Make Sparkling Water or Soda at Home with Soda-Club - Save Money and Help The Environment

I'm completely addicted to sparkling water, and so is my whole family. We go through quarts of the bubbly stuff every day, and believe me it was getting expensive! Even when we stepped down from imported to store brands, we were easily spending $30 per month, not to mention lugging it home from the grocery store.

So last summer I learned about Soda-Club, and we had to give it a try. Bottom line: I've never been happier with a product I've bought for the house. Check out the video above - the machine is incredibly easy to use. You just fill up one of the included, reusable quart bottles with water, screw it into the machine, and depress a button a few times to release the CO2. In a few seconds you have a quart of delicious, refreshing sparkling water. By pumping more or less you can adjust the carbonation level to your own preference.

Ok, I can't help it, I'm just in love with this thing. It would make a terrific Mother's Day gift, by the way!

Here are 10 things I like about it:

1. Saving money: You'll spend less than $100 upfront, but then each canister of CO2 makes 110 quarts of water. If you were paying $2 each, you'll be ahead of the game in just a couple of months and never look back. I figure we save at least $25 each month.
2. Bottled water is an environmental disaster. Even if you use glass bottles, you have a huge amount of energy used to transport it from around the world to your grocery store and then home to your house.
3. Carting home lots of quarts of water from the grocery store is a pain in the neck! They are heavy and take up lots of room.
4. The heavy-duty plastic bottles are BPA free and you can reuse them for up to 3 years.
5. You'll never run out. You can make more sparkling water in just a few moments.
6. The customer service is terrific. When you need supplies, you just place an order on the website and put the old canister outside. A few days later, new ones magically appear. Tip: there is free shipping if you get two at a time.
7. Soda-Club also offers flavorings (like lemon essence), and soda packets if you want to make cola or lemon-lime etc. beverages at home. I'm not a big soft-drink drinker, but I do like to add a little bit of fruit juice sometimes. Pomegranate is especially delicious.
8. The machine is easy to use. Installing a new canister just takes a minute, and you only have to do it every few months (depending on your usage level of course), and making bottles of waters takes literally seconds.
9. The unit is compact and looks nice on your counter.
10. And it doesn't use any electricity at all! It is completely driven by the compressed gas.

Just get one. You can thank me later :)! The banner below will take you right to their site.

Holiday Shopping for Gourmets (or Gourmands) - ChefShop.com

I've mentioned ChefShop.com on the blog before, because they are a local Seattle business that I really believe in. Tim Mar is a stone cold killer when it comes to tracking down incredible food products. He maintains contact with dozens of small producers, and brings in shipping containers from Europe every year, packed with goodies you often can't find anywhere else. A shipment just arrived, so now is the time to get the coolest new stuff.

The two items above are both from the US. Katz vinegars from the Napa and Suisun valleys in California are terrific. This Late Harvest Zinfandel Vinegar is agrodolce (sweet and sour), with strong, specific fruit flavors. It isn't at all like a generic wine vinegar. The June Taylor Candied Seville Peel is from Berkeley. If you like marmalades, you will love this. Big chunky pieces of Seville orange-peel. They go amazing with Spanish cheeses like manchego, or in any holiday cake where you would use candied fruit.

ChefShop is a great place to buy holiday presents for the good cooks or good eaters on your list. You'll probably find something your friends haven't seen before, and everything they carry is top-notch. If you are in Seattle, drop by the store at 1415 Elliot Avenue West, or otherwise browse the online catalog. You can see some of my other favorite items in my pantry on the site. (This isn't a promotion, just an opportunity to share stuff I love).

Recipe: Farro with Collard Greens and Bacon Salt

Farro with Collard Greens and Bacon Salt

Yep, you heard me right. Bacon Salt. It has been all over the blogosphere lately, but I had no idea it was vegetarian until Keren brought some to give away to our last food blogger get together. I shouldn't have been surprised, as processed bacon bits are a soy product too. I generally don't cook with artificial flavors, but I took it as a challenge to use it at least once, and I have to admit I liked the results.

Greens are often cooked with pork in both the American south and in Italy as well. I had some beautiful pearled farro that I brought home from our Italy trip, so a plan came together for a simple and hearty one-pot meal.

If you haven't used farro before, I really recommend you try some. It is a very ancient whole grain, one of the staples of the Roman poor. I find the flavor somewhere between wheat and barley. It is a very nice change of pace from rice and couscous.

This recipe is vegetarian but not vegan because the bacon salt contains milk products of some sort.

Farro with Collard Greens and Bacon Salt
Serves 4

• 4 servings of farro (see below)
• 1/2 small can chickpeas, drained
• 3 big bunches of collard greens or other strong-flavored greens (not spinach)
• 1 white onion, diced
• 6 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 1 t. chili flakes
• 1 t. Bacon Salt (or regular salt and smoked paprika)

1. Cook 4 servings of farro according to package directions. (Actually you should probably make 6 servings because serving sizes are always too small, right!). There are a number of different types with different cooking times, so it is better if I don't give you specific details, but cook until it is tender but not falling apart. Drain, and stir in chickpeas.
2. Remove stems from greens, rinse thoroughly and chop coarsely
3. In a large soup pot, fry the onions in 2 T. of the oil. When slightly brown, add the chili flakes and garlic and fry for 20 more seconds.
4. Add the greens and a small splash of water if they aren't wet. Cover. After a minute or two, reduce heat to medium low. Stir occasionally until they are very thoroughly tender and wilted.
5. Remove from, drain excess water, and toss with the remaining olive oil and the Bacon Salt.
6. To serve, simply put the farro in a bowl or on a plate, top with the greens, and lightly toss. Pass more good olive oil, sea salt, bacon salt, and black pepper at the table.