4chixpost

Wine in a box

From the 4th Chick-I would have never thought that I would be drinking wine from a box, much less red, but I'm sold.  Recently, on vacation, someone served a cabernet in a box that he had gotten through a private club. I was truly skeptical, but thought if this cardioligist is buying, and the wine guru at this prestigious club is promoting, I'm trying!  Sure enough, it had very good taste and texture.  I share this for all of the red lovers out there (like me) who strive to find a decent bottle at a reasonable price, knowing that after it's opened the first night, it probably won't be "drinkable" the next day.....much less two days later.  It's my understanding that some producers are moving toward boxes for their more moderately priced wines because they hold the freshness, not allowing the air to affect the wine as much. The wine I had was Powers Cabernet which comes in a three liter box (equivalent to 4 bottles), and could possibly maintain for up to 2 weeks.  I haven't actually given it the time test, and don't know that it would last two weeks in our house, but it's refreshing to know that this option is out there....and, The Price is Right!.. at around $23.00 ber box....depending upon where you are purchasing.    Check out their website www.badgermtnvineyard.com/powers.htm 

Top Ten Wines for Fall

https://www.internationalwine.com/wine_search.aspx?t=sale&s=fall&SiteID=1044

I debated putting this under the "women's health" category...take a look at these from International Wine. They are affordable, too!

Organic Foods

Since I procrastinated shopping for my 4th of July cookout for two until the 4th itself, I had to shop at the only open store, Ellwood Thompson. I love that store, and I have gone through periods of trying to eat all organic in my life for several reasons. The main one is that my grandfather, father, and I have a bizarre allergy to food preservatives - mainly to processed foods that contain nitrates - that cause itchy skin, hives, etc. My grandfather used to have to resort to periodic rice diets to let his reactions clear up and was treated at Duke for it. The theory is that for someone who grew up eating what he grew, his system did not have the ability to handle all the chemicals. When you think that many of us are just one generation from growing up on the farm and eating our own "organic" foods, makes some sense.

Anyway, my attempts to eat "organic" have often been thwarted by the cost, convenience, and the availability of organic foods and my inner skeptic that makes me suspicious that I am being scammed by a little regulated industry. But when we ate our July 4th meal of organic filets, asparagus, and portobello mushrooms, we couldn't help but be wowed by how fantastic everything tasted - the way we remembered it used to when we were growing up. Yet still, the tab for the meal was at least thirty per cent higher than what it would have cost at Ukrop's. Is it worth it?

This morning, the Today Show caught my attention with a segment on "Organic Foods, are they Worth the Extra Green?" Their expert ran down the list of what foods really matter in terms of spending the money to buy organic vs. those that don't because they are not grown or eaten in a way that exposes you to pesticides or other inorganic substances. It also defines what "organic" means in the different food groups so you know if you can count on the labeling or if it doesn't matter. All and all, a very informative clip so I have posted the link to their website:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032633/.  Scroll down for the story.

DH and I are leaning to making a better effort to eating more organic where it counts and making room for it in the grocery budget by cutting back on "convenience" foods like pre-bagged salads and prepared meals. We'll see...