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SodaStream Soda Maker: Worth Gushing About?

YumSugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:00:12 -0700

I have a confession to make: if I didn't worry about what my friends and family would say to me, I'd probably drink soda all day, every day - I love it that much. So when I got my hands on SodaStream's Soda Maker, a SkyMall-like contraption that claims to "turn tap water into sparkling water in three seconds," I knew I'd be in for some fizzy fun.According to Soda-Club, the company behind the machine, the SodaStream is more convenient (since you make soda instantly at home) than buying soda, less troublesome (no need to lug soda bottles), healthier (no high-fructose corn syrup), economically sensible, and better for the environment. Did the soda maker stand up to its claims? Find out when you read more.

I received a starter kit ($99.99) with a Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker, a 110-liter carbonator, two carbonating bottles, and an assortment of diet soda flavors and sparkling water essences. Following instructions, I assembled the machine, which requires no electricity, in under 10 minutes. To make soda, you fill a carbonating bottle with water, screw it into the machine, press a button four times to create fizz, and pour in some flavoring.

The soda machine is certainly easy to use, less troublesome to transport, and better for the environment. After the initial cost for the machine, a cup of soda will set you back less than $0.10. As far as taste, however, this is no match for store-bought soda.

The pop flavors (which included diet cola, diet grapefruit, diet cranberry-raspberry, and diet root beer) taste artificial with an odd aftertaste, and the bubbles aren't as fine or long-lasting as canned or bottled soda. "It's like Italian soda meets Crystal Light," a friend lamented. The flavored fruit essence drops taste even less natural. The soda bottles, despite being BPA-free, aren't dishwasher-safe.

If you're a heavy club soda drinker, or frequently make Italian sodas with traditional syrups, then this machine would actually be a good investment for you. But if you're a regular canned Coke drinker, the soda system's syrupy flavors won't likely be the replacement you're hoping for. Have you ever tried SodaStream? Did you come to the same conclusions about it?

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Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:00:51 -0700

Campfire cooking doesn't always have to include marshmallows - That's Fit
Declare independence from jiggle and race on July 4th - Vital Juice Daily
Jewel tweets photos of her bikini bod? - Fit Celeb
Sometimes it takes a trainer to bust out of a fitness rut - Fit Bottomed Girls
Soda makers swap out HFCS for sugar; no big deal - Nutrition Data Blog
6 secrets behind the power of Pilates - Shape
Nitrate-free bacon makes scallops sing with flavor - Mark's Daily Apple
Are your eating habits disordered? - Healthy Bites

JelleS/Flickr

How-To: Multitasking With Baking Soda

CasaSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:00:46 -0700

Baking soda doesn't just keep your fridge smelling fresh. It has oodles of uses around your house. You might know some of them already, but I bet you don't know all of them. Check out my top 10 favorite uses for baking soda below.

Safety first! Keep a box of baking soda by the stove. If you have a grease or electrical fire, toss handfuls of baking soda on it to extinguish.
Do you have marble-topped tables or furniture? Then clean it with baking soda. Mix three tablespoons in a quart of warm water, wipe it on the marble, let stand, and then rinse.
To get your laundry sparkling clean, add 1/2 cup baking soda to your washing machine load.
Get your garbage cans smelling fresh by washing them with baking soda.

Curious about the rest? Then read more.

Do you have Formica counter tops in your kitchen? Wipe them down with baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge.
To get odors and stains out of your coffee maker, run it through its cycle with a baking soda solution. Rinse.
Encourage free-flowing kitchen and bathroom drains by running four tablespoons of baking soda through them once a week. Just drop in the baking soda, then follow it with hot water.
Are you a pup person? Get that doggy smell out of your carpets or rugs with baking soda. Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet, let it sit for half an hour or more, and then vacuum it up.
You can also get your whole house smelling fresh by adding baking soda to your vacuum cleaner bag.
Scrub down all of your bathroom fixtures with baking soda on a damp sponge. It acts as a mild abrasive, and gets fixtures shiny.

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Jones Soda is Still Sweet

FitSugar — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 12:00:00 -0800

As of January 1, 2007, Jones Soda (the Seattle based soda maker) will be selling 12-ounce canned sodas with pure cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. All their products, which include root beer and cream sodas, will be switched over by mid-2007. This comes after highly processed table sugars and high fructose corn syrups are getting a bad rep due to their complete lack in nutrional value and very high calorie count.

High fructose corn syrup, especially, has a bad rep as it can increase Type 2 diabetes and other epidemic diseases caused by obesity since the body has difficulty processing high fructose corn syrup at high levels.

I can't wait to try the Watermelon Soda with pure cane sugar! Yum.

For The Love Of Ice Cream Roundup

YumSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:01:38 -0700

Well everyone, it looks like we do indeed all scream for ice scream! I am so impressed, when I asked you all to submit your own ice cream post, I was not expecting such a great turnout - there were 26 entries! They ranged from adult ice cream sodas to watermelon bombs and everything in between. One of my personal favorites even has a video to accompany it.

Entries #1 & #2
Our first two entries come from TeamSugar members beamer1 and crispet1. For this challenge they've put their minds together and have come up with a mango frappe and a scoop of mango ice cream with sticky rice. They both sound amazing, I'm not sure which one I would choose!

Entries #3 & 4
TeamSugar member sumnboutme wants to make sure we know about Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream with flavors like Thai Chili, Salty Caramel and Goat Cheese with Balsamic Cherries, how can you go wrong?! Sumnboutme also wants to make sure we check out her recipe for a Lemon Fog Martini - vodka, triple sec, lemon sorbet, sign me up!

Entry #5
The next entry comes from Curious Alice. She has a whole batch of ice cream tips including, great definitions, how to make your own ice cream, and a review of several machines.

Entry #6
Pam of Project Foodie reminds us all that no matter where you are in life, ice cream is always a first love.

Entry #7
J in Walnut Creek has a great story about how when she was a child, she and her pal stole ice cream, dropped it on the floor and ate it anyway. Loved it!

Entry #8
It's as if TS member luvbriere is trying to melt my heart. What could be better than an orange custard ice cream? How about and orange custard that is mixed with chocolate chips and caramel & chocolate swirls.

Entry #9
All the way from Turkey we have Cenk at Cafe Fernando with amazing sounding Gianduja Gelato. Oh and did I mention it was an ice cream sandwich too?

To check out the rest of the spectacular ice cream roundup (and believe me, it's worth it, you guys were awesome), read more

Entry #10
Paula wanted to let us know about the best ginger ice cream ever. It's so good she suggests you eat it naked, as in plain!

Entry #11
Kat from Berkeley based KungFoodie, wrote in to tell us about her Honey Sweet Frozen Peach Yogurt. Anytime yogurt can be described as XXX sounds fab to me!

Entry #12
PartySugar's gonna drool when she sees this dulce de leche & nougat ice cream that Rachel dreamed up.

Entry #13
Mercedes in New York sends us two classic Italian deserts in one with a tiramisu ice cream. Plus, she's got an ice cream project up her sleeve for the month of August!

Entry #14
Anne sends this Irish Coffee Ice Cream Cake all the way from Sweden! The best part? You don't even need an ice cream maker!

Entry #15
My French is a little rusty, but Edith sent in this lovely white chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate chunks proving that great food transcends languages.

Entry #16
Jason of YuzuMura sends this intriguing recip for pistachio saffron kulfi. I can't wait to try it!

Entry #17
My pal Meeta at What's For Lunch, Honey? brings us this show-stopping, beautiful, don't settle for second best cherry semifreddo cake.

Entry #18
Ulrike writes in all the way from Nothern Germany just to share choclate ice cream. If you're not a fan of chocolate, there's always marzipan, honey lavender, tarragon and more!

Entry #19
TeamSugar member mellafe would love to share her favorite drink Cafe Helado. Coffee powder, milk, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream? Yum!

Entry #20
Gabi from The Feast Within has graced us with a spiced Ibarra Mexican chocolate ice cream. Delish!

Entry #21
TeamSugar member radarkitty sends us this great tale about ice cream, baseball and a famous old man.

Entry #22
WildHeavenFarm tempts our palates with something she calls Dirty Monkey Ice Cream. There isn't a photo to accompany it because it was devoured before one could be taken!

Entry #23
Who says ice cream soda has to be for kids? Not davie_k, she suggests adding a shot of vodka to an ice cream soda for a nice grown-up twist.

Entry #24
Why stop at vodka? Our own SweetPeasMom continues the adult ice cream trend with her Pina Colada Smoothie. Ice cream and rum!!! Seriously do I need to say anything else?!

Entry #25
And finally our last entry comes from lickety split who decided to make the beautiful watermelon bombe. Check out the video below:

Entry #26
Update: This one went missing in my inbox, but you guys can not miss out on it. Brooke from Colorado sends us a simple recipe for an amazingly simple, extremly sniful fabulous ice cream cake. I'm going to have to make this one sometime!

Thanks again to everyone who sent in their submissions! If you still haven't had your fill of ice cream, don't forget that we're still creating new ice cream sandwiches each week!

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Casa Verde: Michelle Brand's Eco Designs

CasaSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:15:01 -0700

Artist Michelle Brand designs ethereal lights, room dividers, and light shades out of a completely unexpected material - the bottoms of soda bottles.

In her artist statement, she says

The root of my interests lies in sustainable waste management. At present it has manifested itself into a designer-maker practice. I have designed an aesthetic and decorative fabric from which most people in the Western world would perceive to be waste/rubbish. The fabric is composed of plastic drinks bottle bases, which have been cut, sanded, and then tagged together. I love seeing design opportunities where most people only see problems

If you're in Manhattan next month, check out Michelle's work at Haute Green, along with the work of other sustainable designers.

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Bird Craps Into Reporter's Mouth: Advertising Genius!

GiggleSugar — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:00:00 -0800

By now, we've all seen the vid of a bird taking a surprise crap on a reporter in the middle of a live news broadcast. It was the talk of the net last week, but there's a new development in the story. Was this really the accident it seemed to be, or was it the work of a couple of marketing gurus? The makers of "Frumondah soda" are taking all the cred for this "real fake thing that sells a real product," and they have the full commercial to prove it.

Yummy Links: Weekly Food News Roundup

YumSugar — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:01:01 -0700

Watch out, there's been yet another beef recall. - Epilog
Ben & Jerry's launches a new flavor vanilla ice cream with fudge brownies and raspberry sauce - in America it's called Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies, in the UK it's called Bohemian Raspberry. - Slashfood
Could this be the best bowl of noodles in the world? - Serious Eats

Rumor has it that competitive eating mega champ Kobayashi will not attend the annual 4th of July Nathan's hot dog eating contest. - Will Work For Food
With the price of high fructose going up, will soda makers switch back to real sugar? - Baking Bites
New York's got themselves a new festival, this time it's a Food Film Festival. - The Food Section
Have you been following the story about the food blogger who's been stealing other bloggers posts and passing them off as his own? - Chow
Are frozen artichoke hearts better than canned ones? - Apartment Therapy Kitchen

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Yummy Links: Weekly Food News Roundup

YumSugar — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:03:18 -0700

Summer's here, are you ready to make ice cream? Find out which ice cream makers are the best. - Slashfood
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But what if the imitation is taking your recipes and opening up shop a few blocks away? - Serious Eats
Everyone loves superfoods. Take a minute to learn more about açai, the Brazilian superfruit. - The Daily Tiffin
If you live in the New York area, now's your chance to trade beer for a new bag. - Will Work For Food
We all know the 5 second rule, but this college class puts the rule to the test. - Baking Bites
Whole Foods opens their first store in Britain, but will the Brits embrace it? - Chow
In soda (and environmental) news, Coke is pledging to conserve water. - Apartment Therapy: Kitchen

Jelly Belly's Scents for Sweet Tooths

BellaSugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 06:00:47 -0700

I've always admired Demeter Fragrance Library, the perfumer best known for bottling surprisingly good-smelling scents like Gin & Tonic, Laundromat, and Dirt. Now, Demeter has partnered with another company known for its rather wacky varieties: Jelly Belly.

The new Jelly Belly fragrance collection includes six scents inspired by popular flavors from the gourmet jelly-bean maker. Here's more from the Jelly Belly press release:

Eating one Jelly Belly jelly bean at a time is yummy, but Jelly Belly aficionados know the pleasure of combining different flavors to create "recipe" combinations for new gourmet taste sensations. Devised with definite flavors and proportions in mind, Jelly Belly jelly bean recipes provided the inspiration for creating the Jelly Belly Collection by Demeter Fragrance Library.

Each cologne spray is available in a 1-ounce bottle ($20) or a 4-ounce version ($39.50), and the line also includes shower gels and lotions. For details on the recipes that inspired each scent, read more

Sugar and Spice: hot cinnamon, spicy jalapeno pepper, bubble gum, and tutti-fruitti.
Blueberry Muffin: blueberry and buttered popcorn.
Mango Pineapple Salsa: mango, crushed pineapple, jalapeño.
Wild Blackberry Peach Cobbler: wild blackberry, peach, lemon.
Fruit Salad: tangerine, juicy pear, raspberry, peach.
Hot Fudge Sundae: French vanilla, very cherry, chocolate pudding, cream soda.

I'm most interested to try the Mango Pineapple Salsa and Hod Fudge Sundae. What about you?