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Cherry Month Who Knew!

When it comes to fruits that remind me of summer, cherries almost always take the cake. They are sweet and never fail to take me back to a warm summers day, by the pool.

Today on the Drive, we got in the WNZR Time Machine and went to summer of 2018 courtesy of the fruit that we know and love as the cherry.

Here are some fun facts about this delicious superfruit…

  • There are more than 1,000 varieties of cherries in the United States, but fewer than 10 are produced commercially.
  • There are normally about 44 cherries to a pound.
  • In an average crop year, a sweet cherry tree will produce 800 cherries.
  • Despite the short fruiting season, Americans consume an average of 1.5 pounds of cherries each year.
  • Washington grows an estimated 62 percent of the nation’s sweet cherries.
  • Between Washington, Oregon and California, these three states produce 94 percent of America’s sweet cherries.
  • Michigan grows well over half of the country’s tart cherries, which are mostly used for cooking. (Still just as delicious).
  • Brian Krause set the record for cherry pit spitting at an annual contest in Eau Claire, Michigan in 2004, spitting the pit 93 feet. That same day, Krause spat a pit more than 100 feet in the freestyle competition, which allows for a running start.

Well, now that you know some fun facts about the fruit, you’re probably asking, what are cherries good for? Look no further for an answer.

  • Tart cherries have very high antioxidant activity. The activity is actually better than vitamin E and comparable to commercially available antioxidant products.
  • Sweet cherries contain fiber, vitamin C, carotenoids, and anthocyanin, each of which may help play a role in cancer prevention.
  • Tart cherries are anti-inflammatory and may help lower your risk of gout attacks and reduce pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis
  • Consuming tart cherry may help increase your melatonin levels and improve your sleep
  • Sweet cherries have a low glycemic index of 22 — lower than apricots (57), grapes (46), peaches (42), blueberries (40) or plums (39). This makes them a better snack than many other fruits, especially for diabetics.
  • Cherries are very high in potassium, which helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure and reduces the risk of hypertension.

It wouldn’t be the Afternoon Drive without sharing some recipies, now would it?
Let’s give you a whole 4 course meal with cherries, shall we?

Perhaps we start the meal with a salad? Maybe three?
Orzo Salad with Mustard Greens and Cherries. Yes please.
Goat cheese goes great with cherries. Let’s put that on a salad.
Goat Cheese, Cherries and Pistachio Salad.
One final salad…
Spinach Salad with a Fresh Cherry Vinaigrette

For an appetizer? Let’s start with some meatballs.
Tart Cherry Glazed Spicy Meatballs. 
Another appetizer? Don’t mind if I do. How about one for Game Day?
Instant Pot Tart Cherry Chicken Wings. (I’m drooling).
One more? Sure. Can’t say no to bread, right?
Here’s a Baguette stuffed with Brie and Cherries. 

Okay. Main Course. Here we go.
Cocoa Cherry Pork? SIGN ME UP.
More main courses? Okay. You asked for it.
We have to have a meal from the mayor of Flavor Town.
Guy Fieri’s Cherry Bomb Chops. (I’m drooling again).
I’ll eat anything with the word ‘sassy’ in it.
Pork Burgers with Sassy Barbecue Sauce.

OH we can’t forget the drinks.
How about a Cherry Limeade from the Pioneer Woman herself?
Another? Okay. How about a healthy alternative?
You can’t go wrong with a Frozen Fruit Smoothie showcasing cherries.

Dessert. Can’t have a meal without dessert. Right?
A Black Forrest Trifle from my girl Katie Lee.
Ever wanted to use big cooking words like ‘compote’? Here’s your chance…
Nectarine-Cherry Compote. Oh Yes.

And delicious fruits aside, we come together as a country with heavy hearts for various reasons today. We turn on the TV and can’t watch for five minutes without hearing bad news after bad news. Whatever reason your heart is heavy today, we have hope.
The devil is on the prowl. He is active in our world maybe stronger than ever right now. We as Christians are called to put on the full armor of God so that we can take our stand against the schemes of the devil. We are called to stand on the front-lines and fight as a community against this darkness. We can stand on the front-lines UNAFRAID because we know that God is standing right there by us, and He has given us the strength, the courage and the power to fight this.

We looked at the song ‘Whom Shall I Fear’ from Chris Tomlin today.
It was a song that’s been in the back of my mind since this weekend, and just some of the lyrics seem so applicable to us right now.

Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light

Darkness is filling the night. It is. But it cannot hide the light.
God is the light. We are the light. We cannot be hidden.
We need to be a nation that is ON FIRE for Christ that NO DARKNESS can hide.
We can do that when we remember the next thing Chris Tomlin says…
God is crushing the enemy beneath our feet.

God goes before us. There are countless scriptures that tell us that.
God is standing behind us.

Our strength is found in the name of Jesus
For it is His name alone that can save.
He is delivering us.
He is the victory.

Here are the lyrics from the bridge that give me chills. Ah.

And nothing formed against me shall stand. 
He’s telling us that WE are protected.
God is holding the whole world in His hands.
Sometimes God is silent, and it’s hard. It’s so hard.
But we can hold on to His promises.
God is FAITHFUL.
Tomlin says that line 5 times in the bridge. It’s so important.And this song isn’t just something Chris Tomlin wrote.
It’s based off the most powerful chapter in scripture. Romans 8.
Romans 8:31 says “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” and that should be more than enough send the devil running far in the other direction.

It’s far and away time for our country to have a “War Room” moment.
A Priscilla Shirer moment.
“YOU’VE HAD YOUR WAY LONG ENOUGH. NO MORE.”
Jesus is the Lord of our house. There is no room for the devil anymore.
We need to stand up, and shout if we need to. Telling the devil to take his lies, and his schemes, and his accusations, and to get out IN. JESUS’. NAME.

Here’s the scene, if you haven’t seen it. So incredibly powerful.

It’s time we stand up and take back what is rightfully ours in Christ. 

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

 

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‘Twas the Day After Christmas…

Well, Merry Christmas from our family here at WNZR to yours!
Today for Game Time Tuesday, Eddie Dilts and I got back in the groove with Game Time Tuesday! We played Song Poetry and Name that Tune!

Our Song Poetry Lyrics today were…

“But we know that you are God
Yours is the victory
We know there is more to come
That we may not yet see
So with the faith you’ve given us
We’ll step into the valley unafraid”

Congrats to Jennie of Howard! The song was Lauren Daigle’s “Come Alive (Dry Bones)”

And our Name that Tune song today was…
“King of the World’ from Natalie Grant!
Congratulations to Andrea of Mt. Vernon!

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the food, and it wouldn’t be the Afternoon Drive unless we shared some recipes now would it?
With food, naturally, comes leftovers. Here are a few delicious and fun ways to use up those Christmas leftovers!
Triple Chocolate Peppermint Kisses 
Ham Filo Roll
Ham and Rice Chowder

Now, I don’t know about you, but my dog is very important to me, and I would do anything to keep her safe. The same thing is the case with Natasha Wallace. She rode her bike with her 70-pound pit bull in her backpack to keep him safe from a neighborhood fire. Wow that’s awesome. Read the whole story here.

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

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Prepping for Christmas – Who Knew Wednesday

WELCOME TO CHRISTMAS BREAK!
Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I’m ready to celebrate it with you!

I’m such a reindeer dork – or ‘reindork’ if you will. I found so many Christmas reindeer crafts and recipies, and, wow, they just make me smile. I’m so excited to share them!
Click the links below to learn how to make them!

Reindeer Rice Krispy Treats
Reindeer Gift Wrap
Reindeer Paper Balls
Popsicle Stick Reindeer
Candy Cane Reindeer
Pinecone Reindeer

I, of course, had to share some more Christmas crafts and recipies.
Check them out here.

One for our furry friends
An edible plate!?
Christmas Light Cookies
Christmas Light Finger-Paint
Poke-a-Tree game!
A Snowman Candle Ornament
Christmas Slime!

And Hannah talked about how to prepare for Christmas, and how to do Christmas on a budget! Check it out!
Christmas on a budget
The ultimate Christmas Checklist

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

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Who Knew Winter Squash was…

Who knew WEDNESDAY

…a winter super food?

Here’s an article from the Healthy Living Magazine that tells some of the benefits…

Click here to read it and see recipes!

Today’s Word of the Day is gratitude, which means the state of being grateful or thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for listening!
– Joe

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Totally Tasty Tom Turkey Game-Time Tuesday – Round Two!

Today Joe and I played three games! Song Poetry, Name that Tune and the Totally Tasty Tom Turkey Hunt!

Congrats to David from Fredericktown and Kassandra from Gambier for being our caller number five’s – they were both entered to win a Turkey. If you want to know more about the Totally Tasty Tom Turkey Hunt click HERE!

Congratulations are also in order to Clorisa and Marcia both from Mount Vernon! They correctly guessed these answers below to our Song Poetry and Name that Tune! They both won $5 gift cards to Troyer’s of Apple Valley!

Our song poetry lyrics from the song “Wonder” by Hillsong United were :

“I see the world in life
Bursting in living color
I see the world your way
And I’m walking in the light ”

Our Name that Tune song for today was “Revelation Song” By Phillips, Craig and Dean!

Joe also shared an uplifting (and funny)  news story about a ten-year-old boy who got bored, found some car keys and……click HERE to read the full story.

I shared an uplifting Devo from Sarah Young’s “Jesus Always” devotional today! If you want to know more about Sarah Young click HERE.

Thanks so much for listening to the Afternoon Drive!
– Hannah

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Ice Cream Sandwich Who Knew!

Summer is coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy a staple summer treat! That’s right! The ice cream sandwich!
Here are some fun facts about the amazing summer snack…

  • Although ice cream sandwiches were made by hand and distributed by New York street vendors in the early 1940s, it wasn’t until 1945 that the first ice cream sandwiches were mass produced.
  • The current version was invented in 1945 by Jerry Newberg when he was selling ice cream at Forbes Field, in Pittsburgh, PA.
  • Pictures from the Jersey Shore circa 1905 “On the beach, Atlantic City”, show Ice Cream sandwiches were popular at 1c each.
  • August 2nd is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day.
  • The Coolhaus food truck empire has taken ice cream sandwiches to a new level. You can buy one of their pre-packaged ice cream sandwiches, pints of ice cream, or hand-dipped ice cream bars at one of 4,000+ markets ranging from Whole Foods to Kroger and Safeway, in all 50 states
  • The ice cream sandwich ranks as the second best-selling ice cream novelty in America.
  • The average number of ice cream sandwiches eaten per second nationally is 48.
  • If all the ice cream sandwiches made last year were placed end to end, they would circle Earth 3 1/2 times.
  • The 30-44 age group buys the most ice cream sandwiches.
  • The eastern seaboard consumes almost 50 percent of all ice cream sandwiches.
  • The ice cream sandwich is so American it is sold at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

    Here’s a recipe for ice cream sandwiches from the Food Network…

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 (1-pint) containers ice cream (any flavor)

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
    2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. In another bowl, beat the butter, shortening, and sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, beating until smooth. With a spoon, stir in the flour mixture, stirring just until you have a smooth dough.
    3. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie dough scoop, drop 6 mounds of dough on each baking sheet, leaving a couple inches between each cookie. Bake until the cookies are firm around the edges and soft in the middle, about 15 minutes. (For even baking, rotate the pans from top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking.) Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.
    4. Meanwhile, turn the ice cream pints on their sides and use a serrated knife to slice through the containers, cutting each into 3 even rounds. Place the ice cream disks on a baking sheet and freeze until ready to assemble the sandwiches.
    5. To assemble, peel the cardboard from the ice cream disks and sandwich each disk between 2 cookies. Serve the sandwiches immediately, or wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze up to 1 week.

    Image result for cut ice cream pint
    Cut your pints like this, getting perfect portions for ice cream sandwiches!

    Also, we’re celebrating August First Friday here in downtown Mt. Vernon THIS FRIDAY! Be sure to stop by and see us, and register for our prize basket!
    Our special Clean Up, Dress Up and Checkup” prize basket for the family features
    · An entire house cleaning from Carefree Cleaning Company. Amy Kessler gives you 4 hours of house cleaning! (Valued at $100)!
    · A certificate for 1 individual comprehensive eye exam with Amazing Eyes Family Vision! (Valued at $135)
    · Two $15.00 gift certificates for Premier Designs Jewelry with Amberly Frye (one for you and one for a friend)
    · Plus WNZR goodies including chip clips, hand fans, cups, Frisbees, guitar flyswatters and more! The prize package is valued at over $265.00!

    First Friday events are from 6 to 9pm in downtown Mount Vernon. The family-friendly activities include magician Jimmy Burcham, corn hole, a classic car cruise-in and music from Project Round Table on the public square stage.
    Other activities include:
    – TaVaci Select Performers followed by the Uncorrections will provide music at the South Stage – MVNU’s Buchwald Plaza Gazebo.
    – A presentation for the winner of the local Guns vs. Hoses Blood Drive for the American Red Cross. This competition is between our local police and fire departments.
    – The American Red Cross will host a bloodmobile at City Hall.
    – A Hidden in Plain Sight event with KSAAT (Knox Substance Abuse Action Team) will take place at the Elks Lodge.
    – “Outside” – an exhibition by the Creative Art of Women (CAW) will be at MVNU’s Schnormeier Gallery. In this exhibition, CAW explores the external forces and exterior surfaces that make up the world- whether structural, anatomical, or metaphysical. Each artist wrestled with the theme of “OUTSIDE” through her own lens resulting in a diverse view of what makes up the world outside ourselves.
    – Food vendors on the square

    Thanks for listening!
    -Lilly

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ICED TEA MONTH WHO KNEW!

Happy Wednesday and Happy Iced Tea Month!
On the show today, I gave you all the ins and outs and who knew’s about iced tea that you could ever want! Keep reading to find out about the history of iced tea, and some fun facts about my favorite beverage.

Though usually served in a glass with ice, it can also refer to a tea that has been chilled or cooled. It may or may not be sweetened. Iced tea is also a popular packaged drink. It can be mixed with flavored syrup, with multiple common flavors including lemon, raspberry, lime, passion fruit, peach, orange, strawberry, and cherry. While most iced teas get their flavor from tea leaves (Camellia sinensis), herbal teas are also sometimes served cold and referred to as iced tea. Iced tea is sometimes made by a particularly long steeping of tea leaves at lower temperature (one hour in the sun versus 5 minutes at 180–212 °F / 80–100 °C). Some people call this “sun tea”. In addition, sometimes it is also left to stand overnight in the refrigerator.

Variations on iced tea in the US…

  • In barbecue, soul food, and Southern cuisine-style, establishments, along with greasy spoons and general eateries, black tea is iced. This is by far the most commonly available form of freshly brewed iced tea, to which the above statements apply. Fruit-flavored teas and herbal teas are also popular iced.
  • Iced Chai (spiced Indian tea) is available from some restaurants and stores. While not traditionally served iced, in the U.S. chai is frequently served iced, with honey as a sweetener, or pre-sweetened when bottled.
  • Iced Jasmine tea, Genmaicha, and Hojicha are available from some Chinese cuisine or other Asian cuisine restaurants, but rarely. It is more common to find one of these

Variations on iced tea in Canada…
In Canada, iced tea refers to sweetened iced tea, flavored with lemon. The iced tea is usually made at home from drink powder or obtained in bottles or cans. Sweetened green teas and those flavored with raspberry, peach, or pomegranate are also becoming more common via marketing efforts.

Variations on iced tea in Turkey…

Turkey

In a traditional tea-drinking country such as Turkey, with its own tea and tea culture, iced tea became popular when Lipton introduced it in the 2000s. Iced teas are a popular alternative to soft drinks. Lipton and Nestea were the two major brands until 2012, when the contract between Coca Cola İçecek A.Ş. and Nestea expired, Coca Cola replaced Nestea with its Fuze Beverage brand.

Iced Tea variations in the United Kingdom…

Although iced tea is not as widely consumed in the United Kingdom as the rest of Europe, the drink became more popular in the 2000s.[7] Lipton sold their carbonated iced tea, similar to the one sold in Belgium, in the 1990s. Recently,[when?] Lipton has returned to general sale of non-carbonated tea, quickly followed by Nestea and Twinings.

 

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

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Blueberry Who Knew!

Hope you’re having a great Wednesday!
With summer in full swing, blueberries are in season! Today on the show we gave you all sorts of fun facts about the versatile super-food, the blueberry!
Check out these facts!

Fiber…
One handful of blueberries gives you 4 grams of fiber
Getting the proper amount of fiber may reduce the risk of heart disease
Eating a fiber-rich diet can also keep your cholesterol in check!

Antioxidant properties…
Blueberries have some of the highest levels of antioxidants compared to most fruits and vegetables! These antioxidants neutralize free radicals, and prevent against various types of diseases and aging!

Vitamin C…
Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect cells and promote the growth of healthy tissue. One serving of blueberries will supply you with 25 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin C.

Manganese…

Manganese is important for bone development. Manganese also helps the body process cholesterol and nutrients such as carbohydrates and protein.

Need a Superfood recipe? Try one of these:

Blueberry parfait
Blueberry muffins
Blueberry smoothie

Our word of the day today was, aptly, manganese!
noun || man·ga·nese || \ˈmaŋ-gə-ˌnēz, -ˌnēs\
This is a grayish-white usually hard and brittle metallic element that resembles iron but is not magnetic and is used especially in alloys, batteries, and plant fertilizers.

We are now accepting submissions for ‘Take Dad to Dinner’, 2017 edition!
Click on this link here, and scroll to the bottom to submit your form!

We need your Dad’s Name, address and phone number and a special message about your Dad. Tell us why you love your Dad and want to take him out for dinner.

Our staff will share these special messages on The Morning Thing on Friday, June 16th and choose 4 Dads in a random drawing. Our 4 winning Dads will each receive a $25.00 gift card to Parkside Restaurant and $15 in gift cards to Wendys!

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

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CANDY MONTH Mystery Monday

I love candy, but who doesn’t?
Today on the show, Rachel and I talked all about candy!
Check out these fun facts!

  • The man who invented cotton candy, William James Morrison, was a dentist.
  • Fairy Floss was the original name of cotton candy.
  • Snickers, one of the most popular candy bars today, was named after the Mars family horse
  • A lollipop, which was invented by George Smith in 1908, was named after Lolly Pop, a racing horse.
  • Easter is one of the big candy holidays and each year candy companies make more than 90 million Easter bunnies and 16 billion jelly beans just for the one day holiday.
  • Almost everyone eats the ears off of their chocolate Easter bunnies before they eat anything else.
  • Across the country, red jelly beans are most commonly chosen as the favorite amongst children.
  • Almost every child in America will go trick or treating this year (93%).
  • If you laid out all the candy corn produced in a year from end to end, you could circle the Earth more than 4 times.
  • More than 75% of the candy given out during trick or treating is bite-size chocolate bars.

Our Mystery Monday Mystery Question was as follows…
In early 1995, Mars ran a promotion in which consumers could vote what color M&M replaced the tan M&M. What color ended up replacing the tan M&M.

The answer was BLUE! Congrats to Amy of Mt. Vernon who answered correctly!

Our word of the day today was, aptly, confectionery!
noun || con·fec·tion·ery || \kən-ˈfek-shə-ˌner-ē\
This is the confectioner’s art or business, sweet foods (such as candy or pastry, or  a confectioner’s shop!

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

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