More protein
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says 'the average American consumes about double the protein her or his body needs.' Still, the protein-centered-product business offers up General Mills' Nature Valley Protein chewy bars and, from Kellogg's, Eggo protein waffles. (Kellogg's already had Special K protein meal bars and Special K Protein Plus cereal.) And now Nabisco has an entry, under its Snackwell's brand: three flavors of cereal bars.
Balmy shelf life
Vinegar in general has a very long shelf life. Older bottles of wine-based vinegars might get sediment at the bottom, and sometimes they develop a growth of what is called Mother of Vinegar, the natural mold used to make new batches of vinegar. Mother looks more like a thin sheet you'll see floating in a bottle than thick globs. Balsamic vinegars vary wildly in price, from the true aged balsamicos that can cost more than $100 a bottle to very cheap balsamic-flavored vinegars that cost less than $5. With the cheap stuff, manufacturers sometimes add caramel flavoring or sweeteners to mimic the true balsamic taste. Home cooks sometimes boil a cheaper balsamic with a little sugar to make it thicker or sweeter, too.
Wine of the Week: 2010 Les Terrasses d'Eole Ventoux
Region: Rhone Valley
Price: About $9
Style: Full-bodied and intense
What it goes with: Burgers and barbecue
Think South of France, Rhone Valley. Inky dark, with the taste of sun-baked blackberries, brambles, something wild and woolly. This is a C�tes de Ventoux from the hills just below the famous Mt. Ventoux, one of the stages in the Tour de France bicycle race. The current vintage, 2010, is perfect for a burger bash or to wash down a rack of baby back ribs. Too intense for sipping on its own, this is a wine that needs food, and food with big, bold flavors. It's inexpensive enough that you can by it by the case to have on hand for summer's barbecues.
