Recently I've been drinking a lot of Rosé. It's the perfect pour for when the weather is neither too hot nor too cold. My favorite bottle comes from a Southern Australia vineyard called Anglove. Their Nine Vines Rosé is 70 percent Grenache and 30 percent Shiraz. It has a deep pink hue and somewhat musty clarity. The aroma is fruity and faintly floral. Hints of raspberry and cherry mingle with the spicy flavor of classic Australian Shiraz.

After the first sip, I realized this Rosé is addictive and delightfully easy to drink. Crisp, refreshing, and full-bodied, it's hard to believe a bottle retails for just $12. I enjoyed Nine Vines with a manchego pizza, but it would pair nicely with grilled fish, roasted poultry, or a hearty salad.

Do you sip Rosé? What's your current fav?

Could the breakfast staple, Cheerios, be classified as a drug? That's what the Food and Drug Administration is claiming, based on the product's labeling that it's "clinically proven to help lower cholesterol." On May 5, the FDA sent a warning letter to General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, charging that the cereal's cholesterol-lowering health claims violate federal law. It stated:

Based on claims made on your product's label, we have determined that your Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease.

According to The Wall Street Journal, if General Mills wishes to keep the statements on the Cheerios box as is, the company has to file a new-drug application for the cereal. In a statement issued this morning, General Mills expressed that it will "look forward to discussing this with the FDA and to reaching a resolution."

While I agree that the FDA should be closely involved with health claims in consumer products, I can't help but wonder whether this is taking resources away from a larger problem in the FDA's hands: improving food safety in our country. Should packaged foods be able to make health claims, or does that render them drugs?

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Prosciutto and melon is a classic Italian appetizer, but right now, the abundance of juicy, summery mango is too tempting to resist. Combined with the salty, cured ham, this tropical fruit works just as well, especially when freshly cut mint from your garden (or grocery store) is added to the mix.

To balance out the bold trio of mango, prosciutto, and mint, I went basic with the rest of the ingredients: bitter arugula to cut the sweetness, simple hollowed-out ciabatta for the bread, and mild mozzarella to meld it all together. The resulting recipe sounds divinely high-end, but it's just as easy to make as any old panini — whether you own a panini maker or not. Get the recipe, complete with step-by-step photos, when you read more

How much time do you dedicate to keeping fit, and are you doing enough? How do you know if you’re doing the right workout regimen for your body type and lifestyle? Is a long walk better than a brisk jog or run? Is a hike better than a swim? What’s your target heart rate for cardio?

For all of these crucial fitness questions, there are just as many answers, and expert advice that dictates how fit you are for your life.


Click here to take our Fitness Facts Quiz and be automatically entered for a chance to win $250 of Reebok gear. Hurry, the contest ends on May 25!

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• El Bulli's Ferran Adrià is studying the art of pizza making in hopes to open a pizzeria in Barcelona. — Los Angeles Times
• New York City has become a hotbed for cook-off challenges. — New York Times
• Soave, the once ubiquitous Italian white, is working hard to make a comeback. — Wall Street Journal
• How to get the most out of shopping at the farmers market. — Chicago Tribune
• Strawberry-rhubarb chicken is a seasonal twist on the classic sweet-and-sour chicken. — Washington Post
• Boston's African-American communities are paving the way for a new class of healthy, sustainable soul food. — Boston Globe

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When planning a party, remember the guest of honor's culinary needs. Although Ronda's bachelorette party has a belly-dancing theme and a spread of Mediterranean-inspired appetizers, she's requested that the dessert be something bite sized and chocolaty. These delightful fudge brownie tartlets are sure to satisfy her sweet tooth. The shell is a butter pastry, the filling a gooey chocolate batter, and the frosting a chocolate buttercream. They can be prepared up to three days in advance, making them the ideal party dessert.

If you aren't hosting a bachlorette party any time soon, you'll want to add this divine recipe to your collection: do so when you read more

With Summer heating up, Nation's Restaurant News reports that many of frozen yogurt's top chains are gearing up for some rather chilly competition. This month, Pinkberry announced it has received an additional $9 million from investors, and plans to open 35 stores in the Middle East as well as expand domestically. Meanwhile, top competitor Red Mango has grand plans of its own — to launch 550 locations over the next five years, and at least 40 new domestic stores this year in states such as Texas.

Last week, New York-based frozen dessert chain Tasti-D-Lite signed a deal to open 35 new stores in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut over the next ten years. That's in addition to more than a dozen outposts in Nashville, TN, plus 40 more in southern Texas. Yet another competitor, Yogurt-land, plans to more than double in size before the end of the year.

While I did predict that custom blended fro-yo would be the next big trend, I think the industry may have gone a bit overboard. At a time when Starbucks has been forced to lower prices on coffee, do yogurt chains truly believe they can exponentially grow their empires on $5 cups of yogurt? Are you in agreement, or are you simply excited by the prospect of having more frozen yogurt options?

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