Tag: Recipes

Thanksgiving is 1 week away! Are you ready?

Today, The Morning Thing shared some great advice on how to prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Here are some great tips that we found online to help you plan ahead and be ready to enjoy this special holiday.

🛒 1. Plan and Shop

  • Finalize your menu. Decide exactly what dishes you’ll serve (and what guests might bring).
  • Make a detailed grocery list. Include all ingredients, drinks, and supplies like foil, plastic wrap, and napkins.
  • Do your big grocery run. Get non-perishables, frozen items, and anything that can store well for a week. (Avoid the last-minute rush!)
  • Order your turkey. If you haven’t yet, make sure it’s purchased or reserved.

🦃 2. Prep the Turkey

  • If you bought a frozen turkey, move it to the fridge to thaw — it can take up to 4–5 days depending on the size.
  • Check you have a roasting pan, thermometer, and carving knife.

🍽️ 3. Get Your Kitchen Ready

  • Clean out the fridge to make space for ingredients and leftovers.
  • Sharpen knives and clean cookware, baking sheets, and serving dishes.
  • Label serving platters or sticky-note them (“mashed potatoes here,” “stuffing here”) to stay organized.

🏡 4. Prepare Your Home

  • Clean main areas (kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, entryway).
  • Plan table seating and décor. Make sure you have enough chairs, plates, glasses, and utensils.
  • Set aside time to decorate — candles, fall centerpieces, or a festive tablecloth go a long way.

🕒 5. Plan the Timeline

  • Create a cooking schedule for the week and Thanksgiving Day. (e.g., pies the day before, casseroles in the morning, turkey in at noon.)
  • Make a to-do list for each day leading up to the holiday.

👪 6. Coordinate with Guests

  • Confirm who’s coming and what time they’ll arrive.
  • Double-check who’s bringing what dishes or drinks.
  • Plan for any dietary needs (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.).

🍰 7. Start Early Prep

  • Make and freeze pie dough, casseroles, or rolls if possible.
  • Chop veggies ahead of time and store them in labeled containers.
  • Prepare any make-ahead dishes like cranberry sauce or gravy base.
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Easy vegetable recipes to eat healthier!

Today on The Morning Thing, we honored National Eat Your Vegetables Day! We shared shared a lot of information on the day and how to celebrate it. As well as many fantastic vegetable centric recipes for you to use! These recipes are easy, quick, tasty, and you can customize them any way you like.

Here are our recipes:

Rainbow Veggie Wraps 

  • Ingredients: 
  • Whole wheat tortillas 
  • Hummus or cream cheese 
  • Shredded carrots 
  • Sliced cucumbers 
  • Baby spinach 
  • Red bell pepper strips 
  • Purple cabbage, shredded 
  • Directions: 

Spread hummus or cream cheese on a tortilla. Layer the veggies in rainbow order. Roll tightly and slice into pinwheels if desired. 

Cheesy Broccoli Bites 

  • Ingredients: 
  • 2 cups steamed, chopped broccoli 
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 
  • ½ cup breadcrumbs 
  • 1 egg 
  • Salt and pepper to taste 
  • Directions: 

Mix all ingredients and form into small balls or patties. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Stuffed Bell Peppers 

  • Ingredients: 
  • 4 bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed 
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa or rice 
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed 
  • 1 cup corn 
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes 
  • 1 tsp cumin 
  • Shredded cheese (optional) 
  • Directions: 

Mix filling ingredients, stuff peppers, and bake at 375°F for 30–35 minutes. Top with cheese for the last 5 minutes if desired. 

Crispy Zucchini Fries 

  • Ingredients: 
  • 2 zucchinis, cut into fries 
  • 1 egg, beaten 
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs (panko preferred) 
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 
  • Italian seasoning 
  • Directions: 

Dip zucchini in egg, then breadcrumb mixture. Bake at 400°F for 20–25 minutes until crispy. 

Summer Corn & Tomato Salad 

  • Ingredients: 
  • 2 cups fresh corn (cut from cob or thawed frozen) 
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 
  • ¼ cup chopped red onion 
  • Fresh basil, chopped 
  • Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper 
  • Directions: 

Toss everything together and chill before serving. 

Ratatouille Skillet 

  • Ingredients: 
  • 1 eggplant, diced 
  • 1 zucchini, sliced 
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped 
  • 1 yellow squash, sliced 
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes 
  • Garlic and Italian herbs 
  • Directions: 

Sauté all veggies until soft, then stir in tomatoes and seasonings. Simmer for 10–15 minutes. Serve with crusty bread. 

Garden Veggie Pasta Salad 

  • Ingredients: 
  • 2 cups cooked pasta 
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes 
  • ½ cup cucumbers 
  • ½ cup red onion 
  • ½ cup broccoli florets 
  • Italian dressing 
  • Directions: 

Toss cooked pasta with chopped veggies and dressing. Chill and serve. 

Veggie Tacos 

  • Ingredients: 
  • Corn or flour tortillas 
  • Sautéed bell peppers, onions, zucchini, and mushrooms 
  • Avocado slices 
  • Salsa or hot sauce 
  • Directions: 

Warm tortillas, fill with sautéed veggies and toppings. Add lime juice or cheese if desired. 

Some fun ways to Celebrate!

🥦 National Eat Your Vegetables Day – 20 Fun Ways to Celebrate!

Celebrate June 17th with healthy, tasty fun!

🥕 Fun & Tasty Celebrations

· • Veggie Taste Test Challenge – Try a new vegetable or compare raw vs. cooked.

· • Build-Your-Own Salad Bar – Offer a variety of greens, toppings, and dressings.

· • Make Veggie-Based Snacks – Try carrot fries, cucumber boats, or zucchini chips.

· • Go Meatless for a Meal – Choose one meal to go fully plant-based.

· • Juice or Smoothie Station – Blend up colorful veggie smoothies.

· • Cook a Rainbow – Make a dish using veggies of every color.

· • Veggie Potluck – Invite friends or coworkers to share veggie dishes.

🎨 Creative & Educational Activities

· • Veggie Art or Carving – Make funny faces or sculptures using vegetables.

· • “Name That Veggie” Game – Blindfold taste tests or silhouette guessing.

· • Visit or Plant a Garden – Explore where veggies come from or plant seeds together.

· • Veggie Storytime – Read books like ‘Eating the Alphabet’ or ‘Rah, Rah, Radishes!’

· • Veggie Bingo – Create a card with different veggies to encourage variety.

📱 Social & Community Engagement

· • Share a Veggie Recipe Online – Post your favorite veggie dish on social media.

· • Host a Cooking Demo – Teach others how to cook a veggie meal (live or virtual).

· • Visit a Farmer’s Market – Buy and try local, seasonal vegetables.

· • Volunteer – Help at a food pantry or community garden.

🏆 Healthy Competitions & Challenges

· • “Most Veggies in a Day” Contest – Track how many servings you eat.

· • Veggie Selfie Challenge – Snap a pic with your veggie plate and tag friends.

· • Veggie Tracker – Compete to try the most different veggies during the week.

· • Prizes & Stickers – Reward yourself or kids with veggie-themed goodies.

Eat smart. Have fun. Share the love of veggies!

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Emergency Dinners for When You Don’t Have Time to Cook

Sometimes you need to be an adult and cook even when you may not want to do so.
Marcy discussed some emergency meals from AllRecipes.com on the Morning Thing Thursday.

She shared:


Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
Prep Time:

5 mins
Cook Time:

10 mins
Total Time:

15 mins
Ingredients
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
• ⅛ teaspoon celery salt
• 2 pounds tilapia fillets
Directions

  1. Set an oven rack about 4 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven’s broiler. Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil.
  2. Mix Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, basil, pepper, onion powder, and celery salt together in a bowl until well combined.
  3. Arrange tilapia fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan.
  4. Broil in the preheated oven for 4 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from the oven and spread Parmesan mixture over fillets. Return to the oven and broil until topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork, about 2 more minutes; be careful not to overcook.

4-Ingredient Hamburger Casserole
Prep Time:

10 mins
Cook Time:

35 mins
Total Time:
45 mins
Ingredients
• 8 ounces pasta
• 1 pound ground beef
• salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder, to taste
• 10 ounces tomato soup, canned or homemade
• 8 to 10 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in pasta and return to a boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving about 2 tablespoons pasta water.
  3. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Drain and discard grease.
  4. Place ground beef in a large round casserole dish. Add pasta on top; sprinkle with half the cheese. Pour tomato soup on top; add reserved pasta water and stir everything together well. Cover with foil.
  5. Bake in the preheated oven, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes more.
  6. Turn on the oven’s broiler and set a rack 6 inches from the heat source. Broil casserole until cheese is browned, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.
    Cook’s Note
    This is a very adaptable recipe. Add as much cheese as you want and experiment with the timing. My husband had two huge helpings and said it was one of the best ground beef casseroles ever. Enjoy!

3 Ingredient Pasta

Ingredients
Your choice of Pasta
Your Choice of Cream Cheese
Your Choice of Pasta Sauce
Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Directions
The recipe is as easy as recipes get. All you do is boil your pasta, then heat the pasta sauce and cream cheese together on the stove until warmed through so that the cream cheese has melted to create a creamy sauce. Then combine the sauce and pasta, and top with optional Parmesan cheese.

2 Ingredient Dollar Store Dinner

Ingredients
1 Package of Idahoan Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes
1 can of your choice of beef stew

Directions

  1. Boil 2 cups of water to add to the instant potatoes, stir it up (for even more flavor I also like to add in some butter, salt, and pepper), and place it at the bottom of your serving bowl. Want to make it even easier? I just microwave the water until it’s steaming hot, about 2 minutes, and then mix the potato flakes in.
  2. Transfer the stew to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it in 30-second blasts until heated through. Serve the stew on top of the mashed potatoes.

Click HERE for 20 Emergency Dinner Ideas from AllRecipe.com

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The Morning Thing Friday Favorites 1/3/25

January is National Soup Month. Today for our Friday Favorites, The Morning Thing hosts shared about their favorite soups.

Click HERE to hear from Shawn, Xander, Eric and Marcy.

Here is Eric’s Chili Recipe:
Ingredients

1 lbs burger/1lbs mild Italian sausage

2 cups of salsa

Bushs chili and beans

2 can pinto beans

2 can kidney beans

2 can black beans

1/2 tsp paprika

1 onion

1 cup water

1/4 cup chili powder

To garnish

Cheddar cheese

Sour cream 

Steps

  1. Brown beef and/or sausage
  2. Dice onion
  3. Add all ingredients except salsa to crockpot or large pot
  4. Cook on medium or medium high heat for a couple of hours
    1. Depends on how soft you want the beans
  5. 1 hour to half an hour before eating, add the salsa.
  6. Eat when you think its ready and enjoy!

Note: You can really eat whenever after the meat has been cooked because the other ingredients are not based on temperature to consume. 

You can also add any peppers or other ingredients you wish. 

Its YOUR chili, so have fun with it!

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What’s for breakfast?

February 27th is Big Breakfast Day! It was established on this day in 2020 to encourage us to slow down and eat a good breakfast with friends and loved ones. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

This morning on The Morning Thing, Allison and Josiah found some fun, over the top breakfast ideas that you can try with your family.

Allison shared recipes for breakfast brownies, breakfast fondue, and bacon, egg and cheese tacos.

Josiah shared recipes for an air fryer breakfast bake, low carb breakfast meatballs, and spicy homemade hash browns.

Click HERE to see the full list of fun breakfast recipes.

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It’s Summer FUN Week on The Morning Thing. Let’s have some FUN in the kitchen!

There is nothing better than to eat a home-made recipe using home-grown vegetables fresh from the garden.

Today, The Morning Thing shared several recipes that are easy to make and will help you use your garden vegetables.
These dishes are quick, easy colorful, full of veggies (and vitamins) and are really good for you!
Thanks to Betty Crocker for the great ideas.
Click HERE for the full list.

Here are the recipes that Marcy shared this morning:

Lemon Pepper Vegetables

Marinated Garden Tortellini Salad

Garden Vegetable Spaghetti

Gluten Free Garden Fresh Greek Salad

Broccoli and Red Pepper Toss

BLT Crostini

Let us know what you are making this summer in your kitchen. Share your recipes at wnzr@themorningthing

Happy Cooking!

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The Morning Thing helps you answer the question….What’s for Dinner?

Do you struggle with answering the dreaded question – What’s for Dinner? 🙂 We do too!

Today, The Morning Thing shared some easy and yummy recipe ideas for your air fryer. We hope that you can save time and stress with some fresh ideas for your dinner table.

Click HERE to see 25 different recipes for the air fryer from allrecipes.com

On the show, Marcy shared these recipes. Let’s go shopping and start cooking!

Cajun Air Fryer Salmon

Air Fryer Turkey Breast

Air Fryer Apricot-Glazed Chicken Breasts

Breaded Air Fryer Pork Chops

Air-Fried Crumbed Fish

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Easy Winter Recipes!

Do you feel like you never know what to cook for dinner? Or do you feel like you cook the same thing every week? This morning we gave you some easy dinners that will spice up your meals. Thanks to Taste of Home for this incredible article! You can click on these dinners below to to get the full recipe and some even have videos to go with it! If you want all 100 recipes just click HERE.

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Make Your Morning Sunny Side Up With These Egg Recipes!

The Morning Thing got hungry this morning sharing an abundance of delicious egg recipes. Marcy & Lexie got the chance to enjoy sharing these tasty treats and reminiscing on foods they ate from years ago! Find a recipe to remember for generations HERE

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Celebrating Happiness and Weird Holidays with FOOD!

zucchini

Today on the Morning Thing, we celebrated Happiness Happens day! This is a day to do what makes you happy and to do things to make others happy! How do you celebrate Happiness Happens Day? With pink lemonade, of course! Did you know that the pink in pink lemonade is not from pink lemons, but from cranberry juice? Click HERE for a recipe.

We also celebrated Sneak Some Zucchini Into Your Neighbor’s Porch Day (no, we’re not making this up). To read about this wacky holiday, click HERE! For some yummy zucchini recipes from cheesy tots to cookies, click HERE! As always, thanks for listening!

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