Got any leftovers from Thanksgiving? Check out these yummy recipes. The Morning Thing 11/28/16

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Leftovers can be the best part of the big Thanksgiving meal.
We found 20 great recipes from www.seriouseats.com

Click HERE to check out one of these 20 creative recipes, from quesadillas to soups to stuffing waffles.

What recipes do you use for your leftovers? Let us know through email, wnzr@mvnu.edu

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The Morning Thing Fave 5 – We are VERY thankful!

The Morning Thing Fave 5 focuses on thankfulness this week!
In honor of Thanksgiving, The Morning Thing hosts share what they are most thankful for this season.

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Jenna Potts – https://soundcloud.com/wnzr/morning-thing-fave-5-jenna-potts-1

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Dan Monnin – https://soundcloud.com/wnzr/morning-thing-fave-5-dan-monnin

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Andy Krolik – https://soundcloud.com/wnzr/morning-thing-fave-5-andykrolik

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(Guest Co-Host) Rachel Rinehart – https://soundcloud.com/wnzr/morning-thing-fave-5-rachel-rinehart

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Marcy Rinehart – https://soundcloud.com/wnzr/morning-thing-fave-5-marcy-rinehart

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10 things to do the day after Thanksgiving other than shopping! The Morning Thing 11/25/16

It is Black Friday – the biggest shopping day of the year. Millions of people will fight the crowds, their sleepiness and the long lines just to find that very special deal.

If you are NOT one of the brave shoppers, we found a list of 10 things that you can do today instead of shopping. We think that you will love this list and the pictures that are included in the article.

Kaylee Collier wrote this list for www.theodysseyonline.com

Click HERE for the full article.

1. Sleep in.

Thanksgiving dinner is usually the biggest meal of the year. We stuff our faces with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and all the pie on the face of the Earth. With our bellies this full, you don’t want to be jostled around too much. Rather than wake up at 3 a.m. to fight your way through Walmart, why not just sleep in and let that feast digest? You don’t have to get up early for class, so take full advantage of the sleep opportunities you get over this break before you go back to face finals week.

2. Go get your Christmas tree.

While many people have already decorated their houses for Christmas, I prefer to wait until after Turkey Day to let Thanksgiving have all of its glory. The day after is the official start of Christmas time in our house. We are serious about Christmas trees in my family. We even name them. We will spend the day searching for The One. The Only. The most glorious of all trees to ever exist. We head to the tree farm and search for the tree that is prophesied by Clark Griswold in “Christmas Vacation,” cut it down and take it home. Just remember to check for squirrels. And bring a saw.

3. Watch Christmas movies.

One of the rules in my family is that we are not allowed to watch Christmas movies until after Thanksgiving. We want to make sure we cherish Thanksgiving just as much as Christmas. Plus you get pretty sick of all things Christmas if you spend two months gearing up for it. But after the fourth Thursday of November, it’s game time for Christmas movie season. The day after Thanksgiving is a great day to binge watch your favorite holiday titles like “Elf,” “Christmas Vacation,” “The Santa Clause,” and many, many more. Why fight the crowds when you can experience way more seasonal joy from your couch?

4. Clean.

I know this isn’t the most enjoyable option, but if you host Thanksgiving at your home this year, your house will probably need a good cleaning afterward. Even if you didn’t have your family at your house, it would still be a nice gesture to offer to clean the house of whoever did host your family’s feast. Think of it this way: the quicker you clean up from Thanksgiving, the sooner you can decorate for Christmas.

5. Put up Christmas decorations.

Once Thanksgiving has passed, I officially stop judging people for having their Christmas decorations up too early. Again, no offense to those who do put them up right after Halloween, but I like to take things one holiday at a time. It helps to savor the season. And the turkey.

6. Eat Leftovers

The feeding frenzy doesn’t have to end just because it isn’t Thursday anymore. One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is that the leftovers of the feast usually last several days after the actual holiday. Turkey sandwiches with leftover stuffing and mac ‘n cheese is a personal favorite Black Friday lunch for me. And I don’t even have to wait in line for it.

7. Make a list. Check it twice.

Unless you’ve accomplished a miracle by getting all of your holiday shopping done before Thanksgiving, it’s a good idea to spend the day after making a list of gifts that you are planning on getting for your friends and family. You can plan out your budget, along with what locations you need to hit and when in order to shop in the most efficient way possible. You can also see if any of the gifts you’re planning on giving are available to buy online (spoiler: they all are) so you don’t have to brave the storm of holiday shoppers any day of the season. Make sure to remember to make out a list of gifts you’d like to receive as well and distribute it to your family as well. They can’t read your mind.

8. Spend time with family members.

They probably already saw you the day before, but chances are they may not have gotten a chance to speak with you one-on-one with a house full of people feeding their faces. Take time to spend some quality time with the people in your family that you haven’t gotten to talk to in a while, especially if you’ve been away at college. I’m sure your mom would love to go get coffee with you. Your dad would enjoy sitting back and watching the game together. And for the love of all that is holy, let your grandma bake you something. It’s the little things that make holiday breaks special.

9. Work out.

Once the food has settled, it’s a good idea to try to exercise off some of those calories you demolished the day before. It could be as simple as a walk around your block or some jumping jacks. Go prancercise. Just try to move in some way to get back on a somewhat healthy track, even though we all know how hard that is to do around the holidays.

10. Study.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Thanksgiving break doesn’t mean you’re done with schoolwork. For me, it actually means the opposite. With finals just a few weeks away, those end of the semester projects I’ve procrastinated on for three months are now due. Work hard now so you can relax later. It’ll be worth it when you come home with a nice, healthy GPA when the semester is over.

 

 

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Happy Thanksgiving from The Morning Thing!

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Today is a wonderful day – a day to celebrate what we are thankful for! 

The history of the Thanksgiving holiday dates back to 1621.
(From http://www.history.com) In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

Click HERE to see a cute video about the history of Thanksgiving.

Kids History: The First Thanksgiving (4 min) TV-PG

A group of children explain what happened on the first Thanksgiving.
(Picture from http://www.history.com)

To celebrate Thanksgiving, The Morning Thing and the WNZR staff shared their favorite family traditions.

Click HERE to hear our DJs share about the fun they have on this holiday.

We also have some special messages to share with YOU and your family today.
Click HERE to hear the WNZR staff members wish YOU a Happy Thanksgiving.

 

 

 

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Food For The Hungry celebrates 35 years of giving in Knox County!

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2016 marks the 35th Anniversary of Food for the Hungry. This is the annual drive to collect food and funds to benefit Interchurch Social Services and The Salvation Army of Knox County. The calendar is full of events and special collections planned to support the annual drive.

Click HERE to read the history of how this drive started in 1982.
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(Mount Vernon News article from 1982!)

Click HERE to read more about who we help. You can also find information at this link about our 2016 grant available to non-profit organizations with food initiatives. The deadline for the grant application is Monday, 11/28/16.

Click HERE to see the complete calendar of Food for the Hungry events in 2016.

WNZR is bringing you information about all events and collections connected to Food for the Hungry. The Morning Thing has been featuring conversations with committee members about these exciting events.

Click HERE to hear a conversation with Lisa Mazzari, Food For The Hungry Coordinator and Joy Harris, Executive Director of Interchurch Social Services of Knox County. Marcy Rinehart of The Morning Thing talks with the ladies about the power of this collection and the impact these donations make on the Knox County community.

Marcy also had a chance to talk with Lieutenants Gigi and Brandon Gonzalez-Cottrell of the Mount Vernon Salvation Army about how Food for the Hungry helps their ministry. Click HERE to hear this powerful conversation.

There are SO many organizations and individuals working to collect food and funds to support this outreach.

Psi Iota Xi and Delta Kappa Gamma sororities are working with the elementary students in our county. The incredible ladies from these two organizations have been working hard to encourage that ALL children in Knox County participate in Food for the Hungry.
Elementary schools across the county held collections the week of 11/14 – 11/18. So far, we are seeing GREAT results from those collections! Over 14 pallets of food were picked up from Mount Vernon elementary schools on Monday 11/21! That is amazing!
Click HERE to hear how Food for the Hungry representatives responded to the news of this amazing collection.
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So how can YOU get involved?

#1 – Exercise!
Get up early and get some exercise on Thanksgiving morning. Come to the 6th annual Turkey Trot! Click HERE for more details from Scott Burgess from “We Run MV”.
Sign-in starts at 8:00AM on race day at the MVNU Chapel with the race to start at
9:00AM.

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(2015 Turkey Trot at MVNU)

#2 – Shop in an auction!
The Knox County Career Center is hosting TWO auctions to benefit Food for the Hungry. The online auction features gift certificates from labs at the Career Center. Go to www.knoxcountycareercenter.yolasite.com to place your bid. There is a safe and easy form to fill out at the bottom of the website.
Bidding ends at 5pm on Friday, 12/9. The winning bidders will be announced at the Food For The Hungry broadcast at 12:30pm on Saturday, 12/10.

The Knox County Career Center is also hosting a LIVE Auction of amazing gift baskets! This will take place at around 12:45pm during the Food For The Hungry broadcast.
There are 6 baskets ranging in value from $356 to $1277!
Tune in to Time Warner Cable channel 9 or to WMVO 1300AM and 100.9FM on Saturday at 12:30pm and place your bid! You can also place an advanced bid by calling John Feltman at 740-507-5386.

SEE the baskets and complete contents at www.knoxcountycareercenterbaskets.yolasite.com

You can also SEE the baskets THIS SUNDAY (11/27) at the Mount Vernon Christmas Walk. Stop by Hunter Hall (where Happy Bean is located) and see the baskets on display in the conference room. You can also go ahead and place a silent bid for your favorite basket.

Click HERE to hear Marcy’s conversation with KCCC Student Services Principal, John Feltman about the Career Center’s involvement with Food for the Hungry. We are SO proud of these amazing young people.

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(Vacation Basket valued at over $1,300!)

#3 – Get dressed up, go to dinner and support FFTH!
Kenyon College is hosting the 6th annual Snowflake Gala Dinner Auction to benefit Food for the Hungry on Friday, December 2nd in Gund Commons. Enjoy dinner prepared by the talented chefs of AVI Food Systems. This year’s dinner will feature a buffet of locally sourced foods, with both non-vegetarian (beef and pork) and vegetarian options. Reservations accepted NO LATER than THIS FRIDAY, November 25, 2016.

Click HERE to hear Marcy’s conversation with Matt Starr of I-Conn Video Production about the event details, this year’s honorees and how you can donate through the “Fund-a-Cause” live auction.
The evening begins with a reception at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m.. Individual tickets are priced at $100 per person. To reserve your place, call 740-427-5111. Online registration and payment options are available at www.foodforthehungrycares.org, click the Auctions Tab and then Kenyon Gala Dinner and Auction. Proceeds from this annual gala benefit needy families and individuals in our own county. If you or your company would like to sponsor a table ($1,000 for eight people) or support the gala in some other way, please contact Kathryn Brechler Lake at 740-427-5111.

(Kenyon Gala pictures from previous years)

Is that all that is happening? NO!
There are MANY MANY events happening to support Food for the Hungry.
Keep checking back to this blog and listening to The Morning Thing weekdays from
6-9am. We will keep you up to date on how you get you and your family plugged into an event.
Right now you can click HERE to see a full calendar of upcoming events.
Click HERE for information on how you can volunteer!

Join WNZR at the 35th annual Food for the Hungry drive, Saturday, December 10th. We will broadcast from City Hall from 9am to 5pm providing updates on the total and all activities. The Big Blue Crew wants YOUR help in supporting Interchurch Social Services and the Salvation Army.

For more information, log on to www.FoodForTheHungryCares.org.

Food For The Hungry – Working together to care for our neighbors.

 

 

 

 

 

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Try a new recipe for this Thanksgiving! The Morning Thing 11/23/16

Looking for something NEW for your Thanksgiving table?
Check out these recipes from www.fearlessfresh.com
Chef Stephanie Stiavetti shares some exciting new twists on some of our favorite Turkey Day dishes. Let us know if you try any of these. They look YUMMY!

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THE ULTIMATE HOLIDAY DISH: BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE IN A PUMPKIN
Click HERE for the complete recipe and directions.

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 sugar pumpkin, or other sweet variety (not a carving pumpkin), about 5 pounds
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 pound mild Italian pork sausage
  • 4 ounces elbow macaroni
  • 5 ounces Fontina, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 2 ounces Gruyère, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 3 scallions, diced
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
  • 1 cup heavy cream
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Cut a circle from the top of the pumpkin at a 45-degree angle, the way you would cut open a pumpkin to make a jack-o’-lantern, and set aside.
  2. Scoop out the seeds and strings as best you can. Generously salt and pepper the inside of the pumpkin, pop the top back on it, place it on a rimmed baking dish (since the pumpkin may leak or weep a bit), and bake for 45 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. If the sausages are in their casings, remove the meat and discard the casings. Crumble the sausage meat into small chunks and cook until lightly browned. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Discard the drippings, or save for gravy or what have you.
  4. Also while the pumpkin bakes, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain through a colander and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process.
  5. In a bowl, toss together the Fontina, Gruyère, sausage, pasta, scallions, and herbs.
  6. Once the pumpkin is done baking, take it out of the oven and fill it with the macaroni and cheese. Pour the cream over the filling. Place the top back on the pumpkin and bake for 1 hour, taking the top off for the last 15 minutes so the cheese on top of the filling can properly brown. If the top cream still seems a bit too wobbly and liquid, give it another 10 minutes in the oven. The cream may bubble over a bit, which is fine.
  7. If the pumpkin splits while baking, as occasionally happens, be thankful you set it in a rimmed baking dish and continue to bake as normal.
  8. Allow the pumpkin to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Be careful moving the dish, as the pumpkin may be fragile. You can serve this dish two ways: Cut it into sections and serve them, or just scoop out the insides with scrapings of the pumpkin flesh for each serving. Either way is just dandy. Salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Alternative cheeses: Fontina and Gruyère are widely available and are best used for this recipe, but feel free to try your favorite cheese. We particularly like Valley Ford’s Estero Gold or its Highway 1 Fontina, as well as Roth Käse’s MezzaLuna Fontina. If you want to try something radical, a creamy blue cheese like Buttermilk Blue or Cambozola will do nicely too.
  10. Additional pairings for the cheese: apples, toasted walnuts, toasted hazelnuts

 

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THE BEST THANKSGIVING STUFFING RECIPE WITH AUTUMN FRUIT AND NUTS
Click HERE for the complete recipe and instructions.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 loaf of dense, heavy bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (should yield about 5 cups)
  • 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 medium-sized sweet onion, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, diced
  • One 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and diced
  • 4 fresh sage leaves, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped finely
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups stock (turkey, chicken, or vegetable)
  • 4 fuyu persimmons, chopped coarsely
  • 2 sweet red apples, chopped into 1-inch cubes
  • Salt and pepper for seasoning
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C).
  2. Spread bread cubes evenly on a large cookie sheet. Toast until until the bread cubes have browned gently, about 20 minutes, using a spatula to flip the cubes halfway through. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Raise oven heat to 375°F (190°C).
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium flame. Add pecans and toast for 4 minutes, agitating every 30 seconds to allow for even toasting and to prevent burning. Pecans are done when they have turned a darker shade of brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until they are translucent and slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, sage and rosemary, stirring constantly for 30 seconds, then add celery, sauteing for another 2 minutes.
  5. Add salt, pepper and bread cubes and mix well. Drizzle in stock and remaining olive oil, mixing gently until bread cubes are coated. Remove from heat and allow to soak for 5 minutes, mixing every few minutes to allow for even absorption.
  6. Without smashing the bread cubes, gently fold in persimmons, apples and toasted pecans. Season to taste with a bit more salt and pepper, then pour the whole thing into a lightly greased 9-by-13-inch pan. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

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WINTERTIME SPICED CRANBERRY JAM
Click HERE for the complete recipe and instructions.

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 pounds cranberries, frozen or fresh
  • 1 pound of sugar, divided
  • 1/4 cup orange zest, from 5 large oranges
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice from 2 medium lemons
  • 1/2 cup orange juice (or cranberry juice)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt (or 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon butter
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Make sure your jars are sterilized and ready to go. Defrost the cranberries, if using frozen berries. Wash and dry the cranberries, then chop them coarsely with a sharp knife.
  2. Sprinkle chopped berries with 1/4 cup of sugar. Stir, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes.
  3. While the cranberries are basking in their sugary bath, place a small plate in the freezer so you can test the jam for proper thickness later.
  4. Add the cranberries, orange zest, lemon juice, orange or cranberry juice, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt to a food processor and pulse a few times until the cranberries are chunky, maintaining a bit of texture.
  5. Pour the fruit into a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pot. Add brown sugar, butter, and remaining white sugar, stirring well to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit begins to bubble and spit. Use a skimmer to skim off any foam that forms. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the fruit from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  6. Begin testing the jam for doneness. Spread 1/2 teaspoon of cooked fruit on the cold plate and place it back in the freezer. Wait 30 seconds, then run your finger through the fruit. It should be thick enough to maintain a path when you ran your finger through it. If you’d like thicker jam, place the plate back in the freezer and cook the fruit for another 3 minutes and test again. Repeat until desired thickness is achieved, but be careful about cooking too long or you will alter the taste and texture of your jam.
  7. Remove pot from heat and use a spoon to skim any foam from the surface of the fruit. Ladle jam into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headroom, and process them in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Unopened jars will keep at room temperature for up to 6 months. Opened jam should be refrigerated and will last two weeks.
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Knox County Elementary students collect donations for Food For The Hungry.

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Marcy Rinehart had a chance to see the food collected from the Mount Vernon Elementary schools. It was picked up and delivered to Blubaugh Body and Frame on Monday 11/21/16. The 14 pallets of food will stay in a storage building until it is delivered to the food pantries on Saturday 12/10.
These donations will support the Knox County Food For The Hungry drive and be distributed to families through the Salvation Army and Interchurch Social Services.
Marcy talked with the collection coordinators: Sonja Smith from Delta Kappa Gamma and Cindi Doolittle from Psi Iota Xi. She also talked with Salvation Army Lt. Brandon Gonzalez-Cottrell and Food For The Hungry Coordinator, Lisa Mazzari about this collection.
Click HERE https://soundcloud.com/wnzr/sets/knox-county-elementary-students-collect-donations-for-food-for-the-hungry to hear their conversation.

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Travel tips for Thanksgiving – The Morning Thing 11/22/16

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Are you traveling for Thanksgiving? A lot of people will be taking to the roads or the air to spend time with family and friends.

AAA projects that 48.7 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving, an increase of one million travelers compared with last year. This represents a 1.9 percent increase over 2015, and the most Thanksgiving travelers since 2007. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, Nov. 23, to Sunday, Nov. 27.

Millions of people can cause stress in your trip, so The Morning Thing found some tips to survive your Thanksgiving trip.
We found 17 tips for making your Thanksgiving travel easier from http://www.mashable.com
Click HERE to find a tip that can help ease your stress.

Are you flying this holiday? Check out this list of the “worst” people you can find on your flight. Click HERE and try to avoid being one of “those people”.

Picture from USA Today.

 

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Congratulations to the 2017 Distinguished Young Women of Knox County!

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WNZR congratulates the winners in the 2017 Distinguished Young Women of Knox County Scholarship Program.

2017 Distinguished Young Woman – Sophia Oster of Fredericktown
1st Runner-Up – Lindsey Conant of Mount Vernon
2nd Runner-Up – Holly McClay of Fredericktown

Fitness Winners: Sophia Oster and Eva Hawk

Talent Winners: Fredy Bockover and Maya McDonald

Scholastic Winners: Nichole Steady and Kennedy Bell

Interview Winners: Elizabeth Day and Nichole Steady

Self-Expression Winners: Holly McClay and Victoria Risko

Be Your Best Self Speech Winner: Holly McClay

Spirit Winners: Nichole Steady (Pink Group) and Holly McClay (Blue Group)

Ron Staats Community Service Award Winner: Nichole Steady

Marcy Rinehart of The Morning Thing had a chance to talk with the top winners on Saturday night at Memorial Theater.

 

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Stressed out about Thanksgiving? Here is a Make-Ahead Meal Plan from the Barefoot Contessa from Food Network

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Are you hosting Thanksgiving at your house? Congratulations! You get the challenge of planning the menu, decorating the table and preparing one of the most important (and talked about) meals of the year!

Don’t be afraid, Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, from the Food Network gives some great advice – Make the Meal ahead of time!
Can you do that? The expert chef says YES!!
In her book “Make It Ahead”, she shares the tricks of preparing dishes ahead of time so that you can focus on your guests for the big day.

Click HERE for some unique recipes and tips to help you ease the stress for Turkey Day.

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