Natural Brew Sodas

I don't drink soft drinks as a rule, but once in a while I'll give in and have one that's off the beaten track. I'm not overly fond of cola and the lemon-lime type don't usually do it for me, either. Mostly, it's just too sweet, too fizzy and lacking in any real depth of flavor - and I can't see loading up with completely empty calories in such a lackluster way.

That being said, when it comes to fall and winter holidays, I usually concede and purchase ginger ale or root beer. I like that they aren't so sweet and the flavor is different than the standard sodas. So, when I was offered a full round of Natural Brew, I opted to check them out, knowing that our annual harvest party was in the near future.

I served them up with our fare of pumpkin-everything and pork products galore and the kids, my husband and I all really ejoyed them. This isn't your usual cola, and it isn't even the usual for root beer and ginger ale, these are robust in flavor and very different than all the other ginger ales, root beers, colas and creme sodas I've ever had.

These drinks fit in with my way of thinking - they're hand-crafted in small batches (think micro-brewing), and they're also produced with natural ingredients, using no artificial colors, flavors or additives. WOW!

These are really worth a try, I absolutely love their Draft Root Beer and the Outrageous Ginger Ale? Oh, not only does it taste like it's got the freshest just-grated ginger in it, when I wasn't feeling so good last week, it was just the ticket to settle my tummy. The kids loved it all, too and they can be picky, even when it comes to sodas.

Natural Brew comes in six delicious flavors:

Draft Root Beer – Brewed the old-fashioned way using only the finest ingredients from nature for a classic flavor. No need for anything else.

Outrageous Ginger Ale – We start with the zestiest ginger and add a splash of sweetness to create the brisk zing of our Outrageous Ginger Ale.

Vanilla Crème Soda – A soothing blend of the finest vanilla beans makes this classic a favorite for easy sipping.

Lemon Lime – Refreshing and bold, this lively mix of tart lemon and sweet lime will brighten your day.

Concord Grape – Reminiscent of childhood days, this authentic grape flavor will take you back to the soda fountain, summer time and baseball games.

Natural Brew handcrafted sodas are sold in 4-packs and available nationwide at natural food stores, the natural section of your local grocery and other select vendors for $5.49 per 4-pack.

Find a store near you that carries Natural Brew, because you will most definitely want to try it for yourself. Here in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas you can find it at the following retailers:

Queens Nutritional Products
1450 Pennsylvania Avenue
Allentown, PA
(610)691-6644

Shaffer's Health Center
Fairgrounds Market
Allentown, PA
(610)439-1013

Sign Of The Bear Natural Foods
514 N. Saint Cloud St.
Allentown, PA
(610)439-8575

Grahams Natural Health Source
750 South 25th St
Easton, PA
(610)252-7707

Nature's Way Markets
143 Northampton Street
Easton, PA
(610)253-0940

Healthy Alternatives
7150 Hamilton Blvd
Trexlertown, PA
(610)366-9866

Nature's Garden Limited
4290 Perkiomen Ave
Reading, PA
(610)779-3000

Our Favorite Lemonade

There are some foods the herald Summer like no others: grilled hot dogs and burgers, homemade ice cream, pasta salad and onward, but I don't think anything speaks of Summer more than lemonade. Cool, refreshing, tangy and sweet, it reminds me of hot days on the boardwalk and cool shade in the backyard at the same time.

This lemonade is one I've written of before - I can't say enough about it. It's nothing fancy, but it sure is good. The basic recipe is pretty much half the sugar and lemon juice used in many recipes, but only because it's offset so much by the added fruit. If you use a regular lemonade recipe, please take note that it can be very strong tasting after standing for 24 hours.

While I most often make it using the recipe below, this weekend I added a sliced peach to the mix and, as usual, it was perfection. You can easily cut the recipe in half for 2 quarts of lemonade.

Colemans' Favorite Lemonade
Makes 1 gallon

1 gallon lemonade (any brand OR see recipe below)
2 kiwi peeled and sliced
6 ripe strawberries hulled and cut in half
1 small lemon sliced
1 small lime sliced (Key limes are great for this)
3 or 4 fresh mint leaves
Other fruit peeled and sliced - optional, don't use more than one other fruit, though

Combine all and let stand refrigerated for 24 hours before serving. Serve in tall clear glasses with lots of ice and let the fruit fall in also. Very pretty and very refreshing!

Basic lemonade for this recipe:

*Note - this is a HALF STRENGTH recipe meant to be used with the recipe above. Don't use this as-is, it won't be enough.

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup lemon juice

Mix water and sugar and heat in a small saucepan until sugar is dissolved - this makes a simple syrup. Pour into a 1 gallon pitcher and add lemon juice, fruit and enough water to fill.

Hot toddy bargain!

Just a quickie to let you know that according to mysupermarket.co.uk both Sainsbury's and Tesco have got Stone's ginger wine on offer at £3.99 at the moment. Full report - and recipes - on Credit Crunch Drinking (and no, I'm not on a retainer from Stone's ;-)

Hot toddy bargain!

Just a quickie to let you know that according to mysupermarket.co.uk both Sainsbury's and Tesco have got Stone's ginger wine on offer at £3.99 at the moment. Full report - and recipes - on Credit Crunch Drinking (and no, I'm not on a retainer from Stone's ;-)

Is this the best value coffee in London?

I had three quarters of an hour to kill in London's Borough Market this week and spent it happily wandering around some of the fantastic food shops. Konditor and Cook for yummy cakes. Neal's Yard for the best of British cheeses and Monmouth Coffee for what must surely be the best value coffee in London - just £1 for a double macchiato (espresso with a shot of frothed milk)

Unlike many espressos it wasn't remotely bitter or over-extracted, just a pure, fragrant coffee flavour.

Eat your heart out, Starbucks . . .

Is this the best value coffee in London?

I had three quarters of an hour to kill in London's Borough Market this week and spent it happily wandering around some of the fantastic food shops. Konditor and Cook for yummy cakes. Neal's Yard for the best of British cheeses and Monmouth Coffee for what must surely be the best value coffee in London - just £1 for a double macchiato (espresso with a shot of frothed milk)

Unlike many espressos it wasn't remotely bitter or over-extracted, just a pure, fragrant coffee flavour.

Eat your heart out, Starbucks . . .

Fresh peach yoghurt

The peaches are so luscious here in France, so ripe they literally fall apart in your hands. And so cheap! I'm using them every which way I can. My favourite start to the day is a peeled peach, roughly cut up and mixed with plain yoghurt.

You're lucky if you can get peaches that ripe at home of course but you do occasionally find them. And if you can't you can easily substitute less ripe fruit, cooked with a little sugar or honey until soft. Apricots, mangoes and plums are good this way or you can mash up some strawberries or bananas and fold them into the yoghurt.

I always buy plain yoghurt (cheapest in big tubs) rather than fruit flavoured ones in which the fruit content is generally negligible. I remember checking out childrens' yoghurts for a book I was writing (The Healthy Lunchbox) and finding that some contained as little as 1% real fruit. And loads of sugar.

You can also whizz up ripe peaches with milk to make a fabulous topping for cereal my friend and fellow blogger Signe of Scandilicious told me the other day. For two servings she says you should whizz up four ripe peaches (peeled and cut up) in a blender with about 350-400ml of milk and a pinch of cinnamon or ground cardamom. Use it straightaway or it will separate. If you whizz it with ice cubes it also makes a brilliantly refreshing drink.

Fresh peach yoghurt

The peaches are so luscious here in France, so ripe they literally fall apart in your hands. And so cheap! I'm using them every which way I can. My favourite start to the day is a peeled peach, roughly cut up and mixed with plain yoghurt.

You're lucky if you can get peaches that ripe at home of course but you do occasionally find them. And if you can't you can easily substitute less ripe fruit, cooked with a little sugar or honey until soft. Apricots, mangoes and plums are good this way or you can mash up some strawberries or bananas and fold them into the yoghurt.

I always buy plain yoghurt (cheapest in big tubs) rather than fruit flavoured ones in which the fruit content is generally negligible. I remember checking out childrens' yoghurts for a book I was writing (The Healthy Lunchbox) and finding that some contained as little as 1% real fruit. And loads of sugar.

You can also whizz up ripe peaches with milk to make a fabulous topping for cereal my friend and fellow blogger Signe of Scandilicious told me the other day. For two servings she says you should whizz up four ripe peaches (peeled and cut up) in a blender with about 350-400ml of milk and a pinch of cinnamon or ground cardamom. Use it straightaway or it will separate. If you whizz it with ice cubes it also makes a brilliantly refreshing drink.

Toast water: the new green tea?

I’ve just been experimenting with what must be the most frugal drink of all: toast water which is, exactly as described, water infused with a slice of toast. It’s actually rather nicer than it sounds - it has a faint caramelly flavour which I think I’d want to accentuate by infusing two slices of toast in the recommended amount of water but that would obviously be rather less thrifty.

I found out about it from my son Will's business partner Huw Gott who masterminds the menus at their four bars and restaurants which include Hawksmoor, The Marquess Tavern and Green and Red (quick opportunity for a family plug!) They’ve just acted as consultants to a new restaurant opening, The Vyse Room at Stoke Place in Stoke Poges, which features toast water as a sorbet.

Huw is a great one for scouring old cookery books and discovered the recipe in Mrs Black's 'Household Cookery and Laundry Work' from the late 1880s (Mrs Black being a teacher at the 'West-End Training School of Cookery' in Glasgow).

Here’s the recipes with my comments in italics.

"Toast the quarter of a slice of bread (wasn’t sure how big a slice so used a whole slice from a small white loaf) till it is quite brown in every part wthout being in the least burned.
Have a jug, with three breakfast-cupfuls of cold water in it (I reckoned this was about 450ml in total) in which put the bread, and allow it to stand for a few hours.
Hot water is frequently used instead of cold, but the water is scarcely so clear and nice. In this case it must cool before being used.
The water is put in the jug first and the bread put in, otherwise the bread gets crumbled.
It is a most refreshing drink."(Huw says, and I agree, that it needs to be served well chilled).

Apparently the recipe was designed for invalids and in the proportions given I can imagine it being just the thing if you had a virulent attack of gastro-enteritis and couldn’t keep anything down. But I think if you tweaked it, possibly using wholemeal bread, a second slice and a spoonful of honey to sweeten it it would be the perfect drink for a sweltering summer afternoon. Non-alcoholic drinks are apparently the Next Big Thing. Perhaps it will take off as the new green tea ;-)

Toast water: the new green tea?

I’ve just been experimenting with what must be the most frugal drink of all: toast water which is, exactly as described, water infused with a slice of toast. It’s actually rather nicer than it sounds - it has a faint caramelly flavour which I think I’d want to accentuate by infusing two slices of toast in the recommended amount of water but that would obviously be rather less thrifty.

I found out about it from my son Will's business partner Huw Gott who masterminds the menus at their four bars and restaurants which include Hawksmoor, The Marquess Tavern and Green and Red (quick opportunity for a family plug!) They’ve just acted as consultants to a new restaurant opening, The Vyse Room at Stoke Place in Stoke Poges, which features toast water as a sorbet.

Huw is a great one for scouring old cookery books and discovered the recipe in Mrs Black's 'Household Cookery and Laundry Work' from the late 1880s (Mrs Black being a teacher at the 'West-End Training School of Cookery' in Glasgow).

Here’s the recipes with my comments in italics.

"Toast the quarter of a slice of bread (wasn’t sure how big a slice so used a whole slice from a small white loaf) till it is quite brown in every part wthout being in the least burned.
Have a jug, with three breakfast-cupfuls of cold water in it (I reckoned this was about 450ml in total) in which put the bread, and allow it to stand for a few hours.
Hot water is frequently used instead of cold, but the water is scarcely so clear and nice. In this case it must cool before being used.
The water is put in the jug first and the bread put in, otherwise the bread gets crumbled.
It is a most refreshing drink."(Huw says, and I agree, that it needs to be served well chilled).

Apparently the recipe was designed for invalids and in the proportions given I can imagine it being just the thing if you had a virulent attack of gastro-enteritis and couldn’t keep anything down. But I think if you tweaked it, possibly using wholemeal bread, a second slice and a spoonful of honey to sweeten it it would be the perfect drink for a sweltering summer afternoon. Non-alcoholic drinks are apparently the Next Big Thing. Perhaps it will take off as the new green tea ;-)

Juicer and NaBloPoMo

A couple of weeks ago I told you that we'd received a juicer. I've been having a wonderful time with it, juicing pretty much everything in sight.

Here's our juicer. Sorry for the poor photos, our camera is being more of a shit than usual. The juicer is a Breville:


It came with some recipes so we thought we'd start off with some of those as opposed to making up our own flavors. (We went to a juice bar once in Vancouver and I ordered some juice, I can't remember what was in it, but it was all ingredients I liked. My first sip literally brought tears to my eyes, it was so awful. I was afraid that would happen if I experimented too much.)

The first juice recipe we picked was for beets and carrots, but we decided to add some apples. We used 2 apples, 3 beets and enough carrots from the garden in Calgary to approximate 2 regular size carrots.

The color is beautiful, if a bit off putting. The camera is not showing how RED this juice was. This would have been a good recipe for WCC 21 - Halloween. I could have called it Vampires Blood or something.


We cleaned the machine and tried a tomato based drink. We juiced 2 tomatos, 2 stalks of celery, 1 peeled lime and 1 carrot.


The color on this one was not pretty at all, but the flavors were so bright. This would be cool to serve in little shot glasses as an appetizer on a warm day, like the "Tomato Juice".


We juiced some nectarines we needed to get rid of before the move, and wow, was that ever good. It was almost velvety in texture and taste.

We've also made a few batches of just straight apple juice. I haven't had apple juice since I was small. Freshly juiced apple juice is about 1 TRILLION times better than any crap that comes out of a carton. I have seen the light!

One of the small markets here had Mac apples on for 49 cents a pound so we've introduced my parents to juicing too. My Mom made her first juice - apple, pear and peach - on the weekend.

As much as I love my juicer, throwing out the pulp really bothers me. The pamphlet gives some ideas for using certain pulps in recipes, but nothing that is interesting or inspiring me. Does anyone out there have a similar juicer? What do you do with the pulp?


In other news, I have gone certifiably insane and signed myself up for NaBloPoMo, aka National Blog Posting Month. WTF you say? It's simple. Just post on your blog every day in the month of November. Want to join me? You totally should! And then we can be in over our heads together!

Juicer and NaBloPoMo

A couple of weeks ago I told you that we'd received a juicer. I've been having a wonderful time with it, juicing pretty much everything in sight.

Here's our juicer. Sorry for the poor photos, our camera is being more of a shit than usual. The juicer is a Breville:


It came with some recipes so we thought we'd start off with some of those as opposed to making up our own flavors. (We went to a juice bar once in Vancouver and I ordered some juice, I can't remember what was in it, but it was all ingredients I liked. My first sip literally brought tears to my eyes, it was so awful. I was afraid that would happen if I experimented too much.)

The first juice recipe we picked was for beets and carrots, but we decided to add some apples. We used 2 apples, 3 beets and enough carrots from the garden in Calgary to approximate 2 regular size carrots.

The color is beautiful, if a bit off putting. The camera is not showing how RED this juice was. This would have been a good recipe for WCC 21 - Halloween. I could have called it Vampires Blood or something.


We cleaned the machine and tried a tomato based drink. We juiced 2 tomatos, 2 stalks of celery, 1 peeled lime and 1 carrot.


The color on this one was not pretty at all, but the flavors were so bright. This would be cool to serve in little shot glasses as an appetizer on a warm day, like the "Tomato Juice".


We juiced some nectarines we needed to get rid of before the move, and wow, was that ever good. It was almost velvety in texture and taste.

We've also made a few batches of just straight apple juice. I haven't had apple juice since I was small. Freshly juiced apple juice is about 1 TRILLION times better than any crap that comes out of a carton. I have seen the light!

One of the small markets here had Mac apples on for 49 cents a pound so we've introduced my parents to juicing too. My Mom made her first juice - apple, pear and peach - on the weekend.

As much as I love my juicer, throwing out the pulp really bothers me. The pamphlet gives some ideas for using certain pulps in recipes, but nothing that is interesting or inspiring me. Does anyone out there have a similar juicer? What do you do with the pulp?


In other news, I have gone certifiably insane and signed myself up for NaBloPoMo, aka National Blog Posting Month. WTF you say? It's simple. Just post on your blog every day in the month of November. Want to join me? You totally should! And then we can be in over our heads together!