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[05/14/2008, 15:30]	Organic Wine Week, Part 2: Pinot Noir

My second organic wine pick for this week involves Pinot Noir--which still seems to be everyone's favorite red variety. There's a lot to like about it, so it's not surprising. They're flavorful, rich without being heavy, and pair well with a wide variety of foods. So when the folks at Cooper Mountain asked if I'd like to try their latest vintage of Pinot Noir I said yes. Cooper Mountain Vineyards are in the Willamette Valley, perched on the slopes of an extinct volcano in Oregon. Robert and Corrine Gross started the vineyards in 1978 and began bottling their own wine in 1987. Robert Gross always explored alternative methods of treating his medical patients--he's a psychiatrist, a homeopath, and an acupuncturist--and his fondness for the road less traveled in his career can also be seen in his wine work. Within a few years, Gross became interested in sustainable, alternative farming and began to convert the vineyards to organic methods. They were certified organic in 1995 (the second vineyard in Oregon to achieve this status), and four years later received their biodynamic Demeter certification. The wine I sampled, the 2006 Cooper Mountain Vineyards Cooper Hill Pinot Noir, was a light bodied, cheerful wine with excellent QPR. ($15-$17 through online merchants) Made with organic, biodynamic grapes, the wine tasted very pure to me, with lots of cherry and raspberry aromas and flavors that were intense and lively. The wine had Pinot's distinctive silky character, and after you swallowed down all those fruity flavors there was a nice fresh taste in your mouth that reminded me of the smell of a wet garden. Like most Oregon Pinot Noirs that I've tasted, this wine is not opulent and rich but cool and restrained--like Grace Kelley. It's a young wine, with refreshing acidity at its core and I found that the cherry had turned to black cherry and the raspberry to blackberry after I recorked it and left it on the counter for 24 hours. This suggested to me that this is a wine that will continue to develop with age. But it's delightful right now, so you shouldn't wait to try this one. And the price is amazing for a wine that is organic, small production, and so darn tasty. We had the Cooper Mountain Pinot Noir with some BBQ shrimp and cheese grits made with shrimp tossed in some homemade red sauce with bourbon and spices and some creamy grits laced with extra sharp cheddar cheese. The acidity really cut through the red BBQ sauce, and the purity of the fruit flavors didn't clash with the spices. This summer, if you've got plans to BBQ, get yourself some of this wine. Cooper Mountain makes a wide range of organic, biodynamic wines including Pinot Gris, Malbec, and several different Pinot Noirs. If you want confirmation from another blogger that Cooper Mountain is a winery to watch, check out Jeff Lefevere's review over at Good Grape. This is a winery that may not be on your radar screen, but it should be. Their wines are further proof of the numerous affordable, delicious choices that are out there if you would like to make organic and biodynamic wine choices.

[05/12/2008, 22:00]	LiveSTRONG With A Taste Of Yellow 2008 - Round Up Part 2

More yellow inspired food..... It is only 18 months since Susan in Florida, USA lost her Dad to cancer. She shares a supportive verse and her Mini Filo Cups with Lemon Cream, Ginger Spiced Creme Fraiche Whipped Cream and Fresh Berries at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy. Tatiana in São Paulo, Brazil shares a lovely looking recipe for Yellow Penne With Tapenade at Mixirica. Jan in New Jersey at Food With A Pinch Of Love shared two recipes. Her first is a grated corn snack called Bhutte ka Kees and the second picture is her Poha using Tumeric. Essence of Andhra is the blog of Uma in California and she has made a breakfast dish of puffed rice called Upma. These fabulously bright Peanut Butter Chocoalte Chunk Cookies are an Ina Garten recipe made by Lori at Recipe Girl. They are in memory of her father and other family members and friends. Jessica at Fearless Kitchen in Braintree, Massachusettes created her Mellow Yellow dessert by making two different types of yellow ice cream. This fabulous looking Lemon Cake with Strawberries is from Pixie in England and can be found at You Say Tomahto, I Say Tomayto . I have never seen or heard of Ployes before but they look a little like a crumpet. They are contributed by Lynn in Levis, Quebec and you can see them at And Then I Do The Dishes. This healthy looking Fruit Cocktail combines mango, pineapple and orange and is from Madhuram at Eggless Cooking in the US. Divya from Los Angeles shares her Tomato Rice, also known as Thakkalai Saatham, over on her blog Dil Se. Mansi at Fun and Food in California celebrates the arrival of spring with her Pear and Almond Yoghurt Cake. Kristen in Arlington Heights is a cancer survivor and has joined in with her Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes. Cookie dough and cupcakes - how good does that sound! You'll find the recipe at Kristen's blog I'm Right About Everything. A Flavour Capture is the delightful blog of Charline in Nancy, France. This year Charline has contributed Exotic Cheesecake topped with Passion Caramel. From the comments I can see some of you have all ready read this post. I think we all agree Kristen at Dine and Dish in Kansas City has written a very powerful post to accompany her Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. I'd love to breakfast with Anali at Anali's First Amendment in Quincy, Massachusetts if she served up these Rice Milk Brown Sugar Waffles. Another entry from France. This time from Carol in Alsace. Her blog Botacook is bilingual so the recipe for these Yellow Spiced Upside Down Cakes is in English and French. Annemarie at Ambrosia and Nectar in London used the yellow of both cornmeal and saffron for her Mackerel Escabeche. Mary in Ohio credits her friend's mother Pam for helping her quit smoking.Watching her suffer from cancer was enough to make Mary quit. At Shazam in the Kitchen you will find her Dried Cranberry Black Walnut Corn Muffins containing cancer fighting ingredients walnuts and cranberries. Erin the Skinny Gourmet in Chicago celebrates her Mothers survival with her entry. You will find a photo of her Lemon Tart at the end of her post. Jerry in Lewisville Texas at Food and Photo celebrates his mother's early detection of cancer and shares his recipe for Spring Lemon Chicken. How yummy do these perfect Lemon Slice look? VERY. They are from Y at Lemonpi in Sydney, Australia. Homecooked in California treated her guests to this delicious looking Pineapple Carrot Cake made from a Barefoot Contessa recipe. This entry from Kuwait is from Dita at my culina sanctuarium who learnt her positive attitude from watching her mother deal with cancer successfully. Her Thai Chicken Curry and Toffeed Plums & Apples with Spiced Yoghurt sounds wonderful. Another old friend from New Zealand, Paul at Eatnz comes out of hibernation to support us with his outstanding Lemon Tart. Minko in Australia shares a story about an inspiring young Australian woman Jessica Disteldirfis. Minko is a cupcake fan and these Lemon and Honey Cupcakes are definitely Couture Cupcakes. Jesper from Aarhus, Denmark at Cooking All Day enters her first blogging event with a Lemon Fool Layer Cake to celebrate her baby-j's first birthday. She also posts a little more yellow with some pictures of her saffron infused bread known in Scandinavia as lusekatter. Entries truly have come from all corners of the world. This one at Canela & Comino is from Gretchen in Lima, Peru. She honours her friend P and family with a Chicken Tagine with Olives. Pane Giallo in Italian means yellow bread. DK in California uses polenta and red peppers and shares her recipe at Culinary Bazaar. Sandi at Whistlestop Cafe Cooking turned these eggs into a Sweet Squash Fritatta. This is my kinda recipe for a weekend lunch. Brielle is a young family friend of Cheri at Adventures In the Kitchen in Corona de Mar, California. Brielle is currently undergoing treatment for a rare form of cancer. Cheri and her children decorated these Sugar Cookies For Brielle. At No Special Effects a beautifully plated and delicious looking dessert of Maple, Salted Buttered Caramel and Pear Helene from Manggy a physicain and food lover from Manila in the Philippines. From Jude at Cakestorm in Melbourne this Luscious Lemon Slice does indeed look luscious and I intend to make it soon. A Corn Potato Bread from Tanna of My Kitchen In Half Cups in Dallas Texas is made with yellow cornmeal. Tanna honours her favourite aunt with her entry. Dalma is a famous Indian dish, from the state Orissa. This is a simple lentil curry with some spices and fresh cilantro and comes form Siri at Siri's Corner in North Carolina. Ti from Indonesia now lives in Melbourne and blogs at Kitchen Fun With Ti. She shares her recipe for Chicken and Potoatos on Coconut Gravy. I think this is the most beautiful Tarta Flor De Mango I have ever seen. It is just one of the many fabulous desserts from Tartasacher at Mil Postres. Johanna in Melbourne Australia at Green Gourmet Giraffe has written a very thoughtful post on the colour yellow. She uses the yellow of corn as her base for a Pumpkin,Corn and Wild Rice Chowder. This beautifully presented Chickpeas with Pumpkin Lemongrass and Coriander is from Abby in London at Eat The Right Stuff. Happy Cook at My Kitchen Treasures celebrates the beginning of asparagus season in Belgium with her Asperges op z'n Vlaams. Chow is from the San Francisco Bay Area and over at Chow Vegan you will find her brilliant and bright Yellow Tomato Bruschetta. Kazari at I Think I Have A Recipe For That, originally from West Australia but now in Canberra on the east coast, was inspired by eggs at the farmer's market to make an Oven-baked frittata with bacon and vegetables Courtney is from Austin Texas but currently lives in one of my favourite countries. She is in Barcelona, Spain. She shares a Creme Brulee Cheesecake at The Dough Ball. Annie at Annies Eats in Indianapolis has been touched by cancer more than most. This beautiful young woman now knows there is no such thing as a bad hair day. She shares her recipe for Pina Colada Cupcakes. Elle in Northern California at Feeding My Enthusiasms, shares the story of Nora and rejoices that her mother is a survivor of lung cancer. Elle shares an adapted Mollie Katzen recipe for Pineapple, Coconut Orange Muffins. From Dinner and Drinks in Hillsborough Carolina, Maria raises a toast to the memory of those lost and those who keep on keepin' on with The Curtis Special, a drink containing the golden yellow of rum. Ngoc at the Professional Bakist in Los Angeles has had her own cancer scare, luckily it was negative. She has plans to run in the Underwear Affair, an initiative for fighting cancers below the waist. Ngoc shares her recipe for Lemon-Artichoke Anelletti with Crabby Crab Cake. A yellow Pineapple Salad from Ashley at Delish in Texas is in honour of her hubby's recently departed Grandfather. He passed away a short 2 weeks after being diagnosed. Sara at Ms Adventures in Italy in Milan used the superfood quinoa to make this Quinoa and Salted Ricotta before heading off to the expat bloggers meet up in Florence. Kristen in the Bay Area, California has taken on the cheer leader role as her Dad goes through chemo at the moment. She says her Strawberry Lemon Bars taste like strawberry lemonade. Check out the recipe on her blog Something Sweet. She did it her way. Lore in Romania at Culinarty calls her recipe Scrambled Eggs - My Way. Don't they look delicious? Marion in Munich, Germany has written her recipe for Risotto au Safran in French at Tomaten Quiche. However English speakers can follow the pictures. This is one of those pictures you wish you could dip a spoon through the screen to taste. It is called Tocino del Cielo and it is from Christine in Manila at Ramblings from a Gypsy Soul. Her mum is a survivor thanks to early detection. Lynn at Cookie Baker Lynn in Bellevue writes lovingly of her late father in law. He was born in Hawaii and Lynn's Hawaiian Teriyaki Pork Kabobs are in his honour. Lina in Orange County California celebrates her Dad now being cancer free with a recipe for Condensed Milk Pound Cake with Pineapple Sauce at My Life Is Yummy. Sarah in West Lafayette at Gotta Learn to Measure is another with family members losing the cancer fight. She enters her first blog event with her recipe for High Fiber French Toast and reminds us the importance of early detection. This fabulous photo of yellow Saffron Milk is from Revathi at En-ulagam in Fremont California. Thank you for you kind words Revathi. Nemmie at Cast Sugar in Kansas adapts a recipe from Food and Wine for Lemon Baby Buttons and honours a former work colleague who viewed life in a different way after being diagnosed with cancer. Farida in Long Beach California remembers her aunt who lost her battle with cancer ten years ago with a healthy Carrot Salad at Farida's Azerbaijani Cookbook. These Pancakes with Mango Citrus Compote at Thursday Night Smackdown are from Michelle in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her life had been touched by cancer more than anyone should have to endure but she writes cusses beautifully. Jasmine at Confessions of a Cardamom Addict in Canada talks about her own life defining cancer moments and contributes a Nigella Lawson recipe for Sweetcorn Pudding. Cassie from Ohio at Cassie Craves has used the yellow of pineapple to create her Glazed Pineapple Cookies in honour of her late Mom. Valisa is from Malaya and now lives in the Netherlands and blogs at Lekker Lekker Lekkerste. She uses tumeric in her recipe for Ayam Tumis Kunyit and says because Yellow for me is the colour of hope, of sunshine and of spring which signifies renewal that was why I chose turmeric to represent the colour yellow. Di in Georgetown, TX (near Austin) faced cancer early in her life when her fiance lost his battle with cancer. She shares a Dorie recipe for Lemon Sables at Di's Kitchen Notebook. Lakshmi in Singapaore at Taste of Mysore uses my favourite fruit to make a dip called Mango Seekarane. In honour of her much loved late Grandpa, Mandy in Atlanta at Fresh From The Oven shares a recipe for Steamed Fish Rolls. Laurie at Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska uses the yellow of semolina and saffron to make a Patricia Well's recipe for Fennel and Saffron Bread. Deborah in Utah at Taste and Tell participated last year with Her Mom's Lemon Sauce.These year she has sent us some beautifully iced Lemon Cupcakes. Madelyn in San Juan, Puerto Rico belives food should be your medicine as well as nourishment. Her Eggless Scramble with Tomato Relish at Karma Free Cooking is suitable for vegans. Chelle from Akron Ohio shares her Dad's story over at Sugar and Spice. She found this Cheddar Corn Chowder recipe over at Annie's Eats. Using spices from her latest Blog By Mail Package Stephanie in Tennessee at Dispensing Happiness created this Yellow Potato Curry and reminds those with cancer is in the family, as in hers, need to viligante. One of my favourite lunches is a healthy Curried Egg Salad.This one is from Eve in Berkeley at the Garden of Eating. Erin at Dinner and Dessert contributes a recipe for Lemon Bars. She is involved in a project knitting scarves and hats for young cancer patients. Stuffed with tomatoes, cheese and pine nuts these Mediterranean Squash Boats are from Elly in Chicago at Elly Says Opa who lost her lovely Pappou to cancer. Vanessa lives in Midleton, Wisconsin and although I confess I'm far from being a computer geek, her family sound just like mine. She blogs at What Geeks Eat and this is her recipe for Great Grains Muffins adapted from a Dorie Greenspan recipe. Jenny in San Diego is part of a Cycle Team that enters endurance events to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphona Society. She shares a recipe for Loquat Chutney with Sweetcorn Fritters at Foray Into Food. Emily in Los Angeles is Rediscovering The Joy Of Cooking and has contributed a recipe called Blanchards Corn Chowder With Crab. Dolores at Culinary Curiosity writes... in honor of LiveStrong Day 2008 I've turned to Keller and his Lemon Sabayon Pine Nut Tart, because as anyone surviving cancer will tell you, each day is a special occasion and a cause for celebration. How true Dolores. From Tami at Running With Tweezers, a second entry, Pasta With Summer Squash and Rosemary. I have passionfruit in my freezer and I'll be making the Banana Bread with Passionfruit Curd contributed by Claire in Melbourne, Australia at Melbourne Gastronome. This No Knead Bread containing eggs and cottage cheese is from Tracy in Rochester NY at Rah Cha Chow. She found the recipe in an out of print book called The Book Of Bread by Judith and Evan Jones.