Sugar

WILMINGTON - A local investor in the SugarHouse Casino on Thursday criticized a proposed expansion of the site as "cheapening" the image of Philadelphia's first gaming hall. "We want a first-class casino, not something cheesy," said Robert Potamkin, a Philadelphia auto dealership magnate, during testimony in Chancery Court. "And we want some control over it. " In a 12th-floor courtroom, the very private investors behind the SugarHouse Casino are locked in a very public battle over the future of the riverfront casino on Delaware Avenue in Fishtown and Northern Liberties.

More than a year ago, the owners of the SugarHouse Casino unveiled plans to almost double the gaming space at the Fishtown casino on Delaware Avenue. By now, workers should have been tearing up blacktop to make way for a $142 million expansion with one level of new casino space and restaurants, plus six floors of parking. But the only work they are doing on the 22-acre property this summer is cutting down overgrown trees by the water's edge. The expansion is on hold until a Delaware chancery court rules on a year-old legal dispute among the SugarHouse owners.

THE TRANSCENDENT power of music yields an astounding and moving story of redemption in the documentary "Searching for Sugar Man. " Can one bootlegged album change the world? Yes. And here's your proof: An obscure singer-songwriter out of Detroit named Sixto Rodriguez cuts two lyrical life-on-the-street albums for a boutique Motown label in the early '70s. Critics loved them, nobody bought them, the radio didn't play them and Rodriguez, an eccentric fellow who often performed with his back to the audience in Detroit clubs with names like The Sewer, didn't make it as a touring act. He put down his guitar, picked up a shovel and worked as a day laborer in Detroit.

A heated, computer-controlled nozzle glided smoothly back and forth, then up and down, depositing a thin trail of sugar in the shape of a delicate, miniature cage. A scene from a high-tech pastry kitchen? A 21st-century reboot of Willy Wonka's candy factory? Far from it. The sugar cage was a first step toward manufacturing blood vessels for artificial organs, made with a custom-built 3-D "printer" in a bioengineering lab at the University of Pennsylvania. Once they harden, these crisscrossing lines of sugar can be surrounded with a gel that contains cells from the desired type of organ - say, a liver.

Here are two cool and delicious popsicle recipes you can try at home from Jeanne Chang at Lil Pop Shop in West Philly. For both recipes, if using pop molds with lids that include sticks or will hold sticks, divide the mixture among the molds.  Freeze until solid, about 5 hours.  If using unconventional molds, divide mixture among the molds and freeze for about 90 minutes to 2 hours until pops begin to set, then insert sticks and freeze until solid, about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. If using instant ice pop maker, such as Zoku, follow manufacturer instructions.

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1½ tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon brown sugar ½ cup pure olive oil   1. Whisk together all ingredients in small bowl or put ingredients in a covered jar and shake until the sugar dissolves.   From Solo Suppers by Joyce Goldstein (2003)   Note: Trader Joe's Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette may be used as a substitute. Per three-tablespoon serving:   247 calories, trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, 1 gram sugar, 27 grams fat, no cholesterol, 46 milligrams sodium, no dietary fiber.

¼ cup tomato paste ¼ cup sorghum molasses, unsulfured molasses, or maple syrup (see note) 3 tablespoons dry mustard 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar Kosher salt 1 cup dark beer 2 quarts cooked white beans, drained, cooking liquid reserved 6 thick slices smoked bacon   1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the tomato paste, sorghum, dry mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt.

With tomato season nearly upon us, many a consumer soon will be scanning the shelves for specimens with that uniform hue of eye-catching red - a characteristic that shoppers have come to expect from modern agriculture. But in the quest for good looks, they likely are giving up something in the taste and nutrition department, according to new research published Friday in the journal Science. Tomatoes that have been bred to ripen with a uniform color contain up to 20 percent less sugar than their counterparts with green or yellow patches on the "shoulder" of the fruit, the researchers found after a genetic analysis.

To help attract a younger crowd and better compete with Atlantic City's seaside casinos, SugarHouse on Penn's Landing has brought the beach to the city. Or at least a beach resort of sorts. The making of SugarBeach on Friday included the delivery of 110 tons of sand and the planting of more than 30 live Florida palm trees along the casino's 7,000-square-foot stretch of waterfront overlooking the Delaware River and the Ben Franklin Bridge. SugarBeach will debut to the public at 2 p.m. Saturday, and will be open for nine days, with food, drink and entertainment.

WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Wednesday not to tamper with the Depression-era program that protects U.S. sugar growers as it raced toward completion of a $500 billion bill to operate farm and food programs over the next five years. The sugar program, which controls supply levels, sets prices, and limits imports, has long been a target of those who say the government supports agribusiness over consumers' interests. But in a 53-46 vote, the Senate defeated an amendment to the farm bill that would have reduced the scope of the program, including eliminating a provision of the 2008 farm bill that required the federal government to buy surplus sugar that was then sold to ethanol companies at a loss.