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Stuff We Gotta Have

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By JEFF HOUCK

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 4, 2008

ENERGY DRINK YOU CAN LOVE

The energy drink market is crowded. Lots of cans and products out there. One way a company can stand apart: by going organic. Syzmo is one of the only energy beverages to earn a USDA certification for organic products. Although it comes in original and prickly pear flavors, the passion fruit flavor was our favorite. It actually tastes delicious enough to drink like a fruity beverage - regardless of the buzz provided by the 120 milligrams of caffeine packed in a 12-ounce can. Cost: $37.29 for a 24-pack, available at Amazon.com.

PUT A STICK IN IT

Two seemingly incongruous words: popsicle cookbook. But that's what "Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone," by Krystina Castella, claims to be - and the first one at that. Regardless, it's a book full of delicious photos and fruity recipes for fruity and refreshing ice pops. Beyond the usual pour-it-and-freeze-it recipes even a second-grader could do, there are more advanced energy pops, coffee and tea pops and - our personal fave - cocktail pops with alcohol. Cosmopolitan pops in the shape of martini glasses ... are you kidding? Gotta have a cold heart to resist the charm of that kind of treat. (Quirk Books, $15.95)

CUBES TO GO

We recently became obsessed with ice cubes after our refrigerator's in-door icemaker took a colossal swan dive and needed repairs. We could have used this device in the interim: a portable ice-maker by Frontgate that freezes 12 cubes every six to eight minutes. That adds up to 30 pounds of ice every 24 hours. Even cooler: It makes three sizes of cubes. Cost: $299. Available at frontgate.com.

BUN-A-LICIOUS

To recap: The title of the column is "Cravings." Not "Health Food." Cravings are about decadence, about the heart wanting what the heart wants. And, after eating a Hardee's Prime Rib Thickburger, we have to say that it fits the bill fully as a decadent choice. The stats: one-third pound of Black Angus beef topped with thinly-sliced prime rib, horseradish sauce, Swiss cheese, and grilled onions on a ciabatta roll. Oh, and a cup of au jus for dipping. Price: 4.49. Cost: A thousand sit-ups. But you've been meaning to do those anyway.

Jeff Houck

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