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Thanksgiving is the best time for family and delicious food. Many families have great holiday traditions that may include making a special dish. While some people have the “standard” turkey dinner with stuffing and other common sides like cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes, others have some pretty wild Thanksgiving recipes added to the table. 

People took to Twitter this year to share their wildest Thanksgiving recipes and some dishes are quite interesting… 

Ever heard of seafoam salad? What about a bologna cake with ranch cream cheese icing? As it turns out, many individuals have these kinds of unique creations that they have on turkey day. Surprisingly, Jell-O was a common ingredient for most so if you aren’t sure what to make this year or want to start a new tradition… Grab some Jell-O and get creative! It truly seems like the possibilities are endless. 

However strange your family dish may be, have a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Adapted from the Today Show’s “Jello-O and cream cheese?! People share their family’s wildest Thanksgiving recipies” by Aly Walansky

Winning the lottery is everyone’s dream. Would you quit your job? Buy a big house? Donate it to charity? Or all of the above? The answers to those questions have been public knowledge in multi-state lotteries like Powerball, which currently has a $90 million payout. 

Winners have their name, city of residence, date of winning, and amount of winning made public under current rules. However, State Representative Padma Kuppa, a Democrat from Troy, wants to give winners the option to remain anonymous for their own protection. She introduced a bill to the Michigan House of Representatives last week where winners would only have their names released if they consent in writing. 

Lottery winners often have little experience in handling such large sums of money and can fall prey to people trying to get their hands on the winnings. This bill is intended to protect those winners by letting them decide when to share their good news, if ever. Other states have similar legislation. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Regulatory Reform for further consideration.

Tomorrow’s the big day many people wait for all year — turkey day! While many of us learned about the origins and traditions in grade school, there are some things you may not know or maybe just forgot. Did you know the first Thanksgiving was supposedly a three-day celebration? In November of 1621, the settlers’ first corn harvest proved successful and Governor William Bradford invited the Plymouth colonists’ Native American allies to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Members of the Wampanoag tribe came bearing food to share and as they joined the Pilgrims, the revelers decided to extend the affair. While it’s called turkey day by many, was there really even turkey at the first Thanksgiving? Nobody is quite sure if the famed, fall bird that now marks the centerpiece of our table was even on the menu back in 1621. However, they did indulge in other interesting foods like lobster, seal, and swan.

While many folks’ tradition includes a parade, did you know the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade didn’t feature any balloons? The first parade in 1924 actually featured animals from the Central Park Zoo! Back to turkey traditions, do you have a guess how many are cooked each year? Well… It’s over 40 million. However you’re celebrating this holiday season, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

November 10 was a busy Sunday afternoon at a home in Clyde Township, as a crew of workers were busy wrapping 750 Christmas gifts for local seniors. 

For twenty years, Ed and Mary Taylor, of Clyde Township, have been opening their home to holiday giving. The Clyde Township home was filled with bags, presents and wrapping paper as the couple is involved with many local charities. For many years, the couple has been organizing Christmas Gift Bags for local seniors. 

Mary buys the biggest gift bags she can find and fills them with twenty-five different practical and fun gifts for seniors. The process of getting the gifts is year-round as she shops for the best deals. She raises money for the project through bake sales at Lenten Fish Fries at St. Mary church in Port Huron, and Mary bakes many of the items herself. She also does the shopping and recruits members of the Knights of Columbus and their families to help her wrap and deliver. 

The Taylors started this project at the Marydale Village in 1999 and moved their efforts to Sanborn Gratiot Memorial Home when Marydale closed. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor started this venture to show their senior neighbors that someone still cares and have continued doing so for two decades. They look forward to visiting with the seniors and helping to spread the Christmas spirit.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is advising that consumers not eat and retailers not sell any romaine lettuce harvested from the Salinas, California growing region. This comes after a total of 40 people were infected with an outbreak strain of E. coli reported in 16 states. A total of 28 hospitalizations have been reported as a result of the outbreak, and five people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. Evidence collected to date indicate that romaine lettuce from the Salinas, California growing region may be what is making people sick.

Testing shows that the E. coli strain in romaine lettuce tested by the Maryland Department of Health is closely related genetically to the E. coli found in sick people in this outbreak. Most romaine lettuce products are labeled with a harvest location showing where they were grown. The CDC said the warning not to eat the product includes all types of romaine lettuce harvested from Salinas, California such as whole heads of romaine, hearts of romaine, and packages of pre cut lettuce and salad mixes containing romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix, and Caesar salad. If you have romaine lettuce at home, be sure to inspect it and throw it away if the label says “Salinas” (whether alone or with the name of another location). The CDC says it will release more information as it is available.

Reporting for WGRT, ebw.tv.

A piece of pumpkin pie has about 350 calories and a three-and-a-half-mile walk can burn just about that many calories. You could burn those calories walking around the mall, or you could spend them outdoors for free. While “Black Friday” draws shoppers to the stores and online, to the tune of over $435 billion last year, some people have a different idea as to how to spend the day. 

The State of Michigan has waived the Recreation Passport entrance fee for all the State Parks in Michigan on Friday, November 29. So, you can have that extra piece of pie and burn it off while hiking or snowshoeing in a state park. St. Clair County is home to two State Parks: Algonac and Lakeport. Algonac State Park has numerous trails, and for the adventurous, winter camping is also an option. 

Just north of Algonac, in cooperation with the St. Clair County Parks Department, Friends of the St. Clair River will be leading a “Woodsy and Wild” Nature Hike from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Black Friday at Columbus County Park. The walk is free and will happen rain or shine. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources invites you to use the hashtag #optoutside when posting your outdoor Black Friday pictures on social media. The #optoutside movement was started in 2015 by outdoor outfitter REI, which closes its stores on Black Friday.

Reporting for WGRT, ebw.tv.