Celebrity Fashion Show

This weekend I had the pleasure of being one of the celebrity models for a fundraiser that benefits the Ronald McDonald House. Last year, this event raised $75,000 for the hospital. Some of the funds also go to families whose children are receiving treatment. The money helps provide a home-like environment for the parents-while their kids are in the hospital. It was one of the best charity events I’ve ever been involved in.  I got to dress in outfits from Saks Fifth Avenue and walk the runway. This was quite a challenge because I am flat-footed and somewhat of a “Tom Boy” I try hard not to make this obvious.  I also get nervous when I have to walk in front of a lot of people. Imagine that? We couldn’t keep the fancy clothes but it was fun while it lasted. I’m not a big clothing shopper or fashion guru. I unfortunately have to buy lots of clothes for work. I describe shopping for clothes as being more like a chore-than a fun event. Shopping at Lowe’s or Bestbuy on the other hand is a whole different story. When I do shop for clothes-I’m looking for two things 1- a bargain and 2-something already put together. I’m horrible at matching and coordinating outfits. It was nice having someone pick out nice expensive clothes to wear. The jacket I wore for the show was made by Armani. Retail price–$1695.00 The jacket I wore to work today came from T.J. Maxx. Retail price–$29.99. I love a bargain. Do you?

Kimberly Gill

Chicken Taco Soup

So you know I don’t cook. I can do a lot of things but cooking isn’t one of them.  I eat out just about every single day sometimes as many as three times a day. Lately, I’ve been wanting to learn to cook. Perhaps it’s because I’m getting older. Or maybe it’s because my stomach can’t tolerate double cheeseburgers everyday the way it used to in my 20’s. Or, perhaps it’s the gasoline prices. The money I spend on fuel is cutting into my eating out habit. It’s depressing. After discussing my cooking handicap on Good Morning Cleveland one day last week a viewer was nice enough to send me her family recipe for Chicken Taco Soup. The great thing about this recipe is that you can’t burn it and there’s very little preparation. All you do is open up the cans of ingredients and pour them into a crock pot. The recipe does require you to cut up an onion–but I bought an onion that was already diced. FABULOUS! I made the soup this weekend and it turned out great! I’ll eat it for the next seven days! Here’s the recipe if you’re interested

Chicken Taco Soup Ingredients

1 chopped onion

1 can (15 ounce) dark kidney beans undrained

1 can (15 ounce) black beans undrained

1 can (15 ounce) whole kernel corn, drained

1 can (8 ounce) tomato sauce

1 can or bottle (12 ounce) beer

2 cans (10 ounce each) diced tomatoes with green chillies undrained

1 package (1.25 ounce) taco seasoning

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast

Mix all ingredients except the chicken in crock pot. Place chicken on top and push in slightly just to cover. Set on low for 5 hours. Then carefully remove chicken allow to cool just long enough to handle cut up into small pieces and put back into soup for another 2 hours on low. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and or crushed tortilla chips these are optional. I substitute frozen chicken tenders since their smaller I don’t even bother to thaw before putting in. Also if I’m not going to be home I will allow to cook the full time and remove the chicken, cut and put back in and serve immediately. I also like to take  flour tortilla’s that are in the dairy section at the store cut in half then into strips and deep fry and place on paper towels and use instead of the crushed tortilla chips. As you can see other than cutting the onions and the chicken you just open and pour.

Kimberly Gill

browns ravens

will the browns win sunday?

Fascinating Fall Foliage

photography by Kimberly Gill

I am so fascinated with how early leaves change color here in Northeast Ohio. The fall foliage is beautiful when the season moves from summer to fall. By my observation, this “change” seems to happen as early as mid September. It’s as if Mother Nature is right on point with the calendar. Autumn begins September 22 and already, I am starting to notice the “change” beginning. It’s amazing to me!  If you’re a Northeast Ohio native, this is probably no big deal. But I’m a Southern Gal. The leaves don’t change color as early in the Carolina’s and the beauty doesn’t last as long. You’d have to drive up to the mountains to see leaves change this soon. When the “change” happens down South you notice the beautiful colors one week and it seems the leaves all fall off the trees by the next week. It’s short-lived. I guess I pay more attention to things like this because I’m in a new place. Either that-or I’m getting old. I’m somewhat of an amateur photographer. When I passed this one tree, I had to stop and pop off a few shots and email them to my family down South. As I gazed at the golden leaves it reminded me that nature is beginning to prepare itself for cold weather. It also reminded me that I too need to prepare myself. It will start to get cold soon. Are you ready? I’d love to hear your thoughts and observations. Do you notice the trees too?

Kimberly Gill

Want Breakfast?

The United Way is kicking off its 2008 campaign today with its annual “Pancake Flip” event.

Good Morning Cleveland anchor Kimberly Gill will be there Friday morning to help flip the flapjacks.

The event runs from 7:00am until 10:00am on Public Square in downtown Cleveland.  For five dollars, you’ll get fresh pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee.

You can even get the breakfast meals to go.

Come out and say hello to Kimberly and support a good cause at the same time.

Have a good weekend,
Todd Sheppard
Executive Producer

Remembering 9/11

September 11, 2001 - One of those days you’ll never forget where you were. I was working at a Detroit television station, WDIV, producing the noon newscast.

At the time the first plane went into the North Tower, I was out of the newsroom. One of our videotape editors ran toward me when I came back into the newsroom and started pointing at one of our TV monitors. He said “check out the wild pictures from New York.”

At the time, we weren’t aware that a plane had crashed into the building and it wasn’t an accident! We talked about how hard it would be for firefighters to fight a towering inferno.

There weren’t a lot of people in the newsroom at the time because most people didn’t arrive until around nine o’clock in the morning. By this point, all of the television feeds we got from NBC and CNN were on the towers.

Slowly, people started coming in and rushed to see the TV’s, they’d heard the story on their car radio. It was about that time when another plane slammed into the South Tower and then we all knew something wasn’t right, we were under attack.

I saw so many co-workers with tears in their eyes. These are people who deal with death everyday. Murders and other unexpected deadly accidents we deal with them every day and have to bring that news to people who watch our station. It’s sad you somewhat get immune to death. It’s not that every death doesn’t have an effect but you have to block it out a little.

This was different, this was an attack on America, this was something no one had ever experienced before. How could you deal with such a breach of our nation? How could you cope with the potential mass casualty? The world changed forever. The lives of an entire generation of people changed forever.

Now seven years later, Osama bin Laden is still on the run. Airport security is still high even though some critics still say the U.S. have much more to do to protect people.

I do recall the hunger for information and how little it trickled out on that day. We all couldn’t do any work. We just sat at our desks watching coverage on televisions with our mouths literally gaping open watching in total disbelief.

It’s a day none of us can or will be able to forget. We must not also forget the innocent people who lost their lives and their families who have to endure the pain of not having them each day and every anniversary of 9/11.

Todd Sheppard
Executive Producer

Welcome to my first post

Good Morning Everyone, we’re starting a new morning blog on Good Morning Cleveland, aka GMC.

This is my first post.

So since it was in the 40’s this morning – I just wondered if anyone has guesses as to when we’ll get our first snow in the morning where we have to do some school closings.

I know it’s early, but when I first moved back home in 2000, I did a story where it snowed in early October and covered all the pumpkins in several inches of snow, yeah it melted by afternoon, but any guesses as to dates for first snow this year, and any memories of October snowfalls or early November,

Hope to hear from you at  kiska@newsnet5.com

Paul