Recipes, Animals, Throwbacks, Oh My!

Today on the Morning Thing, your resident Afternoon Drive Co-Hosts held down the fort, talking about how to use those Christmas leftovers, the best zoos in Ohio, and of course, giving away some awesome prizes!

Do you have leftovers from Christmas dinner? Don’t fret! We’re here to help! (Courtesy of our friends at Better Homes and Gardens)!

A south-western twist with leftover pork!
A recipe Ben Wyatt would be proud of!
Chicken + broccoli = a delicious Christmas casserole
Gruyere and ham? Sign me up for this Dr. Seuss dinner!
A lighter take on your leftover pork
The best use for leftover ham? Split pea soup!

Check out the whole list here!

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Did you know today is ‘Visit the Zoo Day’?
Here’s a little history…
The idea of having exotic animals confined to a certain area for other people to view or observe is not new at all. The earliest such enclosure , called a “menagerie” discovered by excavators in Egypt and is believed to date back to about 3500 B.C. King Solomon of Israel was a known ancient animal collector, as were King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and Alexander the Great. The first actual zoo, created to educate and entertain, was opened in London in 1828.

The best way to celebrate this day is to visit a zoo yourself! Of course, we have the awesome Columbus Zoo here in Ohio, which hosts “Wildlights” every year.
Alongside the light displays, you can see attractions like Vanishing Giants, Discovery Reef, Manatee Coast and more. Also, enjoy other holiday festivities like Sparkling Spruce, Rudolph and Friends and the Polar Bear Express.
Hours for Wildlights are 5pm-9pm Sunday through Thursday, and 5pm-10pm Friday and Saturday through January 6th.
Learn more about the Columbus Zoo and Wildlights here!

We also shared with you a few more of the cool zoos that Ohio has to offer!
Check out the Cincinnati Zoo, hosting the PNC Festival of Lights now through January 1st.
And also, oh my goodness, the Cincinnati Zoo has the Southern Tamandua, and it is the cutest animal I have ever seen.
Check out the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo! They’re hosting some “Keeper for a Day” events this month! Learn more here!

The Toledo Zoo hosts ice carving at 6pm on Thursday’s, and they also have a Tasmanian Devil conservation? WHAT!? S’cute! Check out more here! Check out the Akron Zoo!  They also do their version of Wildlights now through December 30th. Visit SantaLand, and the Holly Jolly Hillside featuring lighted North American animals & trees synchronized to music. See the Classic Holiday Town in Grizzly Ridge and Rockin’ Lighted Spectacular with a wall of animated lights set to holiday music! For more information, click here!

For an inside experience, check out the Greater Cleveland Aquarium!
Did you know a lionfish can consume up to 30x it’s own stomach volume? You can see these lionfish at the Greater Cleveland as well as round Goby’s, pythons, sea dragons and more! Learn more about the Greater Cleveland here!

Of course, we gave away a $5 gift certificate to the Southside Diner! We played “Throwback Thursday” for our game of the day today, where we gave you facts about a ‘throwback’ artist, and you had to guess who it was!
Today’s artist clues were…
– a Christian rock band from Canada.
– They have released six studio albums to date: downhere (2001), So Much for Substitutes (2003), Wide-Eyed and Mystified (2006), Ending Is Beginning (2008), How Many Kings: Songs for Christmas (2009), and On the Altar of Love (2011)[1]
– They have won several Juno and Covenant Awards.
– In July 2012 the members of the band announced that January 1, 2013 would mark the end of their traveling ministry for the foreseeable future. Members of the band have stressed that this is not a break up, and they are still open to playing select shows and events here and there. Each of the members have felt God is leading them all in different directions, thus logically ending this chapter of the band
– The band was formed by Marc Martel and Jason Germain who were roommates at Briercrest Bible College in Caronport, Saskatchewan.

The answer, of course, is Downhere!
Congratulations to Kim from Mt. Vernon! She was our winner today!

Thanks for listening!
– Lilly and Todd