Category Archives: Non-Booze

JK Chocolate

The holiday season is upon us. Traffic is unreal, grocery stores are out of chocolate chips, and you have neither the time nor the inclination to bake homemade cookies for that White Elephant party/teacher gifts/hostess gift/birthday party. Now that you’ve decided to outsource your holiday baking, you’re faced with even more decisions: Are cupcakes too childish? Are cake balls still in? Will that whole cake get eaten? What exactly is a fruit cake?

Enter: JK Chocolate.

Purveyor of Microchip Cookies, cakes, and unfairly decadent chocolate sauces and the brainchild of Julie and Karleen, the roots of JK Chocolate reach back to 1984 when the two friends would prepare homemade chocolate sauces for their children’s teachers. The word spread quickly about their confections, and the teachers- bereft of the heavenly sauces after the kids grew up and headed to college- begged the duo to sell their products. The rest is cookie history.

JK Chocolate sells seven flavors of their perfectly munch able treats: Midnight Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Chip Crunch, Peanut Butter Chip with Sea Salt, Six Spice Gingersnap, Pecan Sweeties, Cheddar Cheesies with Texas Heat, and, of course, The Original Chocolate Chip.

Available in 11- and 20-ounce cans, the flavors are also available in gift packs, party favor sets and multi-pack sets of smaller 1.5- and 2-ounce jars. You can mix and match flavors, cookies, sauces and mini-cakes for the perfect hostess gift, holiday snack, party favor or office presents.

The jar of Original Chocolate Chip Microchip cookies I brought home lasted a whopping two hours, so plan on buying more rather than less. They might be small, but they pack a hefty, homemade taste that’ll leave you craving more.

For store location, hours, online ordering and serving ideas, visit their website at www.jkchocolate.com.

JK CHOCOLATE
www.jkchocolate.com | Facebook | Instagram
4710 W Lovers Ln, Dallas, TX 75209
(214) 350-0427

read over here

Sparkle & Dine

Sparkle & Dine is a local company created to help those of us who don’t have all week to prepare for get-togethers … and do for a decent price at that! Started by Stacia Marlow, a former L.A. costume designer, she calls it “instant style in a box” inspired by current trends and staple designers.

The kits are meant for parties of four, and you can order extra settings if you’re expecting more guests. Most kits arrive with a runner, centerpiece, napkins, chargers, and place card holders.

The kits range from holiday themed to all occasion, so take a break this holiday and let Sparkle and Dine take care of the table! I was sent the Kate Spade Inspired Glam Table Style kit. The kit actually inspired me to have a little dinner party of my own and my guests were raving about the setup.

The only snafu I ran into was that we put flowers in the place card holders that covered the names. We figured out that putting the cards in vertically would have been the perfect fix.

Other options for the holidays are elegant yet modern. (I’m kind of dying for the Ralph Lauren-inspired tartan set.)

If you want a little inspiration, make sure to check out their Pinterest account!

SPARKLE & DINE
sparkleanddine.com | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Cascade Ice

One of the best parts of product reviews is finding my next new drink obsession. I have to say, I have tried many flavored waters to try to kick my Diet Coke habit, but haven’t been successful until now. Cascade Ice Water was generous enough to send me a few bottles of their coconut mango water and coconut pineapple water. I originally was just going to use these as a mixer (which I did), but also drank them straight up. I will definitely purchase more from this line of naturally flavored water. All of the flavors are zero-calorie, sugar-free, caffeine-free, sodium-free, gluten-free, and zero carbs. They have a great, natural flavor with light carbonation.

I used these as mixers for an easy vodka drink. There are some very yummy looking recipes on Cascade’s website that you should check out.

*Cascade Ice Coconut Pineapple with Tito’s over ice

I will be on the lookout for other flavors to try. There are twenty-one flavors in the zero-calorie line as well as a Sparking Organic, Sparkling Essence, and Sparkling Mixer line. In our local area, Kroger and Sprouts carry the organic line and Albertson’s carries the zero calorie line. Check this link out to find Cascade Ice in your local area.

*Cascade Ice generously sent me these samples for free.

Do It #ForKidd

Check out this awesome campaign from Kidd Nation:

On the anniversary of Kidd Kraddick’s untimely passing, we all feel that it is important to honor Kidd and his strong belief in the power of “Paying It Forward.”

So, this weekend (July 25-27), we want you to: “DO IT FOR KIDD.”

What does this mean? The memory of Kidd Kraddick should inspire you to continue his legacy of giving, through performing random acts of kindness.

do-it-for-kidd-text

When you’re asked why you did something nice for someone else, you can simply reply: “Kidd’s memory inspired me” or “I did it for Kidd.”

To further honor Kidd, on Monday, July 28, we’ll share our favorite memories of the man who gave so much to so many people for so many years.

And at 8:30 ET/7:30 CT, the show will observe a special “Moment of Noise!”

keep-lookin-up-kidd

Sweet Sweet Heat

Ok … wrap your head around this: ghost pepper simple syrup. Sounds weird as s**t, right? Well, as it turns out … it’s pretty freaking awesome.

I had a few of my writers (and some +1s) over Sunday for a cocktail before we went to gorge on Endless Appetizers and had decided to make Blueberry Lavender Mojitos (from Market-Fresh Mixology). Well … since I’m a goofball, I thought my homemade lavender gin was actually lavender syrup*, so they ended up being gin mojitos (if that’s a thing). To make things even more fun, we tossed some Torani Sweet Heat syrup into the cocktails. (Recipe below.)

We each tried the syrup on its own first (both as a contest to see who would drink the most and to actually taste it … obvi) and it has some serious kick to it. Unlike most spicy flavors, this spice sticks in the back of your throat instead of burning your tongue. (Ghost peppers are said to be 125x hotter than jalapeños.)

I’m excited to try this syrup in more of my cocktails. While I usually hate margaritas, spicy margaritas are OK in my book, so I’m half considering smuggling some of this into the next Tex-Mex restaurant I visit. (No, Mr. Manager … this flask doesn’t have alcohol in it. Why?)

Buy Torani Sweet Heat online or at a retailer. (Call ahead to check since it’s one of their more unique flavors.)

BLUEBERRY LAVENDER GHOST PEPPER (GIN) MOJITOS
12 mint leaves
2oz lavender gin
juice of 1/2 lime
15 blueberries
club soda
1/4oz Torani Sweet Heat Ghost Pepper syrup

Muddle the mint leaves, lime juice, blueberries, and gin in a tall glass. (Don’t over-muddle.) Add pepper syrup and stir. Add ice, top with club soda, and stir carefully with a bar spoon.

Here are some other recipes that Torani suggests for Sweet Heat:

HANDCRAFTED SWEET HEAT LIMEADE
½oz Torani Sweet Heat syrup
1¼oz fresh lime juice
8oz soda water
Ice
(Add a shot of vodka for a little more fun)

HANDCRAFTED HOT LEMONADE
1½oz Torani Sweet Heat syrup
1oz simple syrup
1¼oz fresh lemon juice
8oz water
Ice
(Add a flavored vodka for a little more fun)

*For Christmas I made some of my friends infused liquors. To make lavender gin, I had to make lavender syrup. So yeah …

***Torani sent me a bottle of Sweet Heat syrup to try out.***

JAMBA JUICE’S NEW FRESHLY SQUEEZED JUICE LINE

Written by Enrico DeLeon III

With the big juice craze gaining more and more steam amongst all our super healthy friends, Jamba Juice‘s new line of fresh juices could not have come at a better time! JJ rolled out the new menu at select locations only* to test them out, and us DFW-ians are lucky enough to have a chance to taste them!

When first hearing about this new line, it made me happy to hear that someone in the smoothie world was finally breaking into a real line of juices (not just one or two or simply just wheat grass shots).Jamba Juice’s expanded juice platform incorporates high-nutrient super foods like kale, beets, cucumbers, apples, oranges and chia seeds. They offer great tasting beverages which increase your fruit and vegetable intake without taking awhole lot out of your pocket.I recommend trying their “Tropical Greens” juice. Although it has all of their Supergreens (organic baby spinach, organic baby kale, and organic red and green chard), the blend of ice, fresh apples, pineapples and chia seeds gives you a great tasting beverage with nature’s sweetness from the fruit complimented by the freshest flavors of the greens. Don’t be scared to try this amazing beverage just because you may not like all the greens… you’ll definitely be surprised! Besides, if it’s good enough for Popeye the Sailor Man, it’s damn sure good enough for you! (It might even win you a hottie like Olive Oil.)

The following stores in the Dallas area will have fresh-squeezed juice:

Southlake – 222 State St, Southlake, TX 76092
Sundance Square – 400 Main St, Fort Worth, TX 76102
Frankford – 18204 Preston Rd, Dallas, TX 75252
Shops at Legacy – 5700 Legacy Dr, Plano, TX 75024
Greenville – 5923 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75206
Northwest Highway – 8421 Westchester Dr, Dallas, TX 75225
Las Colinas – 6440 N MacArthur Blvd, Irving, TX 75039
Watauga – 8450 Denton Hwy, Watauga, TX 76148
Hulen – 4801 Overton Ridge Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76132
Spring Creek – 1201 E Spring Creek Pkwy, Plano, TX 75074
Flower Mound – 3180 FM 407, Highland Village, TX 75077
Camp Wisdom – 3040 Camp Wisdom Rd, Grand Prairie, TX 75052

***Rico was given a gift card by Jamba Juice to try out some of their new options.***

LYFT Energy Stir Sticks

written by William Merkel

I drink a lot of energy drinks. (Like … a lot. I may or may not have written this review with a Monster in front of me and a Monster box on my head.) So I was the natural choice to review LYFT Energy Stir Sticks.

The idea behind LYFT is simple. Put powdered caffeine in a stick that can be stirred into any drink imaginable to give it an extra little kick of energy. But this isn’t just your regular “run-of-the-mill” caffeine that can be found in sodas, no sir. This is “clean caffeine”. It has zero calories, and is made from green coffee bean extract with vitamins A and B complex.

Depending on what drink you stir LYFT in to, the taste will vary. Their website gives some examples such as orange juice, water, soda (which already has caffeine save for a few root beers, caffeine free, etc), mixed drinks, or how I personally tried it, on the rocks.

Now, I may have chosen a bit of a strong drink to put it in … I used Mount Gay Barbados Rum and followed the directions on the stick: remove label, stir for 10 seconds. The claim is caffeine equivalent to one tall coffee, but not being a coffee drinker, I cannot attest to that fact. It did, however, give the rum a subtle, slightly sweeter taste which was unexpected. As for an energy boost, I did not feel anything. (Again, I drink multiple energy drinks each day, so I wasn’t surprised.)

Since there were two sticks in the package I decided to have another go. I used the second stick in a bottle of Seven Water and, in this, it did have a noticeably different taste. It was sweater, and a bit cleaner aftertaste. A lot different that my experience with rum, and it did give a little caffeine buzz, but still nothing too drastic.

Personally I think LYFT would be best enjoyed in water or a juice, something other than an alcoholic beverage which would overpower the the amount of caffeine in the stick. I can definitely see myself buying a couple more of these to put in juices or maybe coconut water to mix up my morning routine.

PURE LYFT ENERGY STIR STICKS
www.purelyft.com
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Twitter: purelyft | #purelyft #cleancaffeine

SusieDrinks

Drink well. Travel often.