Popping A Good For You Soda

 Sofa and good for you never really go in the same sentence.Yet there is one  - Poppi_ that changing all that.This is a tasty treat for anyone who has to give up Coke and Pepsi but still want a cold,fizzy drink.

I discovered this at the University where I work. It is big with college kids and I have seen them with the cans on campus.

I need to change my eating and drinking habits due to kidney stones. Regular sodas like the more popular ones are loaded with bone leaching phosphorus.POppi doesn't  have this.It's an all natural artesanal bread loaded with flavor.I first had the cherry and lime and then the cherry.I was instantly hooked!The taste is so good - It's as if those as a home, brew made with just picked cherries! 

I am in love with this! I want to try the either flavors like the orange and the orange cream.They also have a Shirley Temple which is a sweet,exotic grenadine flavor and they even have a Dr Pepper dupe called Dr.Pop.They even have a cola but not to worry.There are no dyes in this like the main brands. Grape and watermelon are also on my radar. They're going to be perfect for the warm weather days ahead. Poppi was created by Allison Ellsworth in her Dallas Texas kitchen. She wanted a healthier sip, one that included probiotics. She and her husband went o Shark Tank where they received the finds to go ahead to start their own soda.The rest is history and a plus for the beverage industry.

If you want a healthy soda then go for Poppi,. It's a tasty step up form all the other fizzy drinks. It's good for you and good tasting too.

Juneteenth Menu

Junettenth is an important holiday in the African-American community. It's also a showcase for recipes that have been in families for generations along with highlighting the flavors of the community. It's a time of remembrance and celebration.

Nicole Taylor wrote about it in yesterday's New York Times Food section Juneteenth is June 19th, commemorating the end of slavery, albeit two years after Abe Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.Texans erupted in joy  which led to the festivities. The state still holds the country's largest Juneteenth celebrations with parades featuring horses and souped up cars. Tender, fatty brisket can also be had along with barbecue. There are other celebrations throughout the south and in major cities such as new York, LA and Chicago. The food must be red or have a red tint. The color symbolizes ingenuity and resilience in bondage. Strawberry pop is the drink of choice at most of the gatherings. Kola nut tea and bissap - hibiscus tea  are also served - first coming over with the enslaved from Africa. Some of the celebrations are more spiritual, giving thanks to the ancestors with more traditional foods such as black eyed peas and collard greens.

Of course red food rules. spicy hot links, beef sausage dyed with red food coloring, are on many grills during Juneteenth. Texas Pete Hot Sauce is also served, its' orange-y red color livening up everything from fish to rice. The menu varies from state to state. Char grilled oysters are served in Mississippi while the Carolinas serve up vinegar tinged pulled pork.There is also always bowls of  potato salad made form family recipes. The dessert is usually Red Velvet cake or pie . Ms. Taylor, who has written the cookbook, The Up South Cookbook : Chasing Dixie in a Brooklyn Kitchen. includes a recipe for strawberry slab pie which is the perfect end for any summer meal.  The filling is fresh strawberries mixed with brown sugar and zinged up with grapefruit juice and zest. Grated fresh ginger is also added to get away from the usually cloying fruit jam flavor. The crust, too, is unusual with a teaspoon of cracked pepper added for more fire. Buttermilk and butter temper it. There are pastry circles on top, also brushed with buttermilk for decoration.

Juneteenth is a celebration rich in tradition and food. It will represent freedom and ingenuity with tasty and tempting foods. Enjoy it this day, full of meaning and flavor.

Ocean Spray Sparklers

If you thought cranberry juice was boring, think again. Ocean Spray has come up with a great new idea , combining it's most popular juices with carbonated water. They're great tasting and and perfect for the warm weather ahead. I can see these in every cooler and at every pool. They really are refreshing and tasty!

Ocean Spray's funny TV ads lured me into trying their newest creation (Not only do they make juice ,they also make energy drinks and four different flavors of oatmeal too - all cranberry themed).I love cranberry juice whether plain or spiked with vodka to create a Cape Codder. This was a perfect storm of tasty berry and fizz. The combination works well together and has the right amount of tart and pop.

I've also tried their blueberry pomegranate. It has the same amount of fizz which is fun but a little less flavor . I think it's because the two fruits are overpowering on their own. Combining them is like having two strong personalities live together. It has a sweet but not definite taste. Another problem is the can. Sparklers come in these tube like energy drink holders . I wouldn't mind that they come in plastic bottles like Pepsi or Coke in the future.

Ocean Spray has scored another winning product with their new sparklers. Add it to all your summer parties and waterside respites this summer. It's truly a treat.

Popcorn That Great American Classic

Nothing beats a bowl of popcorn as a good snack. Yes, it's healthy for you being low in fat and high in fiber but it's just fun. Nothing complements a movie like a big old bowl of the stuff. It can be sweet, salty. buttery or just plain cheesy. Name me one person who doesn't like popcorn.

Surprisingly modern Americans aren't the only culture who love popcorn. There were traces of it from 4,000 years ago found in the famous bat caves of New Mexico. The Aztecs also used it in their religious rites. They incorporated it in their headdresses, garlands and statue decorations. Young maidens even did a "popcorn dance" wearing several lei like garlands of it. The ancient Peruvians also ate popcorn, but regarded it as a confection. The first Europeans were the Spanish and the great explorer Cortez had written about it. North American Indians brought it to the first Thanksgiving where the ears were slicked with oil and held over a fire. The Indians at e it straighttoff th e cob. The Colonists must have taken to it right away because popcorn and milk were soon added to their breakfast menus.

Jump ahead a few centuries and see popcorn vendors on every street in America. It was sold as a quick snack right up to the Great Depression. Theaters added it to their cincessionstands where it quickly became number one. Sales did slough off with the arrival of television. The microwave brought it back to it's current popularity thanks to it being made in a record 1.5 minute.

How does popcorn pop? By the water inside it vaporizes into steam. This and the starchy stuff used to nourish the corn embryo bursts through at temps around 400 degrees Farenheit. Thus we have our beloved snack. Unfortunately some kernals are prone to burning hence the reason for a few blackened or unpopped ones. You can repop popcorn again if you get a bad yield the first time around. If not just feed it to the birds outside.

The best thing about popcorn is that it's so absorbent to other tastes. You can coat it with caramel one night while the next sprinkle Parmesan on it. Some popcorn gourmands even put chili powder on it or a mix of Old Bay and onion powder. I guess I'm kind of old school in my tastes , preferring just plain old butter. It's rich but it's good. Luckily Target 's own brand Archer Farms makes a wonderful, old fashioned buttery tasting microwave corn. This is my favorite that's not only tasty but gurantees a full bag every time.

Popcorn is truly the American classic food. From the ancient Aztecs and Incas to modern US foodies it really is an important part of our diets.