Morning Show Notes - Thursday, December 16th

-While the political correctness surrounding the Christmas holiday continues on many fronts, we've noticed many retailers are once again incorporating the word "Christmas" into their advertising. Over the last several years, many of them have avoided the word for fear of offending someone. Of the 4 sales fliers in the Augusta Chronicle today, all of the stores called the holiday "Christmas." John mentioned that he is especially pleased with Kohls consistently using Christmas in their ads this year. He's one of their loyal shoppers! If you want to see the AFA's Naughty or Nice retailer list, click here.

-If you want to learn more about the Savannah River Site, they're offering public tours again in 2011. John took one and says it is very educational, especially for folks like him that are not from this area but love history. Read more

-Jason from Downhere joined us this morning. His band will join Mark Schultz tomorrow night at West Acres Baptist Church for the How Many Kings Christmas Tour. If you missed the conversation, here it is:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

-A Charlie Brown Christmas comes on tonight at 8:00 on ABC. Did you know that it is the Christmas special that almost didn't happen? Read the story

-Women's Health magazine has the holiday foods you should avoid. Unfortunately, pecan pie made the list. Read more

-Coming up Friday: Our movie guy, Bob Waliszewski, from Focus on the Family takes a look at the weekend's new releases at 7:10.

Morning Show Notes - Wednesday, December 15th

-There's a chance for some ice to accumulate overnight into tomorrow morning. Stay tuned to 88.3 WAFJ tomorrow morning for weather updates. We don't believe it's necessary to start the bread and milk stockpile...yet. :)

-John is reading a book called Radical by David Platt. The book encourages us to examine what the Bible says about what it take to truly follow Jesus. Some of the stories of people in other countries meeting in house churches and the risk of losing their lives or being tortured make you grateful for the freedom to worship.

-We were touched by a story in today's Augusta Chronicle about 10 year-old Sebastian O'Banion. He gave all of his birthday presents to needy children in Aiken County. Read more
He learned about giving by the example his parents set. Join the conversation on the 88.3 WAFJ Facebook page and tell us how you're teaching your kids the importance of giving.

-Linda Rader shared her recipe for Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Field Peas this morning in Simple Cooking with John and Cleve. Get the recipe

-After our hot chocolate conversation on Monday, John has been searching out the best hot chocolate through a taste test. The white hot chocolate at Dunkin Donuts is his new favorite, but the triple chocolate hot chocolate at Borders looks good and tastes good!

Coming up Thursday: Jason from Downhere joins us at 7:10 and 8:40 AM. His band will join Mark Schultz on Friday at West Acres Baptist Church in Evans.

Simple Cooking

Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Field Peas
Cook Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Yield: Makes 6 servings

1 (16-oz.) package frozen field peas with snaps, thawed
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6 (1-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops (about 3 1/2 lb.)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion, sliced
1 (10 1/2-oz.) can condensed chicken broth

1. Place peas in a lightly greased 6-qt. slow cooker.

2. Combine mustard and next 2 ingredients; sprinkle over pork chops. Dredge pork in flour.

3. Cook pork, in batches, in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side or just until browned. Transfer pork to slow cooker. Reserve drippings in skillet.

4. Sauté onion in hot drippings over medium-high heat 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add chicken broth, and cook 2 minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Spoon onion mixture over pork in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6 hours.

Browning the pork chops and onions adds an extra layer of flavor to this dish. We love it served with hot cooked rice and chowchow.

Submitted by Linda Rader

If you have a quick and easy recipe, send it, along with a daytime phone number, to john@wafj.com. If we use it, you'll get a thank-you gift.

Morning Show Notes - Tuesday, December 14th

-Cleve wore short sleeves to work today. Has he lost his mind?

-After our hot chocolate conversation yesterday, John took the recommendation of a couple of Facebook friends on Dunkin Donuts' White Hot Chocolate. It is his new favorite! This has a very creamy, unique taste that's worth a try if you like white chocolate.

-John's been through 4 different irons in the last year and is convinced that a good one is hard to find. The consensus from listeners this morning rallied around two irons: the classic Black and Decker model and the high-end Rowenta. Others said the $6.96 iron at Walmart does an adequate job. Join the conversation on the 88.3 WAFJ Facebook page.

-To put perspective on our 16 degree low this morning, Justin checked in from Moscow on Facebook and said it was only 2 degrees colder there! We followed that up with Christmas Eve in Sarajevo from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which only seemed appropriate.

-Our next Christmas Cheer Tour stop is tomorrow at the Sunrise Grill in Martinez. We'll be there from 11 to 1 collecting new and gently used coats and blankets.

Coming up Wednesday: Linda Rader shares her recipe for Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Field Peas in Simple Cooking with John and Cleve at 8:10.

Morning Show Notes - Monday, December 13th

-Monday Morning Mindbender
Q: You can't touch it, hold it, smell it or taste it, but the average person sees one 11 times a year. What is it?
A: A rainbow

-If you think it's cold today, get ready for a bitterly cold evening, with a low expected to be around 18 tomorrow morning.

-Speaking of the cold, today is National Cocoa Day! We're searching for the best hot chocolate, either at a restaurant, store or homemade. Tell us about it on our Facebook page.

-John recommends visiting Lights of the South in Grovetown if you're looking for a neat way to celebrate Christmas with your family. They have millions of lights on display, and the thing that is most impressive is that they actually tell the Christmas story! You can take a hayride to view them or use the footpath. Find out more at http://www.lightsofthesouth.com/.

-Amy Brown of Appling correctly guessed that the Cheapie of the Week is Sprite (2 liter). Kroger has it on sale through Wednesday for $.88. Use the digital coupon that you can load to your Kroger card for $.75 off three Sprite or Sprite Zero. You'll get three 2 liter bottles for $.63 each plus tax.

-This cold weather is miserable for a lot of us, but imagine what it is like for those who don't have warm clothing. Donate new or gently used warm clothing at our next Christmas Cheer Tour stop on Wednesday from 11 to 1 at the Sunrise Grill in Martinez.