This is an opportunity to discuss the current state of campus, actions impacting personnel, and plans for the Spring semester.

The following CU Boulder senior leadership will be present:

Patrick O’Rourke, Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer
Katherine Erwin, Chief Human Resources Officer

Both will speak to the current state of the campus, discuss actions impacting personnel, and provide information regarding the upcoming Spring, 2021 semester.

The event will include a staff-focused question and answer session intended to ensure that all staff members have the opportunity to ask questions related to their roles.

Staff are invited to attend either session, but please be aware of the focus of each town hall as listed above.

If you are an on-campus worker who needs time and/or access to a space to watch the town hall, please email staffcouncil@colorado.edu or call (303) 492-5743 and we will do our best to work with your supervisor to request arrangements.

Join CU Boulder Staff Council in a town hall to discuss specific concerns related to you as a staff member on campus. If you have ever wanted the opportunity to ask CU leadership specific questions or voice concerns, this is your opportunity!

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Shepherd's Pie

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 20:18:37 +0000

Shepherd's Pie Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/23/2020 - 13:18

Description of the dish: While many Shepherd’s Pie recipes take a lot longer to prepare and cook this is a quick way to enjoy a tasty classic.

This recipe makes 4 servings (depending on the portion size)

Time to prep: 15 minutes

Time to cook: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup cream, for a lighter version substitute vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 3/4 pounds ground beef or ground lamb
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef stock or broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire, eyeball it
1/2 cup frozen peas, a couple of handfuls
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Cooking Instructions:

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.
While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.
Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small flameproof rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

Submitted by: Lauren Thompson, Staff Council/Human Resources

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Italian Sausage Lasagna

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 19:04:07 +0000

Italian Sausage Lasagna Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/23/2020 - 12:04

Story behind the recipe: Growing up my mom made us this tasty lasagna from her 1970s edition of the Betty Crocker’s Cookbook. She made some changes to the recipe to suit our specific likes, but I’ve listed it here how it is in the book. That is what makes this recipe so fabulous, you can adjust it to your specific preference. Enjoy!

Description of the dish: This is a super yummy lasagna recipe and it isn't hard to make. Also, it is easily adjustable for specific likes or needs. This is also great to prep the night before a gathering and just put into the oven when guests are arriving.

This recipe makes 8 servings (depending on the portion size).

Time to prep: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Time to cook: 2 hours and 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb bulk Italian pork sausage
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup) Save $
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups Muir Glen™ organic diced tomatoes (from 28-oz can), undrained
1 can (15 oz) Muir Glen™ organic tomato sauce
12 uncooked lasagna noodles (12 oz)
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese or small-curd cottage cheese (2 cups)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Instructions:

In 10-inch skillet, cook sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, sugar, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered about 45 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.
In medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and the oregano.
Spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Top with 4 noodles. Spread 1 cup of the cheese mixture over noodles; spread with 1 cup of the sauce mixture. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with 4 noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, 1 cup of the sauce mixture and 2/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining noodles and sauce mixture. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
Cover; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake about 15 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Recommended side dishes: Garlic bread

Submitted by: Lauren Thompson, Staff Council/Human Resources

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Indulgent Chocolate Cake (Secretly Gluten-Free and Vegan)

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 18:30:41 +0000

Indulgent Chocolate Cake (Secretly Gluten-Free and Vegan) Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/23/2020 - 11:30

Story behind the recipe: I have made this cake for over a decade now. When I first met this cake, I didn't know about my food allergies. Since then, I've iterated the recipe to adapt to my needs. I've played with a variety of options and substitutions, and found these to be my favorite.

Description of the dish: If you've baked gluten-free or vegan (or both!) cakes before, you know how easy it can be to come out with a finished product that is dense and chewy, or dry and crumbly. This rich, dark chocolate cake will impress your friends and family - and it's so moist and fluffy they won't know it's gluten-free AND vegan unless you tell them!

This recipe makes 9 servings.

Time to prep: 10 minutes

Time to cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup gluten-free flour (Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup oil (sunflower or vegetable)
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 ̊F.
In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine flour, brown sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Get any lumps out now, since you won't have time to do so once you add these to the wet ingredients in step 4.
In a large bowl, combine apple sauce, oil, non-dairy milk, water, and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, folding in until JUST combined. I'm serious. Over-mixing will lead to a dense and tough cake.
Pour into parchment-lined 9"x9" baking dish.
Bake at 400 ̊F for 20 minutes. The top should just start to split and a toothpick inserted into the cake should come out almost clean.
After 10 minutes of rest in the pan, move the cake from the baking dish to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Serve as-is (less sweet), with a dusting of powdered sugar (more sweet), or with Coco Whip non-dairy whipped cream (my favorite)!

Recommended side dishes: So Delicious Coco Whip non-dairy whipped cream

Submitted by: Laura Graham, College of Music

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Mom's Meatballs

Anonymous — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 21:49:00 +0000

Mom's Meatballs Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/20/2020 - 14:49

Story behind the recipe: My mother passed this recipe on to me. It was one of my favorite meals as a kid and now it's become one of my son's favorites as well. This is also a great recipe for kids to help prepare!

Description of the dish: Spaghetti and meatballs, classic comfort food.

This recipe makes 4-6 servings.

Time to prep: 5 minutes

Time to cook: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 large egg
A pinch of salt & pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Form mixture into 12 meatballs.
Bake in an oven safe dish at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Simmer cooked meatballs in red sauce while you prepare your pasta.
Serving size 2-3 meatballs.

Submitted by: Susan Ulrich, Office of Information Technology

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Chili

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 23:25:17 +0000

Chili Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/03/2020 - 16:25

Story behind the recipe: I took my favorite parts from many recipes and combined them to make my own.

Description of the dish: A scrumptious chili that will really warm you up! The secret to making it so tasty is the browned tomato paste. You can use any type of lager or ale that you want, I just prefer Avery's because it doesn't overpower the other flavors in the dish.

This recipe makes 6-8 servings.

Time to prep: 20 minutes

Time to cook: 30 minutes active cooking time, 2 hours to simmer

Ingredients:

1 lb 80/20 ground beef
8 oz Italian sausage
1 red onion, chopped
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, chopped
2 lg cloves garlic, diced
4 oz tomato paste
12 oz Avery lager
12 oz beef stock
42 oz diced tomatoes (3 cans)
30 oz beans (2 cans), rinsed
15 oz corn (1 can), drained
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano

Cooking Instructions:

Melt some butter in the bottom of a Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown beef and sausage with about five cracks of salt and pepper, each. Set aside.
In the remaining grease, sauté onion and peppers with about five cracks of salt and pepper for 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and continue to sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Pull vegetables and set aside with the meat.
Add a bit more butter to the Dutch oven. Once it has melted, add the tomato paste and cook it until it browns – keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. Use beer and beef stock to deglaze the pan.
Add the meat, onion/pepper/garlic mixture, tomatoes, beans, corn, chili powder, smoked paprika, and oregano to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Mix well, decrease heat to maintain a simmer, and cover for about two hours. Leave the cover over the pot a bit askew.
Serve with sour cream, mustard, Fritos, cornbread, over a baked potato, or however you do you.

Recommended side dishes: Cornbread or Fritos. I like adding a dollop of sour cream to my chili bowl and I have friends that will add yellow mustard or maple syrup to theirs.

Submitted by: Marco Lara, Parking Services

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Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Spinach Hash

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 23:06:07 +0000

Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Spinach Hash Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/03/2020 - 16:06

Story behind the recipe: I've been trying out some new recipes during the quarantine and this one checks a lot of boxes: it's tasty, healthy, vegetarian, and my sixth grader enjoys eating it! I've shared this recipe with other groups and consistently get positive feedback.

Description of the dish: Sweet potatoes and black beans is an awesome combo. This recipe also has some nice green spinach and seasoning common in Mexican cuisine. I have made this as the main dish for dinner by adding a fried egg on top or left the egg off and enjoyed it as a side dish. The core of the dish is the sweet potatoes, spinach, black beans and spices and so if you are vegan, or have other dietary restrictions, and want to leave off the feta and egg, it's still quite tasty.

This recipe makes 4 servings as a main dish, 6-8 servings as a side dish.

Time to prep: 5 minutes

Time to cook: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch cubes)
1-15-ounce can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
5 ounces baby spinach (rinsed)
1 teaspoon lime juice (either bottled or fresh squeezed is fine)
2 tablespoons crumbed feta cheese
4 fried eggs (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers.
Add the sweet potatoes.
Stir occasionally until they are brown and tender, about 12 minutes.
Sprinkle the black beans, salt, cumin, and chili powder over the potatoes, stir and saute for 3 minutes.
Add the spinach on top and gently fold it into the other ingredients until its wilted.
Evenly distribute the lime juice and feta cheese on top.
Distribute the hash into 4 bowls and finish each with a fried egg if you like.

Recommended side dishes: Chips and salsa, pita and hummus

Submitted by: Nik Hunnicutt, Division of Continuing Education

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Momma's Pumpkin Bread

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 22:49:10 +0000

Momma's Pumpkin Bread Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/03/2020 - 15:49

Story behind the recipe: Every autumn my mother bakes Pumpkin Bread and serves it with Thanksgiving dinner.

Description of the dish: My mother never added nuts or raisins. Her bread was smooth and moist.

Makes two loaves.

Time to prep: 30 minutes

Time to cook: About 1 hour 15 minutes at Boulder's altitude

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup applesauce (or olive oil)
4 eggs
1 large can pumpkin (29 oz.)
3 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
Optional: 1 cup chopped total of walnuts, crushed almonds, raisins or Craisins

Cooking Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Beat sugar and applesauce (or oil) together.
Beat in eggs, 1 at a time.
Stir in pumpkin.
Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Add alternately with water to batter.
Optional: stir in nuts and/or raisins/Craisins.
Spoon batter into buttered and floured bread loaf pans.
Bake in 350 degree oven. At 5,000 feet above sea level, bake 70 minutes check with a knife. Continue to bake until a knife inserted into center comes out clean (at sea level, this takes about 55 minutes).

Recommended side dishes: Great with a bit of butter!

Submitted by: Susan A. Legler, College of Engineering and Applied Science

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