This time, I tried the Buttery Beer, and my wife went with The Tropic. She said, “I like this one better than the one I got the other day.” 🌴
Pro tip: We scored another free drink just for writing a quick review on Google. Definitely worth doing if you stop by!
What should we try on visit #3? See the menu.
Tried a new recipe today. It sounds strange at first, but I promise, these brownies are fudgie and delicious.
– Prep time: 10 mins
– Cook time: 30 mins
– Yields: 9 brownies
Ingredients
– 1 cup Cooked sweet potato, mashed (approx. 1 large sweet potato)
– 1 cup Creamy nut butter (I used peanut butter)
– ½ cup Pure maple syrup
– ¼ cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
– 1 Large egg
– 1 tsp Vanilla extract
– 1 ½ tsp Baking powder
– ½ cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
– Optional: A pinch of sea salt for topping
Instructions
Prep the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8×8 inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
Make the Batter: In a large bowl (or food processor for a smoother texture), combine the mashed sweet potato, nut butter, maple syrup, egg, vanilla, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Mix until completely smooth and combined.
Fold in Chocolate: Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. The batter will be thick.
Note: If the batter is difficult to stir, you can add a tablespoon of 2% milk to loosen it slightly.
Bake: Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25–30 minutes.
Check: A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with just a few crumbs.
Cool Completely (Important): Unlike regular brownies, flourless brownies are very soft when hot. Let them cool completely in the pan (at least 30-45 minutes) before slicing to ensure they hold their shape.
Nutrition
Calories: ~300
Total Fat: 18g
Total Carbohydrates: 32g
Dietary Fiber: 4g
Sugars: 20g
Protein: 9g
Rock Hill has a new hotspot, and it’s not another coffee shop or brewery. It’s Swig, the self-proclaimed “Home of the Dirty Soda,” and it just opened its doors yesterday.
The buzz around this place has been growing, so my wife and I decided to head over for the grand opening festivities to see what the hype was all about. We were lucky enough to score our first round for free.
But before I get into what we drank, you might be asking the same question I was: What on earth is a “dirty soda”?
Don’t let the name throw you off; there’s no actual dirt involved. A “dirty soda” is essentially a gourmet, customized soft drink beverage.
The concept is simple but addictive: take a base soda—usually a staple like Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, or Mountain Dew—and “dirty” it up by adding various flavored syrups, fresh fruit purees, and, most crucially, creams (coconut cream and half-and-half are the most popular).
The result is a drink that is richer, creamier, and far more flavorful than anything you’d get out of a standard vending machine. It’s less like grabbing a pop at a gas station and more like ordering a non-alcoholic mocktail or a liquid dessert.
While dirty sodas are just now taking over the rest of the country, they have been a cultural phenomenon in the Mountain West for over a decade.
The trend originated in Utah. The widely accepted history is that, because a large percentage of Utah’s population is Mormon—a faith that prohibits the consumption of “hot drinks” like coffee and tea—a unique culture developed around elaborate, cold, caffeinated beverages.
Swig is widely credited as one of the pioneers of this craze, starting in St. George, Utah, back in 2010. They turned the simple act of getting a soda into a drive-thru destination experience.
I ordered the Raspberry Dream. This starts with a Dr. Pepper base, which is then mixed with raspberry puree and coconut cream. The coconut cream really smooths out the bite of the Dr. Pepper, and the raspberry gives it a fresh, fruity finish. It’s incredibly creamy but still refreshing.
My wife went the fruity route with the Hula Girl. This is a brighter, tarter combination using Sprite and lemonade as the base, flavored with mango, pineapple, and strawberry, and finished with coconut cream. It’s like a tropical vacation in a cup.
The drinks were definitely tasty and a fun change of pace from the usual afternoon coffee run. The Rock Hill location seems off to a great start. We will probably be going back soon; there are just too many intriguing combinations on that menu to stop at just two.
If you want to browse the overwhelming number of options before you go, you can check the drink ingredients here: https://swig.com/menu
Just saw the news that the Potts Dogs in Nazareth is rebranding and overhauling the menu after 50 years. 🌭
I never made it to that specific location—I was a regular at the Bethlehem shop back in my college days—but seeing a local classic change this much is still tough to watch. Apparently, they are adding a “tropical flair” to the new menu.
I’m sorry, but I just can’t get behind that. Pineapple does not belong on a hot dog. 🍍 Some things are sacred! Just give me the classic chili sauce any day.
We’ve all been there: it’s 7:00 AM, you’re rushing out the door, and the choice is usually between skipping breakfast or grabbing something convenient but nutritionally void.
Enter Oats Overnight. It promises the convenience of a protein shake with the substance of a meal. But does the nutrition label support the claims? I took a deep dive into the Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana flavor to see if it’s actually good fuel or just a glorified dessert.
Most instant oatmeal packets are carb-heavy sugar bombs with barely enough protein to keep a bird full. This label tells a different story.
In an era of ultra-processed foods, this ingredient list is refreshing. It relies on whole foods rather than chemical stabilizers.
While the instructions might say water is an option, using 2% milk is the secret weapon for this product.
When you mix this pouch with 8oz of 2% milk, you aren’t just improving the texture; you are chemically upgrading your morning.
With the release of the new 2026 Dietary Guidelines, which famously flipped the food pyramid to prioritize proteins and healthy fats over grains, does oatmeal still have a place?
Surprisingly, yes.
While traditional oatmeal sits at the bottom of the new pyramid (the “limit” section), Oats Overnight effectively hacks the system. By fortifying the oats with whey protein and pairing them with dairy fats, it bridges the gap between the “Grain” and “Protein” categories. It transforms a carbohydrate-heavy meal into a macro-balanced powerhouse that aligns with modern nutritional science.
This is a high-performance breakfast. It’s perfect for anyone looking to bridge the gap between a quick protein shake and a substantial meal. Just remember: skip the water and reach for the milk. Your tastebuds (and your muscles) will thank you.
On December 21, 2025, Jim Beam announced it will temporarily halt distillation at its flagship distillery in Clermont, Kentucky, for the entirety of the 2026 calendar year.
Only the main Clermont campus is pausing distillation. Operations will continue at the company’s smaller craft facilities, including the Booker Noe Distillery in Boston, KY, and the Fred B. Noe Craft Distillery in Clermont.
Bottling, warehousing, and tourism will not stop. The visitor center and restaurant remain open to the public.
As of December 2025, Jim Beam has not announced layoffs. The company is working with union leadership to reassign production employees to other roles within the company during the transition.
The company cited a need to invest in site enhancements.
Whiskey Glut: Kentucky currently has a record 16.1 million barrels of bourbon in storage—triple the amount from 15 years ago—amid a significant drop in consumer consumption.
Kentucky distillers are facing “crushing” taxes on aging inventory, paying an estimated $75 million in barrel taxes in 2025, a 27% increase from the previous year.
