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Starbucks Announces $2 Afternoon Drink Deal

partysugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:16:52 -0700

Starbucks has announced its plan to offer an afternoon discount to morning customers. Present a receipt of your morning beverage after 2 p.m. and you can order any iced grande coffee drink (including Frappuccinos!) for just $2. The promotion begins on Tuesday and runs until Sept. 2. According to Brad Stevens, the vice president of customer relationship management, the discount is a no-brainer:

I think we've kind of hit the nail on the head. It's easy for baristas to implement and it's easy for customers to understand.

Since Starbucks's iced drinks are a little pricey the concept is quite clever. However, I rarely order two Starbucks drinks in one day, so I don't know how often I will be able to use the discount. How about you? Will you use the discount?

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Raise Your Hand If You Like Freebies!

YumSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:00:51 -0700

Tomorrow, May 15, there are two fast-food freebies for you to catch. The first involves free chicken sandwiches, and the second involves free coffee.

First up, McDonald's is promoting their new Southern Style Chicken Biscuits and Sandwiches by giving them away at 14,000 of their US locations. If you purchase a medium or large beverage you can get a free chicken biscuit from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. or a free chicken sandwich from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. They're expecting to give away over eight million sandwiches, so be sure to get yours!

If you're not a chicken or McD's fan, then head over to your local Dunkin' Donuts where you can score yourself a free iced coffee with no strings attached. It's a small 16 oz. iced coffee and is available from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

So tell me, are you going to hunt down one of these freebies?

Like Cold Coffee? Try Cold Brewed Coffee

YumSugar — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:01:18 -0700

You guys seemed pretty excited when I shared a simple tip to keep your iced coffee from getting watered down. Well, if you thought that one was good, here's one that the folks at Seattle's Best Coffee emailed to me. Instead of brewing their coffee like normal, they cold brew it overnight, resulting in an iced coffee that can stay fresh for up to seven days.

So what is cold brewing? It's essentially letting coffee grounds soak in room temperature overnight. You'll need a cold brew concentrator, or you could rig one up yourself with some jars and filters. If you're not interested in going the diy route, the Toddy Maker Cold Brew Coffee System is available for $28.

And if cold brew sounds too complicated (although it looks really quite simple), you can always brew up a batch of coffee, bring it to room temperature and then refrigerate to use the next day.

If you'd like to learn more about cold brewing, here's a step by step tutorial.

Simple Tip: No More Watery Iced Coffee

YumSugar — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:54:31 -0700

With summer on its way I thought I'd share with you one of my most simple tips. If you love a glass of iced coffee, but hate when it gets all watery, then do yourself a favor and make coffee ice cubes. By making coffee ice cubes you'll ensure your iced coffee won't get diluted and you'll have a good use for this morning's leftover coffee. Just use a clean ice tray, fill with coffee and freeze. Once frozen, remove cubes from the ice trays and put into a large ziploc style freezerbag (this helps protect it from that nasty freezer smell/taste). Use them instead of regular ice cubes and ta da! No more watery iced coffee for you!

Would You Like A Little Ice Cream With Your Coffee?

partysugar — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 01:03:31 -0700

Today is National Coffee Ice Cream Day. According to a commonly accepted legend, around 700 AD, a shepherd in East Africa discovered the coffee plant. He noticed that his flock was highly active after eating a certain type of red berry. He tried the berries for himself and noted his new found alertness. He informed a nearby monk who used the berry to create a drink. The monk was so delighted by the extra hours awake that word spread and voila coffee was born.

As an ice cream flavor, coffee was not introduced until later of course, but it's a flavor that is undeniably popular all over the world. If you've got an ice cream maker, celebrate by making coffee ice cream today. To give my recipe a churn, read more

Coffee Ice Cream
From Recipe Zaar
Image Source

2 cups heavy cream
1 3/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Kahlua*
3 tablespoons espresso powder
6 large egg yolks

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar, Kahlua and espresso powder. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks until thickened.
Whisk 1 cup of the hot cream into the egg yolks. Gradually add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, to the hot cream.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container.
Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
Remove from the refrigerator and pour into the bowl of an ice cream machine. Freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze overnight, until very firm.

Serves 12.

*If you wish to omit the Kahlua use 1/4 cup more whole milk.

Print recipe with images | without images

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Taste Test: POMx Iced Coffee

YumSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:00:17 -0700

Pomegranates may have been around for thousands of years, but it wasn't until a few years ago that the fruit took off with the launch of pomegranate drinks such as POM Wonderful. Suddenly, the ubernutritious specimen became the world's hottest fruit. Its tart, brambly flavor began appearing in everything from cocktails to salad dressing. When I heard POM had developed a coffee drink, I had to find out what the hype was about. Did this beverage have pomegranate juice mixed in with its coffee? As it turns out, POMx Iced Coffee contains pomegranate extract for its antioxidant benefits, but no actual pomegranate juice. The 10-ounce drink, which is currently only available on the East Coast, comes in two flavors, café au lait and chocolate, and costs $2.99. The drink contains Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee, fat-free milk, and organic cane sugar. To find out my impressions of the drink, read more.

Drinking the chocolate flavor made me feel like a kid again. It resembled chocolate milk, but with subtle coffee undertones. The café au lait flavor had a creamy consistency, a more pronounced coffee flavor, and was significantly less sweet. I almost fell out of my chair, however, when I learned that each bottle contains 170 to 190 calories - at least 20 calories more than a can of regular Coke!

Although POMx Iced Coffee possesses little complexity like a real coffee, the healthy factor makes up for the straightforward coffee flavors. When I learned that it's being marketed as a "sophisticated energy drink" with a focus on health, the flavors seemed to make more sense.

Bottom line: The beverage contains all-natural ingredients, a stimulating 175 mg of natural caffeine, and enough antioxidants to equal an eight-ounce serving of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice. If you don't mind the calories and you need an energy boost, it might be a good drink for you.

Yummy Link: Coffee Oreo Rum Ice Cream

YumSugar — Tue, 01 May 2007 08:27:19 -0700

I've said it once before and I'll say it again, Elise was put onto the internet in order to make us all drool. Have a look at this glorious Coffee Oreo Cookie Rum Ice Cream, oh man I can't wait for the summer to begin. - Simply Recipes

Wolfgang Puck's Newest Venture: Iced Coffee

YumSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:37:08 -0700

Watch out, Frappuccino. There's a new iced coffee in town, and it's been created by world famous chef Wolfgang Puck. Amidst a nasty lawsuit, guest judging on Top Chef, and juggling his nearly 20 restaurants, the celebrity chef is rolling out a new line of ready-to-drink iced coffees.

The bottled beverages, which will compete directly with products like POMx Iced Coffee, will cost $2.39 each or $7.99 for a four pack of Vanilla Fusion, Double Blend Mocha, Creme Caramel, or Café au Lait.

Puck explained how his drinks would be different from those on the market, citing the fact that the coffees are sourced from certified organic farms in Ethiopia, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico and contain certified organic and kosher ingredients.

Whole Foods stores nationwide will stock the coffee by the end of the year. Would you be more inclined to buy iced coffee because it's by Wolfgang Puck?

Yummy Links: From Better Tasting Coffee to Emeril Live

partysugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 06:45:47 -0700

Sick of the horrible tasting office coffee? Here are ten ways to make office coffee taste better. -The Epi-Log
Find the farmers market closest to you and discover recipes that feature the farm fresh products. -Culinate
M&M's premiums look so pretty I can't wait to get my hands on a bag.- Candy Blog
Learn all about Spain's most underrated wine: Sherry. - The Kitchn
Before you make homemade ice cream, read these tips for sweet creamy success. - Serious Eats
Help bring bitters back by making them at home. - Chow
What to eat before and after you work out. - FitSugar
Miss Emeril Live? Five never before seen episodes will be airing soon on his new network: Fine Living. - Fine Living

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Your Healthy Food Swaps

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:00:27 -0800

Since decadent foods like ice cream, baked treats, and fried foods tend to be high in the calorie department, it's good to have a few healthy food swap ideas up your sleeve. Here are some shared by fellow FitSugar readers.

"Avocado instead of mayo . . . sure it may have fat in it but it's healthy fat and tastes delicious. Hummus instead of cream in sauces and soups . . . adds a ton of flavor and protein." - mamasitamalita
"I use balsamic vinegar (not vinaigrette) on my salads without any oil. It gives the same powerful flavor kick but for a lot less calories." - laellavita
"Replace ranch dressing on my salad with cottage cheese." - genipher85

For more great ideas, keep reading