Popsicle Slow Melt Pops

I recently noticed that the door to my freezer was ajar and that half the contents were partially defrosted. Interestingly, one of the products in the freezer that had not completely melted was the Slow Melt Pops.

Unilever (Popsicle's parent company) has added gelatin to these new ice pops to retard melting and ice-structuring protein (ISP) to retain the texture. The company's publicist mentioned that without the ISP, the pops would "taste more like a pudding pop because of the gelatin." Breyers and other companies also use ISP to make their creamy, dense low-fat ice creams without the use of additives.

In addition, these contain no artificial colors or flavors, have 10 percent juice, only 40 calories and no fat per pop. Give 'em a try.

Carolyn: Popsicle has spent the past 20 years constantly giving consumers a reason to buy its products instead of cheaper store brands that taste quite similar.

Recently, this has included adding vitamin C and real fruit juice to its treats. This summer, Popsicle has added natural colors and flavors and a new no-drip formulation.

Popsicle Slow Melt Pops really do melt slowly. I placed three on a plate in 90-degree heat - it took 20 minutes before they even got soft. After an hour they looked like warm Jell-O (which makes sense, given what Bonnie just said about these containing gelatin).

These are great for parents of little kids. However, adults who can control a dripping ice-cream novelty - knowing that frozen treats are more flavorful when slightly melted - will want to buy the less expensive, more drippy kind.

Melissa's Salsa and Guacamole Kits

• $3.49 per 12-ounce clamshell package containing tomatoes, shallot, garlic cloves, lime, jalapeño pepper and (in the guacamole kit) avocados

Bonnie: Melissa's now has make-your-own salsa and guacamole kits in your produce department. Each kit contains the ingredients that Melissa's thinks you'll need to make these Mexican-style dishes. That's 3 Roma tomatoes, 1 shallot, 2 garlic cloves, 1 lime and 1 jalapeño pepper for the salsa; and 2 Haas avocados, 1 Roma tomato, 1 shallot, 2 garlic cloves, 1 lime and 1 jalapeño pepper for the guacamole.

I say "Melissa's thinks" because I don't traditionally use garlic or shallots in my guacamole. I do add finely diced fresh cilantro to both dishes. The folks at Melissa's said cilantro wouldn't stay fresh in the kits.

For those of you who don't know what to buy to make these dishes or don't normally have these ingredients on hand, this is a simple way to buy them. And the recipe is included on the box.

Carolyn: Gourmet produce companies sell information as much as they sell produce. However, these new kits from Melissa's are sorely lacking in information. They don't just contain the ingredients you need to make salsa and guacamole from scratch - they assume you'll want to make salsa and guacamole with only Melissa's ingredients and only one way.

The instructions merely say to "peel, mince and combine" all the ingredients. I could have used more direction, especially about how to handle the hot peppers so as not to ruin a perfectly good set of contact lenses (not to mention eyes). And I'm sure the other neophyte guacamole and salsa makers who make up the main market for these kits could, too.

This information could easily fit on the package side, as could instructions for making these with the help of a food processor. Not only would this save time, but it would also give the finished products the smoother consistency that characterizes the guacamole and salsa dips most of us are used to. Salsa is the Spanish word for sauce, after all, not chopped salad - which is what my handmade Melissa's salsa more closely resembled.

Diet Pepsi Max Cola

• $1.59 per 2-liter bottle. Also available in 20-ounce bottles and multipacks of 12 12-ounce cans

Bonnie: Diet Pepsi Max ain't for me. The folks at Pepsi won't mind, as they didn't intend it for me or, for that matter, any baby boomer but for busy Gen Xers. They're promoting it as "ideal for anyone who needs a mental and physical boost during the day." An 8-ounce glassful contains about twice the caffeine of a regular Pepsi or Diet Pepsi, along with ginseng, which can increase the stimulant effects of caffeine. When you consume the 20-ounce bottle, you'll get as much caffeine as in a cup of coffee.

As one who hates artificial sweeteners, I can't judge the taste. What do you think, Carolyn?

Carolyn: I think this tastes just about the same as any other diet cola. But with a name like Max and a publicly stated aim to "bring invigoration to the masses," I expected Pepsi Max to contain a lot more caffeine. It has only 46 mg per 8-ounce serving, or one-half to one- third the kick in a cup of coffee of the same size (depending on the kind of coffee). Max also contains ginseng, but Pepsi makes no claims about it - perhaps because most of the claims that have been made by others (that it stimulates your immune system, your energy level, your libido) are unsubstantiated.

Source:www.rockymountainnews.com